June 2003

Does Bar News Have "Boof"?

by Jan Michels
WSBA Executive Director

As part of our periodic, wide-ranging conversations, my friend and trusted confidant WSBA member Paul Sherfey asked me about Bar News. "Whose is it?" "Whose ideas/views does it express?" "Whose "brand" drives it?"

What is Bar News? I tried a number of responses, but realized that when answering a question takes a long spew of words, various stuttering starts and iterations, and contrary-to-my-nature thinking out loud while searching for a satisfying response, the question is one that should be talked about more.

Whose Is It?
Bar News is the members' publication — it's yours! It should reflect what you want it to be. That said, how do we know what you want in your association magazine? President-elect Dave Savage has formed a Bar News Review Committee to examine these questions. On his committee sit Bar News Editor Lindsay Thompson and Managing Editor Amy Hines; Member and Community Relations Director Judy Berrett; Governors Robert Boggs, Joni Kerr and Fawn Sharp; Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) Chair James H. Hopkins; former EAB Chair Paula Littlewood; WYLD Trustee Paul Richmond; and I. This committee is reviewing various other state bar magazines and newspapers, and will conduct a membership survey in the fall to help answer these questions.

Whose Ideas/Views Does It Express?
The WSBA uses an independent editor who is in charge of editorial content, article solicitations and selection, and setting themes for different issues. This content and "flavor" constitute about 50 percent of the magazine. Many members have commented most favorably on how Lindsay Thompson's return, after a stint as a governor and the pursuit of other life interests, has revitalized Bar News and made reading it much more compelling — actually fun.

But the president and executive director have their bully pulpits. Their columns are not subject to editing, except the most welcome advice on how to improve readability. Lindsay is fond of telling us that we don't have to have a column every month. I think another of his quotes, "Most people run out of things to say in about 12 months," emphasizes this point without direct affront. The president and I feel you should know who we are and what we're thinking. The content we submit amounts to only about five percent of Bar News. Although any of our plans, or bents, is subject to the wisdom of all 14 members of the Board of Governors, we hope to be the antennae (and the voices) of what we see on the horizon in our areas of concern.

The third expression in Bar News, probably a 20 percent factor in this stew of a periodical, is "stuff" we think members want to know about and publicly examine. This category includes Disciplinary Notices, The Board's Work, FYI (including Opportunities for Service), Around the State and Announcements. Since disciplinary notices are now posted on our Web site, we're weighing whether taking up three to five pages per month on them is the best use of precious Bar News "real estate" (we have a 16-page "signature" block, which means we can grow or shrink only in 16-page segments).

You will have a chance to offer your opinions in the survey later this year.

Whose Brand Drives It? (Name the Stew)
So does this stew have "boof" — a perfume term borrowed from Tom Robbins as he used it in his book Jitterbug Perfume, meaning underlying, unmistakable and identifying tone? Well, Paul, sorry to disappoint, but probably right now Bar News lacks boof, though it's clearly building some. Set side-by-side with publications from Arizona, Oregon, Michigan and Wisconsin (our usual comparison states in size, focus and function), Washington State Bar News has the same professional objectivity and legal-information-sharing function, with a middle-line approach. I fancy that the president, with his provocations; I, as executive director with occasional inspirations; and the editor, with his insight and literary command, may sometimes add a new spice or interesting ingredient on our personal pages, but Bar News as a whole is an amalgam that addresses multiple purposes and interests.   

That's not saying it can't be more or different. The review committee has created an inventory of the methods of communication the WSBA uses to contact its members, with the intent of better matching the message to the medium and the audience. We want to take advantage of the "information age" without leaving anyone behind. We want a Bar News that members are interested in and proud of — a Bar News with boof.

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