Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 8

Star Tribune UP SUNDAY. MARCH 26, 2006 Opmiori editor Keny Drake can be reached at (307) 2660582. (800) 5590583 or keny.draketasperstartribune.net A8 ft i in irrirf i Joan Barron The Jackson Jinx STAR-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL Buchanan deserves be on UWs short list in the field of eight semifinalists. But the trustees' action should be viewed not as a knock on the search committee's decision making, but as a positive response to important constituencies. The search panel included five trustees, as well as a professor, a dean, a student, a staff member, a bank president, and former and current members of the UW Founda It's human nature to be more comfortable with the people we know and work with than total strangers, no matter what credentials the latter may possess.

So it's no surprise that a grassroots effort was launched on the University of Wyoming campus and elsewhere in the state to promote Tom Buchanan's candida Our view cy for university president. Buchanan, who has been interim presi- UWs Board of Trustees correctly added Tom Buchanan to the list of finalists for president of the University of Wyoming. tion Board. They were aided by KornFerry International, a Texas-based consulting firm. Even though the faculty led the pro-Buchanan drive, it's Between the lines Clark Walworth Don't nail our coffin shut yet If I believed the recent hysteria about the decline of newspapers, I'd be looking for a job on a drilling rig.

I don't, and I'm not. National commentators have been clucking about declining circulation numbers and eroding profit margins. Shareholder unrest recently forced the sale of Knight-Ridder Inc. to the smaller, nimbler McClatchy Co. Two days ago, on this very page, columnist Molly Ivins wept buckets about cuts in budgets, staffs and news space at major newspapers.

The problem with the sob stories is, the national commentators all fixate on big metropolitan markets. They overlook the many small and medium-size communities such as the ones in Wyoming where daily newspapers remain vibrant, essential parts of hometown life. The Casper Star-Tribune is a great example. Far from withering, we've been expanding our business and improving service to Wyoming readers. Since I started this job 21 months ago, I've had the privilege of adding two positions to my news staff a general-assignment reporter and a special-content editor.

Other departments of the Star-Tribune have added two advertising positions and a marketing job. Also during that time, we've added new content, such as Sunday's "Home Garden" section and Tuesday's "To Your Health." We've redesigned the paper for improved readability. We've created three quarterly magazines: "Wyoming Energy Report," "At Home In Wyoming" and "Live Well Wyoming." And we've added "Relish," a monthly food magazine. At the same time, we've heightened our commitment to in-depth reporting, such as today's report on the Endangered Species Act. In January, my boss wrote a big check for a statewide public opinion poll the results of which helped shape debate in last month's legislative session.

Those are hardly the activities of a dying institution. The death of American newspapers has been a popular theme for the better part of a century. Radio was supposed to kill us, because it could deliver news instantly. Then TV was supposed to kill us, because it combined sound and motion. The all-powerful Internet is the most recent reaper to preside at our demise.

The truly important trend of the past several years is not the decline of newspapers, but the proliferation of media voices. Cable and dish TV have splintered television viewers in dozens of directions, weakening the networks and their local affiliates. Satellite radio is draining listeners from FM. And the Internet is stealing audience share from everyone. In that environment, the real sur- Erise is not that U.S.

newspapers ave lost circulation, but that they haven't lost more. Another point: Commentators looking at media trends err when they focus solely on circulation. The growth of the Internet has included the growth of newspaper Web sites. Millions of Americans who don't subscribe to printed newspapers read them online. Those online readers extend the reach of our news and advertisements far beyond the traditional measurement of paid circulation.

Again, let's use my favorite newspaper as an example. On any given day, the Casper Star-Tribune and www.casperstartribune.net reach 55 percent of the adults in the Casper market. Over the course of a week, we reach 75 percent. In communities all over America, newspapers are the primary venue for local news, and the dominant medium for advertising. We're powerful engines of commerce and indispensable agents of empowerment.

The bottom line: I'm staying put. You guys on the drilling rigs will have to get along without my help. dent since the resignation of Philip Dubois last June, appeared to be out of the picture when the search committee What do you think? We welcome viewpoints from our readers important for the on this and other issues. board of trustees to With the 2006 election season about to kick off, some restive Wyoming Democrats are looking for a candidate who is not from Jackson to oppose six-term incumbent Con-gresswoman Barbara Cubin. Lynn Birleffi of Cheyenne, a businesswoman and former legislator, was suggested.

She said she thought about it for a day and decided no. This mini-quasi-search has nothing to do personally with Gary Trauner, who is running on the Democratic ticket for Wyoming's single U.S. House seat. He seems to be well-liked and respected among the Democrats. But he's from Jackson.

(OK, Wilson, to be totally accurate.) And two previous Democrats from Jackson failed to dent Cubin's political base. The first was Bob Schuster, a Jackson lawyer who lost to Cubin in 1994. Two years ago, businessman Ted Ladd of Jackson couldn't get the job done either. Although Ladd said during his campaign that he wasn't aware of it, there is a perception among residents of other parts of the state that Jackson "isn't Wyoming." It's too rich, elitist and touristy. There is, of course, jealousy in that attitude, fueled by the realization that most working people in Wyoming could not afford to live in Jackson and maintain a decent living.

In the gubernatorial race, meanwhile, Republican Ray Hunkins kicks off his campaign Monday followed by a visit to all 23 Wyoming counties. Democratic incumbent Gov. Dave Freudenthal follows on April 3 with stops in Thermopolis, his home town; Casper, and Cheyenne. It appears the Republicans are putting all their eggs in Hunkins' basket. He appears to have a clear path to the GOP gubernatorial nomination with no other contenders in sight.

Hunkins lost the 2002 primary election for governor to Eli Bebout of Riverton, who lost to Freudenthal. The Freudenthal campaign folk were relieved that Hunkins didn't win because, insiders said, he would have been a stronger challenger than Bebout. Hunkins is from the solid, conservative Republican mold. Unlike Bebout, he has no legislative voting record to attack. Also Bebout had once been a Democrat.

Yet Hunkins is up against a popular incumbent who has made few mistakes and collected thousands of Republican votes four years ago. Hunkins campaign chair will be Republican State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis. Lummis also is supporting former House speaker Fred Parady of Rock Springs in his bid to succeed her in the treasurer's office. Another Republican running for state treasurer is Secretary of State Joe Meyer, who has been sitting on state boards with Lummis, including the state Loan and Investment Board, for the last eight years. Meyer didn't win any points with Lummis when he voted with Freudenthal in June 2003 in opposition to a contract for a $125 million private equity investment Lummis supported.

After the contract was revised to Attorney General Pat Crank's satisfaction, Meyer voted for it, but Freudenthal again voted no. So maybe it was payback time for Meyer's first vote on the deal. Election season is about to begin. Adding 2 and 2: Gov. Dave Freudenthal is a nonvoting member of the University of Wyoming board of trustees.

He rarely attends the meetings and sends his chief of staff Chris Boswell instead. But on Thursday, Freudenthal met in executive session with the trustees to talk about the selection process for a new university president Acting UW President Tom Buchanan's name was conspicuously absent from the finalists and a push was on to get him back in contention. Freudenthal, who wanted the candidate pool expanded, left the meeting and the trustees added Buchanan's name to the list. named two other finalists for the job. A third finalist, who was not publicly identified, removed his name from consideration.

The UW Board of Trustees properly responded to a strong show of support for Buchanan last week, by selecting him as a third finalist. More than 400 faculty members signed a petition backing Buchanan. So now Buchanan, the former vice president for academic affairs under Dubois, joins Joseph Chapman, president of North Dakota State University in Fargo, and Loren Crabtree, chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, in contending for the permanent job leading UW. Last week's decision gives the board the opportunity to review the qualifications of three worthy candidates. That's appropriate, since the search committee originally was assigned to reduce eight semifinalists to three finalists.

Of course, only the committee members know exactly where they placed Buchanan remember that educators represent only one segment of the UW community. All three finalists deserve the opportunity to meet with various groups on campus and share their vision for UWs future. All three deserve thorough consideration. No one group should be a king maker. We recall that Dubois who left UW in exceedingly good shape after eight years at the helm was the faculty's last choice among the three finalists when he competed for the job.

We encourage the public to participate in the process as much as possible. Citizens should let the board of trustees know who they believe will be the best man for one of Wyoming's most important leadership positions. UW's president is the most visible representative of the state's only four-year university yes, even more than the football coach. The decisions he makes during his tenure will influence higher education in Wyoming for many years. OTHER VIEWS FROM THE U.S.

AND THE WORLD A peaceful and prosperous Nowruz Scripps Howard News Service We're guessing that President Bush had never heard of Nowruz until a foreign-policy aide informed him of its existence, but nonetheless last Monday he "sent greetings to those celebrating Nowruz." His message noted that it is an ancient custom for people whose heritage lies in the Near East and Central Asia, that the United States is a diverse It is safe to say that in the United States, the solar new year, Nowruz, could be generously described as a niche observance, but it is a big deal in a critical place Iran, where it is observed with gifts, fireworks and bonfires and only grudgingly tolerated by the ruling Celebrating Nowruz is one way youthful Iranians to thumb their nose at the ayatollahs, especially this year when it falls on the same day as a solemn Shiite religious The president's wishes, sure to be widely circulated in Iran, are a warm and subtle way to reach out to that majority. Kathan Bfikke, publisher Gark Wahworth, editor Kerry Drake, opinion editor C2006, Casper Star Tribune S-cASPERrm i iarTnbiHie 1 70 Stat Lane, P.O. Box 80, Casper, WY 82602; (307) 2664SO0 or (800) 55W583 Natrona Tribune: Est. in 1891; The Casper Daily Tiibune: EstC1.9,1916byJ.E.Hanway;TheCasperStar:Esti1949 Have a question or a comment for Editor Clark Walworth? Send e-mail to clark.walworthcasperstartribune.net, call (307) 266-0545, or jot a note on your subscription renewal notice. Capital reporter Joan Barron can be reached at (307) 632-1 244 or at joan.barroncasperstartribune.net..