* Conflicts Over “Climate Change”
* Boston Globe DMW?
* Bigger Kindle

Here are the stories that interest me this morning, along with my take on why I think they may be of interest to nonprofit and philanthropy leaders.

• Climate change conflicts and controversies are growing. The rift between Reps. Henry Waxman and Chris Van Hollen are growing, as the two had it out in a recent private leadership meeting. Waxman wants to push forward this session for passage of the sweeping Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. Van Hollen says that if is destined for defeat in the Senate (which it may be), best not to bring it up. Meanwhile, critics say that the bill was written in large part by lobbyists and interest groups, and contains a provision that directly benefits one of the authors, Duke Energy Corp. Against this backdrop, communications strategists are urging environmentalists to use more approachable language to talk about these issues because the existing terminology is so politically charged.
  • My take: Environmentalists say the “science is settled” on climate change but the policy response definitely is not. This is a very visible example of the difference between “vision” and “strategy” — and the fact that simply getting all players to agree on a “vision” is necessary but not sufficient.
• New York Times Co. to shutter The Boston Globe. The lifeline of The Boston Globe appears to be running out as its parent company has filed notice with the government that labor negotiations have not been successful. The move allows the New York Times Co., which bought the Globe in 1993, to shutter the paper in sixty days. NYT is seeking $10 million in labor concessions from a variety of unions, as well as changes in seniority rules. Talks broke down recently as the company was forced to admit a $4 million accounting error. 
  • My take: Many observers say it’s unthinkable to imagine that Boston, home of the nation’s most respected universities, could be without its own daily newspaper. I say you’re darn’ tootin’ it’s thinkable. While it’s easy to complain of mismanagement by the absentee owners, the economics in the news business are increasingly just not there.
• A new Kindle will likely be announced this week. Industry observes say a new version of Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader will be unveiled this week. The announcement is evidently scheduled for May 6. This new version will be a large-screen format. Some newspaper observers are pinning hopes on the device to put some wind in the sails of failing subscriptions — the large screen is thought to be perfect for reading tabloid and broadsheet articles.
  • My take: Don’t held your breath, guys. People will not line up to pay upwards of $400 for a device that will then give them the opportunity to then pay for the privilege of reading your news. People dig Kindle for the books; the other stuff is gravy. Newspapers will have to change their business model, not just hold out for the deus ex machina of a new gizmo.

Thanks for reading.

Brad