Daily Planet hosts first ever board of directors meeting

I’m having trouble finding the words, which puts me in quite the sticky wicket when trying to reiterate what took place last night in Downtown Minneapolis.

I’ve been striving for one major goal for what seems like a lifetime, and that’s to make the Daily Planet a legitimate news organization. To summarize: I want the Daily Planet to exist in the real world, and last night it did.

Late last year I asked a few close friends to join me in a roundtable discussion for this past Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. I wanted to hear their thoughts on how to go from here since DC Comics shot down my Daily Planet proposal almost a year ago. That blow hit me hard, and I spiraled into depression and the publication floundered.

I had been frequently contacting DC Comics since 2020 about my idea for a while in which they’d respond stating the idea was interesting and they’d look it over, but they finally said no right before creating their own version based in the comic book world. But I digress.

I found myself in an extremely emotional state as I discussed my Daily Planet proposal in front of some of my closest friends Friday night at the News Room restaurant in Minneapolis. They each brought something special to the table. They also each brought insightful ideas that I wasn’t expecting but definitely appreciated.

Honesty is the best policy

I believe being perfectly candid during this entire process is absolutely essential. Our transparency equates to honesty and we want a complete record of things going forward. What better place to keep said record than right here on the Daily Planet website?

This will be the first of many articles highlighting the progress the Daily Planet makes.

Quarterly meetings

The Daily Planet Board of Directors, which was established at Friday night’s meeting, will meet quarterly or once every season. We’ll continue discussing the process of establishment and share progress made throughout the previous quarter.

Seek out legal advice

One of the first steps discussed was seeking out legal advice. I have to find ways to maintain the Daily Planet’s name and feel that I’ve already established since I didn’t get official permission to monetize from DC Comics, who is the proposed copyright holder for the Planet.

I did get written confirmation from DC legal head Jay Kogen to continue to publish as long as I reiterate that we are not affiliated with the comic book powerhouse nor its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

I have no idea the implications associated with such a response so everyone present at the Daily Planet’s meeting on Friday agreed that this was the necessary first step before anything else.

Research copyright process

I’ve researched who owns copyright of the Daily Planet name in the past and I’m honestly confused by my results. According to the U.S. Copyright Office’s online database, there are over 50 copyrighted materials associated with the title of Daily Planet, and not all of them are owned by DC Comics.

I am in no way a legal expert, and I am in no way copyright inclined, so my best bet going forward is asking for help from someone who is. I could also contact the copyright office directly to learn straight from the source.

Develop a new brand

This suggestion really stung. The current brand for the Daily Planet is heavily influenced by “Smallville” and “Superman: The Movie.” It’s officially the logo for Zack Snyder’s DC Comics Cinematic Universe as it’s derived from “Batman vs Superman” with some not-so-subtle tweaks. I’m obsessed with the ribbon clad globe. So any thought of having to develop a new look cuts me to my core.

However, in doing so we would differentiate ourselves from DC Comics. They don’t own Engraver’s Old English font, so the masthead text would stay the same. I want it to. But the logo would have to go unless we’re publishing under DC’s umbrella.

I will be developing a brand and marketing study in the coming months to better figure out what to create. Articles will be coming in the near future with polls and suggestion opportunities where the public can weigh in on this opportunity. I’m reluctant but hopeful as hell.

Content plan, strategy, and volume

A strategic plan of action was thought up by all involved in Friday night’s meeting. Here are some of the highlights.

Social media

A highlight from the Daily Planet’s first official business meeting, which I will now be referring to as the first ever Board of Directors meeting, was the need for better social media posts.

TikToks and Reels are the name of the game in this day and age, and we need to be more present in order to get our story and mission out there.

I am in no way an extrovert, so I’m partnering with a few members of the board to better establish this online presence. We’ve also decided to reach out to a few other influencers who report the news to learn all we can from them. This is important to me because there’s no competition when it comes to news. In an age of instant information, being the first to a story can sometimes mean that you fumble the ball. What news organizations should do is boost each other up, use each other as sources rather than bog each other down by trying to be the first.

Community outreach

This will be difficult for this introvert but I’m willing to push through it for the Daily Planet. For the first few years of inception for the Daily Planet, we did not have a base of operations. This also meant we had no communal identity to better personalize us. In some ways this was beneficial. It helped give people around the world a way to connect with the Planet. But now that we’ve grown, we need a home base and that’s Minneapolis.

In an effort to have more of a presence, I will be conducting different outreach programs to connect with the community the Daily Planet is a part of. I’ll not only be doing on the street reports, but I’ll also be applying to be a part of community events like Pride and art fairs.

Continuing to publish

The Daily Planet has had no difficulties in this area. We publish stories, editorials, opinions and so much more in the form of podcasts, videos and articles. I want to continue this commitment while also bringing back some pieces from the past.

Like I said in our 2024 commitment article, we’ll be reviving our digital “print” (you print at home) section with consistent online editions and seasonal magazines. We’re also going to bring back the Seigel & Shuster Awards for our collaborators and contributors.

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