The U.S. Constitution may make no laws about limiting free speech, but that doesn’t mean a university can’t do so in its rules of conduct, according to Rob Bertsche, a lawyer with Prince Lobel Tye in Boston.

Bertsche was one of four panelists at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention workshop titled “Protecting the student press: Legal Issues facing student journalists.”

The workshop, held Friday, Feb. 24, and moderated by Mike Donoghue, vice president of the New England First Amendment Coalition, gave advice to the 15 audience members about what to do when their reporting becomes inhibited by school policies.

Although students have freedom of speech under federal law, a university can punish a student journalist for not abiding by the policies of the university, Bertsche said. That creates a gray area over what restrictions private universities can enforce, he said.

“A lot of these cases are about collisions of rights, and who has the right to decide what speech is going to be acceptable or allowed in the student publication,” Bertsche said.

Bertsche, who handles free speech cases, encouraged students to learn the rights they have as student journalists. He suggested the Washington, D.C.-based Student Press Law Center as a resource for any student journalist facing difficulties with free speech in his or her school’s publication.

Other panelists gave examples of how they handled experiences with those policy gray areas as student journalists.

Meg Bernhard, former managing editor of the Harvard Crimson at Harvard University, discussed her response to the university’s pressure to control the Crimson, a publication financially and editorially independent from the university.

“We act as reporters first and students second,” Bernhard said.

In her time at the publication, the Crimson abolished a quote review policy where administrators could review and edit quotations of their words. As a result, administrators, including the dean of Harvard’s Law School, refused to speak with the publication, Bernhard said.

Even when administrators cooperate with the student press, spokespeople tend to intercept communication with professors, Bernhard said. That is a part of Harvard’s wanting to spin a particular image of itself, she said.

Madeline Hughes, a panelist and executive online editor of Colchester, Vt.-based Saint Michael’s College’s student publication, The Defender, experienced similar challenges with administration restrictions, specifically in financing the publication.

The Defender is financed through Saint Michael’s College’s annual budget. Because the publication is not financially independent from the university, the challenge of reporting becomes even greater, Hughes said.

Hughes said that, in her experience, negative reports about the college can threaten the relationship between the administration and the student press. Advocating each year for money in the student budget becomes difficult when those types of stories are published, Hughes said.

Having faced reporting roadblocks during his time as a student journalist at Boston University, panelist Ed Cafasso, now senior vice president of WinnCompanies, based in Boston, advised how to deal effectively with a difficult university administration.

Cafasso suggested that student journalists should understand:

• How public-access laws apply to and at the university they attend.

• That if open reporting and a free student press is restricted, students are not fully able to practice journalism at its fullest.

• That they must make clear to the university that if they do not provide information, it will be difficult to get the facts right in reports about the university.

“Universities want to be able to trust that student reports will report responsibly,” Cafasso said. “Don’t make mistakes, but don’t give up.”

‘A lot of these cases are about collisions of rights, and who has the right to decide what speech is going to be acceptable or allowed in the student publication.’

—Rob Bertsche, Lawyer
Prince Lobel Tye, Boston

‘We act as reporters first and students second.’

—Meg Bernhard, Former managing editor
Harvard Crimson, Harvard University

‘Universities want to be able to trust that student reports will report responsibly. Don’t make mistakes, but don’t give up.’

—Ed Cafasso, Senior VP
WinnCompanies, Boston

Mather Economics uses a data-driven churn analysis to help newspapers develop a targeted, effective and efficient retention strategy, according to Matthew Lulay, a director at Atlanta-based Mather.

“I know retention isn’t the most glamorous subject in the world,” Lulay told people at his Saturday, Feb. 25, presentation at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention.

But Lulay said it is important to identify characteristics of a subscriber who might unsubscribe so that the newspaper can target that subscriber with a personalized retention strategy, rather than a holistic retention strategy applied to all of a newspaper’s subscribers.

“You have to be targeted, you have to have a personalized message. That is the key,” Lulay said.

To try to identify such characteristics, Mather analyzes several years’ worth of a paper’s transactional data, complaints, types of complaints, a subscriber’s payment history as well as digital data such as page views, stories read and amount of time spent by a subscriber.

Each element contributes to a comprehensive look of at-risk subscribers. For example, if a subscriber always pays his or her bill within a seven-day grace period for a year, and the following year he or she does so within a 15-day grace period, and the year after he or she does so within a 20-day period, then that subscriber is susceptible to churn, Lulay said.

Other information, such as the number of days a subscriber gets a newspaper delivered, is also indicative of churn behavior.

Once Mather analyzes such data, it can help a newspaper create an optimal retention campaign using the churn score produced by the analysis.

Lulay discussed different types of campaigns, including an incentive-based one and a dynamic messaging one.

Lulay used a case study of three different incentives — a $10 gift card, a smartphone charger, and a personalized postcard — to demonstrate the incentive-based campaign,

“Incentives matter across the board, regardless of what they are,” he said.

The effectiveness of the incentives varied, and Lulay noted that it is important to factor in the cost of the incentive into results. An almost $20 difference in cost between the charger and the postcard made the postcard a great deal.

Lulay said a dynamic messaging campaign consists of personalized messages to subscribers who are in danger of dropping their subscription. The first message is generic, whereas the third message is more direct and personal. Lulay said he likes dynamic messaging campaigns because they have practically no cost.

Mather’s system is like art and science: the science is the model and the art is how it is applied.

A well-defined churn model will predict churn rate, and that score has to be applied early and accurately to optimize its success, Lulay said.

“The key here is to start early,” he said.

A dozen people attended the workshop on “Circulation 2017: Moving toward data-driven retention” in the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel.

‘You have to be targeted, you have to have a personalized message. That is the key.’

—Matthew Lulay, Director
Mather Economics, Atlanta

‘Incentives matter across the board, regardless of what they are.’

—Matthew Lulay

‘Fact-checking is hard. It takes time, but, more critically, no one wants you to do it. It would be easier for politicians to say whatever they want and not feel they will be called out on it.’

—Aaron Sharockman, Executive director
PolitiFact

2016 saw an election season filled with outlandish claims made by candidates all around the country trying to sway voters during their campaigns. At a time when the demand for fact-checking is at an all-time high, Aaron Sharockman, executive director of PolitiFact, told fellow journalists that “fact-checking works.”

Sharockman’s 75-minute presentation “Getting it right — fact checking for journalists” took place Friday, Feb. 24, on the first day of the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention.

Fact-checking has been a hot topic recently in the news, and it was evident by the attendance at Sharockman’s presentation in the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel. In a room prepared with 60 chairs set up, additional seating was needed.

PolitiFact rates the accuracy of comments made by politicians and other public figures based on its “Truth-O-Meter.” The scale ranges from the standard true to false. Comments deemed to be the most untruthful are given the lowest rating on the scale, however: “Pants on Fire.”

The site was launched in 2007. It won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for coverage of the 2008 presidential election between then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat, and U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican.

The site gained more popularity during the latest election, between now-President Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, for fact-checking comments made by both candidates during their campaigns. PolitiFact doesn’t examine only comments made during presidential campaigns. It also checks comments made at any level of government, from county officials to congressmen to the president, and even city council members.

“Lawmakers are scared of fact-checking,” but “audiences crave fact-checking,” Sharockman said.

Thirty percent of what is fact-checked by PolitiFact is based on suggestions made by readers.

Sharockman said fact-checking keeps elected officials from being able to say whatever they feel like saying, especially at a local level.

“Every newspaper should have fact-checking, and they don’t even need a scale,” Sharockman said.

Sharockman shared with the audience experiences he had in the past when he was told that his attendance at Florida campaign events affected what was said by the candidates.

PolitiFact was created and is primarily financed by the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, plus grants from nonpartisan organizations such as the Democracy Fund, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The site recently began accepting reader donations.

Sharockman discussed the importance of PolitiFact’s staff of 10 writers and editors being nonpartisan.

“Accurate nonpartisan reporting is as important now as it has ever been,” he said.

The PolitiFact process begins after a writer researches a comment made by a public figure. A “Truth-O-Meter” story is then written and the comment is given a rating based on the scale. After the story is edited, three fellow staff members determine the accuracy of the “Truth-O-Meter” ruling. Sharockman estimates that on average PolitiFact fact-checks five comments a day.

“Fact-checking is hard. It takes time, but, more critically, no one wants you to do it. It would be easier for politicians to say whatever they want and not feel they will be called out on it,” he said.

‘There is a culture out there … to put media outlets out of business. The best defense is good reporting.’

—Robert Bertsche, Lawyer
Prince Lobel Tye LLP, Boston

With a new presidential administration intent on a war with the press, it remains as important as ever for journalists to remain conscientious and vigilant about what they publish, according to Robert Bertsche, a lawyer with Prince Lobel Tye LLP of Boston and a former journalist.

In a session Friday, Feb. 24, at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel, Bertsche discussed the growing trend of defamation lawsuits and the fear it can impart on publications.

“There is a culture out there … to put media outlets out of business,” Bertsche told about 20 people who attended his “Defamation is back in style” session. “The best defense is good reporting.”

He opened his talk by defining libel: a false statement of fact published about an identifiable living person that tends to injure the reputation of that person, and published with a level of fault.

He illustrated the development of libel law via the “actual malice” standard, delving into a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. The New York Times ran an advertisement about a student protest in Alabama during the height of the civil rights movement. L.B. Sullivan, the chief of Alabama State Police, was not named in the advertisement but thought that the criticisms of the police were both inaccurate and indirectly aimed at him – and thus defamatory.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the Times, and in doing so, established a precedent that the First Amendment protects publications in libel suits when writing about public officials and public figures, as long as their news reports are not written with actual malice or reckless disregard for the truth.

Despite the ruling, the case revealed the dangers that a defamation lawsuit can bring, even to an industry giant.

“You’re liable in the print media for everything that you publish,” Bertsche warned. “If those (libel) awards (sought by the plaintiffs) were to get through the Supreme Court, the New York Times would have been put out of business.”

Bertsche then transitioned to the future state of libel law under President Donald Trump. On Feb. 26, 2016, Trump said: “We’re going to open up those libel laws. We’re going to have people sue you like you’ve never got sued before.”

Trump’s history with lawsuits has been well-documented, Bertsche said.

“Trump has filed 4,000 lawsuits over the last 30 years …,” he said.

Bertsche said the simple threat of a lawsuit is enough to scare many publications that might not have the resources to engage in a legal battle.

Many media companies are thinking “let’s not go there, let’s not bait this lion,” Bertsche said.

The threat is always imminent, considering how easy it is to be sued in today’s quick-trigger society, he said.

“Who can be sued? Everybody can be sued,” Bertsche warned. “It’s simple, and I can see myself making this mistake, easily.”

He was referring to a case in which a reporter accidentally put the wrong street address of a man convicted of a break-in. The newspaper that published the story was sued for defamation and was ordered to pay the defendant $60,000 for damaging his reputation.

“I’m sorry, I can imagine being her,” Bertsche said. “(We think) what are the odds? … These lawsuits happen when you don’t expect them … The human imagination to defame someone is unlimited.”

Bertsche outlined the classification categories for a claim of defamation: “loathsome” disease, criminal activity, financial embarrassment, and lack of chastity. Several so-called “defamation buzzwords” that are known to detonate lawsuits include blackmail, slumlord, scab, insolvent and sexual abuser.

That last one brought Bertsche back to Trump, who threatened to sue The New York Times over a story about two women who claimed to have been inappropriately touched by Trump. When sent a cease-and-desist letter by Trump’s lawyers for apparent “libelous” and “reckless” content, the Times responded: “We did what the law allows: We published newsworthy information about a subject of deep public concern.”

No suit was filed.

Bertsche drew a lesson from the Times’ act of defiance, leaving his audience with an important reminder.

“We have to be careful, but we can’t be afraid,” he said. “Remember why you got into the business.”

‘We have to be careful, but we can’t be afraid. Remember why you got into this business.’

—Robert Bertsche

As the six new members of the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame were inducted Friday, Feb. 24, they all espoused the value in questioning authority and persisting in the face of adversity.

A dedication to print journalism and local news also was emphasized by the newest Hall of Fame members as they were inducted in a ceremony attended by about 75 people.

Inducted were Eliot White of the Record-Journal Publishing Company, based in Meriden, Conn.; Marcia Green of The Valley Breeze newspaper group, based in Lincoln, R.I.; Martin Langeveld of New England Newspapers Inc., based in Pittsfield, Mass.; Candace Page of The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press and Seven Days of Burlington; Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe; Albert B. Southwick of the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass.

Eliot White

White is president and publisher of the family-owned Record-Journal Publishing Company, whose flagship newspaper is the Record-Journal of Meriden and which has been in business for 150 years. He has also served on the New England Newspaper and Press Association board of directors.

In his acceptance speech, White emphasized his company’s dedication to developing its employees into skilled journalists.

“As a news organization, the Record-Journal has tried to create an environment that promotes quality journalism by hiring good people and giving them the resources and training and support necessary to do their job,” he said.

He also discussed the need for journalists to hold higher powers accountable.

“As we know, it is more important than ever to keep government in the open with strong investigative journalism. Our future continues to be good, local community news,” he said. “What we do every day is important for our local communities and essential for a strong democracy.”

Marcia Green

Green has been editor in chief for the past 21 years at The Valley Breeze newspaper group, based in Lincoln, R.I., and publisher of its flagship newspaper, The Valley Breeze in three editions, and two sister newspapers, all in Rhode Island.

She formerly was a reporter and city editor of The Times of Pawtucket, R.I. In 2014, she was inducted into The Rev. William Blackstone Society for her impact on the Blackstone River Valley community.

Green called the Hall of Fame induction a “humbling honor.”

“I think (journalism) is important work, and I’ve happily dedicated my career to it,” she said.

She said that, although the technology has changed, the goal of journalists remains the same as when she began her career in the field.

“The tools today are vastly better, but we write the same stories, and continue to write the same stories that touch everyday life,” she said. “I have been more than honored to carry the news of our Northern Rhode Island communities, and I’m grateful for a career to be paid as a storyteller.”

Martin Langeveld

Langeveld was employed in the newspaper industry for 30 years before he retired in 2008 as publisher of Pittsfield, Mass.-based New England Newspapers Inc., publisher of The Berkshire Eagle of Pittsfield, and of the Brattleboro Reformer, the Bennington Banner and the Manchester Journal, all in Vermont. He then began a blog, News after Newspapers, and contributed to the Nieman Journalism Lab website.

In 2016, he returned on an interim basis as publisher of New England Newspapers for about five months. He is now on the New England Newspapers’ board of directors.

“After being out of the business for a while, then coming back into it, it was really a pleasant surprise to discover that there really was still a lot of energy, a lot of dedication and a lot of creativity, and just a great crew of people to come and work with,” he said. “The chance to do this, to be involved in this transition, really turned out to be one of the most personally rewarding things that I’ve ever done.”

Langeveld said he considers the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame honor to be a proud ending to his news career.

“Now I’ve capped (my career) with this induction into the Hall of Fame, which I never really expected,” he said. “It’s a great honor.”

Candace Page

Page was a reporter for the Burlington Free Press for more than 30 years whose reporting focused on the environment. She retired in 2013 but continues to serve as an editor and a mentor to reporters at the weekly Seven Days of Burlington.

Page was a reporter at The Providence (R.I.) Journal in the 1970s, which she said is where she developed her passion for journalism.

“I became a reporter in 1973-74 during Watergate, when journalism was a cause and a calling, not just a job or a career,” she said. “Holding government accountable was a heroic pursuit, not just to journalists, but to our audience at that time … I believed in the importance of what I was doing.”

She said questioning authority was one of her primary goals as a reporter.

“I’d really like to think of tonight, and this honor for me, which I am deeply appreciative of, as a way of honoring the values that we all feel about our mutual calling,” she said. “The importance of reporting the facts, casting a skeptical and questioning eye on authority of all kind, and speaking truth to power — I certainly hope that that’s a cause that I have served in my time. It’s reaffirming to understand that there are people here who still want to do that.”

Bob Ryan

Ryan began writing for The Boston Globe’s sports section in 1968 and continued until his formal retirement in 2012. He continues to write columns most Sundays for the Globe. He also has written 12 books and has made numerous radio and television appearances throughout his career.

In his acceptance speech, Ryan expressed his commitment to print journalism.

“I cannot live without newspapers; that’s who I am,” he said. “And though I now am known for anybody out there in the great beyond under 40, or maybe even under 50, because of my presence on television, I can assure you that when I get up in the morning and look in the mirror, I see a writer, a newspaper writer.”

He said the Globe was the perfect place for him to learn and grow as a writer.

“We were given the freedom to be creative,” he said. “We were given the chance to stretch our journalistic wings.”

Ryan also said that he felt fortunate for the opportunities he had during his career.

“We all know that our business is under siege and in peril, and who knows what the future is going to be? I just know this — I’m very grateful that I did it when I did it and where I did it, that’s for sure,” he said.

Albert B. Southwick

Southwick is well-known for his role at the Telegram & Gazette, where he continues to write a weekly column at age 96 after retiring in 1985 from his full-time job there as chief editorial writer, a position he had held since 1968.

He began his employment at the Telegram & Gazette in the early 1940s before serving in the Navy during World War II, then returning to the Telegram & Gazette in 1952.

Southwick joked about his retirement, noting his continued contributions to the Telegram & Gazette.

“I retired in 1985,” he said. “Let this be a warning to you. I don’t know why you retire at 62 or 65 or 67 — you probably have 30 or 40 years ahead of you.”

Like Ryan, Southwick said he was grateful to have worked in the field when he did.

“I was lucky,” he said. “It was a time when people made money (in) print journalism, which is getting harder and harder to do.”

Southwick stressed the need for solid journalism in the current political climate.

“I’ve had a very satisfying career in a profession I love, providing facts and thought to our readers,” he said. “Good journalism is more important than ever in this era of alternative facts and social media misinformation. Pursuing the truth and reporting it accurately is going to be a continuing challenge.”

‘What we do every day is important for our local communities and essential for a strong democracy.’

—Eliot White, President and publisher
Record-Journal Publishing Company, Meriden, Conn.

‘The tools today are vastly better, but we write the same stories, and continue to write the same stories that touch everyday life.’

—Marcia Green, Editor in chief
Valley Breeze newspaper group, Lincoln, R.I.

‘After being out of the business for a while, then coming back into it, it was really a pleasant surprise to discover that there really was still a lot of energy, a lot of dedication and a lot of creativity, and just a great crew of people to come and work with.’

—Martin Langevald, Board member, retired publisher
New England Newspapers Inc., Pittsfield, Mass.

‘I’d really like to think of tonight, and this honor for me, which I am deeply appreciative of, as a way of honoring the values that we all feel about our mutual calling.’

—Candace Page
Retired reporter, Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
Editor and mentor, Seven Days, Burlington, Vt.

‘We all know that our business is under seige and in peril, and who knows what the future is going to be. I just know this – I’m very grateful that I did it when I did it and where I did it, that’s for sure.’

—Bob Ryan, Sports columnist, retired sportswriter
Boston Globe

‘Good journalism is more important than ever in this era of alternative facts and social media misinformation. Pursuing the truth and reporting it accurately is going to be a continuing challenge.’

—Albert B. Southwick, Columnist, retired chief editorial writer
Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Mass.

‘We found, as a council, that while we’re rapidly trying to grow our digital franchise, we’re leaving our print franchise in the dust. We’re ignoring those customers.’

—Mark French, Advertising director
The Republican, Springfield, Mass.

Mark French and his advertising colleagues conducted their presentation as a working, interactive session with their audience.

Local publishers and salespeople discussed new strategies to raise advertising and other revenue for local newspapers, at a discussion organized by the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s Marketing and Advertising Council.

After soliciting ad and revenue-raising ideas from local newspapers since last fall, the Marketing and Advertising Council put together a “Thriving Not Surviving: Great Ideas Survey Results” booklet and used it as a basis for the discussion on new ad ideas for local newspapers.

The discussion, titled “Thrive; Don’t Just Survive!”, was led by Mark French, advertising director at The Republican of Springfield, Mass., and centered around new approaches to print newspaper ad sales amid the rise of digital content. The discussion took place at NENPA’s winter convention in the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel.

“We found, as a council, that while we’re rapidly trying to grow our digital franchise, we’re leaving our print franchise in the dust,” French said. “We’re ignoring those customers.”

French said print ad salespeople need to revisit their rates and product lines and to make sure that sales staffs are aware of all the different ad products their newspapers sell to clients.

The discussion, attended by about 70 people, included a few novel strategies that successfully led to increased ad revenue at various New England newspapers.

One strategy was reaching out to nonprofits and pitching ad sales as helping those organizations reach large audiences captured by local dailies and weeklies across the region in a way that could not be done by nonprofits alone.

For example, the Republican partnered with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to run ads targeting local and professional basketball teams 125 days in advance of the Hall of Fame’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of the invention of basketball by physical education instructor James Naismith in Springfield. French said the Republican took advantage of the paper’s circulation to convince the nonprofit that partnering with the Republican would be less expensive and more useful in reaching a large audience than doing so itself.

French said that because nonprofits can apply for certain state and federal grants based on the nature of the services they provide, the nonprofits can obtain government aid to offset the cost of purchasing ad buys with newspapers.

“If you can get those funds with a nonprofit, and work out a program, then they can get state funds in return,” French said.

French included that possibility when pitching the ad buy to the Basketball Hall of Fame, which brings in significant tourism revenue for the state. In the end, the Republican’s Hall of Fame ad pitch paid off to the tune of $67,000.

French said ad salespeople need to improve the creativity of their product lines in addition to expanding those lines beyond the traditional quarter-, half-, or full-page print ads priced by the inch.

“You cannot approach your traditional print advertisements the way you used to 10, 20, or 30 years ago,” French said, instead suggesting that papers offer fixed-price advertising packages.

He said ad rates, especially those that haven’t been revisited by sales staffs in a while, are often too high.

Moreover, charging clients based on traditional rate cards is anachronistic, and papers should offer more updated ad packages, said Terry Carlisle, general manager of The Ellsworth (Maine) American.

“Rate cards are just ridiculous,” Carlisle said.

The American switched from charging clients based on rate cards to offering clients all-inclusive ad packages of various price levels, charged monthly as opposed to per inch and per ad. For example, one monthly subscription-based ad package includes weekly print ads, a color ad once a month, and a 40-percent-off discount on special sections typically charged by section.

Simplifying the buy process made the purchasing process easier for clients, which actually allowed the paper to raise its prices, Carlisle said.

Another example of upgrading ad product lines is for papers to provide clients with more services beyond just publishing print ads or hosting ads on their websites.

Walter Coffey, director of digital sales at the Boston Herald, found a new way to approach tourism ads with diversified packages. The Herald recently promoted travel to Vermont heavily in its Travel and Road Trip sections, and advertised Vermont-made products such as hand-crafted wooden bowls and maple syrup as well as Vermont-based bed and breakfasts and other businesses. Coffey said the Herald is continuing to add new products to its ad lines, including social media campaigns and a question-and-answer session on the Herald’s online radio station to discuss notable breweries, restaurants, and other tourist destinations in Vermont.

Those attending the discussion were given free copies of the “Thriving Not Surviving: Great Ideas Survey Results” booklet.

Some ideas proposed offering magazine-style sections to non-traditional advertisers, hosting local photo and giveaway contests, such as giving away teddy bears to customers visiting certain businesses on Valentine’s Day, and promoting organizational anniversaries and events.

French said sales staffs, besides offering new types of products with new types of payment models, need to have a culture shift toward innovation and increased creativity in coming up with new products that entice clients to buy ads.

“One of the worst things that you can have in your organization is someone that’s just hanging on,” French said, referring to salespeople who have no desire to embrace new ways of selling new products. “Make sure with your organization that you promote this culture.”

French said the best thing ad sales teams could do is to use creativity to devise attractive products and services for clients.

“Get really, really, creative,” French said. “If you are creative, and you take that to the market, you will thrive.”

‘Rate cards are just ridiculous.’

—Terry Carlisle, General manager
Ellsworth (Maine) American

‘Get really, really creative. If you are creative, and you take that to the market, you will thrive.’

—Mark French

“We’ll be sharing our war stories,” Earl Brechlin, editor of the Mount Desert Islander of Bar Harbor, Maine, said to a laughing audience.

Brechlin was not describing the war on terror or even President Donald Trump’s newly declared “running war with the media.”

Brechlin was describing the ongoing and often tedious struggles between community newspapers and their communities.

Brechlin spoke on a panel with Paul Miller, executive editor of the Keene (N.H.) Sentinel, and Rod Doherty, former executive editor of Foster’s Daily Democrat of Dover, N.H., at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention.

The panel discussion, which took place at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel Saturday, Feb. 25, was titled “Heart and backbone of community journalism.” About 70 people attended.

The discussion focused on major difficulties community newspapers consistently face, with the biggest involving keeping and maintaining relationships and attempts to bribe journalists.

Doherty, now retired, described a story from his early newspaper days when he interviewed a chef at a vocational school. Doherty said the chef later opened a restaurant near the newspaper where Doherty was a reporter and which he and his colleagues frequented. Doherty became friends with the chef; the chef occasionally bought him beers and provided him with Patriots tickets, Doherty said. The chef eventually made a special request of Doherty, he said.

“He said, ‘I’m running for city council, and I need you to write good stories for me to help me get elected,’” Doherty recalled.

Doherty said that, at the time, he was confused and told the chef that he could not do that, and the chef replied: “What did you think all those beers and tickets were for?”

“It was enlightening,” Doherty said. “I was being bribed, and I didn’t even know it!”

Brechlin described his own attempted bribery story, in which he was offered tickets to travel to Key West in exchange for a good review.

“Certainly, you can’t take that,” Brechlin said.

Although the audience chuckled at the anecdotes, the three panelists reminded the audience that you can never accept gifts or services from any news sources, because it is a conflict of interest.

“You can’t afford to make a mistake,” Doherty said.

Bribes are not the only dilemma community journalists face, however.

Many journalists struggle with maintaining friendships and relationships while doing their job.

After the local fire chief proposed hiring two additional firefighters, the Keene Sentinel looked into firefighter salaries, finding that many firefighters made large chunks of money in overtime pay, Miller said. As a result, the Keene Sentinel decided to publish the salaries of all of the firefighters in the county, a decision Miller said he found personally hard because of his relationships within the department.

“I had two really close friends in the fire department staff,” Miller said. “When that story came out and was published, let’s just say we didn’t have any friends in the fire department.”

Doherty said he had few friends when he was a reporter, and that he found it hard not to strain relationships through his work, even with those closest to him.

“My son was in the police log; I didn’t cut it. My wife was in an accident; we ran the story,” Doherty said. “Was it pleasant? No.”

Doherty said those doing newspaper work are journalists first, and that you need to relay that to those with whom you are friendly.

Miller said: “You just have to know that there’s the potential down the road to hold (your friends) accountable for something.”

Brechlin said: “News and readers come first. Then, you can worry about patching up relationships.”

Although the atmosphere at the panel discussion was mostly lighthearted, many audience members voiced serious concerns.

One woman said that because she reports in the town where she grew up, she finds it hard to be taken seriously as a reporter by officials who have known her and her family for years.

“Publish their salaries and then they’ll take you seriously,” Brechlin joked.

The panelists said journalists need to command authority and respect.

“They need to know you’re a person who would hold people accountable,” Miller said. “Your primary job is serving the people.”

Miller concluded the workshop by giving the audience some advice and assurance: “Don’t underestimate the power of the newspaper, no matter your circulation.”

‘You just have to know that there’s the potential down the road to hold (your friends) accountable for something.’

—Paul Miller, Executive editor
Keene (N.H.) Sentinel

‘News and readers come first. Then, you can worry about patching up relationships.’

—Earl Brechlin, Editor
Mount Desert Islander, Bar Harbor, Maine

‘It was enlightening. I was being bribed, and I didn’t even know it!’

—Rod Doherty, Former executive editor
Foster’s Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.

‘Violate any of my other advice before you be dull. If you’re dull, you’re signing your own death warrant. You’re telling people, “Don’t bother next time.”‘

—Ed Henninger, Director
Henninger Consulting, Rock Hill, S.C.

Although small publications often deal with issues more pressing than font choices or negative space, Ed Henninger, an independent newspaper design consultant, advised them to have aspirations beyond their modest circulation and find inspiration in the timeless designs of iconic magazines and newspapers.

“Look to the greats,” Henninger said. “I look to Elle Magazine if I want to get inspiration for typography, visuals, photos or just overall design.”

Henninger, director of Henninger Consulting in Rock Hill, S.C., outlined his guidelines for designing with limited resources in a spirited presentation titled “Designing your niche publications,” held Friday, Feb. 24, at the New England Newspaper and Press Association winter convention.

One of the most important elements of design for print publications is the nameplate, Henninger said.

“Create a great nameplate,” he said. “Not an ‘eh’ nameplate, not just one that’ll do, not one that has to go through a committee of nine people, seven of whom are visually brain-dead.”

Henninger displayed examples of the nameplates of local niche publications, including Hartford (Conn.) Magazine, Marblehead (Mass.) Magazine, and Worcester (Mass.) Magazine. Designers and editors from some niche publications, including VT Ski+Ride magazine, based in Middlebury, Vt., and Stowe (Vt.) Guide and Magazine, were in the audience of about 25 people as Henninger critiqued their designs.

Niche publications often make the mistake of abandoning good nameplates in favor of seasonal kitsch, Henninger noted.

“Don’t think ‘Oh, it’s wintertime, let’s use that snow font,'” he said. “No, no, no, no, no. We’re not going there.”

In consulting for smaller newspapers and magazines, Henninger sometimes encounters misuse of formatting software.

“If I could have a cup of coffee with the guys who create (Adobe) inDesign, I would ask them to make an administrator-level inDesign so you can’t do things like squeeze type,” he said. “I’m dealing with a client now who sent me his inDesign pages … with headlines squeezed to 65 percent.”

Henninger’s session included a lengthy discussion of typeface choices, beginning with Henninger polling the audience on what fonts they use in their publications.

“Oh, wow, I’m really not happy to hear that (you use Arial),” Henninger told an audience member. “Arial is, to me, characterless and lifeless.”

He offered suggestions for different display typefaces, including Berthold Akzidenz-Grotesk.

“It is neither an accident, nor is it grotesque,” he said. “I’ve used it a lot.”

Closing out the session by noting his many pet peeves, Henninger advised the audience to remember the little things that improve the reader’s experience.

“Steve Jobs once said, ‘Design is not about how it looks, it’s about how it works,’” Henninger said. “Putting page numbers in the same place on every page is how it works.”

His biggest grievance is with dull design. The only unforgivable sin in newspaper and magazine layout is being dull, Henninger said.

“Violate any of my other advice before you be dull,” he said. “If you’re dull, you’re signing your own death warrant. You’re telling people, ‘Don’t bother next time.’ ”

‘Look to the greats. I look to Elle Magazine if I want to get inspiration for typography, visuals, photos or just overall design.’

—Ed Henninger