Do you have a dedicated team member who works behind the scenes, ensuring the success of your operation? Perhaps the person is the go-to source for history or relationships in your community or a star production, administration, or circulation member.

We regularly champion the achievement of our journalists, but many others daily make invaluable contributions to our organizations. In the spirit of recognizing these people, we developed this new award and will present it each year during our New England Newspaper of the Year Awards program.

The Cornerstone Award is designed to recognize and honor unsung heroes in our news organizations who meaningfully and significantly contribute to the accomplishments of our publications without recognition. About these folks, we ask the question: “Where would we be without them?” These individuals are the lifeblood of our operations, consistently providing the support and commitment needed to keep our departments and publications thriving.

Submit a nomination letter detailing why your candidate deserves this prestigious recognition. Highlight the person’s dedication, service and the impact the individual has made on your team and organization.

All employees are eligible. There are no specific requirements other than demonstrating dedicated service and unwavering support. While a journalist may be recognized with this honor, the award intends to bring attention to someone working in the background.

The entry fee is $50 and the deadline to nominate someone is Friday, July 19, 2024.

The inaugural Cornerstone Award will be presented and celebrated during the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) and New York Press Association (NYPA) joint Fall Conference at The Omni in Providence, RI from September 19-21, 2024.

Learn more

We are excited to announce that the recording of our recent webinar, “Reporting with State Education Data,” is now available! Hosted by NENPA University and presented on June 13 by Sam Ribnick and Danielle Kane from the Massachusetts Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub (E2C Hub), this webinar was packed with valuable insights and practical guidance for journalists looking to enhance their education reporting.

Key Highlights from the Webinar:

• New Tools and Resources: Discover the latest tools and resources for accessing and utilizing public education data on school programs, trends, and outcomes.
• Impactful Data Stories and Dashboards: See hands-on examples of compelling data stories and dashboards that can elevate your reporting.
• Step-by-Step Guidance: Learn how to create accurate, localized, and relevant data visualizations tailored to your audience.
• Follow-Up Support: Benefit from ongoing support from the E2C Hub team for your data projects.

Whether you were able to join us live or not, we encourage all journalists to watch the recording. The insights shared are particularly useful for those reporting in New England, where similar databases are available, but the techniques and ideas presented apply to a wider audience as well.

This session is a must-watch for anyone looking to transform their approach to education data reporting. No prior data experience is necessary, so everyone is welcome to learn and grow with us.

If you have any questions or need further assistance with your data projects, don’t hesitate to reach out to the E2C Hub team at Danielle Kane, Outreach & Engagement Specialist, danielle.kane@mass.gov.

Thank you for your continued engagement and dedication to high-quality education reporting. Stay tuned for more resources and upcoming events from the E2C Hub!

Congratulations to all the 2023 New England Better Newspaper Competition Award winners! We are excited to release the full list of winners with the judges’ comments included.

This year’s competition drew nearly 2,000 entries that were published during the contest year August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023. The entries were evaluated by the New England Newspaper & Press Association’s distinguished panel of judges and were presented on March 23, 2024, during the New England Newspaper Convention.

Entries were judged in seven categories:

• Colleges and Universities
• Weekly Newspapers with a circulation of up to 5,000
• Weekly Newspapers with a circulation of more than 5,000
• Specialty and Niche Publications
• News Services and Online News Sites
• Daily Newspapers with a circulation of up to 15,000
• Daily Newspapers with a circulation of more than 15,000

The results of the competition listed here recognize the excellent reporting, writing, revenue, and audience-building activities that are taking place throughout New England — the finalists and winners are listed, along with the judges’ comments. NENPA is proud to celebrate this truly extraordinary work!

If you have any questions about the results please contact NENPA executive director, Linda Conway at l.conway@nenpa.com.

DOWNLOAD 2023 BNC WINNERS NOW!

Attention NENPA members: the 2024 New England Newspaper of the Year Awards competition is about to open next week! Now is the time to start preparing your entries to showcase your best work.

We will be honoring the region’s best daily, weekly, specialty, and online news publications with the prestigious “New England Newspaper of the Year” award. This unique competition, judged by New England newspaper readers, will cover a range of circulation categories.

To enter, editors need to complete the online form, include a cover letter, and submit two editions from the contest year (June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024).

Categories include:
– Weekday newspapers
– Sunday newspapers
– Weekly community newspapers
– Specialty publications
– Online news sites

Entries will be sorted into competitive divisions (small, medium, large) within their categories.

Additionally, entries are being accepted for these prestigious awards:
– Publick Occurrences Award: Best individual or team stories, series, spot news, columns, or photojournalism.
– Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award: Celebrates long-term community service and contribution.
– Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award: Best local editorial of the past year.
– New England First Amendment Award: Exceptional work upholding the First Amendment.
– AP Sevellon Brown New England Journalist of the Year: Recognizes journalism of distinction in New England.

Get your submissions ready and learn more about each award on our website.

Are you ready to transform how you report on education data? Join us for an exclusive workshop hosted by Sam Ribnick and Danielle Kane from the Massachusetts Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub (E2C Hub) this week on Thursday, June 13 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM.

Discover how the E2C Hub simplifies accessing and utilizing public data on school programs, trends, and outcomes. This session will introduce you to our latest resources, showcase compelling data stories and dashboards, and guide you through creating accurate, localized, and relevant data visualizations for your audience.

All journalists can attend because other New England states have similar databases and the story ideas presented are great to enhance your education reporting an important aspect of any publication’s community engagement strategy.

Highlights of the workshop include:

• Exploring new tools and resources for education data reporting
• Hands-on examples of impactful data stories and dashboards
• Step-by-step guidance on working with education datasets
• Follow-up support from the E2C Hub team for your data projects
• No prior data experience is necessary – everyone is welcome!

Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your reporting skills. Secure your spot today and take the first step towards becoming a data-savvy storyteller.

P.S. Participants may receive follow-up support for their data projects from the E2C Hub team!

Register Now!

Many communities, especially those in historically marginalized areas, often feel disconnected from the news intended to serve them. This disconnect highlights the need to bridge the gap between journalists and the community, ensuring that reporting genuinely reflects and benefits the community it serves.

Why This Matters

To better serve your audience and enhance your DEIB practices, community asset mapping is a crucial strategy. This exercise helps identify and utilize the strengths and resources within your community, transforming your reporting to be more inclusive and impactful.

Webinar Details

Speaker: Letrell Deshan Crittenden, Ph.D., Director of Inclusion and Audience Growth at the American Press Institute

In this engaging session, recorded on May 30, 2024, Dr. Crittenden guides you through the essential steps of creating a community asset map.

You will learn to:

• Distinguish between sources and assets
• Understand the advantages of asset mapping over traditional source listing
• Identify different types of community assets
• Strategize and execute the creation of an asset map

By the end of the session, you’ll have a foundational starting point for your asset map and clear next steps for completing and refining it. This skill is invaluable for any journalist, regardless of their role in the newsroom.

About the New England Equity Reporting Fellowship:
Founded in 2021 by the Granite State News Collaborative, New England News Collaborative, New England Newspaper & Press Association, and Solutions Journalism Network, in partnership with the Endowment for Health, this fellowship aims to enhance news coverage on race and identity issues in New England and foster an inclusive newsroom culture.

Many communities feel disconnected from the news that is meant to serve them, especially in historically marginalized areas where the gap between journalists and the community can feel insurmountable. It’s time to bridge that gap and ensure your reporting truly reflects and benefits the community you serve.

Why This Matters:
To better serve your audience and improve your DEIB practices, community asset mapping is a crucial strategy. This exercise will help you identify and utilize the strengths and resources within your community, transforming your reporting to be more inclusive and impactful.

Join Us for an Exclusive Webinar:
Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT
Speaker: Letrell Deshan Crittenden, Ph.D., Director of Inclusion and Audience Growth at the American Press Institute

In this engaging session, Dr. Crittenden will guide you through the essential steps of creating a community asset map.

You will learn to:

• Distinguish between sources and assets
• Understand the advantages of asset-mapping over traditional source-listing
• Identify different types of community assets
• Strategize and execute the creation of an asset map

By the end of the session, you will have a foundational starting point for your asset map and clear next steps for completing and refining it. This skill is invaluable for any journalist, regardless of their role in the newsroom.

Register for the webinar

About the New England Equity Reporting Fellowship:
Founded in 2021 by the Granite State News Collaborative, New England News Collaborative, New England Newspaper & Press Association, and Solutions Journalism Network, in partnership with the Endowment for Health, this fellowship aims to enhance news coverage on race and identity issues in New England and foster an inclusive newsroom culture.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your reporting skills and make a lasting impact on your community. Sign up today and take the first step toward truly inclusive journalism.

Register for the webinar

Editors at New England Newspaper & Press Association member publications are invited and encouraged to apply for a $500 stipend for one of their 2024 summer interns.

They are awarded to aspiring community journalists in honor of former New England Press Association Executive Director Bob Wallack.

If you would like NENPA to consider your intern for this special award, please submit a letter that briefly outlines:

• Your intern’s background and aspirations
• The type of experience you’ll be providing for him/her in the coming months
• The level of contribution that you expect the intern to make at your newspaper this summer
• Why you believe this intern merits this special compensation. (In other words, will the money be well spent on this student?)

Please submit your nomination by Friday, May 31, 2024, to Linda Conway, l.conway@nenpa.com, using the subject line Summer Intern Stipend.

We can also advertise your internship positions to journalism students and help you fill them. Send your internship information to students@nenpa.com.

About the Bob Wallack Community Journalism Fund

Longtime New England journalist and former New England Press Association Executive Director Bob Wallack died in January 2014 after a brief illness at the age of 63.

Bob’s career in community journalism spanned over four decades and took him to three different New England states. He worked for a variety of daily and weekly community newspapers in positions ranging from a reporter, general manager, and publisher. He also served as Executive Director of the New England Press Association during the 1990s.

Former colleagues of Bob’s have launched a fund in his memory that will support both community journalism and young people in our industry — two of Bob’s lifelong passions. In addition to this stipend for interns, NENPA bestows an annual Bob Wallack Community Journalism Award, recognizing a New England newspaperman or woman for exemplary community journalism. Previous recipients include Steve Damish of The Enterprise in Brockton, Mass.; Thor Jourgensen of The Daily Item in Lynn, Mass.; Stanley Moulton of the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, Mass.; Ray Duckler of the Concord (NH) Monitor; John Flowers of the Addison Independent in Middlebury, VT, Edward W. Forry of the Dorchester Reporter, Dorchester, MA, James D Haggerty III of the Daily Times Chronicle, Woburn, MA, Steve Collins of the Sun Journal, Lewiston, ME, and Wayne Braverman of the The Bedford Citizen, Bedford, MA.