The ownership of the Martha’s Vineyard Times is changing hands.

Longtime publishers and owners Peter and Barbara Oberfest are selling the Island news organization to Steve Bernier, West Tisbury resident and longtime owner of Cronig’s Market, who is well-known for his community service and quiet support for philanthropic causes.

The sale is expected to be finalized on December 31.

Joining Bernier as acting publisher will be Charles Sennott, Chilmark resident, and a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in local and international news.

Sennott is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Boston-based GroundTruth Project, which launched in 2014 as a nonprofit journalism organization that supports the next generation of journalists in under-covered communities across the U.S. and around the world. In 2017, GroundTruth launched Report for America, a service program that has since placed more than 600 reporters in 300 newsrooms across all 50 states to serve the communities where they live.

Read the full story at mvtimes.com

As we close out 2023, the NENPA staff and Board of Directors wish you and your families a happy holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year!

The last few years have been challenging for most of us and we are thankful to all our members for their support as we look forward to a fresh year. We are honored to represent and serve the daily, weekly, specialty, and online news organizations in New England.

We look forward to seeing you, learning, and celebrating during the annual New England Newspaper Convention, which will be held at The Waltham Westin Hotel on March 22-23, 2024.

The American Press Institute officially unveiled new branding and messaging on Dec. 5 and relaunched its main website to provide users with a better experience and to more clearly emphasize its support for local and community-based media.

API was founded in February 1946 to improve the professional, leadership, and technical skills of people in the news media. This relaunch marks a new iteration of the organization. Read a message from the API CEO here.

Over the past year, API has worked with Mission Partners, a social impact and strategic communications firm, to update its messaging, branding, logo and website to align with the new direction set by CEO and Executive Director Michael D. Bolden and the new leadership team, and approved by its Board of Trustees. Together with Mission Partners, API gathered feedback through interviews and surveys from clients, readers and partners to test and refine the new direction.

Read more at americanpressinstitute.org

Report for America (RFA) has announced the selection of dozens of new host newsroom partners while opening applications for just over 50 new reporting corps positions across the United States.

Report for America helps local newsrooms report on under-covered issues and communities by placing journalists at news outlets throughout the country. We are seeking talented, service-minded reporters and photographers to join our corps. As an RFA Corps Member, you’ll be a part of a movement to strengthen communities—and our democracy—through local journalism that is truthful, fair, fearless, and smart.

RFA is a two-year program with an optional third year. The upcoming service year begins on July 8, 2024 and runs through July 7, 2025. Applications are now open for more than 50 journalism positions in newsrooms of all types — digital startups, daily and weekly newspapers, radio and TV stations, a wire service and more. Check out our interactive database of job openings, newsrooms, and beats here, and read our info page to make sure you are a good fit for the program.

The deadline to apply is January 31, 2024, with references due by February 7, 2024.

Report for America is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Questions? Contact the Report for America recruitment team at recruitment@reportforamerica.org or join us for one of our virtual information sessions. You may register for an information session here.

Ready to apply, start your application here.

Over the past 50 years, the talent, hard work, and exceptional accomplishments of individuals working at New England newspapers have been recognized by induction into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame. Their dedication to the industry inspires all New England journalists.

Nominations are now open and honorees will be inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame Awards during the annual New England Newspaper Convention, which will be held at The Waltham Westin Hotel on March 22-23, 2024. The special room rate of $149 per night is available to book now!

• Nominees should be people who have made extraordinary contributions to their newspaper(s), the newspaper industry, and their communities.
• NENPA membership is not required to be eligible for the award.
• People who have excelled in any area of newspaper operations are eligible — i.e., editorial, advertising, circulation, production, and administration.
• You may nominate those still working in the industry as well as those who have retired. Posthumous nominations are also eligible.
• The deadline to submit nominations is extended until Friday, January 5, 2024.

To nominate a colleague in honor of his or her professional achievement and lifetime of contributions, please prepare a letter that describes your nominee’s accomplishments and the reasons why you recommend that he/she should be appointed to the Hall of Fame. Be sure to include any supplemental materials, testimonials, etc. that support your nomination.

Email your nomination letter and supporting materials to l.conway@nenpa.com please use “Hall of Fame” in the subject line.

Nominations can also be mailed to:
New England Newspaper Hall of Fame
c/o New England Newspaper & Press Association
P.O. Box 2505
Woburn, MA 01801

For further information, please contact NENPA executive director, Linda Conway, at (781) 281-7648, or l.conway@nenpa.com.