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New deadline for the 2023 Better Newspaper Competition!

We have extended the deadline to enter the region’s largest journalism recognition program to Monday, December 11, 2023.

It takes highly skilled, passionate, and determined individuals to produce high-quality publications. Each year the New England Newspaper & Press Association recognizes the achievements of the very best newspaper professionals in New England in the Better Newspaper Competition.

The Better Newspaper Competition is the largest and most comprehensive journalism recognition program in New England.

Work published by NENPA member news organizations during the contest year, August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023, is eligible for this competition.

The competition has three divisions:

Download the information packets and you will find all of the information necessary to prepare your entries, including a list of competitive categories, complete rules and guidelines, and the criteria that each contest category will be judged upon.

You can find additional information on preparing entries – such as how to make PDF files smaller, extract particular pages, and combine several PDF files – on the Frequently Asked Questions page at the end of the packets.

The deadline to submit entries is extended to Monday, December 11, 2023. 

Awards will be presented 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!

We encourage you to participate in this year’s Better Newspaper Competition to show off your best work, reward and recognize your staff, and share ideas so we can learn from each other!

We wish you the very best of luck in this year’s competition!

If questions arise while preparing your entries, please email L.Conway@nenpa.com or T.Cleary@nenpa.com.

Learn more about the Better Newspaper Competition

Submit your entries

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Free Branded Content Sales Boot Camp on December 5 and 6

The Branded Content Project is presenting a free two-day online Sales Boot Camp on December 5 and 6. All local media professionals interested in gaining valuable branded content sales advice and sponsorship opportunities are invited to join and sign up today!

This free, two-day bootcamp will consist of two group calls (one hour each), in addition to one-on-one sales support and consulting, access to turnkey sales products and custom content solutions, the Branded Badge Certificate Program, and an excellent opportunity to network and brainstorm with other local media organizations. The boot camp takes place on Tues., Dec. 5th at 12 p.m. EST and Wed., Dec. 6th at 12 p.m. EST.

Media professionals will get early access to our newest content series, Mind Matters, which focuses on mental health, as well as learn how to sell our other lifestyle content series. We also bring in coaches and sales experts who can give participants real-world advice and actionable takeaways.

If you want to spruce up your sales strategy and be positioned to start 2024 strong, the Branded Content Sales Boot Camp will help you on your way to new revenue!

Boot Camp Registration

The Branded Content Project is designed through a strategic partnership between the Local Media Association, the Local Media Consortium, and the Facebook Journalism Project to help facilitate additional growth, engagement, and revenue success for more publishers of all shapes and sizes.

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Hearst CT Media close to buying Record-Journal

MERIDEN – After more than a century and a half of independent, family ownership, the Record-Journal announced Monday it had reached a preliminary sales agreement with Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

Under the agreement, HCMG will take ownership of all print and digital operations of RJ Media Group, including the Record-Journal, its seven weekly publications and its digital advertising agency, according to Record-Journal Publisher Liz White Notarangelo.

White Notarangelo, the fifth generation of her family to lead the Record-Journal, shared the news with employees Monday, citing Hearst’s “ongoing commitment to strong local journalism as well as a culture of innovation and serving communities.

“We feel it’s a great fit and next chapter for our family company,” White Notarangelo wrote in a column to readers Monday. 

Mike DeLuca, group publisher and president of HCMG, said he was “thrilled to welcome the Record-Journal to the Hearst Connecticut Media Group family,” while “embracing a new chapter in journalism.”

Read more at myrecordjournal.com

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PRESS RELEASE: Meet the new director of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

Contact:
Meg Salocks
Email: meg@lcmm.org
Website: https://www.lcmm.org/

A Life Dedicated to the Lake: Meet the New Director of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

VERGENNES, VT – Lake Champlain Maritime Museum announced today the appointment of new executive director, Chris Sabick. Chris Sabick has been the museum’s director of research and archaeology since 2013 and brings decades of experience and a career-long dedication to Lake Champlain, research, history and public access into this new leadership role.

A nautical archaeologist by trade, Sabick has spent his entire professional career working on the lake and surrounding waterways with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. His experience, exploration and expertise of the lake, the region’s history and the museum make him uniquely qualified to take the helm. Sabick started with the museum as an intern in 1998 and officially joined the team as an archaeological diver in 1999, working on the Valcour Bay Research Project and implementing artifact conservation plans for the museum’s lab. Sabick’s cutting-edge work in conservation and shipwreck investigation, as well as his dedication to public interpretation and team building precipitated his steady rise at the museum as he was promoted to the director of conservation in 2000 and director of research and archaeology in 2013. Most recently he has served as the museum’s interim co-director, leading the organization with fellow interim co-director Lauren Ross, director of development, since March 2023.

“After a national search, I could not be more excited to name Chris Sabick as the new executive director of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum,” said Harry Chaucer, chair of the search committee and museum board member. “His expertise in nautical archaeology, his commitment to the local community and his decades-long career serving the museum and the public make him a uniquely qualified candidate with an exciting vision for the future. After 24 years leading conservation, research and archaeology at the museum, we are honored to see Chris now step into the executive leadership role for this organization.”

Sabick is a Vergennes resident and beloved local scientist, well known for his appearances on local news and at events. In addition to his work at the museum, he regularly serves as an expert and collaborative partner with other regional history and lake science organizations. As he enters this new role, Sabick is dedicated to fulfilling the museum’s strategic plan and mission to connect all people to Lake Champlain, inspiring them to learn from the past and build together to create a sustainable future for the region.

“I’ve always been fascinated with history. The Champlain Valley has a unique maritime history, dating back nearly 12,000 years when the first people moved into the region. When I came to the museum in 1998, I fell in love with this history and Lake Champlain,” said Chris Sabick. “I am honored to take on this new role and demonstrate the power of the museum as a place to change lives, as it did with mine. As a diver, I get to experience history firsthand. As executive director, I look forward to creating more ways for all people to experience history, archaeology and ecology in meaningful and impactful ways.”

Sabick starts as executive director this November and will be hosting the museum’s third annual Virtual Archaeology Conference in February 2024. Follow the museum by email or social media to catch the latest updates from Sabick and the team.

About Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

Founded in 1985, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum connects all people to Lake Champlain, inspiring them to learn from the past, build together in the present and create a sustainable future. Committed to free access to the lake and its history, archaeology, and ecology, the Museum is open to all from late May to mid-October with free admission. Year-round education programs serve more than 2,500 K-12 students, as well as hundreds of educators locally and nationally. For more information, visit www.lcmm.org.

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PRESS RELEASE: Provisions International – A New Era of Excellence in Fine Food Products

Contact:
Emilie Vilmore
Email: Emilie@provisionsintl.com
Phone: 802-698-3989
Website: http://www.provisionsintl.com/

Provisions International – A New Era of Excellence In Fine Food Products With Acquisition By Industry Leaders

Various types of cheese on rustic wooden table.

White River Junction, VT (November 2023) – Provisions International, known for its premium food offerings including fine cheese, charcuterie, extra virgin olive oils, and ingredients from around the globe utilized by some of the best restaurants in the region, proudly announces its acquisition by industry veterans James Gordon of Upper Valley Produce and Éric Frechette of Taste of the North.

Provisions International, a trusted source of high-quality food products, regularly supplies restaurants, food cooperatives, independent grocers, and specialty stores across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and the Greater Boston area. The company has forged valuable partnerships with New England cheesemakers, reinforcing its dedication to local producers.

Wendy Hallgren, the founder of Provisions International, expressed her confidence in the acquisition, stating, “James and Eric have built two amazing companies, Upper Valley Produce and Taste of the North, both of which serve many of the same customers with the same attention to detail and customer service that Provisions does. The similarities between all three companies, along with their dedication to customer service and support of producers/vendors, echo the core values of Provisions. That James and Eric came along, not wanting to see Provisions dissolve, was a blessing!”

The management team of Provisions International also shared their excitement about the acquisition, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome James Gordon and Éric Frechette as the new owners of Provisions International. Their expertise and industry knowledge will undoubtedly propel our Provisions International to even greater heights. With their combined resources, we can expand our product offerings, improve distribution efficiency, and continue delivering exceptional service to our valued customers.”

Provisions International takes pride in its dedicated and knowledgeable staff and provides the finest local, domestic, and imported products. With James Gordon and Éric Frechette on board, the company looks to strengthen its position as a premier food supplier in Vermont and neighboring regions.

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Yankee Quill nominations still being accepted

Your help is needed to recognize the efforts and dedication of those in New England who have had a broad influence for good in journalism. Nominations are still being accepted for the Yankee Quill Award through Friday, November 17, 2023.

The award is administered by the New England Society of News Editors Foundation, and recipients are inducted into the Academy of New England Journalists upon receiving the Yankee Quill Award at a celebratory luncheon during the annual New England Newspaper Convention, which will be held at The Waltham Westin Hotel on March 22-23, 2024.

Selection for the award is not based on a single distinguished achievement. Rather, the Yankee Quill recognizes the effort and dedication of those in New England who have had a broad influence for good in journalism. In other words, it is not based on a certain achievement in reporting, writing, or editing or on the fact that someone runs a good newspaper, broadcast show, or station. Instead, it honors a lifetime of contribution to the profession.

Nominations may range across the entire field of journalism — including daily and weekly newspapers, radio and television news coverage, and other forms of media that meet the tests of journalism.

Members of the Academy of New England Journalists, along with the representatives of several New England media associations, will select the persons to receive the Yankee Quill Award this year.

The link to the nomination form can be found by clicking here.

Nominations may be emailed to: quill@nenpa.com or hard copies may be mailed to:
Yankee Quill
c/o NENPA
PO Box 2505
Woburn MA 01801

For further information contact:
George Geers, academy chair, gnews@empire.net, (603) 785-4811 or Linda Conway, academy clerk, l.conway@nenpa.com, (781) 281-7648

We are also seeking Historical Figure Nominations

Last year’s historical figure Yankee Quill Award was presented to Robert Bailey Thomas (1766-1846), founder of the Old Farmer’s Almanac, posthumously for his historic contribution to specialty weather and agriculture journalism.

History nominations generally are primarily focused on those who had a significant impact on journalism starting in New England from the early years of the founding of our country up to the last 100 years or so.

The History Award category was begun in 2004 with the selection of Benjamin Edes (Boston Gazette).

Others recognized include:

  • Benjamin Edes (Boston Gazette)
  • William Lloyd Garrison (The Liberator)
  • John Greenleaf Whittier (19th century poet, editor)
  • Gen. Charles H. Taylor (Boston Globe)
  • Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science Monitor)
  • Sarah Josepha Hale (poet novelist, Godey’s Women’s Magazine editor)
  • Isaiah Thomas (Worcester Gazette)
  • Ann Smith Franklin (Rhode Island Gazette)
  • Samuel Bowles I & Samuel Bowles II (The Republican)
  • Thomas Green (The Courant)
  • James Franklin (New England Courant)
  • Henry Martyn Burt (Among the Clouds)
  • William Monroe Trotter (Boston Guardian)

Nominations with a summary of the work of the candidate and reasons for consideration should be emailed to Richard Lodge at richardklodge@gmail.com, and Rod Doherty, history committee chairman, at roddoherty411@gmail.com.

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NENPA U webinar on Nov. 16: Journalism Ethics – Needed now more than ever???

Don’t miss this lunchtime NENPA U Ethics training session on November 16 with leading New England experts!

Journalism ethics have long stood as a cornerstone in our newsrooms. Are they as important and as followed in our newsrooms today? This session will offer opinions, including yours, on that question. Our panelists also will provide their thoughts – and ask for yours – on how to avoid or escape the thorny ethical thickets that often crop up in our newsrooms. We’ll share some anecdotal examples of dealing with touchy issues on deadline and invite you to join us in some exercises on how to handle decisions involving ethics. You’re invited to bring up at this session any difficult ethical cases you’ve faced, to explain how you handled them and whether fallout ensued. Our panelists will weigh in on these cases from their experience during the Q&A at the end of the session.

Presented by Traci Griffith, Racial Justice Program Director for the ACLU of Massachusetts, Mike Donoghue, Executive Director for the Vermont Press Association, and Link McKie, Consultant and Journalism Professor. Please click on each speaker’s name to view their biography.

The session happens on November 16 from 12:00 -1:00 pm and is being held inside the NENPA member community. NENPA member tickets are free, non-member tickets are $15 each. If you have any problems registering or are not getting the free member ticket option please email t.cleary@nenpa.com for assistance.

Sponsored by the New England Newspaper & Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

Register Now

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October Obituaries 2023

CONNECTICUT
Richard Canny
Rita Easton
Joan Lozanov
MASSACHUSETTS
Ina Anderson
James Cahillane
Scott Charney
Sarah Huntington
Frederick Johnson
Diane O’Keefe
Kenneth Parker
Priscilla Petit
Marie Robinson
Linda Veracka
MAINE
Tenley Campbell
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Gail Fisher
Henry Nichols Jr.
Ruth Rollins
RHODE ISLAND
None Reported
VERMONT
None Reported
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Conference Session with Brian Stelter – Connecting with Your Community

Brian Stelter

During the New England Newspaper Conference on October 19, Brian Stelter apologized for starting his address by complaining about his recent interaction with The Des Moines Register.  Stelter, the author and media columnist who has worked with The New York Times and CNN, said he wanted conference attendees to know how difficult it is to stop a subscription – and how that affects readers’ perception of their news organizations.

In preparing to cover the presidential campaign in Iowa, Stelter subscribed to The Des Moines Register for a week or two.  (A six-month subscription cost $1.)  But when he tried to cancel the subscription a week or two later, it turned into an ordeal.  You’ve got to call the newspaper, he said – you can’t cancel online.  And then he had to talk with a service rep who transferred him to a manager so he could repeat his story that he no longer needed the newspaper. Yes, newspapers want to try to keep subscribers from leaving, Stelter said, but the whole process was miserable. Stopping a Netflix subscription is much easier, he said – and it leaves you with a much better feeling about their company.  You’re more likely to subscribe again.

Here’s the thing:  Stelter’s a big fan of his local papers in Hunterdon County, N.J., especially for the local-local information that’s not in the big metro papers – things like where to take his kids on weekends, what events have been canceled, what’s happening at local schools.  Too often, he said, Facebook is now doing what local papers once did, especially on breaking news – sending text alerts to tell people where the firetrucks are going right now, or where the streets are closed because of a gas main leak.   There’s a real opportunity at the neighborhood level, he suggested.

In the Q and A, Stelter kept the discussion on this issue of engagement.  Participants agreed that readers want to talk to the paper.  When the editor of the Waterbury Republican-American asked readers for their opinion of how the newspaper was doing, 300 people responded, William Pape said.  And his newspaper is now inviting readers to submit questions they would like mayoral candidates to answer at an upcoming debate the paper is sponsoring.

Another conference-goer asked Stelter what else newspapers could do to encourage interaction with readers, citing a recent CJR feature, “The Interview: Jeff Jarvis on what the magazine was.”  In that interview, Jarvis said that when media moved online, they often just posted content, and let readers comment.  They were unwilling to engage readers in a dialogue about the news and their opinions.

Stelter listed several ideas on what news media could do differently to engage readers.

  1. Be reachable.  List the reporter’s email address below their byline.  Stelter does it himself all the time – bstelter@gmail.com
  2. Teach readers about media literacy – how media do their work.  When we teach them what we are (and what we’re not), we help them gain trust.  For example, we’re not a community bulletin board: we don’t print anonymous complaints, the way social media sites do.  A “Note from the Publisher” can help readers understand our mission.
  3. The battle for trust is a constant battle:  you gain a few yards every day, and you lose a few yards when you make mistakes.  Asked what media people trust, Stelter pointed to the New York Times – but he admitted they’re in a class by themselves.  He applauded Tegna (Gannett’s TV group) for their “Verify” feature.  It shows viewers that the TV stations are on their side, Stelter said.
  4. Show people who you are.  You’re their neighbors; you live where they do.  Add reporters’ emails and their photos.  Conduct web chats.  Use text messaging to alert people when there’s trouble.  Conduct neighborhood chats during local emergencies so people can share where they’re seeing flooding, for example.  Use more “push” emails, since readers still welcome relevant content in their inbox.
  5. Build community.  Help people overcome social isolation by connecting them to neighbors.  Couldn’t newspapers build “neighbors” social platforms for specific sections of their cities and regions?  Show them you’re not the big, stand-offish metro paper.
  6. Prevent charges of bias by running longer articles that report on all sides of an issue.   Print the full story, giving the broad spectrum of opinions on book banning or gender issues.  Don’t cut stories short now that we have space online. “The more people you quote, the more people feel heard,” he said.
  7. Use Facebook, since Facebook is where many people turn to for local news.
  8. Give a free, six-month subscription to new homeowners, one conference-goer suggested. Stelter endorsed that idea.
  9. Recognize that everyone trusts some source for news and information. It’s just a fact that you’ve got to get your information somewhere so you’ve got to trust someone. People who turn to conservative media clearly trust Fox Sean Hannity or Alex Jones. Our job is to get them to trust reality-based media, Stelter said.

Credit: Written for the eBulletin by Bill Hoelzel

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CNHI’s Bill Ketter Receives SPJ’s Highest Honor

Bill Ketter is joined by previous SPJ honorees during the society’s President’s Award Banquet.

Bill Ketter, CNHI’s senior vice president of news, received SPJ’s highest honor on September 30 in Las Vegas.

The Society of Professional Journalists feted Ketter with the Wells Memorial Key award, recognizing his distinguished career and contributions to the journalism community.

In addition to numerous other state, regional, and national awards, he received the New England Academy of Journalists Yankee Quill Award in 1985 for exceptional career contributions to New England journalism and is a member of the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Past SPJ National President Alex Jones said in a prepared statement, “For decades, Bill Ketter has been one of the nation’s most respected and admired journalists,” calling the award a “fitting tribute by an organization he has served and loved throughout that exemplary career.”

Named for Chester C. Wells, the second president of SPJ, the Wells Memorial Key is awarded to a member “who has performed outstanding service to the Society in the preceding year or through a period of years.”

The honoree has been a member of SPJ for 62 years and served in various leadership roles.

Jones called Ketter “a repository of wisdom and principle and someone I consider to be one of the Foundation’s and the Society’s top and most influential leaders.”

Ketter received the honor at the SPJ 2023 Journalism Conference at the Planet Hollywood resort in Las Vegas during the society’s President’s Award Banquet.

Read more at cnhi.com

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