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Keene Sentinel Wins Best Reader Revenue Strategy In LMA Digital Innovation Awards

This Local Media Association Digital Innovation contest recognizes the best in local digital media in 16 categories such as best local website, best virtual event, best-branded content strategy, and more. It is a highly competitive contest designed to recognize both large and small media companies for their outstanding and innovative work.

The Keene Sentinel won 1st Place, in the Best Reader Revenue Strategy category. This award recognizes exceptional strategy and execution of a new consumer revenue initiative.

Judge’s notes: The Keene Sentinel came up with a creative idea to partner with local businesses and give new subscribers multiple incentives, and the retention rate has been high, even when the offers expire.

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October Obituaries 2022

CONNECTICUT
Audrey Casstevens
Cara Dorris
Arthur Groff
Ronald Mazzacane
Alice Paxton
Florence Polens
Lee White
MASSACHUSETTS
Theresa Cunningham
Diana Digges
Douglas Gregor
Virginia Otis
Francis Rak
Douglas Ransom
John Thomas
MAINE
None Reported
NEW HAMPSHIRE
None Reported
RHODE ISLAND
None Reported
VERMONT
None Reported
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Better Newspaper Competition now open to colleges and universities

Starting in 2022, colleges and universities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont are invited to enter the New England Better Newspaper Contest in 27 competitive categories, including College Newspaper of the Year. Click here to view all categories and descriptions.

In this inaugural year, all schools may enter, regardless of membership status, and submit up to 10 entries for a low flat fee of only $100. Click here, or the link below, for information on the expanded benefits of Academic Membership.

Work published by student newspapers in print and/or online during the contest year, August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022, is eligible for this competition.

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

The deadline to submit entries is Friday, December 2, 2022.

Awards will be presented during the annual New England Newspaper Convention, which will be held in Spring 2023 (date and location to be announced).

We encourage you to participate in this year’s Better Newspaper Competition to recognize your students’ best work, compete with peers, and compare your coverage and publication.

For further information please contact students@nenpa.com.

Learn more about the Better Newspaper Competition

Learn more about NENPA Academic Membership

Submit your entries

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Submit your entries for the 2022 Better Newspaper Competition!

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, 2021, to July 31, 2022, 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 how to combine several PDF files – in the Frequently Asked Questions page at the end of the packets.

The deadline to submit entries is Friday, December 2, 2022.

Awards will be presented during the annual New England Newspaper Convention, which will be held in Spring 2023 (date and location to be announced).

New categories for 2022 include Best Website Home Page and Energy Reporting, and a few categories have been modified (see detailed categories).

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!

For further information please contact Linda Conway, l.conway@nenpa.com.

Learn more about the Better Newspaper Competition

Enter the Better Newspaper Competition

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Globe’s Diti Kohli selected for Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices in 2022

The Poynter Institute recently announced the 15 journalists selected from more than 100 applicants for its prestigious Power of Diverse Voices: Writing Workshop for Journalists of Color, including Boston Globe journalist Diti Kohli.

Diti Kohli is a general assignment reporter on the business desk. She covers everything from the economy and housing to retail and labor. In the past, Diti worked as the digital producer for the business and living arts team, as well as an intern at the Tampa Bay Times and BostInno. She graduated from Emerson College in 2021.

The group will convene Nov. 10-13 at Poynter in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic moved the program online.

Learn more and see the list of all journalists selected at Poynter.

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Fredric Rutberg, president and publisher of New England Newspapers receives a Governor’s Award in the Humanities

Fredric Rutberg, president and publisher of New England Newspapers, Inc., received a Governor’s Award in the Humanities at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston on October 26.

Rutberg was selected for helping revitalize a historic newspaper, The Berkshire Eagle (owned by New England Newspapers, Inc.), and for championing a vibrant and free press.

“I must say it’s a big honor, and to be even considered among the list of previous awardees is humbling,” Rutberg said in an interview before the ceremony.

Rutberg, was one of four honorees in the 2022 Governor’s Awards in the Humanities hosted by Mass Humanities.

Read more at The Berkshire Eagle

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Free Program on November 2 – Stop Scrolling! Journalism, Objectivity, and the Future of News

[Photo (L-R): Mike Pride, Daniela Allee, Dr. Kimberly Lauffer]

New Hampshire Humanities invites the public to a free event, “Stop Scrolling! Journalism, Objectivity, and the Future of News,” on Wednesday, November 2, at the Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst Street, Manchester. Register for the in-person event, which includes a reception at 5:30 pm followed by the program at 6:30, HERE or sign up to access the livestream HERE, or at www.nhhumanities.org.

Journalism and media are changing in ways we can’t predict and often find uncomfortable. Balancing biases, rooting out mis/disinformation, and slogging through a never-ending news cycle is overwhelming, especially with the internet’s infinite information. If the newspaper was the pinnacle of the last great information age, where is journalism headed today? How do we navigate content and our responsibilities as readers? And, finally, how do we use that information to do something besides becoming overwhelmed?

This conversation, moderated by Dr. Kimberly Lauffer of Keene State College, will bring together Mike Pride, historian, author, former editor of the Concord Monitor, and Pulitzer Prize committee member, and Daniela Allee, senior news editor at NH Public Radio. They will consider how the history of journalism can help us make sense of the news today and the future of news media.

The event is part of the Mellon Foundation’s “Democracy and the Informed Citizen” initiative (DATIC), administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. DATIC seeks to deepen the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the vital connections between democracy, the humanities, journalism, and an informed citizenry. NHH thanks the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their generous support, and the Pulitzer Prizes for their partnership. For questions and more information, please visit www.nhhumanities.org, or contact NHH staff at programs@nhhumanities.org.

New Hampshire Humanities is an independent, statewide nonprofit, NHH made possible last year 496 free public programs and digital broadcasts reaching 54,951 people in partnership with 343 organizations in 92 communities, to engage all citizens, regardless of their age or educational level. For more information about New Hampshire Humanities, please visit www.nhhumanities.org.   

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Deadline October 31 for some people at nonprofit newsrooms eligible to receive credit toward public service loan forgiveness

Those working at nonprofit newsrooms or those who have worked for nonprofits before may be eligible to receive credit toward public service loan forgiveness via a temporarily expanded federal program. This is different from the $10,000 or $20,000 in one-time forgiveness on federal loans. The temporarily expanded public service loan forgiveness program is a special benefit made available during the Covid-19 pandemic with an Oct. 31 deadline to employees of certain public service organizations — including nonprofit newsrooms.

Quick links:

White House bulletin

Education department bulletin

Columbia Journalism Review article

Federal help portal

Who should take note?

  • Those who work or have worked at nonprofit newsrooms

  • Those that have worked for nonprofits in the past

  • Those who have worked for state or federal governments before

  • Those who have participated in national service programs (Peace Corps, Americorps) or the military

Learn more at Rebuild Local News

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NEACE Fall Conference Charting a Course for Change On November 3

The Northeast Association of Communication Exectuvies (NEACE) Fall Conference is happening on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at the Hotel Northampton, 36 King St, Northampton, MA. 01060.

The conference theme is “Charting a Course for Change” and the organization is excited to announce the official launch of the new Neace.com and details of the re-branding of NEACE.

Conference Registration is only $99 and pre-conference registration is preferred.

REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE AT:
https://neace.ticketmambo.com/index.cfm?e=event&eventId=34701#cartForm

Hotel Registration – CALL TODAY Hotel Northampton at 413-584-3100 and reference NEACE to obtain the special conference rate – deadline to make hotel reservations is October 6th to receive the special room rate.

Room cost is $139.99 plus 11.7% occupancy tax for a total of $156.37.

INCLUDED WITH REGISTRATION – Banquet lunch on Thursday at Wiggins Tavern, continental breakfast, and two refreshment breaks in the morning and afternoon.

AGENDA

Thursday, November 3rd, 2022

8:00 – 8:30 am Continental Breakfast and Conference Registration

8:30 – 9:00 am Welcome to the Fall Conference
Invocation – Warren Dews, NEACE President
Thank you to our Valued Sponsors – Carol Dubuque, NEACE Vice President

9:00 – 9:45 am Newsletters and Audience Engagement
Dan McGowan, Boston Globe

9:45 – 10:15 am Coffee Break

10:15 – 11:00 am Newsprint Market Update
Frank O’Toole, Gannett

11:00 – 11:15 am Vendor Introductions

11:15 am – 12:00 pm Panel Discussion – Postal Strategies
Special Guest Brad Hill, Interlink, Jordan Brechenser, President & Publisher Brattleboro Reformer, and John Harrison, Moderator.

12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch (Wiggins Tavern)

1:15 – 2:00 pm Topic TBD
Todd Peterson, Albany Times Union

2:00 – 2:45 pm Cash Discount Program
Aaron Kotarek, VP of Circulation, Oahu Publications

2:45 – 3:15 pm Coffee Break & Thank you to our Valued Sponsors
Carol Dubuque, NEACE Vice President

3:15 – 4:00 pm Panel Discussion – Workplace geographic changes and worker productivity
Gary Lavariere, Berkshire Eagle, Kevin LaMagdelaine, Media News Group

4:00 pm Final Comments – Lori Rahill, NEACE President

Learn more and register

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Keep eye out for 11th-hour election volleys

Jim Pumarlo is former editor of the Red Wing (Minn.) Republican Eagle. He writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He is author of “Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage,” “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in Small-Town Newspapers.” He can be reached at www.pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.

Election Day is only weeks away. The hyper-partisanship of races at all levels – from local to state to federal – demands that editors pay extra attention to press releases and letters to the editor. The editing and delete buttons on your keyboard are likely to get an extra workout.

Navigating exchanges among candidates, as well as their supporters and detractors, is always a delicate and often exhausting task as editors strive for fairness and consistency in election reports.

The stakes are ramped up even higher in the final weeks as candidates and their camps seek to level charges at the last possible moment in press releases and letters to augment – or maybe even replace – advertising campaigns.

Newsrooms should have a discussion and be prepared. Set the ground rules if you have not already done so, and publicize the guidelines.

The rules of fair play should be standard practice in press releases. Candidates often weigh in on issues at the forefront of a campaign. If you deem a release worthy of publication, it’s simply sound journalism to get an opponent’s take on an issue as well. It should be mandatory to seek comment if the release references and takes issue with an opponent’s stance.

Newsrooms are most likely to see 11th-hour charges volleyed through letters to the editor. Here are some guidelines to consider.

First and foremost, set two deadlines for letters. Set one deadline for letters that raise no new issues, the final deadline for all elections letters. Second, set an earlier deadline for letters that raise new issues. This gives opponents an opportunity to respond, if they so wish. 

If a letter misses the deadline, consider these alternatives:

If you believe the letter is baseless, feel free to reject it outright. You’ve publicized your guidelines and deadlines, so stand your ground. Don’t underestimate campaign strategy. The individuals calling the shots in the back room often sit on something for weeks and wait to spring it in the final days, hoping an opponent doesn’t have time to respond.

However, if you believe a letter has merit, consider these two options:

  • Turn the letter into a news story, giving both candidates a chance to comment. You’ll first need to have a conversation with the candidates, explaining your rationale. You’ll want to explain to readers as well within the story or with an editor’s note.
  • As an alternative, publish the letter but also give the opposing candidate an opportunity to respond with a letter in the same edition. As always, explain the hows and whys behind your decision with an editor’s note. The circumstances may warrant a longer explanatory column to readers.

Most important, publicize the guidelines and deadlines for letters early and often. That is your best offense to combat the shenanigans of political operatives.

I well remember the days when our FAX machine was spitting out election letters as the deadlines neared. A local office was headquarters for one political party, and numerous letters were sent from the same machine, each signed by a different individual. 

FAX machines always posted the time a document arrived. On one occasion, a letter arrived two minutes after our deadline. I called and informed the “coordinator” that the letter would not be published. He challenged the time on our FAX machine. I politely and firmly informed him that he had known the deadlines for eight weeks.

End of conversation. He embarrassingly had no response or defense for pushing the limit. And he never missed another deadline.

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