Maine Press Association Fall Conference In Bar Harbor On October 22
The Maine Press Association’s 2022 Fall Conference will be held on October 22 at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel & Event Center in Bar Harbor.
A full day of events is planned, including informative sessions, The Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon with 2022 inductees, Earl Brechlin and Chris & Paula Roberts and 2021 inductees Dorothy “Dot” Roderick, Dieter Bradbury, and Judy Meyer; the annual Scholarship Auction & Reception with Auctioneer Extraordinaire Aimsel Ponti, and the 2019 Better Newspaper Awards Dinner & Banquet with Master of (All) Ceremonies Greg Rec.
Conference Hotel Room Information & Reservations ($165) for Oct. 21-22 must be made directly with the hotel. Please call the Atlantic Oceanside reservations office at 800-336-2463 to reserve your room and identify yourself as part of the MPA, Group # 65279. Reservations may also be made online: www.aobarharbor.com. Hotel reservations are going fast so book your room as soon as possible.
There is no registration fee for Hall of Fame inductees or guests and the registration fee covers all workshops/sessions, Scholarship Auction, and Awards Dinner & Banquet.
Four Organizations In New England Selected for API Election Coverage and Community Listening Fund
Thirty-one news organizations will receive support through the American Press Institute’s Election Coverage & Community Listening Fund, an initiative to empower newsrooms to implement community listening in their election coverage.
Four of the organizations are in New England:
Connecticut Public Broadcasting (Hartford, Connecticut) will use the grant to support its toolkit designed to encourage watch/listening parties across the state during candidate debates this fall, which it is producing in collaboration with the League of Women Voters as part of an initiative aimed at advancing civil discourse through journalism and storytelling.
ecoRI News (Providence, Rhode Island) will partner with three local newsrooms to cover state and local elections through the lens of marginalized communities, especially non-voters. This will include community listening and a solutions journalism approach as well as interviews with candidates about their responses to the communities’ concerns. Content will be produced in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
VTDigger (Burlington/Montpelier, Vermont) will update, design and translate its “How to Vote” explainer. Informed by a listening project that made deliberate efforts to hear from historically excluded communities, the guide is available in a print-friendly Google document in more than a dozen languages. The resource will be distributed via local community ambassadors to Northwestern Vermont’s multilingual communities where there is a strong demand for news in other languages besides English.
WBUR (Boston, Massachusetts) will create a 2022 Massachusetts Election Guide with its partner Govpack aimed at providing basic election and candidate data, including candidate profiles for communities across the state. It will market the guide, with a special focus on Hispanic and Latinx communities, through both traditional and non-traditional methods.
The projects funded will start immediately and run through this election year, but will also yield important lessons for 2023 and 2024 that can be shared through journalism networks and conversations facilitated by API.
The funding made possible through this initiative is designed to help these news organizations try new approaches to election coverage or expand on existing projects that show promise.
Read more and see the complete list of news organizations funded
Apply By October 7 Equity and Belonging Newsroom Transformation Program
The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education is now accepting applications for its new Equity & Belonging Newsroom Transformation program, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Newsroom Transformation Program leverages an embedded coaching model to help news organizations better inform underserved communities and establish workplace cultures of belonging. Our goal is to help newsrooms become more equitable and inclusive in their reporting, workplace, and communities they serve. The team of consultants piloting the program curriculum will work closely with Maynard Institute facilitators who are steeped in the Fault Lines® training methodology. Two media outlets will be selected through the application process.
Is your news organization ready to establish a more equitable workplace and provide better coverage of underserved communities? This program is an opportunity to make transformative changes to stay relevant to and reflective of your community by making structural changes to your business models and organizational culture.
Now accepting applications through October 7, 2022.
Learn more at The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
Your Body, Their Data? Journalism Fellowship
The National Press Foundation is offering a new journalism fellowship: Your Body, Their Data? Reporting on Privacy, Tech and Biometrics.
This training will equip journalists to cover technical, legal, and policy developments on the new frontier of privacy — and turn them into stories that will resonate with audiences.
The application deadline is October 10, 2022, apply at this link.
From wearables and life-saving medical devices to apps that track location health, fitness, sleep and menstrual periods, consumers’ bodies are being tracked and quantified as never before. And yet, the data is not theirs alone. “Smart” devices that can be attached to our bodies – or implanted or ingested – are coming to market faster than lawmakers can regulate and the public can grasp their implications.
Whether your beat is Silicon Valley or Washington, U.S.-based journalists working in any medium are invited to apply. The fellowship covers hotel, airfare to Washington D.C., and most meals.
Before the pandemic, about 1 in 5 Americans wore a smartwatch or fitness tracker, according to Pew Research Center. That number has only grown since, with market penetration expected to increase by about 6% by 2024, according to Statista. But smartwatches are only a fraction of the devices that monitor the human body and transmit their data as part of the Internet of Bodies (IOB). Products range from pacemakers to insulin pumps, ingestible pills to implantable brain microchips being developed by Elon Musk’s Neuralink and the U.S. military.
Medical devices are regulated by the FDA, and the companies that produce them must comply with HIPAA and cybersecurity guidelines. But who owns patient data is often unclear. Many apps and devices are unregulated, allowing their biometric or behavioral data to be stored, sold, hacked or mined. A host of states have introduced or passed various types of data-protection measures but as of yet, there is no federal data privacy law.
The Supreme Court abortion decision has poured new fuel on the debate. The My Body, My Data Act of 2022 was introduced in the House in June to protect personal reproductive or sexual health information. A month later, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) with bipartisan support. This “data minimization” bill, if passed by the full House and Senate, would be one of the most significant internet civil liberty bills in U.S. history, advocates say.
A 2022 poll found that 56% of voters want Congress to pass a data privacy law, while another found that 70% of Americans agree that controlling who can access their digital personal information has become more challenging.
During the fellowship, we will discuss where these stories will go in 2023 and beyond.
Speakers are likely to include federal regulators, scientists, lawyers, doctors, privacy experts, lawmakers or their staff, and those who work in Big Tech or oppose it.
As always, National Press Foundation sessions are on the record and allow ample time for Q&A.
U.S.-based journalists working in any medium (print, TV, radio, digital, podcast) are invited to apply by Oct. 10, 2022. Employed journalists will need a letter of support from their editor. Freelance journalists should submit a letter from a news outlet interested in publishing their work.
For questions, please contact program manager Alyssa Black at ablack@nationalpress.org.
Support for this training comes from Arnold Ventures and Medtronic. NPF is solely responsible for the content.
DEI Workshops for Newsroom Leaders
The Granite State News Collaborative (GSNC) announced it will continue to sharpen its focus on diversity in the Granite State by partnering with Organizational Ignition, LLC to engage in conversations that will foster a deeper understanding of the issues involved and the ways we can become a more perfect union.
To that end, GSNC is hosting four DEI Workshops for Newsroom Leaders beginning Sept. 29. James McKim, the managing partner of Organizational Ignition and president of the Manchester, NH chapter of the NAACP, will lead each two-hour, virtual workshop.
These workshops are ideal for newsroom leadership including publishers, managing editors, editors, and hiring managers among others. These workshops are free and open to members of The Granite State News Collaborative, the NH Press Association, and NENPA.
The workshop lineup is as follows:
- Recognizing Discrimination–Sept. 29, virtual, 12-2 p.m.
- How to have difficult conversations– Oct. 13, virtual, 12-2 p.m.
- Performance through Diversity–Nov. 10, virtual, 12- 2 p.m.
- DEI for managers–Dec. 8, virtual, 12-2 p.m.
Attendance at all of the workshops is not required but is recommended.
Registration is required as space is limited.
Contact: Melanie Plenda
melanie.plenda@collaborativenh.org
(603) 762-3302
Collaborativenh.org
These workshops were made possible through grant funding to The Granite State News Collaborative from the Endowment for Health.
****
ABOUT THE GRANITE STATE NEWS COLLABORATIVE
The Granite State News Collaborative is a collective of nearly 20 local media, education, and community partners working together to produce and share news stories on the issues that most impact our state. The hope is that together we can provide more information to more communities across New Hampshire than we could individually. We specialize in in-depth, investigative, solutions and accountability reporting on the issues that impact Granite Staters most.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL IGNITION, LLC.
Organizational Ignition is a management consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations reach and sustain their ignition point through the integration and alignment of business processes, people, and technology. Our unique approach puts a special emphasis on the strategic use of diverse human capital and transformational technology.
Plan now to recognize first responders
Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staff, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers?
Mark Oct. 28: National First Responders Day.
Full disclosure on two fronts.
First, highlighting the accomplishments of first responders is not my original idea. I picked it up while presenting earlier this year at a Management Boot Camp sponsored by the Texas Center for Community Journalism.
Second, I am not a fan of most proclamations. They are a dime a dozen and largely an opportunity for some official – most often the mayor – to get his or her name and photo in the local newspaper. The local affiliate typically submits a press release from the parent state or national organization – verbatim – inserting its name in a half-dozen spots.
However, proclamations can be worthwhile and substantive with local content. Think of the past two years and the performance of first responders during the pandemic and social unrest in the course of everyday routines. This collective group of individuals from firefighters and police to paramedics and EMTs is worthy of recognition.
Best yet, this project can involve all aspects of your operations from newsroom to advertising to circulation.
First step: Have a brainstorming session to explore and identify content. Go beyond your newsroom to include your entire newspaper family, which likely represents a cross-section of the town. Broaden the discussion by including key individuals in your community.
Here’s one list of story ideas to jump-start the discussion:
- What has been the experience of first-responders in the past couple of years in terms of the nature of calls? Have circumstances changed dramatically?
- Has special training been implemented?
- Are staff experiencing stress and other issues in physical, emotional, and mental health?
- What is the impact on first responders’ family lives, and relationships with friends and co-workers? Who is their support circle?
- Are there particular heartwarming stories to share?
- What are some of their more challenging stories to share?
- Communities across the country are reporting difficulties in hiring police officers. What is the local landscape for recruiting across the range of first responders?
- Does your community rely on full-time or part-time first responders? For part-time responders, how do employers and employees manage the responsibilities?
- Profile first responders and their families.
This is but one quick list. Think of stories specific to your community.
The project may be spread over a few editions or packaged in a special section. Either way, it’s an opportunity to generate advertising revenue beyond the normal channels.
The service of first responders should spark numerous avenues to salute their performance, especially if responders have been exemplary in specific responses. If your community has part-time responders, pay particular attention to their full-time employers and pitch the chance for them to recognize their employees.
Lastly, include the circulation department. New U.S. Postal Service regulations allow newspapers to increase their in-county sampling to 50 percent of their in-county subscriptions. Newspapers previously were limited to 10 percent. Take advantage and sample nonsubscribers with your special coverage. Showcase the contributions of first-responders in your local communities and underscore the value of your local newspaper.
To bring the salute full circle, why not stage a community event to honor first-responders? Several public and private organizations and companies will likely jump at the occasion to co-sponsor an event. You have plenty of time to design the tribute and pin down the logistics.
Even those newspapers stretched thin with resources often have some lull in the summer. This is the perfect time to plan and produce a special project that will likely introduce many new names and faces that are ordinarily not found in your newspaper. The initiative has the potential of being a win-win for your newspaper and your community.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Yankee Quill award
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Yankee Quill award. The award is administered by the New England Society of News Editors Foundation, and it recognizes the efforts and dedication of those in New England who have had a broad influence for good in the field of journalism.
Recipients are inducted into the Academy of New England Journalists upon receiving the Yankee Quill award at a celebratory dinner (date and location to be announced this fall).
The 2021 honorees were:
- Paul Bass, New Haven (CT) Independent
- Tom Condon, Hartford (CT) Courant.
- Melvin B. Miller, Bay State Banner, Boston, MA
- Marianne Stanton, Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket, MA
- Terrence L. Williams, Keene (NH) Sentinel
- William Monroe Trotter, Boston (MA) Guardian, (historical figure)
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 the field of 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 or 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.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, October 7, 2022.
Nominations may be emailed to: L.Conway@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
CherryRoad Media buying four MA newspapers Gannett planned to close
A fast-growing newspaper company is entering New England with its purchase of four local weekly papers in Massachusetts.
CherryRoad Media is buying The Landmark in Holden, the Leominster Champion, the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and The Grafton News from Gannett.
The sale, which a Gannett spokesperson said will close late next week, means the company’s plans to close The Landmark and print its final edition Sept. 15 have been scrapped.
“When we heard about the potential closure of The Landmark, The Grafton News, the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and the Leominster Champion, we reached out to Gannett to see if they could be saved,” CherryRoad Media CEO and founder Jeremy Gulban said. “The bond between these newspapers and the numerous communities they serve is strong. We are excited to engage with Gannett to enable the continued operations of these newspapers as part of CherryRoad’s growing family of community newspapers.”
CherryRoad Media will own 71 newspapers in 12 states with this purchase and that of three Michigan weeklies recently.
CherryRoad Technologies, the parent company of CherryRoad Media, offers technology solutions such as cloud hosting and other network systems, was started by Gulban’s father in 1983. Jeremy Gulban reportedly took over operations in 2008, and they entered the news industry in 2020.
Compiled from reports in Telegram & Gazette and Mediapost
2022 New England First Amendment Institute Journalism Fellows
The New England First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce the incoming class of fellows for its 2022 New England First Amendment Institute.
Now in its 12th year, the institute provides support and training for New England journalists and gives them the tools they need to become more accomplished investigative reporters, well-versed in the freedom of information laws that govern today’s difficult reporting landscape.
The institute — provided at no cost to those who attend — is Oct. 23-25 and features many of the country’s elite reporters, editors and media attorneys. Keynote speakers include Sewell Chan of the Texas Tribune and Mark Walker of The New York Times.
This year’s institute is made possible by the generosity of Northeastern University, the Academy of New England Journalists, the Rhode Island Foundation, and Boston University.
Learn more and meet the NEFAI 2022 Fellows