NEFAC Launches Mentorship Program

July 25, 2022

The New England First Amendment Coalition recently launched a new mentorship program for journalists working in the region.

The program — NEFAC Mentors — helps reporters, editors and producers looking for guidance in a variety of professional areas by matching them with a veteran journalist with relevant expertise.

The program is funded in part by the Rhode Island Foundation and will be open exclusively to those working for Rhode Island newsrooms for the next six months. Beginning in 2023, all New England journalists will be eligible to apply.

“While we have provided informal mentorships in the past, this new program will help us better serve the specific needs of journalists throughout the region,” said Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director. “We have a growing list of mentors from all backgrounds and different types of newsrooms available to help.”

Six from New England Selected for NPF New Age for Aging Journalism Fellowship

July 18, 2022

On July 14, the National Press Foundation announced the 20 journalists selected for their “Living Longer: The New Age for Aging” Journalism Fellowship.

The group will go to a three-day September program in Washington, D.C., for training sessions examining the complexities of an increasingly multigenerational workforce. The program is sponsored by AARP and NPF is solely responsible for the content.

They’ll learn how to use data to accurately cover the 50+ age group, explore the impacts of artificial intelligence, intersectionality, and other factors affecting older workers, and glean exclusive insights about federal aging policy in 2022 and beyond.

We wish all of the fellows congratulations on your selection to the program!

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Sunshine Communications Announces New Acquisitions

July 13, 2022

CLAREMONT, NH — Newly formed Sunshine Communications, a division of the Sunshine Initiative Public Benefit Corporation, owned and operated by Jay Lucas announced the acquisition of the Eagle Times from Sample News Group, effective immediately.

“I am very excited to return ownership of the Eagle Times back to New Hampshire,” said Lucas. “As someone who grew up getting our news from the Eagle as well as remembering how excited it was when my photo from my football days or my name being listed in the paper from the honor roll, it is important we keep the spirit of this publication local, relevant, and worthwhile for the communities it serves.”

In addition to the acquisition of the Eagle Times, Sunshine Communications has also taken ownership of the Newport-Argus Champion and the Newport Times.

Read the full story on the Eagle Times website

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NENPA, NEFAC, MA Advocates Support Remote Access Legislation In July 9 Letter

July 12, 2022

This Friday, July 15, is the expiration date for virtual access to government meetings in Massachusetts. NENPA, and the New England First Amendment Coalition, joined the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association, MASSPIRG, Common Cause Massachusetts, and other advocacy groups to send MA state legislators a letter on July 9. In support of legislation making permanent in-person and remote access to government meetings.

H.4991 would require public bodies subject to the Open Meeting Law to allow the public to attend in person and via remote access. The bill would also ensure that remote access is available equally for people with disabilities.

“This is a critical step to make government more transparent, improve equitable access, and strengthen civic engagement,” the group wrote in the letter.

Join us in asking the Massachusetts Senate to make these reforms permanent!

For more information, read the full story on the New England First Amendment Coalition website

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Richard Watts looks to grow innovate local news model

July 10, 2022

Richard Watts spoke on a panel – How Journalism Schools And Local Publishers Are Teaming Up To Save Community News – at the New England Newspaper Convention on April 30, 2022.

A former journalist himself, Richard Watts of Hinesburg, Vt., knows there’s a crisis facing local news, and he hopes to address this dilemma by linking news outlets with colleges across the country.

Watts, director of the Center for Research on Vermont and co-director of the reporting and documentary program at the University of Vermont, helped launch the school’s Center for Community News on June 22. The initiative aims to inspire collaboration between local news organizations and students by weaving together a network of community journalism programs.

Many academic and community news programs already exist in the United States, including UVM’s own Community News Service, also founded by Watts in 2019. Through these programs, students gain experience in professional journalism and provide content to local newspapers.

But, until now, nobody has collected all of these partnerships in one place, Watts said.

“If I was a university and I wanted to start one of these programs, I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

So, he said, the Center for Community News will provide a blueprint to encourage more colleges to start community news partnerships, by developing a series of case studies with input collected from programs around the country.

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US newspapers continuing to die at rate of 2 each week

July 5, 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — Despite a growing recognition of the problem, the United States continues to see newspapers die at the rate of two per week, according to a report issued Wednesday on the state of local news.

Areas of the country that find themselves without a reliable source of local news tend to be poorer, older and less educated than those covered well, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications said.

The country had 6,377 newspapers at the end of May, down from 8,891 in 2005, the report said. While the pandemic didn’t quite cause the reckoning that some in the industry feared, 360 newspapers have shut down since the end of 2019, all but 24 of them weeklies serving small communities.

An estimated 75,000 journalists worked in newspapers in 2006, and now that’s down to 31,000, Northwestern said. Annual newspaper revenue slipped from $50 billion to $21 billion in the same period.

News “deserts” are growing: The report estimated that some 70 million Americans live in a county with either no local news organization or only one.

2022 New England Muzzle Awards: Spotlighting 10 who diminish free speech

July 5, 2022

A Boston mayor who trampled on a religious group’s right to freedom of expression. A Worcester city manager who trampled on the public’s right to know about police misconduct. A New Hampshire state legislator who trampled on teachers’ rights by demanding that they take a “loyalty oath” promising not to teach their students about racism.

These are just a few of the winners of the 2022 New England Muzzle Awards.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Muzzles, a Fourth of July roundup of outrages against freedom of speech and of the press in the six New England states. Conceived of by the noted civil liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate and inspired by the Jefferson Muzzles, they were published by the late, lamented Boston Phoenix for many years and have been hosted by GBH News since 2013.

Reaching the 25-year mark is gratifying. But it’s also a little depressing because there continues to be no shortage of candidates for our coveted statuettes. Nor is there any reason to believe that censorship and repression will diminish in the years to come.

Room Dedication Event for Archie Mountain at Former Location of the Daily Eagle Newspaper

June 24, 2022

Local journalist, Archie Mountain, was honored on June 20, 2022, with the special dedication of the “Mountain View Conference Room” at the Sullivan House. The Sullivan House building in Claremont, NH is the former location of the Daily Eagle Newspaper where Mr. Mountain worked for many years.

After posing for pictures with Commissioners George Hebert, Joe Osgood, and Bennie Nelson in front of framed photos that Archie donated to the Sullivan County New Hampshire Government, the room dedication plaque was unveiled. It reads, “In 1958, Archie Mountain began his journalism career working for the Daily Eagle Newspaper in this very building. His articles and photos have been prominently featured in local news publications for over 60 years. Archie is Sullivan County’s storyteller and his work has connected multiple generations. From weekday events to Friday night races at Claremont Speedway, and high school football games on Saturday afternoons, Archie has been there to bring those stories home to all of us. May Archie’s enduring work ethic and love for our community be an inspiration to all.”

NENPA Office Going Fully Remote

June 24, 2022

Dear NENPA members,

For the past five years, NENPA has leased office space from the Daily Times Chronicle in Woburn, Mass. Prior to that, we were located on the campuses of Northeastern University at no cost.

The NENPA staff has worked remotely since the pandemic’s start, and we have learned that we have had no loss of productivity. The expense of leasing the space and other costs associated with an office is no longer justified.

Our lease expires on June 30, 2022, and we will make the remote work environment permanent as of that date.

Please adjust your records to reflect our new mailing address:

New England Newspaper and Press Association

P.O. Box 2505

Woburn, MA 01801-9998

There is no change to our staff’s availability to help and answer your questions. Follow this link for our staff contact information.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Linda Conway

Executive Director

781-281-7648

l.conway@nenpa.com

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RNS/IA Religion Journalism Fellowship

June 24, 2022

Religion News Service (RNS) and Interfaith America are pleased to announce the 2022-2023 RNS/IA Religion Journalism Fellowship. This fellowship serves to develop future religion news journalists by deepening their understanding of religious expression in individual lives and civic life and to develop skills specific to covering religion, belief, faith, and spirituality. The 2022-23 fellowship builds on the success of the inaugural class, in which more than a dozen stories by four fellows appeared on RNS and in RNS subscriber publications.

The fellowship will run from September 2022 to March 2023. The fellows will be awarded a $4000 stipend and expected to report and write at least one feature religion story per month, which will be published on the RNS website and the Interfaith America Magazine., and will receive a fellowship certificate upon completion.

Applications are open to all journalism graduates who have completed their degree in the past three years, and to freelance reporters who may not have a journalism degree but have at least a year of relevant reporting experience.

Accepting applications through June 30, 2022.

Learn more and apply

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