We’re excited to invite you to be part of the NENPA Press Freedom and Local News Collaborative, launching on Constitution Day, September 17, with our campaign Know Your News: Understanding Press Freedom and the Value of Local News.
What the Collaborative offers:
- Ready-to-publish content: NENPA will manage and upload all campaign materials. Newsrooms will have access to reader-friendly stories, graphics, and social media assets.
- Safe and clear guidelines: Content will be explanatory and educational, highlighting why press freedom matters and how local journalism serves communities. It will not include investigative reports or sensitive disclosures that could raise legal or insurance concerns.
- Ongoing support: After the Constitution Day launch, the Collaborative will remain a resource for continuing stories and materials that reinforce the importance of press freedom and local news.
- Member contributions: In addition to the content provided by NENPA, we encourage members to share work they publish that supports press freedom or demonstrates the value of local news. With permission, NENPA will distribute these stories through the Collaborative so they can reach a wider regional audience.
Learn more:
To walk through the platform and answer questions, we’ll be hosting three Zoom info sessions. You can attend whichever is most convenient. No reservation is required.
- Wednesday, September 10 at 1:00 pm, https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87002053791
- Thursday, September 11 at 1:00 pm, https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89964354848
- Monday, September 15 at 10:00 am, https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89961944870
By joining, your newsroom will have access to campaign materials early, and you’ll be part of a region-wide effort to strengthen trust in local news while amplifying your own reporting that supports press freedom.
If you’ve already signed up:
- Be on the lookout for an invitation from the Collaborative website managed by Plucky Works.
- If you’re ready to join the Collaborative, sign up now using this short form to ensure your newsroom has the complete package ready for Constitution Day.
If you have any questions, please email Tara Cleary at t.cleary@nenpa.com.
Looking to recharge your newsroom strategy and celebrate the best in New England journalism? Join us for the 2025 Fall Leadership Conference, September 25–26, at the historic Hotel Northampton. Presented by NENPA and the New York Press Association, this conference brings together publishers, editors, and journalists for training, peer-to-peer insights, and an awards luncheon you won’t want to miss!
The journalist meetup series rolls into September with a spirited Trivia Night at The Dubliner—a great chance to unwind after work, swap ideas, and show off your trivia chops with colleagues from across the region.
Editor & Publisher, in partnership with the Media Job Board and research firm DataJoe, proudly presents the Media Workplace Awards — the only program of its kind dedicated to recognizing the media industry’s best places to work. Whether you’re in print, broadcast, or digital, this is your opportunity to spotlight your company’s culture, attract top talent, and gain third-party validation as an employer of choice.
This October, journalists from across New England have a special opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together at Radically Rural 2025: Rural Resonance in Keene, New Hampshire.
The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications is offering a lineup of free and low-cost classes on topics such as writing about personal milestones, making sense of Substack, learning how to make use of AI, and First Amendment rights around protest and assembly.
The summer 2025 journalist meetup series is in full swing, bringing together media professionals from across the region for fun, connection, and camaraderie.
The NENPA Press Freedom and Local News Committee is taking its next major step in protecting press freedom and strengthening local journalism: launching a region-wide public education campaign on Constitution Day, Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
Nackey S. Loeb School Announces 2025 First Amendment Award Event & Honorees
The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications has announced the recipients of its annual awards, to be presented at the School’s Annual First Amendment Award Event on Thursday, October 23 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
Sean Young of Conway will receive the First Amendment Award. Young, owner of Leavitt’s Country Bakery, was nominated for his pursuit of First Amendment rights in a lawsuit involving a student-painted mural on his business. The town had deemed the mural an unapproved commercial sign, but a judge later ruled the town had violated Young’s First Amendment rights.
Melanie Plenda, Director of the Granite State News Collaborative and NENPA Board Vice President, will be recognized with the Quill & Ink Award. This honor, not presented annually, is reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to educating the public about the First Amendment.
The event will feature a keynote address by Jake Sullivan, who served as U.S. National Security Advisor under President Joe Biden. Sullivan previously served as director of policy under President Barack Obama and as national security advisor to then–Vice President Biden. A Yale Law graduate and faculty member at Harvard’s Kennedy School, Sullivan lives in Concord with his wife, U.S. Representative Maggie Goodlander.
This year’s judging panel included 2024 First Amendment Award winner Harrison Thorp, editor of The Rochester Voice; retired New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Richard Galway; Attorney Gregory Sullivan, a member of the Loeb School’s Board of Trustees; and Annmarie Timmins, senior reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio.
The First Amendment Award Event will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance.
Sponsors for this year’s program include keynote sponsor The Brodsky Prize for Excellence in Student Journalism; First Amendment Honoree Sponsor Eversource; Friends of the Nackey S. Loeb School sponsors The Elliot, The McQuaid Family, Spectrum Marketing, Saint Anselm College’s NH Institute of Politics, and the Union Leader Corporation; and Five Freedoms sponsors Anagnost Companies, Borislow Insurance, Business & Industry Association, Charles Douglas III, Curbstone Financial Management, NH Beverage Association, Pamela Diamantis and Morey Goodman, Northeast Delta Dental, Sheehan Phinney, and Wieczorek Insurance.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available.