On September 23, 2021, the New Hampshire Press Association live-streamed on Facebook their 2020 Excellence in Journalism awards from the Nackey Loeb School of Communications in Manchester, NH.
Mike Mortensen and Mike Marland received the 2021 New Hampshire Press Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Journalist of the year was awarded to Carol Robidoux, Manchester Ink Link. The judges commented, “What more can a journalist do than tell a story and bring it to life? Carol gives the reader plenty of facts and figures, but, more importantly, she also introduces the people that data represents.”
The New Hampshire Union Leader received first place in general excellence for daily newspapers. The judges commented, “I thought the Union Leader had it all, strong reporting/writing, judicious use of photos, a clean design, and practical information that I’m sure readers find invaluable.”
The American Press Institute announced on September 15 that 10 local news organizations including The Keene Sentinel, located in Keene, NH, will receive funding through the Local News Ideas-to-Action Fund.
The selected projects reflect a deep commitment from journalists and their organizations toward understanding and responding to the information and access gaps around issues of housing, transportation, public health, and more, in the service of local residents.
The projects were selected for a range of criteria, including potential insights for other journalists and the news organizations’ own potential to build on the work after the end of the project.
The Keene Sentinel will identify and share resources for people on the “homelessness spectrum” as part of a reporting project exploring the history, causes, and potential solutions to housing challenges in the state. The Sentinel will leverage community partnerships and text messaging to reach audiences experiencing homelessness.
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.
Local names and faces are the lifeblood of community newspaper content.
There’s no better way to spotlight your readers than through photos. After all, “a picture is worth a thousand words” – right? I rephrase. A picture can be worth a thousand words.
The most interesting story will go unread if it has a nondescript headline.
The best photos will have little meaning without adequate explanation. Read: Identify the people in photos.
“Nameless” photos always have bothered me. When I sat behind the editor’s desk, photographers and reporters knew better than to submit photos without identification.
The unfortunate practice is becoming more widespread, an observation passed along by Fred Noer of Burlington, Wis., who had a long career working for publications. In some instances, he notes, photos are absent any cutlines.
Identifying individuals satisfies everyone, he correctly notes – “those in the photo, their families and friends who recognize the people photographed, and the publication for having preserved its credibility.”
He adds: “If a reader does not know the people in a photo, how is he or she supposed to find out? The publication is obligated to provide that information – for the readers as well as for the people in the photos.”
His email prompted me to scan some newspapers. Sad to say, the disheartening examples were numerous.
A full-page photo spread carried highlights from a prep sports season. The school was recognizable by jerseys, but the players remained anonymous.
Mom and dad were identified in a family photo, but their kids were nameless.
One individual held a sign, the focal point in a protest. No name.
Eight board directors remained faceless as they broke ground for a new initiative.
Seventeen individuals were shown in a group photo. The names were listed with no attempt to identify – for example, first row, second row, left to right.
Twenty fair photos were splashed across two pages. The closest to any identification was a cutline saying the “blue shirt won” in a competition.
There admittedly are circumstances where it simply isn’t possible to identify subjects in otherwise compelling photos worthy of publication. A photographer captures an accident scene but is kept at bay by law enforcement from getting names.
Privacy rules also can be a challenge. I remember when the local schools started requiring permission slips from parents authorizing photos of their children to be published. That could prove difficult to meet deadlines with spot news, but we usually navigated the process for a feature story and photo.
Noer has taken the time to drop notes to newspapers, expressing his exasperation when people are not identified. He says the editors agree and improve their practices – but then often fall into bad habits. Noer aptly states that photographing people for publication carries a reporting function, too. You should record their names so they are available if photos are used.
Editors, ask yourselves: Would you publish a story identifying someone simply as a woman or man? It pains me that I’ve seen increasing examples of such lazy reporting. I recall one meeting where individuals came to the podium to speak on a contentious issue. The report stated two people spoke and carried extensive quotes – without any attempt, or instinct, to identify them.
Noer states the obvious: “Readers are more likely to share articles and talk about them if the readers know the persons in the photos. And, of course, people are excited to see their names in a publication.”
And don’t forget, a picture, in a sense, can be worth a thousand dollars as newspapers regularly promote photo reprints and galleries. Revenue opportunities certainly are minimized without identities.
I remain a booster of community newspapers. You are in the best position to be a living history of your towns. Community newspapers indeed are challenged in a fractured media landscape. You must stay relevant to readers and advertisers. That raises the stakes for adhering to the tenets of sound journalism: Identify individuals in stories and photos alike.
Each year, E&P looks to honor a news publisher who has risen above the rest and accomplished what seems like the impossible, outmaneuvering the competition and outthinking the future while maintaining profitability.
We then recognize this leader on the cover of our November issue of Editor and Publisher Magazine.
Nominate someone now who you feel deserves to be our 2021 “Publisher of the Year” and they will be featured on the cover of our November issue.
Hurry! Nominations close at midnight (EDT) on Friday, September 24th, 2021
The institute is typically offered over three days at Northeastern University in Boston. Due to continuing health concerns related to COVID-19 and the limited ability of many journalists in the region to take extended time off, fellows this year will be attending remotely.
The program will consist of classes taught between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6. Sessions will be in the morning with optional and state-specific classes scheduled throughout the day. Those selected as fellows should be committed to participating in all sessions. A complete schedule will be released soon.
The deadline to apply is extended to Sept. 25 and application materials can be obtained here.
Join us in congratulating NENPA board member Judy Meyer on her upcoming induction into the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame. A well-deserved honor!
Meyer began working for the Sun Journal as a freelancer out of the Norway (Maine) bureau. In 1996, she was hired full-time to run that bureau and in April 2016, she was named the Sun Journal’s executive editor.
Today, Meyer is responsible for overseeing the Sun Journal, the third-largest daily newspaper in Maine, as well as at a half-dozen weekly newspapers spread throughout Sun Media’s western Maine coverage area. She also serves as executive editor of the central Maine dailies: Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal.
In addition to Meyer, MPA’s Hall of Fame Committee has selected Dorothy “Dot” Roderick and Dieter Bradbury. They will all be inducted during the association’s annual Fall Conference on October 23.
Anne Karolyi, Managing Editor, Republican-American, The Sunday Republican, and rep-am.com, in Waterbury, CT is included in Editor & Publisher’s second class of 15 Over 50 honorees, recognized for their dedication to the news publishing industry. Bob Sillick writes in the E&P article,
“They are still firmly committed to journalistic and publishing excellence and have transformed themselves just as the industry has during the past few decades. They are optimistic about the future of the industry as well as recognizing its many challenges. They are sharing their passion and experience with younger colleagues to create a viable future for news publishing.”
When asked, what are some of the most important lessons you have learned working in the news industry? Karolyi said,
“I learned to strive to rise to the standards that should define us: accuracy, ethics, balance, and transparency for how we work and whom we cover. It’s important to remember who we are: storytellers, watchdogs, and mirrors of our community. We must know how to fight and win for Freedom of Information.”
The deadline for news organizations interested in partnering with Report for America to host emerging and experienced journalists in their newsrooms is Sept. 30.
Report for America is a national service program that places talented journalists—corps members—into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Through the program, host newsrooms receive:
Service-minded reporters, photographers and videographers
Diverse, hand-picked candidates from a pool of emerging and experienced journalists
Subsidized salary support, up to half for the first year
Local fundraising coaching and resources
Extra training and mentoring for journalists
The application deadline is September 30, 2021, and newsrooms will be publicly announced in December. More information about how the program works can be found here.
In late August, the Local Media Association announced the 20 news organizations that will participate in the second cohort of its Lab for Journalism Funding. The lab will help these local news organizations develop and execute strategies to fund essential local journalism via philanthropy. The four-month immersive lab runs from September through December.
More than 50 companies applied to participate in the second cohort of the lab. The 20 newsrooms accepted include four newspapers in New England and are a diverse set of publishers in small and large markets — with a strong representation of family-owned outlets — and include three Black-owned and two Spanish-language publishers, as well as one broadcast news organization. What they have in common is a commitment to local journalism that serves audiences in their communities. LMA asked these news outlets to share their goals for joining the lab.
These are the quotes from the New England participants.
“As a family-owned company, we understand the importance of finding new ways to fund journalism. It’s critical to our communities that we put the time, effort and resources into developing strategies that will help our newsrooms provide coverage our readers want and need. We appreciate the expert guidance we’ll receive along the way, and we look forward to this next chapter of local journalism.”
– Steve Leone, publisher at Concord Monitor and vice president of news at Newspapers of New England
“I’m excited to be part of LMA’s Lab for Journalism Funding. I see philanthropic support of journalism to be an important means by which we can bolster our newsroom in the future. Gaining an understanding of how to incorporate an approach for that support into our operation will be incredibly helpful.”
– Terry Williams, president and chief operating officer at The Keene Sentinel
“We are very excited to be part of this great cohort. Since our participation and success in last year’s Local News Fund, we’ve had discussions about community- and philanthropy-funded journalism internally and with community organizations, and we feel like this is perfect timing for us. Our experience with the Local News Fund really opened our eyes to the potential of fundraising as a viable way to fund much-needed local journalism.”
– Carlos Virgen, assistant managing editor for audience development at The Day
“Local journalism is a public good, and the case for community support is undeniable. With the support of the Lab for Journalism Funding we will learn how to connect our public service to the impact mission of local philanthropy, to the betterment of our region.”
Anne Karolyi, Managing Editor, Republican-American, The Sunday Republican, and rep-am.com, in Waterbury, CT is included in Editor & Publisher’s second class of 15 Over 50 honorees, recognized for their dedication to the news publishing industry. Bob Sillick writes in the E&P article,
The deadline for news organizations interested in partnering with 
In late August, the