Arkansas Publisher Weekly: January 7, 2021

4 8

Last chance to register for Jan. 8 legislative forum

Guest Column: Don’t close books yet on election

Arkansas Press Association

Publisher Weekly

By Jim Pumarlo

Vol. 16 | No. 01 | Thursday, January 7, 2021 | Serving Press and State Since 1873

Arkansas General Assembly to begin Monday APA expects new challenges to public’s right to know

As is usual in every legislative session, the Arkansas Press Association expects to defend government transparency even as journalists at APA member newspapers face the unusual task of covering lawmakers during a pandemic.

The 93rd Arkansas General Assembly convenes Monday, Jan. 11. APA anticipates lawmakers will file bills aimed at weakening the state’s Freedom of Information Act and eroding Arkansas’s robust laws on public notice. They will do so in an environment where public access will be restricted and new rules on social distancing will be implemented.

The COVID-19 public health emergency is expected to be a challenge both for reporters covering the Capitol and for advocates who want their voices to be heard.

Veteran Capitol reporter Mike Wickline of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said many journalists and others will rely on livestreams of events at the Capitol rather than attempting to attend in person.

Wickline said preliminary plans for the session are to restrict access to committee meeting rooms to legislators, staff and a few members of the media. Members of the public who wish to speak on an issue will be asked to stay in adjacent rooms, or “bullpens”, until their speaking time.

“The pandemic is likely to mean more reporters cover the video-streamed committee meetings from either home or their workplaces rather than in the committee rooms or bullpens, because Continued on Page 2

Arkansas General Assembly to begin Monday Continued from Page 1

they will see that as a safer option,” Wickline said.

Both Wickline and Andrew DeMillo, the Capitol beat reporter for the Associated Press, encouraged APA members to make connections with local legislators now if they want to report on the legislative session in their own communities.

Both said it’s important for reporters in other parts of the state to know the best ways to get in touch with their local legislators, and to keep in contact with them during the session. The Legislature’s website, arleg.state.ar.us, features a daily listing of committee meetings and agendas, as well as links for watching live video of committees and both the House and Senate.

“Connect with the lawmakers from your area and make sure you’ve got their contact information, as well as their social media handles,” DeMillo encouraged local reporters. “Check the legislative website regularly for the committee and floor calendars. If there are certain issues

you’re interested in, make sure you know who the key players are and that you’re following them on social media as well.”

Wickline has covered the Legislature since 2001, and before that he worked in Idaho covering that state’s Capitol. DeMillo has been with AP for 15 years.

They expect the 2021 legislative session to be dominated by a few key issues, with a fight over the extent of the governor’s emergency powers during the pandemic to be likely at the outset of the session.

Other high-profile topics are a bill that would enhance penalties for hate crimes, a proposal to create a “stand your ground” self-defense law, Medicaid and the Arkansas Works program and further income tax reductions. Legislators will also be tasked with redrawing congressional district boundaries during the 2021 session and it’s likely there will be another attempt to refer to voters a tort reform amendment.

APA members should know there are already rumblings about a proposal

supported by the Arkansas Association of Counties to make government less transparent and less accountable by eliminating some public notice requirements. The counties, joined by the Municipal League, attempted late in the 2019 session to change the public notice requirement for construction projects.

“We fully anticipate an effort to undermine the legal notice requirements, and we will be encouraging all APA members to reach out to their legislators, their county judges and mayors to put a stop to any assault on transparency,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Wimberley. “Through their rejection of Issue 3 in the November election, the voters of Arkansas made it clear that they favor transparency and open government.”

As with every legislative session, APA will track bills of importance to its membership.

Bill-tracking updates will be featured in Arkansas Publisher Weekly each week while the General Assembly is in session.

Daily Record’s Brown named to FOI Task Force The Arkansas Press Association Board of Directors appointed Wesley Brown, publisher of the Daily Record in Little Rock, to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Task Force.

The Task Force was established by the General Assembly in 2017 to review and make recommendations to the Legislature about bills that would impact the state’s open records and open meetings laws.

Brown was named publisher of the Daily Record in November 2019.

Before that, he covered business and reported from the state Capitol for Talk Business and Politics and Stephens Media. He also has extensive experience in corporate public relations.

“Wes has a wealth of knowledge about the Freedom of Information Act and is well-known at the Capitol. He will be a great addition to the Task Force and will represent well the interests of working journalists and the Press Association on that panel,” said Ashley Wimberley, APA executive director.

Brown replaces Ellen Kreth, APA’s vice president and publisher of the Madison County Record. Kreth stepped down as chairman of the Task Force in December.

The nine-member task force includes representatives appointed by the governor, the speaker of the House, the Senate president pro tempore, the Arkansas Association of Counties, the Arkansas Municipal League, the APA, the Arkansas Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists and the FOIA Coalition.

Wesley Brown

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

2

January 7, 2021

Submit entries now for annual Advertising Contest As the calendar turns to 2021, the Arkansas Press Association encourages members to turn their attention to their best work of the year 2020 and submit entries into this year’s Better Newspaper Advertising Contest.

2021

The contest is now accepting entries from APA member newspapers for ads published in the 2020 calendar year.

Newspapers can earn accolades and bragging rights in a slew of categories and separate divisions for smaller, medium and larger weeklies and smaller and larger dailies.

The deadline for entries is Jan. 31, so please gather and submit entries as soon as possible.

The winning entries will be determined by members of the Michigan Press Association. The judges will review the submissions in February, and winners will be announced at the APA’s annual advertising conference, which is tentatively planned for March as a virtual event.

To enter, visit newspapercontest.com/ arkansas. A complete set of categories, rules and instructions for entering are included on that site.

APA members with questions about the contest or the online submission process should contact Terri Cobb at (501) 3741500 or terri@arkansaspress.org.

Last chance to register for Jan. 8 legislative forum Arkansas Press Association members and other Arkansas journalists have one final chance to register to attend an online forum with Gov. Asa Hutchinson and legislative leaders this Friday, Jan. 8.

Hickey (R-Texarkana), will talk about their priorities for the upcoming General Assembly, which begins Monday. They will also take questions from reporters.

The governor, Speaker of the House Matthew Shepherd (R-El Dorado), and Senate President Pro Tempore Jimmy

The online forum starts at 1:30 p.m. Friday with Shepherd and Hickey, followed by Hutchinson at 2:30 p.m.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Rep. Matthew Shepherd

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

The forum is sponsored by the Associated Press and the Arkansas Press Association.

Working journalists who have not yet registered for the event must email info@ arkansaspress.org by 10 a.m. Friday.

A link to the session will be sent to only those that pre-register.

Sen. Jimmy Hickey

4

January 7, 2021

PPP loan forgiveness webinars set for January Arkansas Press Association members who may have questions about the process of earning forgiveness for Paycheck Protection Program loans are able to participate in a scheduled webinar sponsored by the Arkansas office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The webinars explain the PPP loan forgiveness process and requirements for small businesses that received loans because of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The topic will be discussed at three different webinars in January, all on upcoming Tuesdays.

All three will cover the same information.

The Jan. 12 webinar starts at 11 a.m.; the Jan. 19 webinar begins at 3 p.m. and the Jan. 26 webinar is at 11 a.m.

To register for one of the sessions, visit sba.gov/ offices/district/ar/little-rock

State sets target for Covid19 vaccine for media Members of the media in Arkansas should be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in April, Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters in a news conference earlier this week.

Hutchinson included media in a list of essential workers in the “1C” priority category. Phase 1A distribution is ongoing, with Phase 1B set to start in February.

Also in the 1C category are individuals ages 65-69, people ages 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions and essential workers in professions such as transportation and logistics, finance, energy, public health, public safety, shelter and housing, food service, water and wastewater and IT communications.

Hutchinson, through the Arkansas Department of Health, noted that the vaccination timeline may change based on available supply and medical need.

Last month, several national media organizations such as the News Media Alliance and the Society of Professional Journalists implored the Centers for Disease Control to include journalists during priority vaccine deployment. That letter was to Dr. Jose Romero, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health.

Romero is chairman of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

5

January 7, 2021

ENGAGE PEOPLE CONNECT RESOURCES BUILD COMMUNITY This is why we exist.

ASPIRE ARKANSAS

From the immediate response to COVID-19

Our aspirearkansas.org provides

to long-term rebuilding of community spaces

health, education, family and

after devastating tornadoes in towns like

economic development data for

Dumas, Mayflower and Jonesboro, Arkansas

all 75 counties. This helps

Community Foundation is here for our

organizations determine the long

communities. We’ve partnered with

term issues that are most important

newspapers statewide for more than 40 years

for their communities.

to spread the word about grants and programs available for local community impact.

Thank you for helping tell the story of local giving that helps meet community needs forever.

ARKANSAS NONPROFIT DIRECTORY Our aspirearkansas.org provides health, education, family and economic development data for

Since 1976, we’ve provided more than

all 75 counties. This helps

$261 million in grants and partnered with

organizations determine the long

thousands of Arkansans to help them improve

term issues that are most important

our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire

for their communities.

state. We want to help you tell your readers how smart giving can improve communities.

Jessica Ford Communications Director jford@arcf.org 501-372-1116 • 888-220-22723

Guest Column: Don’t close books yet on election

By Jim Pumarlo Mention election coverage in the aftermath of last year’s tumultuous presidential contest, and many newsrooms will likely turn a collective deaf ear. For most editors and reporters, the next cycle of elections is the farthest thing from their minds.

Not so quick.

This is the perfect time with fresh memories for editors and reporters to evaluate how they performed in 2020 and to identify steps for improved coverage in 2022.

Most importantly, examine coverage of local campaigns. Indeed, most readers were likely fixated these past months on the presidential matchup. In the end, however, community newspapers should remember they are the primary source of information for local races. That’s where you want coverage to shine.

To begin the postmortem, convene a brainstorming session to reflect on some of the fundamental elements of election coverage. Among them: Consistency of coverage: Review overall coverage from start to finish; select one race as a case study. Did all candidates receive equal treatment in their initial announcements? If candidates issued press releases, were their challengers given opportunity to respond and/or offer their perspective in the same story? How were events handled for each campaign?

Emphasize the local connection: Coverage of school board, county board or city council races is local by its very nature. But was the local perspective emphasized in statewide races? For example, did reporters quiz gubernatorial candidates on what their platforms meant for local constituents? Did you analyze the presidential contest for its impact on congressional and legislative races?

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Provide forum for ideas: How did newspapers handle the predictable barrage of letters? Did deadlines allow opportunity for response, if candidates so wished? Did guidelines prevent lastminute attacks? If some letters were withheld, what were the criteria? Was the letters policy defensible and clear to readers?

Recommend candidates: Newspapers gather a great deal of information on candidates and issues including some that is not available to all voters. Did editors take advantage of their “inside view” to study the candidates and make recommendations as to which individuals would best serve their communities? At minimum, did you identify the priority issues in races as voters went to the polls?

Analyze the election: Read the election edition again. Were readers given more than just “votes and quotes”? Did stories offer some analysis of where the candidates polled best and worst, and which issues resonated with voters? Did stories help readers make sense of the results?

Expand the discussion: Any examination of coverage should extend beyond the editors and reporters directly involved. Seek the opinions of others in the newspaper office; advertising representatives who deal directly with candidates are a good sounding board. For additional feedback, ask the candidates themselves through a formal questionnaire or an informal question-answer session. Finally, consider convening focus groups of readers to identify strengths and weaknesses in the reports. In the end, the most effective coverage is that which engages voters.

Many editors and reporters can rightfully take pride in their coverage for its

7

thoroughness, focus on issues and readerfriendly presentation. But even the most comprehensive content is marginalized if readers don’t have ample opportunity to weigh in on candidates and issues through an exchange on the editorial page.

It’s unfortunate, but too many newspapers publish candidate profiles too close to the election. These stories are often the only comprehensive look at a race other than occasional reports of candidate debates.

The need for early coverage is even more important today with the popularity of early and absentee voting.

The practice is just as troublesome on the editorial page. The idea of endorsing candidates, especially those in local elections, generates enough controversy without exacerbating the circumstances.

Be sure to give readers and candidates alike the opportunity to respond.

A fruitful post-election discussion will be a springboard on two fronts.

No. 1, identify steps to ensure fair and thorough election coverage by reviewing the policies inherent in the various elements of election coverage. Have a plan to develop, implement and explain policies.

No. 2, focus on organization to guide the newsroom through the months-long election season. Identifying a list of action steps and a preliminary timetable now will reap dividends for reporters, candidates and readers alike.

Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He can be reached at www. pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.

January 7, 2021