Arkansas Publisher Weekly: May 7, 2020

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Reminder: APA Editorial Contest open for entries

Guest Column: A ‘thank you’ to Arkansas journalists in honor of World Press Freedom

Arkansas Press Association

Publisher Weekly

By Rachel McCormick

Vol. 15 | No. 19 | Thursday, May 7, 2020 | Serving Press and State Since 1873

New managing editor at three newspapers takes reins in crisis As if being the new newsroom manager for three newspapers wasn’t enough of a challenge, Caitlan Butler is trying to do so in the midst of a global pandemic.

Butler was named managing editor of the El Dorado News-Times, Magnolia BannerNews and Camden News in April. She’s led the three news teams at WEHCO Media’s South Arkansas newspapers remotely, from her home office in El Dorado. She regularly utilizes Zoom videoconferencing and workplace connectivity apps like Slack to check in with reporters.

Butler is unsure, however, when she’ll be able to check in with community leaders and elected officials in the region. That’s a key role of a managing editor that she’s been missing since she took over the job.

“It’s a challenge right now making connections in the communities,” Butler said in a telephone interview. “I haven’t gotten to go visit Camden or Magnolia yet, but I will once things start to reopen.

I’m hoping to be able to visit at least once a week and make more connections in those communities. For now, the staff at those newspapers are doing a great job covering local news.”

Caitlan Butler

For Butler, an El Dorado native, the opportunity to lead her hometown newspaper’s editorial staff may have come at an odd time, but certainly at the right

time, she said. When former editor Caleb Slinkard left the newspapers after just a few months to become senior editor at the Macon Telegraph in Macon, Georgia, Butler said she expressed interest in the job and hoped she’d be looked to as his successor.

“I thought that having someone local to El Dorado would be something that would bring the community together,” Butler said.

“When you have someone that knows the ins and outs of the community and that you know cares about the community, it gives the community confidence, I hope.”

Butler was hired by Robyn Yarbro, the general manager of the three newspapers.

Yarbro said in an article published by the newspapers that Butler “believes in our readers-first mission, she believes in our staff and she believes in the community.

This is a well-deserved promotion for her and I look forward to working with her to take our newspaper to the next level.”

Butler, a graduate of El Dorado high school, studied drama and English at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She started at the El Dorado News-Times in December 2017 as a part-time features Continued on Page 2

Deadline is Friday to enter Media Directory Photo Contest Arkansas Press Association members and associate members have an opportunity to have their photographic work displayed on the cover of the annual APA Media Directory and also win a cash prize.

Entries are being accepted until Friday, May 8, for the 2020-21 APA Media Directory Photo Contest. Participants are asked to submit their best photos taken in

the Natural State that represent the state or its scenic beauty in some fashion. The winning entry will not only be the cover photo for the media directory, but the winner will receive a $150 prize for his or her work. Second place in the contest wins $75 and third place $50.

Submit entries to graphics@ arkansaspress.org. Entrants must be APA members or associate members.

New managing editor at three newspapers takes reins in crisis Continued from Page 1

reporter. Two months later, she took a full-time features reporting role at that newspaper and was in that position until her promotion to managing editor.

She said she’s always been interested in politics and in learning more about people, which is one reason she entered the newspaper industry. Once the region has weathered the public health crisis, she hopes to add a new reporter to the NewsTimes staff and broaden the scope and depth of coverage at all three newspapers.

“I want to sort of refocus our coverage to make sure we are giving plenty of attention to the outlying areas of Union County,” Butler said. “With Magnolia and Camden, they’re already doing an excellent job but I hopefully can help them do more feature stories.”

In the meantime, she’s trying to manage her cell phone, email and writing and editing tasks from home as she juggles

Caitlan Butler (right), new managing editor for newspapers in El Dorado, Magnolia and Camden, joins other El Dorado News-Times employees in the newsroom in 2019 while Butler was a features reporter for the newspaper.

the work of the three newspapers.

“We’ve been working from home for close to two months at this point,” Butler said.

“Working out communication between everybody has been a challenge, but the

Reminder: APA Editorial Contest open for entries

Arkansas Press Association members are reminded that entries continue to be accepted for the annual Arkansas Press Association Better Newspaper Editorial Awards contest. The deadline for entries, originally in March, has been pushed back to July 31 because of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The contest is open to employees of APA member newspapers for work published any time during the 2019 calendar year.

Entries are judged by members of the Kansas Press Association and awards will be presented during the 2020 APA Convention, scheduled for Sept. 24-25 at

MARK YOUR CALENDAR APA Annual Convention Sept 24 & 25 Little Rock Marriott

the Marriott in downtown Little Rock.

staff at all three newspapers have just been wonderful. They’re easy to get in touch with and we can talk any time we need to. That’s made it a lot easier. We have a great staff at every paper.”

Crawford County newspaper hires new reporter

Awards will be presented in multiple categories in five different divisions: Daily circulation under 10,000; daily circulation above 10,000; nondaily circulation of 1,300 or fewer; nondaily circulation between 1,300 and 2,600 and nondaily circulation above 2,600.

To read a complete listing of categories and rules, and to enter, visit newspapercontest. com/contests/ArkansasPressAssociation. aspx.

APA members with additional questions should contact Terri Cobb at terri@ arkansaspress.org or (501) 374-1500.

LET’S GET SOCIAL Follow us on Facebook & Twitter

@ArkansasPressAssociation

@ARPressAssoc

The Press Argus-Courier in Van Buren has named Ethan Nahté as its new reporter. Nahté replaces Ty Thompson, who moved to the Press Argus-Courier’s sister newspaper, the Times Record, in Fort Smith.

In Fort Smith, Thompson will work on the Sebastian County government beat.

Nahté has been a professional journalist in Arkansas and Texas for several years, according to the newspaper. His writing, editing and photography has been in more than 30 entertainment publications, and he spent four years as editor and publisher of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation’s publication, Arkansas Out-of-Doors.

Nahté relocated to Van Buren from Mena.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly 2

May 7, 2020

Children create newspapers during coronavirus crisis Children across the country have been producing their own newspapers during their quarantines at home during the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Washington Post on its website is highlighting some of the front pages of the trendy new kids’ newspapers.

The Arkansas Press Association asks members to submit examples of the work of children they know, or perhaps include information about these new additions to our industry in your own newspapers.

According to the Post, children across the country are becoming “reporters, photographers, editors, art directors and even cartoonists. And they are doing what good journalists do: keeping their communities (or maybe just their families) informed and entertained.”

For a sampling of the journalistic work by kids across America, visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/ lifestyle/kidspost/kids-newspapers-coronavirus/.

To submit examples of work done by Arkansas students, email info@arkansaspress.org

Updated HIPAA guidebook available to journalists

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has updated what should be a useful resource for reporters, especially those covering health care issues and medical privacy during the coronavirus epidemic. The guidebook to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a tool to help reporters decipher what health information is truly subject to medical privacy laws and what data should legally be disclosed under open records and open meetings laws like the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Newspaper industry organizations and attorneys have seen a surge in questions about HIPAA since the start of the pandemic earlier this year.

The guidebook, updated with relevant information about COVID-19 and HIPAA, can be accessed through the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press website. Visit https://www.rcfp.org/resources/ covid-19/#journalists-guide-to-hipaa-during-covid-19

Winners of 2020 Pulitzer Prizes for journalism

The Pulitzer Prize Board announced the winners of the 2020 Pulitzer Prizes on Monday. The announcement was delayed by two weeks and the ceremony was conducted remotely because of the coronavirus epidemic.

The Pulitzers are considered the highest awards that can be given to American journalists and newspapers.

America’s 7th Fleet; and Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of the Seattle Times for coverage about design flaws in the Boeing 737 Max. International Reporting – The New York Times for exposés of Russian President Vladmir Putin’s regime.

Breaking News Reporting – The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, for its staff’s coverage of 11th-hour pardons by a lame duck governor.

Breaking News Photography – The staff of Reuters for photography of uprisings in Hong Kong.

Investigative Reporting – Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times for an investigation of predatory loans within the New York City taxi industry.

Local Reporting – The Baltimore Sun for coverage of the connections between Baltimore’s mayor and a public hospital for which the mayor had oversight.

National Reporting – T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Fatureci of ProPublica for coverage of accidents in Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Editorial Writing – Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine Herald-Press in Texas for editorials about the deaths of inmates in a small Texas prison.

Editorial Cartoons – Barry Blitt of The New Yorker for work related to the Trump White House.

Here are the winners in journalism categories:

Explanatory Reporting – The Washington Post for its coverage of climate change.

Los Angeles Times for a critique of the overhaul of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Feature Photography – Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press for photos that documented life in the Kashmir.

Feature Writing – Ben Taub of The New Yorker for an article about the friendship between a guard and inmate at Guantanamo Bay. Commentary – Nikole Hannah Jones of The New York Times for an essay at the launch of the newspaper’s 1619 Project on slavery in America.

Criticism – Christopher Knight of the 3

Public Service – Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica for a series of articles on the lack of policing in small Alaska communities.

In addition, the Pulitzer Prize Board awarded a Special Citation to Ida B. Wells. The board will give at least $50,000 to support the mission of Wells, who was an investigative journalist and civil rights icon.

May 7, 2020

Guest Column: A ‘thank you’ to Arkansas journalists in honor of World Press Freedom Day

By Rachel McCormick, Consul General of Canada In honor of World Press Freedom Day (observed May 3), I wanted to convey a note of appreciation to the all the members of the Arkansas Press Association. Media freedom is a cornerstone of democratic societies and essential to the protection of human rights, fundamental freedoms and universal values. By the very nature of the global information ecosystem, media freedom is something that cuts across traditional notions of national borders and therefore necessitates global cooperation in order to protect it.

As the international community struggles to deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists and other media workers reporting on this health crisis are playing an indispensable role for society. A free press serves to keep societies informed, to promote proper health measures and to counter false or misleading information. You provide us all with access to critical, credible information to protect our health and that of our communities.

In these exceptional times, a free press lends a lifeline to vulnerable communities, preserves our sense of humanity, and serves as a voice of clarity in a sea of uncertainty. Our current shared state of

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

crisis underscores the greater need to protect and promote the crucial role of independent media.

As Canada’s chief representative for the South Central United States, including the Natural State of Arkansas, I believe that media freedom is amongst the most treasured values that our two great countries share. Canada has worked together with partners to strengthen press freedom globally.

Alongside the UK, we co-hosted the inaugural Global Conference for Media Freedom in July last year. From this conference, a diverse group of member states, including the United States, formed the Media Freedom Coalition. Driven by the common objective of promoting and protecting media freedom, the Coalition reflects a desire for global engagement on the issue. It constitutes a meaningful step forward in a shared effort to addressing the challenges to media freedom.

As we look to the months and years ahead, the Coalition provides us with an important new platform through which our governments can better respond to the violations and abuses we are witnessing around the world.

We are confident that this initiative will

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constitute a small but important step in the international community’s efforts to promote and protect press freedom.

Beyond these specific initiatives, Canada will be actively seeking opportunities to raise the issue of media freedom in the multilateral system.

At the same time, I must recognize that both of our countries have vast open spaces, and the role that media plays in rural communities. While the format may be shifting, the importance of hearing the voices and experiences of how issues are affecting individuals and families cannot be affected.

As Consul General of Canada for a region that includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, members of the press play an important role in my team’s mandate to advance our shared interests, which include trade, North American energy independence, security and defense, and supporting diversity and inclusion.

In closing, I would like to reiterate my thanks for the work that you do every day.

I welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation on those many CanadaU.S. connections that make our bilateral relationship so special.

May 7, 2020