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APW Awards ceremony to be held May 21 at UA-Little Rock campus Guest Column: My boss David By Mary Kincy Cope
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly Vol.17 | No. 20 | Thursday, May 19, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Veteran Arkansas journalist Albarado joins second class of inductees in hall of fame On Friday, May 6, retired Arkansas Democrat-Gazette special projects editor Lawrence “Sonny” Albarado became a new member of the Great Plains Journalism Hall of Fame as one of the hall’s second class of inductees in a ceremony at the Tulsa Press Club in conjunction with the Great Plains Journalism Awards. The Great Plains Journalism Hall of Fame was inaugurated by the Tulsa Press Club in 2021, and Albarado is the second Arkansan to be honored with membership. Journalist Brenda Blagg was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. Other members of the second class of inductees were Jeannette Cooperman with St. Louis Magazine, David Fritze of Oklahoma Watch, Jim Goodwin with The Oklahoma Eagle, Wayne Greene of Public Service Company of Oklahoma and formerly with Tulsa World and Sam Jones with RSU-TV in Oklahoma. “I am humbled to be included alongside the illustrious journalists of this year’s class of inductees to the Hall of Fame,” said Albarado. “Founder of the Oklahoma Eagle Jim Goodwin, legend of Oklahoma television news Sam Jones, and the others, all amazing journalists. For me to be included with these people who, in my view, have done outstanding things in their careers…I felt really honored to be recognized alongside them. It’s just astonishing to be part of that.” Albarado got his start in journalism as editor of the student newspaper at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, where he earned a degree in English with the
intention to become an English professor. While in graduate school at Mississippi State University in 1972, he recognized a “glut of English majors on the market at that time” and accepted a job offer at the Houma Daily Courier, covering the police beat. After a brief stint there, he helped start a trade publication for the coin-operated amusement industry, but got back into the newspaper business two years later working for a weekly in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. He spent time at the Morning
Advocate in Baton Rouge and the Commercial Appeal in Memphis before moving to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 2007, where he worked until 2020. Although retired, Albarado is not sitting still. Since leaving his day job at the Democrat-Gazette, he has worked as a contract consultant and editor for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a Memphisbased online news outlet that focuses on the intersection of poverty, power and policy, and also as a contract editor and consultant for the Democrat-Gazette on a Continued on Page 2
Veteran Arkansas journalist Albarado joins second class of inductees in hall of fame Continued from Page 1
series about the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on public education in Arkansas. He also has other projects in the works. “I am really bullish on the future of journalism in Arkansas,” said Albarado. “The Democrat-Gazette has been able to pivot to a digital/print hybrid that is going strong. CherryRoad Media wouldn’t be investing in community newspapers if they didn’t believe in them. And most recently, with the Madison County Record winning [the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University]… that, to me, proves that Arkansas’s
tradition of really strong public-interest journalism will continue to thrive.” Long known as a strong advocate for open government, Albarado is a veteran member of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act Coalition and one of the leading experts on FOI law. Arkansas’s FOI law is among the strongest in the nation, thanks in part to the efforts of Albarado and others on the FOIA Coalition who strive to protect the law from major changes during each legislative session. He also has served as a Senior Fellow for the University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Health Journalism
National Fellowship, a program that supports journalists pursuing ambitious projects about health and wellbeing, and is secretary of the SPJ Foundation, vice president of Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and a former national president of SPJ. The Tulsa Press Club was founded in 1906 as a members-only professional organization offering networking, education events and social opportunities, and promotesv the highest standards in journalism with an emphasis in recognizing young journalism talent through its annual scholarship initiatives.
“926” to perform at Tri-State Press Convention The hottest new musicians in Memphis, 926 Stax Music Academy Alumni Band, are slated to perform on Friday, June 24 at the Bylines, Blues & BBQ dinner party at the Tri-State Press Convention. 926 are singers and musicians who have graduated from the worldrenowned Stax Music Academy and now either attending college or have graduated college and working as professional musicians. Many have graced concert stages throughout the country and the world, including Australia, Italy, England, France, Germany, New York City’s Lincoln Center, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Museum Festivals, and at Memphis venues such as Levitt Shell, B.B. King’s Blues Club, Memphis in May and others. Memphis has always been a hot spot for uniquely American sounds, from the blues of Beale Street to the rockabilly of Sun Studios. When soul and R&B started topping the charts in the late 1950s, the city nurtured another regional sound that came to be known as Memphis soul, with Stax Records leading the way. Fifty years later, the Stax Music Academy (SMA) carries on the legacy of this definitive regional record label. Since opening in 2000, the SMA has offered after school and summer programs to Memphis teens. Students from the SMA have gone on to prestigious colleges as well as successful careers touring, recording and creating film and TV soundtracks. Like the classic soul revue outfits, 926 features organ or keys, bass, drums, guitar, horns, and a rotating cast of singers. At the Bylines, Blues & BBQ party they will put their unique spin on the music of artists such as The Staple Singers, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MGs, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Al Green, Aretha Franklin and countless others. The 2022 Tri-State Press Convention will bring together members of the Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee Press Associations at the Memphis Sheraton Downtown for three days of education, networking and entertainment. For more information and to register, visit tristatepressorg.wordpress.com.
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May 19, 2022
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Former Arkansas publisher Meadows dies David Meadows of Columbia, Missouri, general manager at Central Missouri Newspapers, Inc, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, May 11. He was 58. Meadows had been at CMNI, which publishes the Jefferson City News Tribune and sister publications the Fulton Sun, California Democrat and HER Magazine, since December 2019. Prior to that, he had been publisher at Paxton Media’s The Courier in Russellville and group publisher for Paxton newspapers the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Searcy Daily Citizen and Batesville Daily Guard, as well as The Courier. “David was a fine person and a great leader; he will be missed. I was shocked to hear of his passing. Certainly my thoughts today have been with his family and our co-workers in the Jefferson City operation,” said Nat Lea, president and chief executive officer of WEHCO Media in Little Rock, which owns CMNI, said last Thursday. “Mr. Meadows was an amazing leader who cared deeply for the News Tribune, Fulton Sun, California Democrat and all other businesses associated with the Central Missouri Newspapers Company,” said Mark Lane, president of WEHCO Newspaper Division, last Thursday. “It was my honor to have the opportunity to work with such a talented professional. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Meadows family.” “David Meadows was my first publisher. He took a chance on me right out of Continued on Page 5
INDUSTRY QUOTE “The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. [For] to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body.” -Warren Buffett
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May 19, 2022
Former Arkansas publisher Meadows dies Continued from Page 4
journalism school,” Log Cabin Democrat Editor Jeanette Stewart said. “He taught me a lot during my two years at The Courier. David was a tough publisher, but always fair. He loved the community and the newspaper business. I appreciated his willingness to share the wisdom he acquired through decades of working in newspapers. His death is a blow to the business at large, but especially to the people who were lucky enough to work closely with him. My heart goes out to his family.” Meadows, a Virginia native, began his newspaper career at Gannett/USA Today in 1984 before joining the Morris Publishing Group at the Savannah Morning News in Georgia in 1994. In 2002 he was named general manager of the Morris-owned Topeka Capital-Journal in, Kansas, and was later promoted to publisher of The Dodge City Daily Globe in 2004. Meadows then moved to Paxton Media to became publisher at The Courier in Russellville in 2008 and was named group publisher over The Courier, the Log Cabin Democrat, Batesville Daily Guard and Searcy Daily Citizen in early 2019. News Tribune Managing Editor Gary Castor said Meadows served a variety of roles during his career in newspapers. He had been in production, which allowed him to “talk the talk” with staff in press rooms and mail rooms. “The man was exceptional. He was a great boss, and frankly, a great friend,” Castor said. “What always struck me was he had a kindness and a gentleness. He would listen well. What I appreciated about him most was, he respected what we are trying to do in the newsroom, and he gave us as much support and encouragement as possible.”
Manager David Weaver said. “I had a long resume of print production and prepress management but no newspaper experience. He said ‘that I can teach you’ and that he did. The relationship of employer-employee soon turned to one of mentor/close friend. He assembled a team of managers that would follow his lead wherever that led. He took pride in knowing all of the employees’ names and about their families and individual situations. That’s just the kind of man he was. He cared.”
“In the spring of 2013, I was hired by David at The Courier,” Production
Meadows is survived by his wife, Dianna Richey Meadows; and their sons,
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Connor and Garrett; his siblings, Richard Meadows (Julie) of McLean, Virginia, Carol Meadows-Degner (Reggie) of San Diego, California and John Meadows (Susan) of Orlando, Florida; his aunt, many cousins and nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial contributions made to the ministries that he supported: The Crossing of Columbia, Missouri, Vitae Foundation of Jefferson City, Missouri, The Boys and Girls Club and The Salvation Army of Russellville.
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Clinton Van Buren APW Awards ceremony to be held County Democrat May 21 at UA-Little Rock campus editor leaving for The 2022 Arkansas Press Women Awards presentation new role at KARK Communications will be held on Saturday, May 21, at 1:30 Alex Kienlen, editor of the Van Buren County Democrat in Clinton, announced Monday that he would be leaving the newspaper to take a position as a Web Content Producer for KARK/Channel 4 in Little Rock. Kienlen, who started in journalism in the 1990s, has been editor of the Van Buren County Democrat since June 2016. Prior to that, he was a freelance reporter for the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway and a columnist for and editor of the USA BMX Association monthly magazine, Pull. Kienlen’s intent is to bring a more community journalism-focused approach to news coverage. A Facebook post making the announcement was met with both congratulations for KARK’s gain and sadness for Van Buren County’s loss. “I’ve never seen someone from a local newspaper try to cover as much as [Kienlen does],’’ commented Chris Carnahan on the post.
p.m. at the Bailey Alumni House on the UA Little Rock campus. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited, so reservations are required. Make your reservation at forms. gle/UwosqE8xpev7YmkP6. In addition to the awards presentation, the event will also recognize Emma Jones, a junior at Harding University, as the recipient of the 2022 APW scholarship. The APW scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding undergraduate college student in Arkansas who is planning a career in mass communication or journalism. Funding for this scholarship comes from APW’s Maudine Sanders Education Fund. Maudine Sanders, a previous owner of the Springdale Morning News, was a long-time member of Arkansas Press Women before her passing in 2011. “We’re excited to support Emma in her journalism and educational journey,” said Kristin Netterstrom Higgins, president of Arkansas Press Women. “Her student experiences in the newsroom illustrate her
strong desire to tell people’s stories and give them a voice.” An affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women, Arkansas Press Women was founded in 1949 by women working in Arkansas newspapers to provide an opportunity to compete and network in a male-dominated industry. The organization is now an association of communicators in journalism, public information, business, education and government. For more information, email ArkPressWomen@ yahoo.com
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Michigan governor signs bills requiring newspapers post public notices online at no charge to readers Michigan newspapers need to post notices of public meetings or other similar announcements online in a manner that is free for everyone to access, according to a pair of bills Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law on May 12. Senate Bills 258 and 259 ensure that government notices are posted on newspaper websites, increasing accessibility and transparency. The bills require newspapers to post public notices on their websites within 72 hours of receiving the information. The websites must have links to the public notices on their home page, and the notices cannot be on a part of the website that requires a subscription to access. While the access must be free, the newspaper can still charge for the notices. Local governments are still required to purchase space in print publications to publicly share the same information. This decision was welcomed by media
Support the future of Arkansas Journalism through the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation. Your donation will help: • Promote the welfare of the community newspaper industry. • Fund legislative efforts to protect transparency in state government. • Cultivate educational opportunities for future journalists. • Ensure the viability of the newspaper industry for years to come. Donate securely at: arkansaspress.org/page/aboutanf or mail a check to: Arkansas Newspaper Foundation 411 South Victory Street Little Rock ar 72201 The Arkansas Newspaper Foundation is a 501c(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable under law.
organizations but criticized by some municipalities. Michigan Senators Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington, and Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, sponsored the bipartisan legislation, which received unanimous support in the House and Senate. Both lawmakers heralded the measures, saying they show an ongoing commitment to governmental transparency. “In an increasingly digital age, governments must use all avenues to reach their communities,” VanderWall said. “Whether you read the newspaper delivered to your doorstep, or pull it up on your phone, you can be confident that you won’t miss important information.” “The Michigan Press Association is thrilled that Governor Whitmer signed these bills today,” said MPA Public Affairs Manager Lisa McGraw. “Her support of the importance of a permanent legal record that provides independent notice
of government activities to taxpayers in Michigan has always been appreciated by Michigan’s newspapers.” Local governments have noted that it can be expensive to buy the advertising space needed to publish all the information they are required to share under the law. But supporters say the measures continue to ensure the public has access to crucial details about the operation of the government and argued the benefit of more broadly sharing meeting agendas, legal notices and more far outweighs the cost to local governments. “Local news outlets are a critical component of getting information to and from their residents, but not everyone has the ability or access to the same materials,” Santana said in a statement. “I am thrilled to see this overdue legislation signed into law that strengthens transparency of information sharing within and across our communities.”
2022 Silent Auction Donation Form
Item/Service Donated: _____________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Retail Value ($25 suggested minimum): ________________________ Description of item or service (please include size, color, available dates, restrictions, expiration dates and any other important information): _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of company or individual to be recognized for donation: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Address/City/State/Zip ____________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ____________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________ Contact (if different from above): ____________________________________________________________________ Phone: ____________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________ The silent auction will be open during Tri-State Press Convention June 23-25 in Memphis. Please mail or email this form to APA. All items should be delivered to the association office by June 16. UPS and other deliveries can be made from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Or you may bring your item with you to the convention registration desk when you check in. For more information, contact Terri Cobb at 501-374-1500, or e-mail terri@arkansaspress.org. Arkansas Newspaper Foundation 411 South Victory Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Phone: 501-374-1500 ANF Tax ID# 71-0559251
Guest Column: My boss David By Mary Kincy Cope A few years ago, I took my infant son Iain to my hometown for a visit. One of our stops was the offices of the community newspaper where I worked for about four years just out of grad school, at the height of the Great Recession. David Meadows, then-publisher of the newspaper, was there to greet me. It was a proud moment, showing off my latest “project” to the boss who was such a formative part of my early professional life. David died earlier this week at his home in Jefferson City, Missouri. Fittingly, I got the news while I was at work on Thursday, in a job I wouldn’t have without the lessons I learned from him. A few of the best: Focus on your pursuits, not those of the people around you. In work and in life, it’s tempting to compare yourself to others — or to concern yourself with how they match up to you. This is a habit that leads to unhappiness, with little benefit to offset that harm. As a leader, David didn’t entertain these comparisons. Ever. Don’t eat a sandwich in an executive
Arkansas Publisher Weekly
meeting. One Monday afternoon, on a deadline, I thought I’d multitask. At the time, I didn’t understand David’s guidance to wait half an hour to eat, but now I think I do. Leaders don’t wear crumbs. It’s OK to make mistakes — but don’t make them twice. I made plenty of errors as a reporter and editor. The nature of news, with its deadlines and details, is that you sometimes don’t get it right no matter how hard you try. Whether it was a typo in a headline or a missed “jump” — the second part of an article, continued on another page — David understood that things happen. He also made it clear that it was my responsibility to plan for better next time. Then there are the professional missteps, like the time David was surprised on a Sunday morning by a cutting editorial I wrote and published without a heads up to his office. It was a rotten thing to do as an employee, even if it was more carelessness than an intentional act. He let me know how he felt about it, teaching me to respect an important, implicit professional compact you have with your
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supervisors — and then let it go. That lesson: Give grace. Before coming to Russellville — and before he advanced into general manager and publisher roles — David got his feet wet in the beating heart of newspapers: the pressroom. It gave him a discerning eye for offset printing, an art that demands precision and is harder than it looks. If you’re reading this in the print edition of The Courier, I hope they gave him a good run. I’ll bet they do. Rest in peace, my friend. For you, this final praise: David Meadows was a good man, and a good boss, who will be missed by many more than just me. But for all he taught me, I’ll miss him an awful lot. Mary Kincy Cope was managing editor of The Courier in Russellville from 2008 to 2011. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two sons - Arkansas boys in Longhorn country. First published in The Courier. Reprinted with permission.
May 19, 2022