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Ballots in APA annual election to be mailed next week Register now for booth at APA convention trade show

ARKANSAS

PRESS

Ar kansas

Publisher Weekly

Vol. 14 | No. 18 | Thursday, May 2, 2019

ASSOCIATION

Serving Press and State Since 1873

University of Kansas professor to bring social media expertise to APA convention attendees The changing media landscape brought on by social media brands like Facebook and Twitter is a good thing for traditional media outlets, and the newspaper industry should embrace social media as a friend rather than a foe, argues University of Kansas Professor Teri Finneman

Teri Finneman

Finneman, a presenter at next month’s Arkansas Press Association convention, encouraged newspapers to use social media to its benefit, and she has a track record of success for doing just that.

Finneman will present “10 Tips for Increasing Your Social Media Engagement” on Friday, June 28. The convention runs from June 26 to June 29 at the Hotel Hot Springs. “I don’t have the same doom and gloom outlook as others may,” about the effect of social media on the industry, Finneman said in a telephone interview this week. “It’s a tremendous benefit for newspapers. Our primary job is to get information to the public, and we have 2 billion people on Facebook and that is where they’re going

to get their information. The industry needs to be where the people are.” Finneman, who has a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at KU. Finneman manages social media for several private clients, and one of her classes just this semester took on a project handling social media for a news outlet in a nearby community. During her oversight, the outlet’s engagement on social media grew more than 500 percent. The “secret” to that success, if there is one, is to identify and share items that newspapers know their readers are seeking online. Newspapers can implement some simple strategies and

APA membership to vote on bylaws changes Arkansas Press Association members will vote this month on whether to expand the association’s membership structure to include a new category of media affiliate members. The recommendation by the APA Board of Directors reflects the transitional nature of the newspaper industry and creates an additional revenue stream to continue to support the APA’s core function of advocacy, education and marketing for the newspaper industry. The bylaws changes members are asked to approve include membership eligibility for “media affiliate” members. Those would include specialty media outlets and

online news outlets.

“As APA leadership, we recognize our industry is undergoing a transformation, as it has been for some time now,” said APA Board President Tom White, publisher of the Advance-Monticellonian in Monticello. “Newspapers are changing the frequency of their publications, and the number of digital news outlets are increasing. As news organizations we all should have the same common goals and values, and it just makes sense to include this new category of media affiliates among the APA membership.” Specialty news publications eligible for membership will be monthly, quarterly

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or annual newspapers and magazines and college newspapers in Arkansas. The publications must be continuously published for at least six months and may not contain more than 75 percent advertising in half of the issues published in a 12-month period. Online news members will include websites that features local news, editorial comment or other content that has the primary function of informing, instructing, enlightening and entertaining readers. The content must be regularly revised and it may not serve as a special-interest platform. The website must have a known physical address in Arkansas.

University of Kansas professor to bring social media expertise to APA convention attendees Continued from Page 1

see positive results on social media. “It comes down to posting content that people want and that fits for social media. That’s what’s going to get you the organic reach,” Finneman said.

said. “It’s not as overwhelming or timeconsuming as you might think it is … Nothing about it is difficult or costs extra money.”

engage readers on multiple social media platforms. She will offer suggestions at the convention on which social media channels are best for particular demographic groups. The APA convention will not be Finneman’s first visit to The Natural State. Last year, she won two major awards from the American Journalism Historians Association for her research and writing about the first Women’s March in Washington in 1913. She was the College of Arts and Science’s Outstanding Scholar at South Dakota State University in 2017.

Finneman’s presentation is tailored to newspapers of all sizes. In fact, she said that larger newspapers who may even employ their own social media gurus might need the most help. She has witnessed some larger daily newspapers use social media inefficiently, and she noted that others may believe they “have social media figured out, when really they do not.”

Before becoming a university The social media tips she will Finneman moderated a discussion with Tom Brokaw and Sen. Tom Daschle in 2017 professor, Finneman was present at the conference are Finneman encourages newspapers not a journalist for more than a dozen easy to do individually and collectively to use social media as a “website 2.0,” media outlets, where she covered state without additional expense or staffing. and instead says social media should government and business. She has a The goal is to increase both readership complement the print and digital product. bachelor’s degree in English and Mass and revenue. Further, she encouraged newspapers with Communications from Minnesota State “If you just pick one tip, even that one is limited resources to find one social media University and graduate degrees in going to make a difference for you,” she channel to focus on, rather than to try to journalism from the University of Missouri.

Today is deadline for APA board atlarge nominations Today is the last day for at-large nominations to the Arkansas Press Association board of directors. The APA’s constitution and bylaws set the final day for nominations as Thursday, May 2. Jennifer Allen, publisher of the Pine Bluff Commercial, has been selected by the nominating committee as the candidate for the vacant position on the APA Board of Directors. APA members may nominate themselves or others to be included on the annual ballot. To make an at-large nomination, letters of recommendation from three APA member newspapers in good standing are required. At-large nomination letters need to be submitted to the APA by the deadline. Ballots in the annual election will be mailed May 10. Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Ballots in APA annual election to be mailed next week Ballots for the 2019 Arkansas Press Association election will be mailed next week. Pine Bluff Commercial Publisher Jennifer Allen will be on the ballot as the nominee to fill one vacant Arkansas Press Association board of directors position. Allen was chosen in March by the nominating committee and validated by the board of directors at its annual spring meeting at APA headquarters in Little Rock. This is the third of three required publications of the name of the nominee. Nominating committee members include the immediate past president, one sitting APA Board member and two at-large members. 2

Those roles were filled this year by Byron Tate, Tom White, Britt Talent and Patti Sanders. Allen, along with five other current board members will appear on the ballot in APA’s annual election to be held in May. Today is the deadline for at-large nominations. A letter of recommendation from three APA newspapers in good standing is required for an at-large nomination. Ballots are to be mailed on Friday, May 10, with a voting deadline of May 24. Designated voters are asked to sign the outside of the return envelope provided for the return of the ballot. A spot for the signature is clearly visible on the outside of the envelope. Continued on Page 3

May 2, 2019

Mosesso retires Ballots in annual election to be

mailed next week Continued from Page 2

Including Allen, five other candidates will be on the ballot. These board members continuing their service on the APA board will be: •Sue Silliman of the Camden News •Lori Freeze of the Stone County Leader in Mountain View •Eliza Gaines of the Arkansas DemocratGazette •Kelly Freudensprung of The Saline Courier •John Robert Schirmer of the Nashville News-Leader The APA executive board does not appear

David Mosesso, group president of Paxton Media’s Arkansas-Louisiana-Mississippi group retired this week after 35 years of service in the newspaper industry. Mosesso was recognized with a reception at The Jonesboro Sun, the newspaper he has served as publisher since 2000. Pictured with Mosesso is Kaye Chambers, an employee in the newspaper’s Consolidated Services Department. Mosesso has served on the Arkansas Press Association board, and during his career, he was publisher of The Paragould Daily Press, The Daily Citizen in Searcy, and The Russellville Courier in addition to The Sun.

Industry Quote of the Week

on the ballot. They are: •President: John Bland of The Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge •Vice-President: Rusty Turner of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Fayetteville •Second Vice-President: Ellen Kreth of the Madison County Record in Huntsville •Immediate Past President: Tom White of the Advance-Monticellonian in Monticello. The newly elected APA board members will assume their seats on the board at the conclusion of the annual APA Convention to be held June 26-29 in Hot Springs.

Register now for booth at APA convention trade show Registration is now open for vendors who would like to participate in the Arkansas Press Association’s annual trade show to be held in conjunction with the APA convention in Hot Springs. The trade show is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 28 at the Hotel Hot Springs, 305 Malvern Ave., in Hot Springs. Trade show booths are $400, which includes one registration for the convention. The convention itself runs June 26-29. Convention registration

details will be forthcoming.

Vendor space is limited for the trade show, and booths will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Vendors should act now to reserve their space and make sure they have a presence at the annual convention of the state’s newspaper industry. Visit www.arkansaspress.org for complete details and a registration form. The deadline to register for a booth is Friday, June 7.

“It’s amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper.”

- Jerry Seinfeld

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Kelly Freudensprung of The Saline Courier in Benton gets excited about visiting the 2018 trade show vendors.

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May 2, 2019

World Press Freedom Day to be observed Friday Friday, May 3, marks the 26th annual observance of World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside to celebrate “the fundamental principles of press freedom” around the world and honor the memory of those journalists who have lost their lives while doing their job. The United Nations first recognized May 3 as World Press Freedom Day in 1993.

awareness campaigns and other events based on the theme are scheduled around the world. “Press freedom is the cornerstone of

The international observance is organized by UNESCO. World Press Freedom Day began as a result of the Windhoek Declaration, which was a statement of free-press principles produced by a group of African journalists in 1991. For this year’s observance, the theme of World Press Freedom Day is: “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation.” Seminars,

democratic societies. All states, all nations are strengthened by information, debate and the exchange of opinions,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s directorgeneral. “At a time of growing discourse of mistrust and delegitimization of the press and journalism, it is essential that we guarantee freedom of opinion through the free exchange of ideas and information based on factual truths.” According to UNESCO, World Press Freedom Day is an occasion to remind citizens of attacks on press freedom in countries around the world, where publications are “censored, fined suspended and closed down while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.”

Mark Your Calendar 2019 APA Convention June 26-29, Hotel Hot Springs Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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May 2, 2019

Guest Column:

Under new employment advertising rule, Americans need not apply By Paul Boyle Proposed changes to an advertising requirement for employers in the U.S. could mean that soon, many eligible American workers will not learn about available job opportunities in the U.S. before they are offered to non-resident, foreign workers instead. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) are proposing to eliminate the requirement that employers inform U.S. workers of available job opportunities through publishing job listings in the local print newspaper. Instead, they are proposing to allow employers to simply place an ad on a website that is “widely available.” While this solution may seem acceptable, it will practically guarantee that fewer eligible U.S. workers will know about job opportunities. U.S. employers are required to make every possible attempt to hire U.S. workers before turning to non-immigrant, foreign workers, who can be granted visas to work in our country (In early April, the DHS and the DOL announced they would issue up to 30,000 H-2B visas through the end of the government’s fiscal year – this is in addition to the 66,000 visas that are already granted each year). Under the current policy, which has been in place since the 1980s, employers must place two advertisements in Sunday newspapers in the local market in which the job opening

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

is available. Now, that could change. Last fall, both the DHS and DOL set forth proposals that would weaken this longstanding policy. While an online ad may seem to offer the most reach, there are two critical reasons a website placement requirement alone would fail to reach many local U.S. residents: 1.An ad on a single, local website doesn’t come close to the reach of employment ad in a printed newspaper ad. Why? The newspaper, in effect, serves as a local ad agency to ensure the broadest possible delivery of an employment ad in a local market. In addition to helping employers meet the requirement for a print ad appearing in Sunday print editions, the newspaper provides added reach by distributing the ad across all of its platforms — its own website, social media and on recruitment websites such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder. More platforms mean more people reached. 2.Not everyone in the U.S. is connected to the internet, leaving many citizens in the dark when it comes to job opportunities posted solely on the web. According to the Federal Communications Commission, nearly 40 percent of Americans living in rural areas lack access to fixed broadband internet. The print newspaper continues to be the primary way Americans — particularly those living in rural areas —

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learn about their communities, including available job opportunities. In their proposal to eliminate the print requirement, the DHS and DOL acknowledged that nearly one-third of American workers learn of job opportunities in print publications. Not only is the current requirement to post employment listings in the print newspaper good for the U.S. worker, it is good for the employer who wants to legally hire a foreign citizen. In any job market, employers are expected by the government — and their U.S. customer base — to prioritize promotion of available positions to the U.S. worker. The local newspaper offers a trusted, verifiable means of doing so, as well as the supporting documentation to prove that the employer complied with the law. Fortunately, it is not too late for the Trump Administration to protect the U.S. worker. Instead of eliminating the print ad requirement, DHS and DOL should simply require employers to use both print and digital ads for letting U.S. workers know of available job opportunities. This is one of those situations where more is more – and good government policy.

Paul Boyle is the Senior Vice President of Public Policy at the News Media Alliance

May 2, 2019