Arkansas Publisher Weekly: June 16, 2022

4 9

APA membership to vote on bylaws changes; ballots mailed yesterday

Guest Column:

Newspapers help bind communities, but they can’t do it alone

By Dean Ridings

Arkansas Press Association

Publisher Weekly Vol.17 | No. 24 | Thursday, June 16, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873

Four hired as 2022 Arkansas Newspaper Foundation interns Four Arkansas college students have accepted intern positions at member newspapers this year. Joe Santana and Sydney Bowman, both of Henderson State University, Sarah Smythe, University of Central Arkansas, and Mary Beth Kemp, University of Arkansas, were selected for the 2022 Arkansas Newspaper Foundation internship program.

Santana is working throughout the summer at The Dumas Clarion as a reporter and photographer. At HSU, he worked for the student newspaper, The Oracle, and for the student radio station, KSWH 102.5 FM. Bowman, a graduating senior at Henderson State University, is working for the Saline Courier as a reporter and photographer. Bowman also worked for HSU’s student media, with a focus in broadcast journalism. She plans to pursue a career in journalism after her summer internship is complete.

Joe Santana

Sydney Bowman

Sarah Smythe

Mary Beth Kemp

Smythe is reporting and editing for the Log Cabin Democrat this summer. She is majoring in journalism with an emphasis in online reporting. She also worked for UCA’s student newspaper The Echo.

Kemp is reporting and editing for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She was previously editor in chief of student publications The Diamond Line and Esse, and staff reporter for The Arkansas Traveler.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly will do full stories on each of the ANF interns at the completion of the program.

Last chance to register for the 2022 Tri-State Press Convention Registration closes tomorrow, Friday, June 17, for the Tri-State Press Convention, planned for June 23-25 in Memphis.

This will be the first in-person summer convention for APA members since 2019.

The convention includes educational programming, a roundtable discussion, a

Friday night “Bylines, Blues & BBQ” party featuring 926 Stax Music Academy Alumni Band, a trade show, a silent auction and plenty of opportunities to visit and network with colleagues and friends from the memberships of the Arkansas Press Association, Mississippi Press Association

and Tennessee Press Association.

The awards ceremony for the Better Newspaper Editorial Awards, the Annual FOIA Award, the Journalism Educator of the Year Award and installation of the new board president will close the convention on Saturday.

Continued on Page 2

Last chance to register for the 2022 Tri-State Press Convention Continued from Page1

importance of newspapers in reporting that history). I don’t feel we can chart the future without a clear understanding of our past as a region. And I do believe newspapers – though they may deliver the news in new ways – are a critical part of that future.”

“No one disputes that our industry faces challenges,” Nelson said. “We need meetings like this to reassure each other that the work we do is important. It’s far more than just a job.”

Visit tristatepressorg.wordpress.com to register for the convention.

Rex Nelson, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette senior editor, will be giving the keynote address at the convention’s luncheon on Friday.

Nelson says he is honored to be the keynote speaker, especially with the convention being in Memphis.

Nelson is well-known in the Arkansas journalism and political scene. At age 23 he was the youngest editor in the state when he was named editor of the Daily Siftings Herald in Arkadelphia. He served as Washington Bureau Chief for the Arkansas Democrat from 1986-1989, was editor of Arkansas Business, and in 1992 became the first Political Editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a position he held until 1996. A member of the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, he is also the author of Rex Nelson’s Southern-Fried, a longrunning blog described as “ruminations on barbecue, politicking, football, froggigging, trotlining, blues-playing, horse racing, boxing, bird hunting, movie watching, crappie eating and other major issues of the day.”

About the 2022 Tri-State Convention Session Speakers:

Press

As a journalist with long ties to the tristate region, Nelson is a good fit to bridge important issues between the states and their newspapers.

Kelly Wirges has been assisting companies in increasing sales and revenue in all facets of business for over two decades. In her career she has enjoyed positions in sales, marketing and management and has been a partner at an advertising agency focusing on small business development. In 1993, she founded ProMax Training & Consulting, Inc. ProMax develops practical, customized solutions that help companies retain, develop and align talent with business strategies. She has authored over 50 training programs, has customized materials for hundreds of companies, and has helped over 200,000 ProMax alumni increase their success.

“Since we’re on the banks of the Mississippi,” Nelson said, “I plan to start with the Great Flood of 1927 and then talk about the tortured history of the three states that are represented (and the

Says Wirges, “Creating and developing your brand is more than simply providing exceptional customer service and quality content. To achieve a substantial competitive advantage, you need to have

“Memphis is a city with grit and soul,” Nelson said, “which I far prefer to socalled New South cities such as Charlotte and Atlanta. I think of newspaper folks as also having grit and soul, so sometimesrowdy downtown Memphis is a perfect fit for this crowd. Those of us in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi have a lot in common. It’s important that we all get to know each other. It’s much easier to do that over a rack of Memphis dry ribs than in a Zoom meeting.”

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

2

a 5-Star Strategy.” Her program, “Brand Your Business with a Five-Star Service Strategy”, will be Friday, June 24, at 8:30 a.m.

Russell Viers is a technology, software, and training expert in the publishing world.

Since 1997 he has helped newspapers and magazines adapt to changes in the industry. From film to pixels, paste-up to pagination, print to electronic media, he is always on the leading edge of the technology, empowering his customers to reap the benefits of transition instead of incurring the expense of falling behind the technological curve. He is an Adobe Certified Instructor in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.

For his session, Viers says, “My goal for this session is to cram in as many of my favorite features, tips, tricks, and techniques as possible in 90 minutes.

Not flashy stuff you’ll never use, but real techniques I use in my work on a daily basis. We’ll dance through InDesign, Illustrator, and the Adobe Photoshop ecosystem, including Lightroom and Bridge/Camera Raw. Bring a big notepad and hold on for the ride. The plan is that you leave this room armed with tools to save you time and improve quality.”

Viers’s presentation is Friday, June 24 at 10:15 a.m.

In a concurrent session also at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, Associated Press photographer Mark Humphrey will give tips and tricks for using the camera you have in your pocket – the one on your smartphone – in photojournalism.

Bill Ostendorf, previously the managing editor at The Providence Journal, is president and founder of Creative Circle Media Solutions, a network of talent he has been building for more than 35 years. He has worked with hundreds of media companies on three continents as a trainer or management consultant and has led redesigns of 750 publications and more than 500 websites. He also built a custom web CMS software specifically for smaller newspapers and hosts more than 250 family-owned newspaper’s websites.

The company has a full range of media software, including classified, election, branded content, celebrations, print production and circulation modules.

Continued on Page 5

June 16, 2022

APA membership Listopad joins APA in communications to vote on bylaws Steven Listopad has joined the APA director of communication and changes; ballots asdevelopment.

He brings with him a wealth of experience in legislative affairs, mailed yesterday education, development and newspaper Ballots were sent out Wednesday for a special election to vote on changes to the APA constitution and bylaws.

“The APA Board of Directors is proposing changes to the constitution and bylaws that would allow us to increase our membership by including other media outlets that meet clearly defined criteria, while still preserving the importance of legal, printed newspapers,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley.

Included in the ballot mailing is a copy of the proposed changes along with a copy of the current constitution and bylaws so members can compare them.

“As you all know, the newspaper industry has undergone a sustained period of rapid change and transformation,” Wimberley said. “It is vital to the stability and growth of our association that our constitution and bylaws always meet the needs of our membership.”

Please have your newspaper’s designated voter complete the enclosed ballot and mail it in the official envelope provided by Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

Please call the APA office at (501) 3741500 with any questions.

INDUSTRY QUOTE “There is nothing like daily journalism! Best damn job in the world!”

-Ben Bradlee

LET US KNOW We want to know about your new hires, retiresand promotions!

Send your staffing changes to info@arkansaspress.org to be updated online and included in the Arkansas Publisher Weekly.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

journalism.

Listopad started in journalism early. At 15, he began reporting for his hometown newspaper, The Daily News of Wahpeton, North Dakota. Newspapers have been a centerpiece of his career ever since.

“I had an opportunity when I was young to make use of both my curiosity and love of writing,” Listopad said. “I’m forever grateful to my publisher, editor and my high school newspaper adviser for giving that kid a chance.”

After working for several publications and media organizations, Listopad began his successful 20-year career as a journalism educator. He served as an assistant professor of journalism and a student media director at the University of Jamestown and Valley City State University in North Dakota. His converged student media center at UJ was a finalist in North Dakota’s annual professional entrepreneurial competition, InnovateND, and he was a Scripps Fellow for Entrepreneurial Journalism in 2015.

Listopad has received honors from the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Journalism Education Association, and the Society of Collegiate Journalists for his work in creating the national New Voices USA legislative campaign to protect the rights of student journalists. He led the passage of laws in North Dakota in 2015 and 2017, and in Arkansas in 2019, as part of the campaign. He continues to coordinate the New Voices USA website and the national campaign in conjunction with the Student Press Law Center.

Most recently, Listopad served as a lecturer and media adviser, as well as the internship coordinator, at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. At HSU, his student journalists ran the only community-wide newspaper from 2020 to 2022. Listopad received the APA’s Journalism Educator of the Year Award in 2021.

In North Dakota, Listopad worked closely with the North Dakota Newspaper Association to pass legislation, place

4

his students and graduates in jobs and internships with newspapers, and fundraise for educational opportunities for students and professionals. He also served on the North Dakota Newspaper Education Foundation for six years, four as vice-president, when the foundation saw record growth.

Listopad is looking forward to bringing his experience to bear in support of Arkansas newspapers.

“Newspaper newsrooms are vital to every community and every citizen,” Listopad said. “They are the most prolific producer of reliable, vetted information about the world around us. I am thrilled to be working for Arkansas newsrooms so they can keep providing vital information to our communities. And I can’t imagine a better place to do that work than with the incredible staff at the press association.”

He currently serves as president of the Society of Professional Journalists Arkansas Pro-Chapter and sits on the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation board of directors.

Listopad earned his BS and MA, both in media, from North Dakota State University.

In the summers, he continues to teach journalism abroad and has previously taught in China, France, Italy and Norway.

@ArkansasPressAssociation

@ARPressAssoc

June 16, 2022

Last chance to register for the 2022 Tri-State Press Convention Continued on Page 3

Ostendorf will lead a session on one of the best and easiest ways to significantly increase your readership in print or online – rethinking the way we write headlines – on Friday at 2:30 p.m. “We’re not able to cover as much nor write as many stories as we used to,” says Ostendorf. “So we have to make sure that more of the stories we do write get read. That’s one of the biggest keys to stabilizing and growing our audience.”

Dave Gould and his wife Ellen have been the owners of Main Street Media of Tennessee since May 2013. The company owns 13 community newspapers along with magazines, websites, e-newsletters, podcasts and a live video network across Middle Tennessee. Prior to his current role, Gould spent 23 years with Gannett, the last 11 as vice president/advertising for the Tennessean. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the College of William and Mary.

Because of the pandemic, the pace at which digital transformation is occurring in our daily lives has sped up significantly.

From online shopping to take-out food to how we consume media, change has happened quickly and will continue unabated for the foreseeable future. Gould will speak about how one small local media company is working to transition its business model to survive and take advantage of opportunities in the new media world on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Paul McAdoo is a Local Legal Initiative staff attorney based in Tennessee. He joined the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press from Adams and Reese LLP in Nashville, where he worked on a variety of complex litigation issues, including with media clients.

Before joining Adams and Reese, Paul worked at another Nashville firm, Aaron & Sanders PLLC, an intellectual property boutique. His work in Tennessee included amicus briefs on behalf of media coalitions

in the Tennessee Supreme Court and Tennessee Court of Appeals.

Paul began his legal career at Thomas & LoCicero PL in Tampa, Florida, where his practice primarily included media law, First Amendment, copyright, trademark, and complex business litigation.

Nationally, Paul is involved in both the American Bar Association Forum on Communications Law and the Media Law Resource Center, the former of which he had previously co-chaired the Training and Development committee.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has been helping journalists with pro bono legal services for more than 50 years. In 2020, RCFP launched its Local Legal Initiative with the hiring of attorneys in Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee to provide more focused, local support for local journalism. McAdoo will present “Pro Bono Legal Assistance for Local Journalism” on Saturday, June 25, at 10:00 a.m.

Two companies welcomed into APA associate membership The Arkansas Press Association board of directors recently approved the associate member applications for Bismarck Field Systems and 4media Group.

Bismarck Field Systems, which began operations in 2017, researches relevant Arkansas Publisher Weekly

topics, compiles information, and publishes brief articles for their senior communities. media group, which began operations in 2008, is an integrated marketing and communications company specializing in 5

market research, digital, broadcast media relations, and public relations. 4media Group’s global headquarters are in London, England. Their U.S. headquarters are located in Bentonville.

June 16, 2022

Carroll County Newspapers files FOIA complaint over meeting Carroll County Newspapers, publisher of the Lovely County Citizen, filed an official complaint with Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Rogers about a recent meeting of the Eureka Springs Cemetery Commission.

The cemetery commission held a special meeting June 1 at the Route 62 General Store, going into executive session before returning to open session and voting to hire Pat Lujan as the cemetery sexton.

The commission then voted to adjourn the meeting, but continued to meet and discuss business while mistakenly believing that a recording device had been turned off.

Carroll County Newspapers Managing Editor Scott Loftis said the commissioners violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act by continuing to discuss official business after the meeting had been adjourned.

“Believing they were no longer being recorded, the commissioners continued to meet and discuss public business in blatant violation of the law,” Loftis wrote in his complaint, which was emailed to Rogers

and copied to Mayor Butch Berry and his assistant, Kim Stryker. “The recording device was still on and captured audio for approximately 27 more minutes.”

Loftis noted that this is the third complaint he has filed regarding FOIA violations by Eureka Springs city commissions.

The two previous complaints cited violations by the City Advertising and Promotion Commission. Both were referred to Little Rock-based Special Prosecutor Jack McQuary. No action apparently was taken in regard to the first complaint. After the second complaint was filed in October, 2021, McQuary said he believed some city officials were “ignorant to the FOIA law.” A virtual training session presented by the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office was held in February 2022. City officials were invited to attend, but were not required to do so.

“As you are aware, this is the third official complaint I have filed regarding violations of the Freedom of Information Act by the Eureka Springs city government since early 2020,” Loftis writes in his email to Rogers. “I’m sure you are also aware

that there have been multiple violations, both procedural and practical, that I have observed and noted without lodging an official complaint.

“As yet, the only consequence for the Eureka Springs city government’s blatant disregard for state law has been a video training session presented by the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, at which attendance by city officials was optional.

“I’m respectfully asking again that the Eureka Springs city government be compelled to comply with state law.”

Rogers said Tuesday that he had forwarded the most recent complaint to McQuary.

McQuary said Tuesday afternoon that was in the middle of preparing to prosecute and upcoming murder trial in Eureka Springs.

He said Rogers’ request for a special prosecutor would need to go “through channels” with the state prosecutor coordinator’s office in Little Rock, which would appoint a special prosecutor to the case.

Rutherford returns to Log Cabin, Stewart to helm VBC Democrat Log Cabin Democrat readers will see a familiar byline as Kolton Rutherford returned to the newspaper as senior reporter on Monday. Rutherford graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a minor in sports management. He did a nine-week internship in the summer of 2020 at the Log Cabin through the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation, and was well received by staff and readers alike. He joined the team as a full-time reporter in December 2020 but left the newspaper to work at Easterseals Arkansas in August 2021.

“I’m so excited to return to the Log Cabin as senior reporter,” Rutherford said. “I grew so much as a journalist in my first stint in Conway, and look forward to working hard to continue to help the Log Cabin bring empowering, informative and connective press to the citizens of Faulkner County.”

Rutherford and his wife, Katie Kornreich, reside in North Little Rock with their two dogs, Jack and Lafayette. He can be reached at krutherford@thecabin.net.

Jeanette Stewart will continue her role as editor of the Log Cabin Democrat but has accepted that position for the Van Buren County Democrat as well. Stewart graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a journalism degree in 2013. After an internship at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, she was hired as a full-time reporter at The Courier in Russellville. Two years later, when there was an opening at the Log Cabin Democrat, Stewart jumped at the chance. “The Log Cabin Democrat was where I truly wanted to work,” Stewart said. “I love this community. Conway has always felt like home.”

After former Van Buren County Democrat editor Alex Kienlen left the position for a media job in Little Rock, Stewart gladly took over the weekly publicationfor him. “I look forward to the new challenge,” Stewart said. Stewart can be reached at jstewart@ thecabin.net or editor@vanburencountydem.com.

FEARLESS IS COVERAGE

YOU CAN COUNT ON

We’ve been a trusted source for reliable health insurance in Arkansas for more than 70 years. Count on us to be a trusted source for reliable industry information that affects Arkansans. Put us on your contact list and…

MPI 5963.1 3/19

501-378-2131

arkansasbluecross.com

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., MondayFriday. 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: Newspapers help bind communities, but they can’t do it alone

By Dean Ridings The pandemic made us realize the importance of things that we previously took for granted. Many of us now realize how much we value the ability to dine out at our favorite restaurant to celebrate a birthday or listen to a band live.

There also has been an increasing awareness of the importance of the local newspaper and its coverage of the issues the community needs to know. From a listing of where to find COVID testing centers to which restaurants are open or to learn about the latest actions of city hall, the local paper pulls the community together like nothing else.

But, just like your favorite restaurant or music venues, newspapers have had their share of challenges. Newspapers have been disrupted by changing media consumption habits, and the use of their content by Big Tech – without receiving compensation. Plus, as Main Streets across the country have been decimated

by Amazon and other online competitors, newspapers’ main source of revenue, advertising, also has been impacted.

Newspapers have responded by changing their business model, and we’re seeing

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

an increase in people coming together to support their newspaper through digital subscriptions and even philanthropic gifts.

Community leaders are becoming part of the solution, whether it is by providing grants to their local newspaper or helping fund specific areas of news coverage.

Newspapers are changing and adapting, but it isn’t a fast or easy process.

The State of Newspapers How local newsrooms are re-inventing themselves in the pandemic age In the same way that community leaders are stepping up, members of Congress are asking what they can do to help local journalism. When a newspaper closes, cities and towns lose an important part of the fabric that binds them together.

Many legislators are taking note and are looking for ways to help sustain the newspapers in their districts. The Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which was sponsored by Washington’s own Rep. Dan Newhouse, is just one example of legislation that would provide direct support to local journalism. Sen. Maria Cantwell filed a Senate version, and it is great to see support from both sides of the

9

political aisle. Many state legislatures also have taken up the call, and legislation filed in several states would directly benefit local news organizations.

While the model may be changing, having a sustainable newspaper will take community support. But it also is incumbent on the newspaper to be responsible to its audience. I am encouraged about our industry’s future when I see newspapers, like The Spokesman-Review, that are deeply engaged with their community.

From in-depth coverage of the local arts scene to reporting on national politics from the Spokane perspective, The Spokesman-Review is committed to being part of the community and providing unparalleled news coverage. With that approach, I am bullish on the future of America’s newspapers.

Dean Ridings is the CEO of America’s Newspapers, an organization serving more than 1,600 newspapers across the US and Canada. Learn more at newspapers.org.

June 16, 2022