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APA membership approves updated bylaws and constitution
Guest Column: History in the making By Tammy Curtis
Arkansas Press Association
Publisher Weekly Vol.17 | No. 27 | Thursday, July 7, 2022 | Serving Press and State Since 1873
Excellence, integrity truth celebrated with new awards Greg Harton of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Ashton Eley of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette were recently named recipients of the FreemanGreenberg Award for Editorial Writing and Charles Gordon Newman Award for News Story, respectively. The awards were announced at the 2022 Tri-State Convention in Memphis.
Greg Harton
Although these awards are new, the journalist for which they are named are very familiar in the Arkansas newspaper industry.
to the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation for the establishment of new editorial awards that support journalism excellence and honor their loved ones.
The families of Charles Gordan Newman, Edmund Freeman III and Paul Greenberg, newspaper legends at the Pine Bluff Commercial, donated $10,000
Eley won the Charles Gordon Newman Award for News Story for her reporting on the killing of a teenage driver at a Continued on Page 2
Ashton Eley
APA to hold FOIA training seminar via Zoom on July 21 The Arkansas Press Association will hold an educational seminar on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act on Thursday, July 21, at 1 p.m.
APA attorney John Tull, who is a founding member of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC in Little Rock and who also sits on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Task Force, will be speaking on the ins and outs of the FOIA and using the FOIA in reporting. In addition there will be a Q&A
session for any FOIA-related questions that participants may have. “Freedom of information is the cornerstone of our industry, and the FOIA is an important tool in a journalist’s toolbox,” said Arkansas Press Association Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley. “We are excited to provide this training opportunity for our members and for others who are interested.”
The seminar will be approximately two hours long. Originally planned as an inperson event, due to the increase in active COVID-19 cases the seminar will be held via Zoom. Cost to attend is $20 for APA members, including association members, and $30 for non-members. Register online at arkansaspress.org/ event/FOIAtraining. For more information email info@arkansaspress.org
Excellence, integrity, truth celebrated with new awards Continued from Page 1
traffic stop by a Lonoke County sheriff’s deputy, and Harton won the FreemanGreenberg Award for his editorial, “A Point of Privilege”. This is the first year these awards have been given. “It’s a group effort here,” said Gretchen Freeman, daughter of Freeman and great-great granddaughter of Newman. “It makes us all feel good that people we love are being honored. We’ve been thinking of ways to honor my dad and great-great grandfather, and also to honor the friendship and partnership between my dad and Paul Greenberg, which lasted many years.” Major C. G. Newman founded The Pine Bluff Commercial in 1881. Newman created a permanent legacy in Arkansas with his newspaper, and was also one of the earliest presidents of the Arkansas Press Association, serving his term in 1878 while at the Pine Bluff Press. “He is the person in our family that has started something that has been exceedingly important for all of us in our family,” Freeman said. “My father’s and uncles’ livelihoods, going back many generations. And so many other great and prominent journalists who became editors and publishers and reporters around the country got their start with the newspaper my great-great grandfather founded.” The families selected the News Award to be named after Newman. “I think he was fiercely proud of journalism and journalists,” said Alan Silverman, son-in-law of Edmund Freeman III and husband of Gretchen Freeman. “He was a person of generous spirit in terms of making sure that people in the community were well informed and that people could make reasoned, thoughtful judgments. “As an example of that,” Silverman continued, “back in the day when The Pine Bluff Commercial was a young newspaper, there were other newspapers in Pine Bluff that competed with each other in a civil way. One of the competing newspapers was not doing very well, having trouble paying their bills and getting supplies. Apparently Major Newman instructed The Commercial to send over newsprint so the competition could continue to publish. I think today, he would say the press is exceedingly important to democracy and
Arkansas Publisher Weekly
people need to be informed to make wise decisions.” According to Gretchen Freeman, Newman was “a real whippersnapper. There were a couple duals that have been recorded. He was a crack shot. A real go-getter.” “He was a fierce journalist and wanted to report the truth even if it wasn’t popular,” Silverman said. “It was important to be known to be a good shot at the time since much of his reporting wasn’t popular. Apparently he was challenged to a duel by the one-time mayor of Pine Bluff. The
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duel was to be on the Mississippi River in Memphis, and the Governor of Arkansas got wind of the proposed dual, and that the dual participants were in transit, and he sent a telegraph to the Governor of Tennessee asking him to intercept Newman before the dual could take place. Which apparently he did, and put him on a train back to Pine Bluff.” When Newman died in 1911, full control of The Commercial went to Edmund Freeman Sr., and the newspaper stayed Continued on Page 3
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Excellence, integrity, truth celebrated with new awards Continued from Page 2
in the family until it was sold in 1986. In 1951 Freeman’s son, Edmund Freeman III, joined The Commercial and eventually succeeded his father in the role of publisher. And this is where a legendary friendship is born. Paul Greenberg joined the staff of The Commercial as editorial page editor in 1962 and worked with Freeman for nearly 30 years. Greenberg won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1968. Greenberg and Freeman were close friends and collaborators, crafting countless editorials on everything from small-town politics to foreign relations. In a televised interview, Greenberg once recalled telling two other editors that The Commercial was fortunate to have a publisher who was also an editor, only to be corrected, Greenberg said, by a colleague who instead labeled Freeman an editor who was also a publisher. “Both of you guys are wrong,” Greenberg recalled the third man saying. “The Commercial is lucky because it has an editor who’s a real editor.” On a regular basis during their partnership and friendship, Greenberg could be seen at the kitchen table in the Freeman home, going through the next day’s editorial. The two would talk, make edits and tweaks. They wanted to get the words just right. “They understood the world is complicated,” Silverman said. “Issues are complicated, and people need to think them through. They need to listen to competing vantage points before coming with an informed decision. Paul Greenberg did that in his columns and editorial writing. People always didn’t agree with Edmund and Paul, but it was a matter of principle to explain things fully and help people see both sides. And then ultimately do the right thing and not just respond emotionally but thoughtfully. And I think that was the legacy of Freeman and Greenberg. What they tried to craft on a daily basis at the Freeman family kitchen table.” The pair often made history in unusual ways, too. “When Bill Clinton was governor, there was a term coined for him – ‘Willy Slick’,” Gretchen Freeman said. “Paul and my dad decided the modifier needed to go in front of the noun. So then Bill Clinton became ‘Slick Willy’, and it stuck.”
Arkansas Publisher Weekly
Edmund W. Freeman III (left) and Paul Greenberg became friends over their 30-year working relationship at The Pine Bluff Commercial. The Freeman-Greenberg Award for Editorial Writing is named after the duo.
Paul Greenberg died on April 6, 2021. Just a short time later, on May 3, 2021, Edmund Freeman III joined his friend. “Paul died 27 days before my dad,” Gretchen Freeman said. “27 was dad’s lucky number. It was his phone number in Pine Bluff and his Boy Scout Troop number, and it showed up so often in his life. He knew he and Paul were going out together.” “Paul won the Pulitzer Prize in the late 60’s for editorial writing,” Gretchen Freeman said. “And my dad was the editor of all those stories. Daniel Greenberg said his dad did his best work when he was working with my dad. We felt it was very important to honor them together.” It is no surprise, then, that the family would choose to name the new award for Editorial Writing after Freeman and Greenberg. Brooke Greenberg, widow of Paul Greenberg, said her husband and Freeman had a wonderful working relationship. “I am, we are all, very pleased to see them honored in this way together.”
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On receiving the Freeman-Greenberg Award for Editorial Writing, Harton said, “I’m honored to receive recognition for my work within the context of two names synonymous with strong and persuasive editorial writing in this wonderful state. When I learned I’d been named the award’s first recipient, I would describe my reaction as flabbergasted. To be mentioned in the company of Paul Greenberg and Edmond W. Freeman III is recognition beyond what I’ve earned, but I’m proud to have done work those making this choice felt was deserving. I’m grateful for the example those writers set and for the opportunity the Northwest Arkansas DemocratGazette has given me to write about the communities and people of Northwest Arkansas and our state as a whole.” “I know that the industry has changed tremendously,” Gretchen Freeman said. “These awards may not be given to only newspaper journalists in the future. But I know they will be given to those who stand for the same principles my family and the Greenbergs have stood for: excellence, integrity and truth.”
July 7, 2022
—30— John “Papa Duck” Criner
APA membership approves updated bylaws and constitution The membership of the Arkansas Press Association approved the passage of an updated constitution and bylaws last month, with more than two-thirds of respondents voting in favor of the new language. The constitution and bylaws of the Association were established in 1996. They were substantially modified in 2006 and received minor updates in 2020. “The newspaper industry has undergone a sustained period of rapid change and transformation,” said APA Executive Director Ashley Kemp Wimberley. “It is vital to the stability and growth of our association that our constitution and bylaws always meet the needs of our membership. The updated constitution
John Henry Criner, III of Proctor died on June 27. He was 83. The son of John H. Criner, Jr and Mae Black Criner, he was known as “Papa Duck” and was most content chasing ducks or catching fish. Over his career he worked as a motel proprietor, Labrador Retriever trainer and schoolteacher, and was remembered as a great storyteller and an avid reader. He had been the Outdoor columnist for The Evening Times in Marion/West Memphis since 2013. Said co-worker Jane Russell, “The Evening Times has lost another great family member. Working with Mr. John these many years was a privilege. His wit and wisdom was much appreciated. He was a great naturalist and outdoorsman. Fly south Papa Duck one last time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.” Criner is survived by his wife Sarah Colleen Criner, son Keith Criner, daughter-in-law Mary Criner and grandchildren Owen and Anna Criner. Services were held at First Baptist Church in West Memphis on July 1.
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and bylaws allow us to increase our membership to include other media outlets that meet clearly defined criteria, while still preserving the importance of legal, printed newspapers.” The most significant change adds a membership category, Media Members, for news organizations that do not meet the requirements for membership as a print publication. This includes digital-only publications and publications that print fewer than 50 issues a year. Other changes include redefining the purpose of the association, renaming the former membership category of Free Circulation Newspapers as Non-Legal Newspapers and a reduction in the size of the association’s of the board of directors.
Buffalo named new sports editor at Conway’s Log Cabin Democrat Veteran journalist Mark Buffalo has been named sports editor of the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway. Buffalo, a native of Carlisle, most recently served as sports editor of The Daily Citizen in Searcy. He began his career in 1995 as a reporter for the former weekly newspapers the Cabot Star-Herald, Lonoke Democrat and Carlisle Independent. Buffalo served as sports editor for those newspapers from October 1997 until June 2014, when he went to work at the Arkansas DemocratGazette. He left the Democrat-Gazette in 2019 and continued to freelance for it and other area newspapers until taking the position at The Daily Citizen in January 2021. In a column introducing himself to Conway readers, Buffalo said, “I’ve never been the sports editor of a five-day-a-week newspaper until now. Longtime Conway sports writer David McCollum was a friend and someone I admired for years. When I got the job, I reached out to his widow Beverly and told her I was taking the position. She was thrilled.” His goal is to build up the Log Cabin Democrat sports page with more local coverage, especially in high school sports.
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“I feel that is our bread and butter,” said Buffalo. “With quality stories and awardwinning photography, we’ll make our sports coverage the best around. I’ll need some help from coaches and parents, but I feel like that won’t be a problem as I start my 28th year of covering high school football.” Buffalo currently lives in Cabot with his daughter, Mary Elisabeth Buffalo.
July 7, 2022
Nominations open for “Operations All-Stars” contest
Operations professionals not only understand the mechanics of every department, but their expertise goes beyond knowing presses and inserting equipment and capital expenditures. These pros contribute new thinking and concepts, and sometimes unconventional methods of finding profitable solutions. Editor & Publisher magazine and International Newspaper Group (ING) are accepting nominations of “Operations All-Stars” for an upcoming special feature. “We are honored to partner with ING in saluting the most exemplary employees in Operations in the news publishing industry,” said E&P Publisher Mike Blinder. “Often overlooked are the significant contributions they make in getting the paper out the door. We will proudly profile the ‘All-Star’ runners-up and winners this year in our October issue of E&P and on our website.” Nominations will be accepted in the categories of National Operations All-Star, Regional Operations All-Star and Pre-Production Operations All-Star. Winners will receive $2,000 each from ING in addition to imPRESSions Worldwide paying their airfare to the ING Conference, September 17-18 in Newport, R.I. To nominate the Operations All-Star at your publication visit editorandpublisher.com/stories/stop-the-presses-operations-all-starsclass-of-2022-nominate-a-colleague-today,231523?. The deadline is September 1, 2022.
Arkansas Publisher Weekly
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July 7, 2022
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1 Allied Drive, Suite 1500 Little Rock, AR 72202 501.372.6161 colliers.com/arkansas
Guest Column: History in the making By Tammy Curtis, Publisher at the Spring River Chronicle The first miners to reach the Colorado Rockies were disappointed more often than not. They often sacrificed their lives in the quest for the illusive mineral that led them westward. They made their way through solid rock passes on little more than horses and wagons. The hope to cash in with some of the gleaming treasure hidden within the mountains and live a better life guided them onward. Through the bitter winter cold and summer drought, the first miners fought to survive with the dream of wealth as their compass. Uprooting their families and heading west was what thousands of early settlers opted for, their journey’s each as unique as the circumstances that drove them. While recently vacationing in Colorado, the majestic mountains that have witnessed life and death for centuries amidst their rugged terrain were not only beautiful, but also provided a fascinating look into the mountain people. But, perhaps the most intriguing thing witnessed was much more modest and lacking the awe and splendor of the city’s snow topped backdrops. It was a small plaque designating the location of a historic newspaper office in Silverton. It was one whose story made me realize the ink that flows freely in journalist’s blood goes way back, perhaps even before the Freedom of the Press was established. It has been living in the hearts of journalists for centuries. Folks seek news, real news … just as they sought gold, oil, fame and anything else that would better their lives materialistically. News was a commodity and those who brought it to the small western mining towns were undoubtedly revered and trusted, much the same as modern day hometown newspapers strive to be today. The La Plata Miner began publishing on July 10, 1875 after newspaper pioneer John R. Curry managed to haul an 1839 Hoe press over Stony Pass with the aid of only pack mules. Curry was a Civil War veteran, serving Arkansas Publisher Weekly
in the 13th Iowa infantry. He was born in 1846 or 1847 in Yorktown, N.Y., and came west from LaMars, Iowa where he also owned a newspaper. At one point, when the town was cut off for several weeks due to snowstorms and avalanches, Curry had to publish the newspaper on blue wrapping paper obtained from a butcher in town. In 1889, the Silverton Standard was founded and the two newspapers merged in 1922. Curry eventually founded five newspapers in the area. In its over a century and a half service to the area, the La Plata Miner covered infamous stories about mining fires, Spanish flu, the shooting of a town marshal, all this above and beyond the weekly news locals sought by. America survives and thrives because names of men and women like Curry...people most don’t even know. They are all seemingly ordinary people who do extraordinary things. They don’t run for president. play professional sports or become movie stars, but without them, the best of America would not exist or be documented as a part of history. A part of history future generations, like myself, will always seek. Besides the obvious need for solid and truthful information about the local area, newspapers had a secondary purpose, one that carried on long after the linotype pressed letters had ceased to be as visible as they were hot off the press. A local mining ghost town with many homes still standing was also part of a tour. Within several of these dilapidating homes, ones that had outlived their purpose decades earlier, were the remnants of the insulation that kept them protected from the bitter mountain air. Old newspapers lined the walls, again proving the importance of 7
newspapers, even to early miners. In today’s day and age, with digital and social platforms and a 24-hour news cycle, perhaps local newspapers aren’t as sought after as the Miner. But, still today the researched stories and indepth information stands above any digital, television or social platforms in the information provided to our readers. The increased subscriptions prove local newspapers are still a commodity and truth is still sought, something perhaps Curry had no idea would carry one years after his death in 1911. Remember, newspapers history in the making.
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