Arkansas Publisher Weekly: September 12, 2019

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Local Society of Professional Journalists group named Small Chapter of the Year

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Jacksonville council members accused of FOIA violation

ARKANSAS

Ar k ansas

Publisher Weekly

PRESS ASSOCIATION

Vol. 14 | No. 37 | Thursday, September 12, 2019

Serving Press and State Since 1873

Love of journalism, each other drives Ron and Nancy Kemp over four decades Whether they’re on a lakeshore in Wisconsin, a hillside in east Texas or “Road Hog” Park in the shadow of the University of Arkansas’s football stadium, Ron and Nancy Kemp never stray far from their home in the newspaper business. The former Clay County newspaper owners now travel extensively in their Winnebago RV – this weekend they’re headed to Fayetteville for a football game – yet find their extensive journalism experience comes in handy when meeting new friends at a campground or RV park. “In the newspaper business, you do meet a lot of people, interviewing them and asking them questions,” Ron Kemp said. “We tend to meet people and try to be reporters, asking about their lives, what they’re doing and what they enjoy.” It’s the same type of interactions the Kemps were accustomed to over 46 years in the Arkansas newspaper industry. The two met

in the early 1970s when they took jobs within a few months of each other at the Russellville Courier-Democrat. After getting married, they worked for a year at the Wynne Progress before acquiring the Clay County Democrat in Rector. They bought four other weekly newspapers in the area before selling the publications to Cape Girardeau, Missouri-based Rust Communications in 1997. Ron Kemp served as a regional vice president for Rust and was later promoted to vice

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1993 APA President Ron Kemp and his wife, Nancy, greeted thenPresident Bill Clinton in the White House Diplomat Reception Room.

APA’s FOIA Seminar sign-up deadline approaches Limited space is available for journalists and the public alike to attend the Arkansas Press Association’s 2019 Freedom of Information Act seminar. This special seminar will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at APA, 411 S. Victory St., in Little Rock. Registration is $35 for APA members and associates, and $45 for nonmembers. Lunch is included in the registration costs. Attendees will learn about Arkansas’s 53-year-old open records and open meetings law from a noted FOIA expert and from three journalists who

consistently utilize FOIA in their coverage.

Tull

Perry

John Tull, a partner with the Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull law firm in Little Rock, will discuss FOIA, its legal implications and the changes to FOIA enacted by the Arkansas Legislature earlier this year. Sarah Perry of the Saline Courier, Chris Wessel of the Jonesboro Sun and Debra Hale-Shelton,

Wessel

Hale-Shelton

who formerly worked for the Arkansas DemocratGazette will take part in a panel discussion and question-and-answer session about using FOIA in reporting. To register, visit https:// w w w. a r k a n s a s p r e s s . org/events/EventDetails. aspx?id=1270309 or call the APA office at (501) 3741500. Registration deadline is Tuesday, September 17.


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