Arkansas Publisher Weekly: November 19, 2020

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Freeze takes third at ArkLaMiss Guest Column:

Execute your strength: Put names and faces behind the stories

By Jim Pumarlo

Arkansas Press Association

Publisher Weekly Vol. 15 | No. 47 | Thursday, November 19, 2020 | Serving Press and State Since 1873

Kennedy lands at World after trip around ‘world’ Rick Kennedy has been around the Arkansas newspaper “world,” so it’s probably safe to say it’s at the World where he fits right in.

been kind of like an ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ kind of thing, but it’s sort of what the industry has become with the mergers and buyouts and various transactions.”

Kennedy worked for the Pine Bluff Commercial, then the Hope Star before it was closed by GateHouse in 2018.

At that point, he went to the GateHouseowned World, then the GateHouse-owned Commercial, again, until it was recently purchased

by WEHCO Media. At that time, Kennedy said the World reached out to him about coming back full-time.

Kennedy is the new editor of the Helena World. He’s also the old editor of the World, having worked there before GateHouse sold the property to a pair of local investors last year. Kennedy has also reported from Lake Village, Pine Bluff (twice) and Hope during his newspaper career in Arkansas.

“It’s just really been a strange journey, and it’s all been basically because of the changing industry,” Kennedy said. “It’s

It’s been an easy transition. He said he was fortunate to have been a part-time design consultant for the World even after the sale, so he already knows what’s been happening in the community over the past year. The mayor and city council are the same.

The newspaper offices are in the same building Kennedy worked in for two days his first time in Helena. Corporate owners moved offices on his third day. The new owners recently moved back.

“It’s almost like I’ve come home again,” he said. “I had some other options out of state, but I didn’t want to leave the state.

Arkansas is my home. They had this open for me and invited me to come back, and

I’m pleased I left on good terms. This is just another version of another homecoming, and I hope I get to stick around a while.”

Kennedy said he and the newspaper’s copublisher, Andrew Bagley, are working in tandem to provide local news coverage in Helena and Phillips County. Kennedy remains responsible for layout and design.

Working with local ownership makes it easier to be nimble and try new ideas, he says, which is why he hopes to launch a podcast that will complement the weekly print and online edition of the newspaper.

Kennedy said he hopes he has a little more longevity in this role than he has previously. His employer does too.

“It is my hope that Rick will be with us a long time, and I envision continued growth with Rick on our team,” Bagley said in the newspaper’s announcement of Kennedy’s hiring. “His expertise, wisdom and diversified skill set are invaluable, and the Helena World is fortunate that Rick chose us over other opportunities in the industry.”

Kennedy’s journalism career has spanned 35 years in newspapers, radio and television. A graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Kennedy got his start at KNOE radio in that city.

He’s also worked in Texas and in Idaho, where he was publisher of the Blackfoot Morning News. He has won 42 first-place awards from various press associations and was recognized as GateHouse’s “Best Work” award winner for a July 2018 feature. While in Hope, the Star earned a Southern Newspaper Publishers Association award for integrity in local news under Kennedy’s leadership.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Freeze takes third at ArkLaMiss and Marketing Conference.

Freeze received a $50 gift card for her suggestion to her counterparts who participated in this year’s virtual conference earlier this month. She discussed the Leader’s efforts to provide additional value to subscribers by making its entire newspaper archive available digitally. In addition to being editor of the Mountain View-based newspaper, Freeze is second vice president of the Arkansas Press Association.

The APA office will be closed on Thursday, November 26 & Friday, November 27 for the holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Lori Freeze

Congratulations to Stone County Leader Editor Lori Freeze, who earned third place in the annual Hot Ideas Exchange at the 2020 ArkLaMiss Audience Development

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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Other honorees during the Hot Ideas Exchange were first-place winner Karen Fioretti of the Star-Herald in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and Amanda Sexton Ferguson of the Winona Times of Winona, Mississippi who took second place. Fioretti won for her discussion of corporate sponsorships for smallbusiness advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ferguson’s idea was regarding an Easter coloring book promotion by her newspaper.

November 19, 2020

WE'RE POWERING THE POWER OF THE PRESS. Many of our 17 Distribution Partners deliver power to the printing facilities that deliver news to communities just like yours around the state. And we’ll continue to be there where you need us, powering our future, together.

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—30­— James Howard “Jim” Clark

Owner of Arkansas Business acquires Fort Worth publishing company Five Legged Stool LLC, the parent company of Arkansas Business, has acquired Scott Publishing LLC of Fort Worth, Texas, the organizations announced.

Scott Publishing produces 360 West magazine in Fort Worth as well as other specialty publications. The acquisition includes all Scott Publishing magazines and ancillary marketing products, according to a news release.

360 West is a monthly lifestyle magazine that targets affluent readers west of Highway 360, which separates Tarrant and Dallas counties. The company also offers digital marketing services and custom publishing.

Jim Clark of Rogers, an attorney and former newspaper editor, died Friday, Nov. 13. He was 86.

Clark was a Carroll County native and a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

As a U.S. Army officer, he was assigned to work on the post newspaper at Fort Benning, Georgia. He continued in the newspaper business after he was discharged, first working in Nebraska and then in Arkansas. He was a copy editor and assistant news editor for the Arkansas Gazette before moving to Bentonville in 1966 to operate the newspaper in the Bella Vista community. After that, he worked for 13 years in the News and Information Department at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Five Legged Stool owner Mitch Bettis said the company will continue to produce Scott Publishing’s magazines and will introduce new products, events and

Mitch Bettis

marketing in the Fort Worth area.

Arkansas Business is a member of the Arkansas Press Association.

Buying or Selling?

I can help you with a new purchase or the sale of your publication.

LEWIS FLOYD Senior Associate

He obtained his law degree in the 1980s and considered himself both a lawyer and a newspaperman. He served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Carroll County and a deputy city attorney and as city attorney in Rogers, was elected to both the Rogers and Bentonville city councils and was appointed as prosecuting attorney for the 19th Judicial District-West in Benton County.

(850) 532-9466 lfloyd@mediamergers.com

Clark was a member of First United Methodist Church in Rogers, where he was a Sunday School teacher.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Dixie. Survivors include his wife, Sharon; a son, Greg; a daughter, Stacy; two sisters; three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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November 19, 2020

Steps for journalists to avoid burnout Judge rules against city of Little Rock in FOIA dispute With a contested election, civil unrest in some areas and a global pandemic, this is a stressful time for newspaper reporters.

Poynter’s Samantha Ragland offered some advice this week to help protect journalists against burnout.

A Pulaski County circuit court judge last week ruled that Little Rock and Police Chief Keith Humphrey violated the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act when the city refused to let four police department employees review their own personnel files.

According to the Arkansas DemocratGazette, Judge Wendell Griffen said the city should have provided employees with their files within the time period set in state law, the newspaper reported. Instead, the city waited until “all investigations and evaluations contained in the disciplinary file were completed.”

Arkansas’s FOIA gives public employees the right to examine their own personnel files even if the records are exempt from disclosure under the law, the newspaper said.

The city is considering an appeal.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Ragland, who teaches a trauma and resilience course at Poynter, reminded journalists “it’s impossible to see what you’ve seen, share the stories you’ve shared and not pick up a residue of stress and trauma.”

She said headaches, fatigue, forgetfulness and other problems are impacts of trauma. For journalists, these impacts are compounded because “you are as much a part of the story as you are storyteller or story distributor.”

Ragland’s suggestions for managing the stress and trauma: Set realistic expectations, foster boredom and create good sleep hygiene.

She urges journalists to get rid of the “digital clutter” by organizing files into different folders regularly and to try to limit cellphone use. Digital burnout can be a major problem for journalists, she said.

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Ragland recommends journalists take time for themselves, whether to take a walk or even “just breathe.”

November 19, 2020

Guest Column: Execute your strength: Put names and faces behind the stories

By Jim Pumarlo Nothing is more satisfying than looking at your product – whether it’s the print or digital edition – and smiling in approval, “We’ve got it covered. We’re connecting with our readers.”

A city council imposes plastic bag fees on local merchants, maybe even adopts an outright ban. A county board establishes a grant program for businesses impacted by the coronavirus.

Developing relationships with subscribers and advertisers is imperative to success in today’s

Each action presents possibilities for second-day stories and substantive content that can distinguish you from your competitors. The follow-up reports inevitably will include individuals not normally appearing in your newspaper.

fractured media landscape. The stakes are even higher as many newspapers navigate the economic impact of the pandemic.

So play to your strengths. Connect the names and faces of those involved in and affected by items in your everyday news report. Tell their stories.

As a first step, collect a half-dozen copies of your newspaper and sit down for a brainstorming session. Go beyond your newsroom. Your entire newspaper family often represents a great cross-section of your community and can contribute valuable insights. Review the editions, and pay particular attention to the names and faces of the newsmakers. Circle them in red, and make a list.

The exercise is especially helpful when examining coverage of local government meetings. Do many of the same names appear over and over? As an editor friend points out: Are you giving more attention to the folks in the front of the room versus those in the back of the room? Are you writing for the sources or for those affected by government decisions?

Circumstances and deadlines may well dictate that you report just the facts in the next edition. Then, take the next steps.

Consider these examples. A school board raises extracurricular fees to help close the gap between expenses and revenues.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

There are opportunities beyond government meetings to broaden your portfolio of newsmakers. For example: Chambers of commerce have their annual awards banquet recognizing excellence in a variety of categories. At least a halfdozen businesses are often recognized.

The list is ready-made news for the next edition. Don’t stop there. Profile each of the honorees in successive editions, giving attention to additional names and faces.

Election season is past us, but here’s an idea for the next cycle. Coverage, for good reason, focuses on the candidates. How about profiling the chair of a campaign committee, the person who really drives the push for votes? Highlight someone in his or her first campaign; highlight a veteran of several campaigns.

High school sports are the heart of many communities, and head coaches naturally receive a great deal of attention. What drives assistant coaches? How are they selected, and why do they cherish their supportive roles? You’ll probably find interesting stories and new faces to highlight.

Police blotters are another opportunity to link local residents to events. Consider

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this report. A bank foreclosed on a house, and a court order was issued to evict the family. Police surrounded the home for two hours, and all ended peacefully. It was the 35th eviction ordered that day. That fact prompts all sorts of questions and potential follow-up stories. Did the evicted families have a common profile? Where did they spend the next night, week, month? Are there community resources to assist these families? It’s a sensitive story and one that will require extra effort to pursue. It also will result in a host of new voices on your pages.

Collecting and publishing the news is an imperfect endeavor at best. Connecting with individuals outside of the normal network of sources often demands more work. And everything is more challenging during the pandemic due to the combination of greater isolation among individuals and diminished newsroom resources.

All newspapers strive to consistently produce a report that reflects a living history of their communities. That necessarily should drive you to expand the catalog of newsmakers used to tell your stories.

News reports also don’t want to be predictable. Broadening the menu of names and faces that appear in your products reflects journalism at its best and generates solid content. It’s a win-win for your newspaper and your community.

Jim Pumarlo writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He can be reached at www. pumarlo.com and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.

November 19, 2020