Publishers eBulletin
Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

No. 7  for 2007 •  Feb. 23

  

 www.wnpa.com


WNPA Foundation names 2007 interns

   The WNPA Foundation met this week and selected four students and two teachers to receive internship scholarships for 2007.
   The Foundation awarded three student internship scholarships of $1,500 each.
   Sarah Anderson of the University of Washington received the Verizon Internship Scholarship. A UW senior, Anderson has interned at UW Columns magazine and has had stories published in The Daily. She is completing a double major in English and journalism.
   Breanne Coats, a junior at Pacific Lutheran University, was selected for the Bruce and Betty Helberg Internship Scholarship. Coats has worked as editor in chief of The Mast, the school's weekly newspaper, and has completed internships or freelance work at KPLU, the Peninsula Gateway and The Herald in Puyallup, and TheNewsTribune.com.  She is a leader at PLU's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and was the Northwest's representative to SPJ's national conference last year. She is also working with the state legislature on the student press bill this session.
   Jessica Van Gilder, a journalism sophomore at Seattle University, is the winner of the Jim and Kay Flaherty Internship Scholarship. She has published stories in The Spectator at Seattle University and for three years wrote for The Saga at Pleasant Valley High School, in Chico, Calif. She is working toward degrees in journalism and English/creative writing.
   Camille Villanueva, a student at Washington State University, received the Richard W. Gay Internship Scholarship. She was nominated to the Foundation's program by the Northwest Asian Weekly. Villanueva visited the newspaper this past December to inquire about a summer internship that would complement her classroom work. Her stories have been published in Seventeen magazine and in WSU's Daily Evergreen. The Gay internship, a $1,000 award, is available in alternate years only to WSU students.
   The Foundation selected Cathy Krohn and Todd Keister as 2007 Educator- in-Residence winners.
   Cathy Krohn of Lake Roosevelt High School in Grand Coulee has completed preliminary work to start a student newspaper at the high school this fall, and is currently recruiting students for its staff. Krohn will intern at the Grand Coulee Star. Star publisher Scott Hunter has worked with Krohn both at the school and when she had a graphic design business in Grand Coulee. "She has had an after-school journalism club this year, and doing that has brought into focus what she needs to know and doesn't yet," said Hunter. "I have a lot confidence that she can make the newspaper happen."
   Todd Keister, a third-year teacher at Spanaway Lake High School, attended an ASNE High School Institute this past summer and is ready for hands-on work at a community newspaper. He has been teaching journalism, English and video production since 2005, when he completed a master's degree in education at Pacific Lutheran University. Though Keister worked on the newspaper in high school, the summer internship will be his first experience at a community newspaper. He is a 2002 graduate of Gonzaga University, where he majored in broadcasting and completed a minor in journalism.
   Educators in Residence receive a $1,000 stipend, of which $250 is provided by the host newspaper as a donation to the Foundation.
   The intern selection committee includes Foundation board members Mike Lewis, Foundation president and publisher of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record-Journal, Scott Hunter of The Star in Grand Coulee, Scott Wilson of The Port Townsend Leader, and Bill Will, secretary-treasurer of the Foundation and general manager of WNPA. Mike Jeffries, publisher of The Dispatch in Eatonville, represents the WNPA Journalism Education Committee.

Olympia update: Week 7

  Apologies for the one-week hiatus. Last week was long and busy, requiring two trips to Olympia, and my Friday was absorbed by my attendance at the American Press Institute's Newspaper Next seminar hosted by the University of Washington School of Communications. I'll be writing more about Newspaper Next in the coming weeks, and we're putting the finishing touches on a deal to bring an abbreviated version of the presentation to the 120th WNPA Annual Convention this October in Yakima.
   Now, Olympia: It appears the blizzard of new legislation will continue until the introduction deadline next week. There are now 46 bills on my tracking list.
   The good news: The shield law (reporter privilege) sailed through the House last Friday (details below). The AG-sponsored bill to create a "Sunshine Committee" to review exemptions is on the Senate floor for a vote. Legislation to remove birthdates and signatures from the state voter registration rolls (a measure I testified against last week), and a separate bill to exempt birthdates of public employees and volunteers are safely bottled up in committee. The measure that would add a huge recordkeeping burden to acccept contractor advertising has not received a hearing date -- and probably won't.
   On next week's hearing calendar is HB 2141, which would revise the definition of a meeting in the Open Public Meetings Act. It does some good by clarifying that telephone and electronic meetings are subject to the Act, but it would also define a meeting as a gathering of a majority of members of a board. This could foster "serial meetings" between two or more members -- a common ongoing abuse of the OPMA.
   Two other troubling bills dropped this week, but they will likely die without a hearing because of the late date. SB 6101 is another run by agencies to replace published legal notices with a statewide Web site. A similar measure was first introduced 9 years ago, and it will likely return in future sessions. The other bad bill is SB 6076, which would give police agencies further power to restrict reports of ongoing investigations.
   We'll keep you posted.
-- Bill Will
 
Reporter privilege bill clears House 96-0
   
    The state House unanimously passed a bill last Friday that would protect journalists from facing prison for not revealing confidential sources.
   The measure passed on a 96-0 vote with two lawmakers excused, and now heads to the state Senate, which is considering its own measure.
   The bill would grant reporters absolute privilege for protecting confidential sources – the same exemption from testifying in court that is granted to spouses, attorneys, clergy and police officers.
   “It is really important in a democratic society that we have a free press, that we as citizens know what is going on in our society, that the people in power who have an interest in keeping information from us shouldn’t be allowed to bury that information,” said House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, who sponsored the measure.
   Currently, Washington has no shield law, but its courts have ruled in favor of qualified privilege based on the First Amendment and on common law.
   Washington’s proposed law would provide a more limited privilege on materials such as unpublished notes and tapes. Under its provisions, the media could be forced to disclose that information under certain circumstances, including when a judge finds it is necessary in a criminal or civil case and the material cannot be obtained elsewhere.
   The measure overwhelmingly passed the House last year on a bipartisan 87-11 vote, only to get stopped in the Senate, where it was never brought up for a floor vote. It had a public hearing in the Senate last month and was passed out of committee last week, and supporters there were more confident of its chances this year.
   The bill defines a member of the media as anyone who earns a substantial portion of his or her income from publishing or broadcasting. Generally, authors of occasional opinion pieces or Internet bloggers would not be covered.
   Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have enacted shield laws. A federal shield law was considered in the 109th Congress, but did not pass last year.
   The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said four other states also are considering shield laws this year: Utah, Missouri, Massachusetts and Texas.
   Attorney General Rob McKenna, who has made the shield law a major priority, was delighted with the House vote and predicted the Senate would approve it, too.
   “It stands an excellent chance this year,” he said.
   McKenna, a Republican, was the prime backer of last year’s version, but deferred to Democratic sponsors in the heavily Democratic Legislature this year, hoping to improve its chances.
   “It’s good public policy to protect reporters’ confidential sources and work product,” he said. “We depend on reporters to bring us information about the workings of our government and the private sector."
The Associated Press
  
   
Former WNPA president Clark dead at 95

   Memorial services will be held today in Port Angeles for fromer WNPA President Earl W. Clark, publisher of the Edmonds Tribune-Review in the 1950s and 60s and onetime managing editor of the Port Angeles Evening News.
   He later later taught journalism at Peninsula College.
   Clark, who died Feb. 18 at his Port Angeles home of age-related causes, was 95.
   The Columbus, Ohio, native worked for newspapers in his home state and West Virginia during the Great Depression, then at age 28 bought the struggling Deshler (Ohio) Flag for $300 down in 1939.
   He sold the Flag in 1946 and visited the West for the first time with his young family.
   After a newspaper stint in Pennsylvania, his first West Coast job was as city editor of the Port Angeles Evening News, starting on St. Patrick's Day 1948.
   The Evening News, founded in 1916, is the predecessor of the Peninsula Daily News.
   Clark, who became managing editor — including appointment to The Associated Press State Managing Editor Committee - stayed at the Evening News for six years before he purchased the weekly Edmonds Tribune-Review in 1954.
   Following an 11-year stint during which he served as president of WNPA in 1964, Clark sold the Tribune-Review in 1965 and became editorial and documentary writer for KIRO-TV in Seattle for three years.
   He returned to Port Angeles in 1969 to pursue freelance writing -- he sold about 200 articles to such magazines as Harpers, American Heritage, Family Circle and American Forests - and journalism teaching at Peninsula College.
   He also was advertising manager for First National Bank in Port Angeles in 1969-76.
   Clark was twice named Editor of the Week by the national trade publication, The Publishers Auxiliary, in 1941 and 1958.
   Clark, who was born Sept. 12, 1911, to William and Edna (Sheets) Clark in Columbus, Ohio, married the former Maxine "Mackey" Mooney in Columbus in November 1935. She died in 1967.
   On April 25, 1970, he married the former Maxine Jeffrey in Lynnwood.
   The couple were awarded a certificate of appreciation from Clallam County in 2001 for 30 years of service as election precinct workers.
   Mr. Clark is survived by his wife; sons Stewart Clark of Mill Valley, Calif., and Gordon Clark of Weaverville, N.C.; daughter Arlene Clark Mack of Thompson Falls, Mont.; sister Alice Clark Burton of Dayton, Ohio; 10 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
   In addition to his first wife, Mr. Clark was preceded in death by son Edward Clark; brother Max Clark, who was killed in the D-Day invasion during World War II; and sister Dorothy Clark Gump.
   A memorial celebration will be held today at 1 p.m. in First Baptist Church of Port Angeles, 105 W. Sixth St. The Rev. Tim Hughes will officiate.
   A reception will follow the service.
   Contributions in Mr. Clark's memory may be made to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, P.O. Box 2014, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or to an organization of choice.
   Drennan-Ford Funeral Home of Port Angeles is in charge of arrangements. The online guest book for the family is at
www.drennanford.com.
Peninsula Daily News
   
Investing in newsroom boosts profits, study contends

   U.S. newspapers that spend more money on their newsrooms will make more money, according to a study released last week.
   The authors of the University of Missouri-Columbia study, which was based on 10 years of financial data, said news quality affects profit more than spending on circulation, advertising and other parts of the business.
   "If you invest in the newsroom, do you make more money? The answer is yes," Esther Thorson, an advertising professor and associate dean for graduate studies at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, said in a statement. "If you lower the amount of money spent in the newsroom, then pretty soon the news product becomes so bad that you begin to lose money," she said.
   The researchers developed a mathematical model that showed how newspapers could rearrange their spending on distribution and circulation, advertising and newsrooms to achieve a higher profit, Thorson said in an interview. "Until recently, people have been doing it because the results looked good to investors on Wall Street, but it's ... ignoring the long-term aspects," said marketing professor and study co-author Murali Mantrala.
   The study, "Uphill or Downhill? Locating Your Firm on a Profit Function," will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Marketing.
University of Missouri
 
'Don't make me' column: Judy Halone

   (Note: Judy Halone is a Washington-based writer now producing a weekly column titled "Don't Make Me Turn This Car Around." Her column appears in the Enumclaw and Bonney Lake papers. She is offering the column free temporarily to WNPA members.)


It only takes a moment to create a lasting memory

by Judy Halone

    Give a kid five minutes, and you'll either have a story, a keepsake, or a recipe.
   Like the time Mom left me to play with Momma Cat's kittens. I placed them in Dad's broadcast spreader to give them a joyride across our front lawn.
   Nothing's as funny to a four year-old as watching their mom run from the kitchen to the front yard - in curlers and screaming - just to save eight remaining lives.
   Now, that's a story. And it happened in less than five minutes.
   Then there's Katie Hoff, who came home from work after receiving a frantic phone call from her mom, who had been watching Hoff's three year-old daughter.
   "She said, 'We have a problem -- she cut her hair,'" Hoff recalled.
   "I told her, 'It's OK. Hair grows back.' But when I got home and saw her, I said, 'Oh my gosh -- she's got a mullet!'" said Hoff.
   Her daughter had managed to sneak off with a pair of kids' scissors at Papa and Nana's house. Away went the long, baby-fine hair, chopped in the front from ear to ear.
   "We asked our hairdresser to fix it. And now her picture is displayed in the salon as the worst haircut they've ever seen," Hoff laughed.
   Papa tucked a few locks of brunette hair into a plastic baggie for Hoff.
   Now, that's a keepsake. And it happened in less than five minutes.
   And finally, there's my good friend, Brandy. By now, many of you are probably familiar with her two youngest sons, ages two and four; let's just say they're creative and don't lack for energy or ingenuity.
   "I was on the computer for no longer than five minutes!" she exclaimed, noting she had just checked on them while they played.
   In that time, the boys got into the kitchen.
   Brandy walked in about the time they stirred ketchup into the Cool Whip.
   "They said, 'Look, Mommy! We made you a cake!'" she recalled.
   "Anyone who knows my boys knows that even 30 seconds is probably too long for them to be left alone," she laughed.
   Brandy wanted to share the ingredients for those of you not faint of heart:

   2 dozen eggs
   Milk
   Package of cream cheese
   Full container of Cool Whip
   Ketchup

   Now, that's a recipe. And it all happened in less than five minutes.
   Give a kid five minutes, and you'll either have a story, a keepsake, or a recipe.
   And it makes being a parent all worthwhile.

  Judy Halone is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Send your comments to: judy@judyhalone.com.
  
   Copyright © 2007 by Judy Halone
  
Free editorial cartoons

A f
reeway free-for-all in Olympia.  (S. Neiman)

How to spell software woes? T-A-C-O-M-A  (S. Neiman)




































In this issue . . .
Shield law clears House
on unanimous vote

Former WNPA President Earl Clark dies at 95

Study: Investing in newsroom boosts profits

Judy Halone: It only takes a moment to make a memory


Press Release Service

   WNPA's Press Release Service provides community businesses and organizations a direct link to an invaluable audience - you, and all the readers of this eBulletin. For a $75 charge, your customer can post a link to their press release in the eBulletin one time. PDF and Word documents are acceptable.
   If your ad representative sells an in the statewide 2x2 (Impact Ad) program, he or she should consider suggesting the press release service as an up-sell. The only work involved is e-mailing the customer's contact information and the press release to bwill@wnpa.com. WNPA will handle getting authorization to charge the customer's credit card for the fee.
 
WNPA Contacts
Bill Will
General Manager


Joanne Rich
Statewide Classified
& 2x2 Advertising

Mae Waldron
Member Services
Editor, The Washington Newspaper
Newspaper in Education
Internships
WNPA Foundation


WNPA Officers

President
Dave Pinkham
Stanwood/Camano News


First Vice President
Bill Marcum
Enumclaw Courier-Herald
Bonney Lake/Lake Tapps
Courier-Herald


Second Vice President
Sue Ellen Riesau
Sequim Gazette


Past President
Stephen McFadden
Ritzville Adams County Journal


Secretary
Bill Will
WNPA General Manager


Trustees

Chuck Allen
Quincy Valley
Post-Register

Paul Archipley
Beacon Publishing, Mukilteo

Debbie Berto
The Issaquah Press

Judy DeVaul
DeVaul Publishing Co., Chehalis

Danielle Fournier
Prosser Record-Bulletin,  Grandview Herald


Keven Graves
Nisqually Valley News, Yelm

Tom Haley
Pacific Publishing, Seattle

John Knowlton
Green River Community College, Auburn

Manfred Tempelmayr
Sound Publishing Co.
  

Our Address
WNPA
12354 30th Ave. NE

Seattle, WA 98125
  
   
PHONE & FAX
Toll Free: 1-888-634-9672
Voice: (206) 634-3838
Fax: (206) 634-3842

  


 

© 2007 Washington Newspaper Publishers Association