Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Weekly Briefing

BY JAMES DEBILZEN | Communications Director

More than 200 newspapers across Minnesota and a handful in Wisconsin ran mostly blank front pages this week to remind readers about the important role newspapers hold in their communities.

The “whiteout” campaign was organized by the Minnesota Newspaper Association to coincide with Minnesota Newspaper Week Aug. 13-19, part of the MNA’s yearlong 150th anniversary celebration.

The awareness campaign spilled over into Wisconsin, where at least eight newspapers ran front pages that were devoid of news coverage this week.

On the cover of the Osceola Sun, Amery Free Press and Burnett County Sentinel in Grantsburg, readers found a wide-open page that teased in bold letters, “No news…” and continued on Page 2 “… is not necessarily good news.”

The kicker: “A hollow shell without the news of your community.”

The Superior Telegram, Hudson Star-Observer, New Richmond News, River Falls Journal and Pierce County Herald in Ellsworth featured similar front pages, asking readers to “Imagine you have no newspaper…” and “Imagine a week without local news.”

Tom Stangl, publisher of the Osceola, Amery and Grantsburg newspapers, said the idea to run the blank front pages on this side of the border began with his company’s sister publications in Minnesota, which had committed to participate in the MNA campaign.

“We had talked about it and we, from an editorial standpoint, had agreed that it was a message that needed to resonate everywhere,” Stangl said. “… I think it’s good occasionally just to remind people that without participation from the community, without them sharing news, without them subscribing, without them advertising, what they perceive as a utility can easily cease to exist.”

• RELATED: Osceola Sun - No news could be very bad news
• RELATED: Hudson Star-Observer - Newspapers remain the trusted source for news, advertising
• RELATED: New Richmond News - Imagine you have no newspaper

In addition to the blank front pages, Stangl wrote a column about the importance of community newspapers and published a column by APG-ECM Media News Director Keith Anderson, which had been distributed by the MNA for Minnesota Newspaper Week.

“I wanted to address the whole ‘print is dead’ thing as well,” Stangl said. “That’s the granddaddy of all fake news stories is that print is dead. Twenty years ago, they told us that all papers would be gone in 10 years.”

The WNA is considering adopting a similar coordinated “whiteout” effort for Wisconsin newspapers in the future.

The New Richmond News and the City of New Richmond have settled a lawsuit that stemmed from the redaction of public information in police reports.

A stipulation for dismissal was issued July 28 in St. Croix County Circuit Court, which includes a provision stating there would be no further cost to either party in the lawsuit.

The suit was originally filed in 2013 by former publisher Steve Dzubay and the New Richmond News, who alleged the city violated Wisconsin's public records law by redacting the identities of subjects named in accident reports. The city said the redactions were mandated by the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act.

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The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is partnering with ProPublica and its Documenting Hate project to collect reports of bias incidents and hate crimes in our state. The nationwide project includes dozens of news, academic and advocacy organizations that have joined to expose the impact of bigotry in America.

WCIJ is asking residents who have witnessed or experienced hate crimes or incidents of bias to report them using a form on their website. The reports will be used for reporting on bigotry and become part of ProPublica’s national database.

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A study of political polarization in a Kentucky city and a neighboring rural county aims to identify ways local news outlets and community members could engage with each other to build trust and find solutions to community issues.
 
"From Polarization to Public Sphere" is a project of Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism. In its early findings, the study recommends "solutions journalism" – reporting on responses to social problems – as one method to help rebuild the public's trust in local news media at a time when many Americans perceive news outlets as biased.
 
Community journalist Jennifer P. Brown, who spoke in February at the WNA Convention, has written about the study for The Rural Blog, which is published by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. Al Cross, the institute's executive director, is the featured speaker next week at the WNA Trees Retreat in Eagle River. He'll discuss some of the issues touched on in the report, including the rural-urban divide and how journalists can build trust in their community and exploring local issues and local angles on national issues.

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The Milwaukee Press Club has announced eight journalists will be inducted into the club’s Media Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 20.

The 2017 inductees to the Wisconsin Media Hall of Fame are:

• Mike Anderson, WISN-TV
• Mike Gousha, WTMJ and WISN Television, Marquette University Law School
• Mikel Holt, Milwaukee Community Journal
• Garry D. Howard, The Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Damien Jaques, The Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Myra Sanchick, WITI Fox6
• Bob Riepenhoff, (deceased), The Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Eric Von, (deceased), WMCS-AM

This year marks the 77th anniversary of National Newspaper Week (NNW), Oct. 1-7. The annual observance celebrates and emphasizes the impact of newspapers to communities large and small all over.

Materials for NNW will be available for download at www.NationalNewspaperWeek.com in late September. Reminders will go out in coming weeks, but mark your calendars now and make plans.

The NNW content kit will contain editorials, editorial cartoons, promotional ads and more, all available for download at no charge to daily and non-daily newspapers across North America. NNW is sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers, Inc., the consortium of North American trade associations representing the industry on a state and provincial, regional and national basis.

This year’s theme is “Real Newspapers ... Real News!” The aim is to applaud and underscore newspaper media’s role as the leading provider of news in print, online or via mobile devices.

Many publishers and editors also editorialize about their newspapers' unique relevance. This can be about your government watchdog role, coverage of community events, publication of timely public notices, etc.

Since the principle is timeless, the materials, new and archived, remain on the website and accessible year-round as a continuing resource.

As the new school year approaches, the WNA has started fielding questions from members who are being asked by their local school districts to publish information about the National School Lunch Program.

The WNA wants to clarify that these notices are not required to be published in local newspapers.

The federal government requires school districts to notify district residents of the National School Lunch Program, including providing the information to local news media. It is up to the newspaper to decide if they want to publish the information for free or ask the school district to pay for the space.

The bottom line, however, is the school district is not required to run the information as a paid public notice in a newspaper.

If you have any additional questions, please contact WNA Executive Director Beth Bennett at 608-283-7621 or beth.bennett@wnanews.com.

Learn more about the National School Lunch Program

The State Bar of Wisconsin will hold a free reporters’ legal workshop for members of the Wisconsin media from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 at the State Bar, 5302 Eastpark Boulevard, Madison.
 
The workshop will feature new tools to help report on the criminal justice system; offer tips from veteran journalists, lawyers, and judges; give insight into open records and open meetings laws; and explore ongoing issues within Wisconsin’s justice system, including mass and disparate incarceration.

A complete schedule for the day with more information on the presenters and panelists is available online. Breakfast and lunch will be provided courtesy of the State Bar, as well as free lodging nearby for Thursday, Sept. 7 for a limited number of early registrants who live at least two hours outside of the Madison area.
 
Questions?  Contact Kristen Durst, State Bar Public Relations Coordinator at 608-250-6025 or kdurst@wisbar.org

Ed Legge, a reporter for the Wisconsin Dells Events, was featured on the newspaper's website this week for his work as an artist and a musician.

His work, which combines both music and art, is on display this month at the Kilbourn Public Library in Wisconsin Dells. A reception for Legge will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22. He will also share his talent on Saturday, Aug. 26 with a craft day special event at 10 a.m. for any age.

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The public is invited to celebrate the Amery Free Press' 125th anniversary from 1-4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 during an open house at the newspaper's office, 215 Keller Ave., Amery.

The newspaper is owned by Sentinel Publications and previously had a series of owners until 1942, when it was taken over by Palmer Sondreal of Amery. The Sondreal family owned and published the newspaper for 71 years. The paper was sold in 2012.

During his time as a newspaper editor, columnist Jim Pumarlo said his newsroom credo was, "The more roadblocks thrown our way to gain access to public information, the more aggressive we became in our efforts."

At the same time, newsrooms should not report public records with reckless abandon, he writes. As with any right, newspapers have an accompanying responsibility.

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How often do you gather your staff to critique your newspaper's design? Design columnist Ed Henninger says critiques should be done every quarter, or at least every six months. In this month's column, Henninger outlines how to conduct a good newspaper critique session.

• RELATED: Taking a closer look: Part 1

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The Capitol Report features news and analysis on statewide government and political issues in Wisconsin. The column is available for free publication by WNA-member newspapers only.

Column for the Week of Aug. 21
Republicans stepping up to challenge Baldwin

"Thinking About Health" by Trudy Lieberman is a twice-monthly column available to any WNA member newspaper. The column is distributed to 17 state newspaper associations through the "Rural Health News Service" and is funded in part by a grant from The Commonwealth Fund.

Column Released Aug. 14
Stalemate in D.C. Leaves Health Insurance in Limbo

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