Virginia's Press

Inside

Nominees sought

Page 2

Looking for Virginian of the Year

How to mine

Page 4

Navigating the Census Bureau website for useful information

New contest award Recognizes contributions of news and advertising

Virginia’s Press www.vpa.net

Fall 2013

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Virginia Press Association 11529 Nuckols Road Glen Allen, VA 23059 Volume 100 • Number 3

Cadwallender to focus on public access Nicholas J. Cadwallender’s first career was not in the newspaper industry. In fact, he was an elementary school teacher in Australia for 12 years.

But he had a connection to newspapers that brought him to the United States in 1990 – his wife, Jeanette, is the daughter of Josiah P. Rowe III, retired publisher of The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg – and to a second career in the news media.

Cadwallender in 2010 succeeded his father-inlaw as publisher of The Free Lance-Star and in July became the fifth representative of the paper to serve as president of the Virginia Press Association Board of Directors.

As he embarks on his year heading the association’s executive committee, Cadwallender said his focus will be on open government issues, as he has done the past few years with VPA Executive DirecNicholas J. Cadwallender tor Ginger Stanley. Plus, he has one of the state’s top FOIA experts on his staff – local news editor Dick Hammerstrom, who was recently honored with the 2013 George Mason Award by the Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro Chapter.

“I believe that the most important work that we do in society is to make governments accountable and I intend to make open government the core of my presidency,” Cadwallender said during a phone interview, noting that he has arranged meetings with members of the General Assembly to discuss open government and “impress upon them the importance of working with the press association to uphold FOIA laws.”

Virginia Press Association Executive Director Ginger Stanley expressed excitement about continuing the fight for open government with Cadwallender.

“I am excited to partner with Nick on visits with legislators and look forward to his involvement during the 2014 General Assembly session,” she said. “I hope his example inspires members to become more active in defending the public’s right to know.”

A native of England, Cadwallender was raised in Australia.

It was in Nepal during a backpacking excursion through the mountains of Southeast Asia that he met a young American from Fredericksburg named Jeanette Rowe. The two married and lived in Australia until 1990 when they moved to Fredericksburg and Cadwallender joined The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co. to start its Newspaper in Education program.

At the time, it was a five-year trial. Nearly 23 years later, Cadwallender is now the company’s publisher and chief executive officer. During those early years, he saw kindred spirits at the newspaper, those who valued giving back to the community, strengthening his own lifelong dedication to serving others.

“Being involved in the newspaper gave me a tremendous opportunity to serve the community. That’s been a role that the Rowe family … has been particularly diligent about,” he said.

“They believe that the ownership of the newspaper is a public responsibility.

“That’s what I found most rewarding. It’s given me the opportunity to know this community intimately and to become involved in important aspects of life in Fredericksburg.”

Active in both journalism and community affairs, he has served on committees for the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and Newspaper Association of America. He serves on the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and chairs its Regional Transportation Action Committee.

He has been active at St. George’s Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry, teaching Sunday School, working with youth and leading fundraising efforts.

When he’s not working or involved in the community, Cadwallender spends his time road cycling or tending to his 3,000-square foot garden, where he grows a myriad of vegetables: asparagus, potatoes, 50 to 60 tomato plants, watermelon, cabbage and more. Oh yeah, he’s also a hobbyist beekeeper.

Those are good activities, he said, to serve as pressure

valves from his newspaper job. He describes the current state of the newspaper industry as a “pressure cooker.”

“When people talk about the demise of the industry, I think if we’re not careful, we’re going to hasten the demise of the industry by cutting the core of the business, which is good news gathering, good news editing,” Cadwallender said.

“If you don’t gather good news, report on it well, edit it well, you are not going to have a strong readership. It requires a lot of effort; it requires a lot of skill. If you are going to cut those core components of the newsroom, you’re not going to maintain your readership.”

Washington Post, Roanoke Times sold The Washington Post and The Roanoke Times didn’t just report the news, they became the news.

Both newspapers made headlines in the past few months when they were sold – the Post to Amazon. com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos and the Times to Omaha, Neb. billionaire Warren Buffett.

For Buffett, the move strengthened his holdings of Virginia newspapers. With the purchase, the Times joined a growing number of Virginia daily newspapers, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The News & Advance in Lynchburg and The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, to be acquired by BH Media, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.

In early August, Bezos agreed to pay $250 million in cash for The Washington Post and affiliated publications. The Post reported that Seattle-based Ama-

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Changes come to Virginian Review Nearly a year shy of its centennial anniversary as a daily newspaper, the Virginian Review faced a daunting decision – how to move forward knowing that a six-day-a-week publication was not sustainable.

The paper, which lost money last year, announced in July it would cut its publication days from six to two effective Sept. 1, printing semiweekly editions on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning Sept. 4.

Horton Beirne, editor and publisher of the Virginian Review who along with his wife Mary Ann and brother Coite are the third generation of the founding family to operate the newspaper, said he set aside money for a rainy day, but “the rainy day came and now there is a hole in the umbrella.”

Beirne said it was a difficult decision to make. “The end result was a choice between a local newspaper two days a week, one day a week or no days a week,” he said.

This change, Beirne said, was the result of declining revenue, a change in reading habits and a decrease in population in the Allegheny Highlands, the region the Virginian Review serves.

The newspaper has been in the Beirne family since 1913 when Major Richard F. Beirne Jr., then a bureau chief of The Associated Press regional office in Louisville, Ky., purchased the Covington Dispatch.

www.vpa.net

Continued on page 11

Major Beirne

VPA Board of Directors Officers President

Nick Cadwallender The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg

President-Elect

Jay Bondurant The Bedford Bulletin

Vice President

Michael Stowe The Roanoke Times

Secretary

Anne Adams The Recorder, Monterey

Treasurer

Bill Owens The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk

Immediate Past President

Keith Stickley The Free Press, Woodstock

Asst. Secretary/ Treasurer

Ginger Stanley VPA

Directors Daniel Finnegan, Richmond Times-Dispatch Gail Harding, The Enterprise, Stuart Maria Hileman, The Winchester Star Steven Kaylor, Danville Register & Bee Jay Kennedy, The Washington Post Cindy Morgan, The Progress-Index, Petersburg Matt Paxton, The News-Gazette, Lexington Marisa Porto, Daily Press, Newport News Steve Stewart, The Tidewater News, Franklin Jenay Tate, The Coalfield Progress, Norton Steve Weddle, The Central Virginian, Louisa Diane White, Womack Publishing, Chatham

VPA/VPS Staff Ginger Stanley, Executive Director Kim Woodward, Assistant Director Diana Shaban, Advertising Director Jeremy Slayton, Editor Ron Clark, Accounting Manager Janet Madison, Member Services Manager Adriane Long, Advertising/Network Coordinator Diane Spencer, Tearsheet Coordinator How to reach us: Phone: (804) 521-7570 Fax: (804) 521-7590 or (800) 849-8717 Website: www.vpa.net

VOLUME 100, Number 3 (USPS 621-640) VIRGINIA’S PRESS (ISSN 0887-5227), the official publication of the Virginia Press Association, is published four times a year.

Subscriptions are $15 per year in Virginia, $20 per year out-of-state,

by Virginia Press Association / Virginia Press Services Inc., 11529 Nuckols Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059 (804) 521-7570.

Periodicals class postage paid at Glen Allen, VA, and additional post offices.

POSTMASTER, please send change of address to: Virginia Press Association 11529 Nuckols Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059 Copyright 2013, Virginia Press Association

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

OUR MISSION

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The mission of the Virginia Press Association is to support our membership through responsive services and resources. We champion the common interests of Virginia newspapers and the ideals of a free press in a democratic society.

OUR PURPOSE We connect our members through valuable business services, effective representation, practical communication and information, and relevant education and recognition.

OUR VALUES The values important to the work of the VPA are fairness, dedication, integrity and honesty.

VICE-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Virginian of the Year Keith Stickley had a great idea in 2010.

(I’m sure he had more than one, actually, but here’s the one that’s stuck with me.)

As VPA’s vice president, he advocated, and the board approved, revamping the selection process for Michael Stowe the association’s Virginian of the Year award.

Stickley, the publisher of The Free Press in Woodstock, wanted the award to recognize someone not for fame or fortune, but for good works or humanitarian deeds that improved the lives of others.

Someone like 2013 winner Walter Segaloff, founder of An Achievable Dream, a Newport News school program designed to end the cycle of poverty through education; or 2012 winner, Doris Buffett of Fredericksburg, who has donated more than $100 million through her Sunshine Lady Foundation; or the Rev. Dr. Robert Bluford Jr., the 2011 VOY winner who founded one of the first free clinics in the state and was a motivating force in preserving hundreds of acres of Civil War battlefields.

VPA couldn’t have recognized – or even found – such great winners without nominations from the Daily Press (Segaloff ), the Free Lance-Star (Buffett) or the Herald-Progress in Ashland (Bluford).

As this year’s vice president – and chairman of the VOY committee – I need your help to find our 2014 Virginian of the Year. Every community has a potential winner. It could be an unsung hero who’s quietly helping others or a well-known community leader committed to making a difference.

Can’t figure out who to nominate? Ask your

readers.

Last year, the Free Lance-Star ran house ads and conducted its own Citizen of the Year contest and submitted the winner to VPA. This year, I’ve asked our local columnist to solicit ideas in an upcoming column.

Submitting a nomination takes some time, as you can see from the criteria, but the reward goes beyond the individual who receives it. I rushed out of last year’s VOY banquet to call my wife, a longtime educator, proud to tell her how VPA had recognized Segaloff for the lifechanging schools he created.

I was quite saddened to hear that he died unexpectedly of a heart attack in August. I met him only for a moment after the banquet but it was long enough to leave a lasting impression.

All because of Keith Stickley’s great idea in 2010.

2013 Virginian of the Year Walter Segaloff, right, stands with Daily Press Publisher Digby Solomon during a ceremony honoring Segaloff in April. Segaloff died August 18.

Michael Stowe

Virginian of the year award qualifications for nominees Nominees must have been born in Virginia or must be a resident of Virginia at the time he/she is nominated.

Special consideration will be given for humanitarian deeds or to individuals or groups whose good works have improved the lives of others.

VPA members encourage community involvement in the nominating process. If you think someone in your community deserves this recognition, the VPA Virginian of the Year Committee asks that you write a letter of nomination (see selection guidelines below) identifying the person, persons or organization and describing his/her/their professional and personal achievements by including as much information as possible about the following areas: • Accomplishments • Awards, accolades and recognitions • Areas of involvement (civic, professional, government, nonprofit, faithbased, etc.)

• Humanitarian deeds and service(s) to others The letter may be accompanied with documents that more thoroughly describe the nominee’s service, achievements and previous honors.

Nominations for the 2014 Virginian of the Year nomination process must be submitted to Virginian of the Year Committee, c/o Virginia Press Association, 11529 Nuckols Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059, by Nov. 1, 2013.

VPA mails invoice for annual dues This is just a reminder – invoices for annual dues were sent to Virginia Press Association members in July. If payment is not received, it will hinder the ability to enter the upcoming news and advertising contests.

VPA bylaws state that “any member in arrears in the payment of dues, after due notice

by the executive director, shall not be eligible to enter the contests and will not be included in the annual directory.”

Also, a free circulation newspaper must meet the following criteria and be an active member if: • The newspaper has been certified by the

National Newspaper Week to be held October 6-12 Mark your calendars now – the annual homage to newspapers is almost upon us.

National Newspaper Week, which has been sponsored by the Newspaper Association Managers since 1940, will be held this year from Oct. 6 through 12. This year’s theme is “Your Community, Your Newspaper, Your Life.”

This special week is the only industry observance of newspapers during the year. Materials will be available online at http://www.nationalnewspaperweek.com/nnw/ beginning September 16 to help promote National Newspaper Week.

National Newspaper Week is an opportunity to celebrate the positive impact newspapers have on their community, especially in protecting the public’s right to know. Editors and publishers of Virginia newspapers may use the VPA’s public notice campaign resources, available online at www.vpa.net. Look for the flashlight on the home page and follow the links to general information and member resources.

Circuit Court in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a newspaper that may be used for legal notices; and • The newspaper has been continually published and in circulation for at least one year, employs a full-time news staff, reports local current events and governmental meetings, has an editorial page, accepts letters to the editor and is – in general – a news forum for the community in which it is circulated; and • The newspaper has a general circulation within the community to which the publication is directed and maintains permanent records of the fact of substance of publication; and • Has an audit of circulation certified by an independent auditing firm or a business recognized in the newspaper industry as a circulation auditor.

All active free distribution newspapers must submit copies of their court certifications and circulation audits to VPA each year.

For more information or to submit the required paperwork, contact Janet Madison, member services manager, at (804) 521-7571 or janetm@vpa.net.

FOR THE RECORD July 12, 2013 The Cavalier Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia The Virginia Press Association board met at the Cavalier July 12, 2013, in Virginia Beach.

Board members attending: Keith Stickley, Nick Cadwallender, Jay Bondurant, Anne Adams, Bill Owens, Peter Yates, Danny Finnegan, Steven Kaylor, Jay Kennedy, Cindy Morgan, Matt Paxton, Marisa Porto, Steve Stewart, Steve Weddle, Diane White. Also attending: Ginger Stanley and Ron Clark of VPA. President Keith Stickley called the meeting to order at 1 p.m.

Minutes: Minutes of the April 19, 2013 board meeting at the Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, were presented by Mr. Stickley. Upon motion duly made by Steve Kaylor, seconded by Danny Finnegan, the board approved the minutes without amendment.

Financial Report: Ron Clark, along with treasurer Anne Adams, presented financial figures through the end of the fiscal year. Both ad networks performed well against budget, and over last year’s actual. Year-to-date the association could come out in the black — a substantial turnaround over last year — though slightly under budget. The networks were $20,000 above budget for classifieds and nearly $50,000 above budget for 2x2s. Seed money from the Future Fund was used to kickstart the new, nonprofit foundation. Upon motion duly made

by Peter Yates, and seconded by Steven Kaylor, the financial reports were approved.

President’s Report: Mr. Stickley noted while VPA may not come in with a net profit this year, there have been several improvements in the organization. VPA looked inward, at its use of resources and services it provides. He pointed to the increase in holdback from 1 to 2 percent, plus an enthusiastic sales effort by staff. He noted VPA’s lobbying effort in the General Assembly helped defeat six bills that would have repealed the law requiring public notices to be published in newspapers.

Executive Director’s Report: Ginger Stanley lauded the recent Classifieds conference as the most successful ever, thanks in part to a national speaker. National speakers will be considered more often. She praised the success of the publisher’s roundtable in generating and sharing ideas; and the Community Journalism Workshop. After 43 days, VPA has not

Minutes, VPA Board of Directors received a reply from the U.S. Attorney General’s office — a stunning silence in response to VPA’s request that phone records the DOJ obtained from AP journalists be returned. Her report noted VCU’s Mass Com Dept. has a new executive director, Dr. Hong Cheng, whom she had met; and Dick Hammerstrom of the Free Lance-Star received this year’s George Mason award from SPJ. Legislative Report: Ginger Stanley updated the board on the status of the amicus brief and appeal in Phillip D. Webb v.

Virginian-Pilot Media. VPA participated on a recommendation from the First Amendment Trustees, and executive committee approval. Eight media companies contributed nearly half the cost while VPA’s First Amendment Fund paid the remainder. She also updated the board on the Freedom of Information Advisory Council and issues it will study this year.

Committee Reports: Advertising and News Awards — Randy Jessee provided a thorough, joint report on the contests, detailing proposed changes. Mr. Cadwallender asked what VPA would do without Mr. Jessee, who has coordinated the contests since 1985, and suggested staff has a contingency plan. Ginger Stanley explained VPA would lose the organization and presentation work Mr. Jessee provides, and would have to hire someone to do the work he provides voluntarily, particularly on the technical aspects. Mr. Cadwallender praised her for doing special things for Mr. Jessee to show VPA’s appreciation. On a motion duly made by Peter Yates, and seconded by Diane White, the board approved the contest committee’s rules and recommendations as presented.

Finance — The finance committee presented the 2013-14 proposed consolidated budget, which includes a raise for staff, who had not received a raise in two years. On a motion duly made by Nick Cadwallender and seconded by Matt Paxton, the budget was approved as proposed.

Membership — Applications were reviewed and unanimously approved as follows: On a motion by Steve Kaylor and seconded by Bill Owens, Blue Ridge Leader & Loudoun Today of Purcellville was accepted for associate membership; on a motion by Danny Finnegan and seconded by Peter Yates, Prince William Today of Leesburg was accepted for associate membership; on a motion by Steve Kaylor and seconded by Peter Yates, The Star Weekly (Stafford Weekly and Fredericks-

burg/Spotsylvania Weekly) of Fredericksburg, was accepted for associate membership; on a motion by Peter Yates and seconded by Bill Owens, Germanna Community College of Fredericksburg was accepted for educational institution membership.

Staff Reports: Professional Development — The committee reported on efforts toward video workshops, multi-media ad campaign building, Online 101 sessions, a manager’s session, and more ideas generated.

Advertising — Ginger Stanley explained the new advertising/political ad program; 56 members have signed up. She praised Diana Shaban for placing ads for some new or dormant clients, and noted the Total Media Directory sales push is under way.

Old Business President Stickley reviewed the work to create a separate, nonprofit foundation. The board reviewed bylaws drafted by a law firm. The executive committee proposed changing the name from Virginia Newspaper Foundation to Virginia Press Foundation, to be more inclusive; the bylaws would be amended to make that change. Mr. Stickley explained the bylaws contained no mechanism to create the initial foundation board.

Mr. Stickley presented a list of well-respected people in the industry. The next work involved will include creating a web site and logo, researching a possible fellows program, and applying for grants. On a motion by Peter Yates and seconded by Steve Kaylor, the bylaws were approved, and the board gave the executive committee the authority to recruit the foundation’s first board.

New Business The board reviewed a request for a donation to the Chip Woodrum Legislative Internship program with the Virginia Coalition for Open Government. On a motion by Matt Paxton and seconded by Cindy Morgan, the board approved a $250 donation.

President Stickley praised Peter Yates, past president, in recognition of his nine years of dedicated service to the VPA board in a variety of roles. ~ Respectfully submitted by Anne Adams

Washington Post, Roanoke Times get new owners zon will not have a role in the purchase from the Graham family, which has owned the paper over four generations of leadership, but that Bezos himself will buy the news organization and become its sole owner when the sale is completed.

In addition to The Post, Bezos’s new private company will own Express, the Gazette Newspapers and Southern Maryland Newspapers in Washington’s suburbs, El Tiempo Latino, and specialty publications including New Homes Guide and Apartment Showcase, The Post reported.

“I think these sales give more reason to look ahead,” said Tom Silvestri, president and publisher of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, which was acquired by BH Media in 2012.

“Hope isn’t a strategy, so the winners will be those who turn a customer and community focus into sustainable growth.”

Just because the newspapers changed ownership, sweeping changes weren’t expected on the local level. Bezos wrote in a letter to Post employees that he won’t be involved in the day-to-day operation of The Post -- “I am happily living in ‘the other Washington’ where I have a day job that I love” -and commended the newspaper’s “excellent leadership team that knows much more about the news business than I do.”

“The paper’s duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners,” Bezos wrote. “We will continue to follow the truth wherever it leads, and we’ll work hard not to make mistakes. When we do, we will own up to them quickly

and completely.”

There were similar sentiments expressed when the Roanoke Times was purchased in late May. BH Media officials stressed that the day-to-day decisions on news stories and editorial philosophy will continue to be made at the local level.

“That’s just not our style,” BH Media Group CEO Terry Kroeger said of the possibility of sweeping change directed from corporate headquarters. “The best decisions about journalism are made locally. We have no interest in dictating what happens with news coverage in Roanoke.”

In a letter to readers, Post publisher Katharine Weymouth wrote that the day of the sale was one she and her family never expected to come. “The board of our parent corporation, including my uncle and company chairman Don Graham, made this decision with a heavy heart but with an absolute conviction that Mr. Bezos’s ownership represents a unique and extraordinary opportunity for The Washington Post and for you, our readers.”

Weymouth, who was asked by Bezos to remain publisher and CEO of The Post, wrote that a new owner does not mean the paper’s mission changes “nor do the values that have been at the core of The Post’s enduring strength over many decades.

Mr. Bezos shares the principles that have guided the Graham family’s proud stewardship of this great news organization.”

However, there will be some change in the future, Bezos wrote, since the Internet has transformed the news business.

He said the path ahead will not be an easy one.

“We will need to invent, which means we will need to experiment. Our touchstone will be readers, understanding what they care about -- government, local leaders, restaurant openings, scout troops, businesses, charities, governors, sports -- and working backwards from there. I’m excited and optimistic about the opportunity for invention,” Bezos wrote.

Need a new press ID? Has your press ID expired? Fallen apart?

Press ID application and renewal forms are posted on the Membership page at www.vpa. net. The form must be completed, signed by the publisher and notarized. The application can be faxed or emailed if the notary seal is in ink; if it is embossed, it must be mailed to VPA. Photos can be emailed to jeremys@vpa. net along with the application. Images must be head-and-shoulder shots and a minimum of 300 dpi. IDs are processed by the Virginia State Police and mailed to the publisher’s attention.

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

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Census Bureau website training offered Ally Burleson-Gibson, a data dissemination specialist with the Census Bureau, this summer showed Virginia journalists how to navigate the Census website to find useful data in a cacophony of numbers.

“In one short seminar, an incomprehensible jumble of data suddenly began to make sense,” said Zachary Reid, a reporter with the Richmond Times-Dispatch and one of 16 journalists to attend the free Virginia Newspaper Academy to get first-hand experience

Ally Burleson-Gibson, a data dissemination specialist with the Census Bureau, leads a Virginia Newspaper Academy on mining data from the Census website.

on the complex data compiled by the Census Bureau.

“I’ve always heard that the census is a treasure trove of story ideas; Ally Burleson brought the keys and unlocked the chest. I left there with story ideas and a clear path to getting them done.”

Burleson-Gibson, a self-styled “data nerd,” showed participants how to access the Census’ quick facts, which offer an easy-to-find snapshot “of different characteristics related to people, business and geography.”

There is a plethora of data contained in quick facts, such as population, minorityowned businesses, persons living below the poverty line and persons per square mile.

“If you don’t pay attention to anything else about the geographical quick facts, (persons per square mile) is a good note to have because it tells you a lot about the area that you are surveying,” she said, noting that it is a statistic that is good for comparative purposes.

More detailed information is available to explore social characteristics, economic characteristics, housing characteristics and demographic characteristics through the American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

The Census Bureau also provides an interactive map on its homepage that includes data from the County Business Patterns program and the 2010 Census. Data for 2011 was released in April.

She recommends using this map when looking for a community’s business-related information as it pertains to the economy.

Sean Gorman with the Richmond Times-Dispatch takes notes during a Virginia Newspaper Academy on navigating the Census Bureau website for data.

“It provides a nice visual. It also allows for easy comparison between counties or cities,” Burleson-Gibson said. “It lets us see what our top industries and occupations are.”

She noted that Census Bureau information can be downloaded, printed or used “at your will” with the proper sourcing.

One of the Census Bureau’s key datamining tools is American FactFinder, which compiles information to a specific commu-

nity or census-tract level. The information is presented on a map that can be downloaded and saved as a PDF to complement reporting.

“We have the ability to create boundaries and features. This is probably the most helpful feature when we’re talking about Census tract mapping,” she said. “Unless you have an extremely visual memory, you’re probably not going to have a tract map memorized or … ingrained in your brain.”

Virginian-Pilot rolls out its tablet app

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

The Virginian-Pilot in August unveiled a digital initiative that could be the reincarnation of an evening newspaper.

Evening Pilot, an app currently available only on the iPad, was officially launched on August 4, but was in the works for nearly a year and began as Pilot Editor Denis Finley researched how people use tablet devices.

“The tablet user, it turns out, is a lot different than the print user and the online user,” said Finley. “They read the tablet in the evening; they spent more time with it; they liked photographs and visuals; they liked long-form narratives.”

Finley organized a committee to study how the newspaper could enter the tablet world with a unique product geared to tablet users and Evening Pilot was born.

Every weekday at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30 a.m., Evening Pilot will showcase longer narrative stories, photos and more that have been selected for the tablet audience.

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Virginia Press Association President Nicholas J. Cadwallender with his wife, Jeanette, on the red carpet during the association’s annual awards banquet in April.

Virginia Press Association Past President Keith Stickley passes the gavel to incoming President Nicholas J. Cadwallender (far right).

This app is free to download from Apple’s App store and will soon be available on Android and other tablet devices.

The newspaper has sold advertising, such as banner ads and sponsorships, specifically for Evening Pilot.

Content for this new publication will be generated by the Pilot’s tablet reporter Louis Hansen, pulled from news sources around the world, and include opinion pieces, political cartoons and photo galleries.

Hansen “will write about whatever we think is suitable for the tablet on any given day. He’s not going to write every day because we’re going to pull from as many sources as possible,” Finley said.

On Sundays, the edition will include columns from conservatives and liberals, projects by Pilot staffers and other news organizations, “a surprise or two here and there” and even the occasional column from Finley to address reader

concerns.

“The thing that we think is important about the tablet is it’s not necessarily only local; it’s what’s interesting, what’s unique, what’s engaging,” Finley said.

He noted that there is a survey available to users on Evening Pilot and the newspaper will track what people are reading or viewing on the tablet in an effort to “constantly improve” the content that is offered.

Finley called this initiative by the Pilot an attempt to bridge the gap between print and digital during what is a trying time for the newspaper industry.

“Our newspaper, our news organization, like every other news organization in the country, faces challenges and faces headwinds,” Finley said. “We’re not sitting still. We’ve launched a new product in the face of all the problems.”

Participants and instructors discuss journalism topics during the Virginia Press Association Community Journalism Workshop in June.

Veteran journalists share newspaper lessons at CJW

List of Participants: Amy Chancellor Paula Hawthorne Mark Trible Cassandra Brown Zachary Hardy Anne Dreyfuss Tim Shea

“There may be nothing there. That is OK,�

Emerson said. “It’s your job to know when all of a sudden some rezoning is speeding right along – where typically it takes six months – this one is speeding right along for no apparent reason.�

Emerson also noted that effective beat management includes give-and-take. “You’ve got to share a little bit of yourself.

The thing about working a beat and building trust is conversation – I open the door a little bit as to who I am; you open the door as to who you are. We build a rapport,� Emerson said. “Our responsibility goes beyond that.

We’ve got to know the deeper things to do our job well.�

Katrice Hardy, tablet enterprise editor with The Virginian-Pilot, said it’s important for reporters to be out on the street and have a long list of diverse sources.  Leaving the office was a sentiment echoed by the other presenters. At one point during the discussion, Emerson wrote the acronym GOYAKOD – Get Off Your A** and Knock On Doors – to stress the importance of being out in the field. “There are no stories in the newsroom,�

Emerson repeated twice for emphasis.

Anne Adams, publisher of The Recorder in Monterey, said people need to see reporters out in the community. “Wherever they are, is where you need to be,� Adams said, noting that one way to learn about a community is by meeting moms. “How many folks really just go ‘I think I’ll drop by the newspaper office for a visit.’�

Jeff Lester, news editor of The Coalfield

Cherise Newsome Mike Connors Ana Upton Kim Walter Leah Small Laura Kebede

Ilsa Loeser Titus Mohler Abby Proch Paige Baxter Cesca Waterfield Courtney Griffin

Community Journalism Workshop participants Paige Baxter, right, a reporter with the Herald-Progress in Ashland, and Kim Walter, a reporter with the Northern Virginia Daily in Strasburg, listened during a session at VPA’s Glen Allen headquarters.

Progress in Norton, noted that reporters shouldn’t always make a beeline to the public information officer when arriving at the government building or courthouse. He also said to be nice to secretaries and clerks to get to know them.

Other tidbits shared during the workshop: • Never, ever make assumptions. • Who are you talking to? Get people on both sides of an issue, but also those in the middle.

• Dress appropriately for interviews and be on time. • “One of the greatest things you can do is shut up.â€? If there is silence during an interview, someone will fill it. • Make it clear what you are there to do. • Use off the record sparingly/find out your editor’s policy. • Leave your business card everywhere. • Get every phone number possible for public officials.

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Mark Trible, sports editor of the online Fauquier Now, speaks with Jeff Lester, news editor of the Coalfield Progress, during a one-on-one critique at the Community Journalism Workshop.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Ginger Stanley VPA Executive Director (804) 521-7575 or gingers@vpa.net

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

For two days in June, it was boot camp for newspaper reporters Veteran journalists shared insights about the news business during the Virginia Press Association’s Community Journalism Workshop where topics ranged from interviewing techniques to beat management to how to use Freedom of Information requests.

During the final day of the workshop, the journalists met with the presenters in one-onone critique sessions.

After the seminar, participant Mark Trible, sports editor of the online Fauquier Now, tweeted that he had an “awesome time.�

Laura Kebede, a reporter with the Richmond Times-Dispatch tweeted the workshop “is blowing my mind� followed by the hashtag thatsagoodthing.

It was an intensive, interactive training for the journalists, some of whom have been in the newspaper business for only a few months. Lou Emerson, editor of Fauquier Now and one of the presenters at CJW, said to effectively work a beat, reporters need to know who to call and they have to trust you.

When learning a new beat, one of the first things reporters should discover is what motivates local elected officials and what connections they have in the community. This can be done through the Statement of Economic Interest that all elected officials in the state are required to file every January. Emerson said it’s also important for reporters to look into leaders on the local governing bodies to know who contributed to their campaigns and what business dealings they have.

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ALL ABOUT MEDIA

People, events in the news

Stanley objects to proposed meeting laws change Virginia Press Association Executive Director Ginger Stanley is out front in opposition of a Hanover County effort to amend the state’s open meeting laws to allow small groups of public officials to meet without notice.

The Hanover County Board of Supervisors on July 24 unanimously passed a resolution asking the Virginia General Assembly to change the Freedom of Information Act to allow three or more members to meet and discuss public business without triggering the requirement that the public be notified of the date, time and place. A meeting would only occur when a quorum exists, according to the proposed amendment.

Current law defines a meeting as any gathering that involves three or more members of a governing body, or a majority, known as a quorum. The law also allows two or more members to attend functions that have no public business purposes or civic events such as debates, forums and candidate appearances.

“We are highly opposed to any change that would essentially allow public officials to hold discussions and deliberations behind closed doors, and would argue that it’s just bad government to consider the convenience of a few elected officials above the rights of the citizens of Hanover County,”

Stanley said in a column by Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Michael Paul Williams.

In the resolution approved by Hanover’s board, it reads that the current definition of meetings “prevents the informal discussion of three members, even when three is less than a quorum, and complicates the duty of senior staff personnel to meet with members to distribute information and discuss issues, thereby requiring additional staff resources, reducing the efficiency of government and increasing costs to the public.”

The resolution further states that redefining a meeting as only when a quorum exists, would increase the “efficiency and effectiveness of public bodies while continuing to support the goals and objectives” of FOIA because no action could be taken by the assembled members of the public body.

Stanley wrote in an email to the seven Hanover County supervisors and County Attorney Sterling E. Rives: “I am not surprised but highly disappointed in my local government for putting the convenience of a few before the rights of my fellow Hanoverians. … I love my county and the wonderful people that live in Hanover and it saddens me to have a negative light cast down on us from the mountains to the ocean.

My greatest hope is that you will reconsider this proposal.”

Hanover Board Chairman W. Canova Peterson IV wrote in an email to Stanley that the county’s resolution “simply expressed the truth that the limitation to only two people having a discussion without advertising for a public meeting is costly to the taxpayers of Virginia. The adjustment to less than a quorum does nothing to reduce transparency while improving effectiveness.”

Stanley countered that the two-by-two-by-two meetings are used by governing bodies to skirt FOIA law.

“The operations of government include ‘brain storming’ discussions and deliberations. Many of your actions, as a public body understandably are controversial and while positive for some, negatively affect others. Citizens should be able to hear all sides on an issue, including the background, in order to accept the outcome,” she wrote.

Further newspaper reports have indicated that some members of the board doubt their proposal will move forward on the state level.

“I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Sean M. Davis told Times-Dispatch reporter Brandon Shulleeta. “Quite frankly, it probably won’t get any support in the General Assembly. … I don’t even think it will be carried (as a bill).”

VPA joins Virginian-Pilot lawsuit

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

The Supreme Court of Virginia in July granted a motion filed by the Virginia Press Association and other media organizations to be a ‘friend of the court’ in support of The Virginian-Pilot.

Attorneys on behalf of VPA and eight media organizations on June 28 filed a motion to participate as amicus curiae in the case Philip D. Webb v. Virginian-Pilot Media Companies LLC. On July 30, the court granted the motion despite objections from the plaintiff.

“Upon consideration whereof, the motion is granted and the brief amici curiae is considered filed,” the court document said.

Craig T. Merritt, an attorney with the Richmond law firm Christian & Barton, wrote that the amici curiae (the organizations represented in the brief) have a compelling interest in the outcome of the appeal.

“They are engaged daily in the investigation of matters of public concern that include the performance of our public institutions – including law enforcement agencies, courts and public schools.

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“It is a core function of news media to look into, and report, the facts when an assertion is made that these institutions are treating citizens unfairly.”

Merritt writes in the brief that the media organizations urge the court to recognize the troublesome nature of the case: “A prominent person successfully obtained a large jury verdict, not because the Pilot article asserted a defamatory implication, but because he effectively argued that it was improper merely to refer to him in a factually accurate story about the discipline of his son.”

VPA Executive Director Ginger Stanley and the VPA First Amendment Trustees recommended the association’s executive committee move forward as amicus curiae.

“We know that a broad media coalition is necessary to strengthen our position and so I invite you to join,” Stanley wrote in an email to Virginia newspaper officials and top editors requesting them to join the effort.

Webb’s suit stems from a news article that appeared on the front page of the Dec. 18,

Updated FOIA guides shipped to newsrooms The 2013 Reporters’ Guide to the Freedom of Information Act in Virginia began landing in newsrooms in August. A special thanks to the folks at the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal for printing the 86-page book.

If you did not receive your books or your newsroom needs more copies, contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 521-7584 or jeremys@vpa.net.

2009 edition of The Virginian-Pilot about two brothers sentenced to jail and community service in an attack on a Chesapeake family.

Two cases initially came from the article.

The first was brought by Kevin Webb, the subject of the article, who was charged with bullying another student and beating the student and his father. It resulted in a $5 million jury award, but was set aside as excessive by the trial judge and subsequently settled.

The current case was brought by Phillip D. Webb, Kevin’s father and an assistant principal in the same public school system where his son attended high school. Webb claimed that the article defamed him by suggesting his son received little or no discipline because of Webb’s position in the school system.

Webb won a $3 million jury verdict, but the presiding judge granted the Pilot’s motion to strike on the grounds that Webb did not produce sufficient evidence to prove actual malice.

In a brief filed with the Supreme Court of Virginia, Webb’s attorneys argue “from headline to concluding sentence, the article implied that Webb abused his position to benefit his own son at the expense of another student, and the trial judge correctly held this implication capable of defamatory meaning.”

Attorneys argue in court documents that at trial, the Pilot reporter who wrote the story testified that he did not think it was possible for Webb to have caused the school system to give preferential treatment to his son. “The reporter had learned during his investigation that his implication was false yet nonetheless proceeded to publish it,” court documents said.

The reporter quoted in the article a spokesman for the school system saying that the younger Webb did not receive any preferential treatment because of his father’s position.

Webb’s attorneys also argue that he is not a public official in part because his position as

an assistant principal “is far too remote” to the conduct of government. Attorneys cited previous court decisions that determined assistant principals were not public officials.

Merritt argues in the brief that the court should take “this opportunity to state clearly that media defendants, when they accurately report true fact on matters of public concern, are entitled to protection from claims of libel by implication unless the plaintiff establishes that the asserted implied defamatory meanings are intended or endorsed by the publisher.”

Media outlets that want to contribute - any amount - in this effort can still do so. The contribution will go into the VPA’s First Amendment Fund and supporters will be listed in subsequent association publications, but not in the brief.

Those Virginia newspapers and media organizations listed on the brief are:

Virginia Press Association The Recorder, Monterey The Free Press, Woodstock LIN Television Corp. d/b/a/ WAVY-TV BH Media Group/Virginia Dailies Richmond Times-Dispatch Bristol Herald Courier Charlottesville Daily Progress Culpeper Star-Exponent Danville Register & Bee Lynchburg News & Advance Roanoke Times Waynesboro News Virginian The Washington Post Virginia Association of Broadcasters Media General Associated Press

Executive Management Retreat

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

Photos by Randy Jessee

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MEMBER NEWS VPA membership grows by four The Virginia Press Association Board of Directors during its July 12 meeting in Virginia Beach approved three publications for associate membership and one community college for educational institution membership.

The association welcomes to the fold: The Blue Ridge Leader & Loudoun Today, a monthly publication in Purcellville; Prince William Today, a weekly publication in Leesburg; The Star Weekly in Fredericksburg; and Germanna Community College.

The Voice becomes a weekly publication The Voice, a newspaper in Whitewood, has changed from a bi-weekly publication to weekly, newspaper officials announced in late August.

Publisher Earl Cole noted that the newspaper had printed bi-weekly since its birth on Oct. 31, 2003, but converted to weekly publication on Aug. 28.

Virginia newspaper removes Democrat from name The Fauquier Times-Democrat changed its name to the Fauquier Times. The newspaper in Warrenton announced the name change in an editorial that appeared in the paper’s June 19 edition.

The editorial reads, in part, “In an age which is, perhaps, more shaped and informed by political identity than any other in our history, having a word in our banner that is so associated with a political party is no longer a very astute business decision. The same could be said if, for the last 24plus years, we had been the Fauquier Times-Republican.”

Richmond Suburban News introduces The King William Local Richmond Suburban News launched its sixth publication on July 3 as the first issue of The King William Local hit news racks.

The monthly community newspaper joins RSN’s other publications: The Mechanicsville Local, The Goochland Gazette, Midlothian Exchange, Powhatan Today and Cumberland Today.

“It is with great pleasure that we, the management team and employees of RSN, accept the welcome mat so many in King William have graciously placed out for us,” said Joy Monopoli, publisher for Richmond Suburban News.

Tribune Co. to spin off newspapers into separate company Tribune Co. on July 10 announced its plans to spin off its publishing business into a separate company.

The announcement came a week after the company boosted its broadcast holdings with a deal to purchase 19 television stations.

Tribune’s newspapers, including the Daily Press in Newport News, Tidewater Review in West Point and The Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, will be spun off into an independent company to be called the Tribune Publishing Co.

Virginia Business wins awards in national business journalism contest Virginia Business won four awards, including one gold and one silver, in a national business journalism competition held in June in Nashville, Tenn.

In a contest sponsored by The Alliance of Area Business Publications, the magazine won a first-place gold award for best headlines, one second-place silver for best magazine cover, and two third-place bronze awards for best magazine feature layout and best explanatory journalism.

The gold award for 2012 magazine headlines by Managing Editor Paula C. Squires, Special Projects Editor Jessica Sabbath and Editor Robert Powell was presented in the contest’s “open” competition among business newspapers and magazines.

The silver award for best magazine cover was presented for a design by Art Director Adrienne R. Watson using an illustration by Richmond artist Matt Brown in the October 2012 issue, “Peering over the fiscal cliff.”

The bronze award for best magazine feature layout involved a Watson design using a photo of a natural gas flame for the cover story in the July 2012 issue, “Virginia’s burning issue.”

Freelance writer Gary Robertson won a bronze award in open competition for best explanatory journalism for “Who’s minding the store?” in the November 2012 issue.

The story looked at the ripple effects of an aborted attempt to oust the president of the University of Virginia.

Washington Post, Virginian-Pilot journalists honored Two journalists from The Washington Post and one from The Virginian-Pilot were honored in the first Best American Newspaper Narrative Writing Contest sponsored by the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference.

Their works will be included in a print and e-book anthology, “The Best American Newspaper Narratives of 2012,” that will be funded by the Vick Family Foundation.

Eli Saslow, a national enterprise reporter for the Post, received the first-place award for his story “Life of a salesman: Selling success, when the American dream is downsized” about a successful Manassas, Va. swimming pool salesman experiencing a summer of disappointments.

“It’s an honor to be recognized along with some of the writers I admire. It’s also heartening to see evidence of so many newspapers supporting narrative journalism,” Saslow said in a press release.

Another Post reporter, Anne Hull, won the third-place award and received $1,000 for her article “Breaking Free,” which traces a teenage girl’s climb out of poverty and her working-class neighborhood in New Castle, Penn., as she prepared for college.

Louis Hansen of The Virginian-Pilot was named as a notable narrative winner for his article “Girl Who Took Down a Gang.”

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

Statement of ownership

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The deadline to file the Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation with the post office is Tuesday, Oct. 1. After filing, the statement must be published according to the following timetable, depending on the frequency of publication: Publications issued more frequently than weekly, such as dailies, semi-weeklies and three times per week issues, should publish no later than Oct. 10.

Publications issued weekly, or less frequently, but not less than monthly, must publish by Oct. 31. This applies to weeklies.

All other publications publish in the first issue after

Oct. 1. This applies to infrequent publications, such as quarterlies, bimonthlies, etc.

All periodical-class authorized publications must publish the statement. A reproduction of the Form 3526 submitted to the postal service may be issued for publication. Failure to file could result in the suspension of eligibility to mail at the periodicals class rate. The form is available for download at http://about.usps.com/forms/ ps3526.pdf.

Once the form is published, please send the Virginia Press Association a copy of the published form no later than Nov. 6 to verify your circulation figures.

Breeze editors receive inside look at newspaper, media business Four editors from James Madison University’s student newspaper, The Breeze, received an inside look at the newspaper and media business in June, thanks to one of their Pulitzer-winning alumni.

The editors, all preparing to lead the student staff during the 2013-14 school year, traveled to Philadelphia for three days of training, shadowing and networking at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Their host: Jeff Gammage, a 1982 Madison graduate who served as news editor at The Breeze during his time there.

Gammage, a reporter at the Inquirer, was part of a 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winning team that documented violence in the Philadelphia school system. After the win, Gammage returned to his alma mater to mentor Breeze students for several days in September. He later invited newsroom leaders to Philly to see daily life at a major metro newspaper.

While the students were in Philadelphia, they spent time observing daily news meetings and coverage discussions; shadowing reporters on the beat; and networking with pros from the Inquirer and other publications.

Breeze sports editor Wayne Epps Jr., a sophomore, went on the field trip of his budding career when Inquirer sports reporter Mike Jensen let Epps trail along while covering Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open.

“It was great getting a first-hand view of how a major newspaper is run,” Epps said. “This trip was an invaluable opportunity.”

Breeze editor Sean Cassidy, a junior, said the trip was an inspiring way to prepare for the coming academic year, when he and the staff he leads will publish 55 newspaper editions, almost 10 special sections, a quarterly lifestyles magazine and a website, all while keeping up with social media and other quickly changing media delivery systems.

Peter Arundel lone family member with ownership in company his father founded Peter Arundel is the lone member of his family with ownership in Times Community Media, a company founded in 1963 by his late father, Arthur “Nick” Arundel.

Peter Arundel earlier this year bought the shares of his mother and siblings to give him 85 percent ownership of the media group, which operates four daily news websites, weekly print editions and two business magazines.

Times Community’s publications - the Loudoun Times-Mirror (LoudounTimes.com), the Loudoun Business Journal, the Fauquier Times (Fauquier.com), the Piedmont Business Journal, the Prince William Times (PrinceWilliamTimes.com), the Gainesville Times and the Culpeper Times (CulpeperTimes.com) - serve more than 645,000 readers. Altogether the websites are visited more than 500,000 times each month. The Prince William Times, an eastward expansion of the Gainesville Times, was launched in January.

“I see a great future in the business of community media,” Arundel said in a story that appeared in the Loudoun Times-Mirror. “Newspapers still have the greatest amount invested in newsrooms, editing and dissemination in news, and therefore remain the most credible source of news in all of media.”

Washington Examiner prints final daily newspaper The Washington Examiner daily newspaper is no more.

The publication owned by Clarity Media Group printed its final daily newspaper on June 14, ending an “8-year legacy of public service and watchdog journalism.”

A new Examiner moved online and to a weekly print magazine with a focus on national politics and policy, investigative reporting and commentary.

OBITUARIES Guy Raymond Friddell Jr. Guy Raymond Friddell Jr., 92, a longtime columnist with The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, died July 20. He was a graduate of the University of Richmond and the Columbia University School of Journalism. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. His journalism career spanned 60 years, including time as a columnist with the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Virginian-Pilot.

John Alan Gunn Col. John Alan Gunn, 82, a retired newspaperman and former editor of the Richmond News Leader, died June 24. A retired Marine, Gunn’s career in newspapers spanned 40 years – 26 years in news and 14 years in sports with newspapers in Monmouth, Ill.; Galesburg, Ill.; Wilmington, N.C.; Richmond; Costa Mesa, Calif.; and Pensacola, Fla. He retired in 1994 as the assistant sports editor of The Orange County Register in Santa Ana, Calif. During his stint in Richmond, Gunn co-authored in 1968 the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Through the

years, he interviewed politicians, sports legends, celebrities and military heroes.

Harry Eugene Seals Harry Eugene Seals, 73, an artist and ardent lifelong learner, died July 23. He was the husband of Louise Crumrine Seals, retired managing editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Harry Seals became a hot-type printer at the Miami Herald and several other newspapers until attending college full-time. He earned a bachelor’s degree in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., 98, a former U.S. Senator and a longtime newspaperman, died July 30. At the time of his death, Byrd was the nation’s oldest living former U.S. Senator. He served 36 years in elected public office – split evenly between the Virginia Senate (1948-65) and U.S. Senate (1965-83), where he succeeded his father, Harry F. Byrd Sr. In 1935, the younger Byrd also

succeeded his father as editor and publisher of what was then The Winchester Evening Star. He was associated with the newspaper for 78 years. Byrd, who was inducted into the Virginia Press Association’s Golden 50 club in 2006, served as publisher of the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record from 1936-41 and then again from 1946-81. He served as a member of that newspaper’s board of directors until his death.

Walter S. Segaloff Walter S. Segaloff, 82, founder of An Achievable Dream schools and the Virginia Press Association’s 2013 Virginian of the Year died August 18. An Achievable Dream was born from Walter’s core principals and nurtured by the deep involvement of the military, the business community and his fellow citizens a perfect marriage of all that Walter believed makes this country great. At every turn Walter was embarrassed by awards because he felt keenly that it was his obligation to “do the right things for the right reasons,”and what he accomplished could not have been accomplished except with the help and support of others.

Personnel Announcements Advance, was appointed publisher of The Roanoke Times.

Alton Brown, formerly the executive vice president and general manager of the Akron Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio, was appointed publisher of The News & Advance in Lynchburg and newsadvance.com. He will also oversee the Danville Register & Bee, the weekly Amherst New Era-Progress and Nelson County Alton Brown Times, as well as associated websites.

Joseph P. Stinnett, the former managing editor at The News & Advance, was named editor of The Roanoke Times.

Caroline Glickman, city editor for The News & Advance, was promoted to the paper’s managing editor.

Phil Jenkins, with 30 years of Joe Stinnett experience in journalism, was named the editor of The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg. Jenkins had served as the interim editor since Ed Jones’ retirement in March.

Betty Hayden Snider, who has served as The Free LancePhil Jenkins Star’s assistant managing editor since 2009, was promoted to managing editor.

Jim Toler, who has served as The Free LanceStar’s local news editor for the past 16 years, was Betty Snider promoted to metro editor.

Gloucester native Renss Greene was hired as a full-time reporter at the Rappahannock Record in Kilmarnock. He cov-

Progress-Index put up for sale by parent company The Progress-Index in Petersburg is one of nine newspapers up for sale by parent company Times-Shamrock Communications, the company announced in late August.

According to published reports, the company plans to diversify media holdings, invest in its core newspaper market and sell off four daily newspapers, including The Progress-Index.

George V. Lynett Jr., publisher of The Scranton Times-Tribune and CEO of Times-Shamrock, told employees of a longterm strategic plan to invest in people and technology in its core print market, which includes Northeast Pennsylvania, as well as the company’s local community newspaper group, commercial printing operation and radio division, the Times-Tribune reported.

“This is a very positive message for our core,” Lynett said in published reports. “For a long time, we’ve known we need to diversify in order to achieve sustainable growth. This is an investment in the local markets and in that type of growth.”

The company has put up for sale four of its daily newspapers,

The Daily Review in Towanda, Penn., The News-Item in Shamokin, Penn., The Progress-Index in Petersburg, and The Virgin Islands Daily News in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, the company’s five out-of-state alternative weeklies are also up for sale including City Paper in Baltimore, Cleveland Scene, Metro Times in Detroit, Orlando Weekly and San Antonio Current.

Progress-Index Publisher Cindy Morgan, who also serves on the Virginia Press Association Board of Directors, said in a published report that the newspaper and its website “will remain pillars of the community.

“We’ve been here serving the Tri-Cities and surrounding area for 148 years,” Morgan said. “We are here now, with more readers than ever in our history. We will be here in the future.

We’re very proud of our achievements and excited about continually serving the Tri-Cities and surrounding area in the future.”

The sale process will be handled by Cribb, Greene, and Associates, a leading merger-and-acquisition firm in the U.S. newspaper industry.

ers Northumberland County government and schools as well as the Town of Kilmarnock. He will also help cover local sports.

Patrick Love, a native of South Hill, returned to his hometown paper, the South Hill Enterprise, as its managing edi- Jim Toler tor.

Wendy Payne, who has worked in the UrPatrick Love banna-based Southside Sentinel’s advertising department for five years, was promoted to advertising manager.

Libby Allen, who was more than 20 years of experience in sales, was hired as a sales representative for the Southside Sentinel.

Cain Madden, a former staff reporter for The Natchez Democrat in Mississippi, was hired as managing editor at The Tidewater News.

John Solomon, former executive editor of The Washington Times, returned to the newspaper in July after more Cain Madden than 3 1/2 years away from it. He will oversee the publication’s content, digital and business strategies.

John Solomon Lori Bainum, a veteran newspaper sales executive and business strategist, was hired by The Washington Times to oversee the publications’ advertising, marketing and sales operations.

Beth Beck Land, a columnist and page designer for the Suffolk News-Herald, left her poLori Bainum sition with the daily publication.

Tim Cox resigned his position as editor of The Caroline Progress after accepting a reporter position for the Bangor Daily News in Bangor, Maine.

Eric Miller, a former editor of the Farm Bureau News and a former reporter at newspapers in Florida and North Carolina, was appointed the new editor of The Caroline Progress.

Jordan Miles, a 2010 graduate of Longwood University and former school board reporter for The Buckingham Beacon, was hired as a staff reporter at The Farmville Herald. Miles will cover Buckingham County.

Charlotte County native Hannah Davis was named the first female sports editor of The Farmville Herald. Davis is a 2013 graduate of Longwood University, where she majored in communication studies.

Ray Finefrock was named executive editor of the Fauquier Times following the resignation of Bill Walsh. Finefrock previously has served as managing editor of the Culpeper Star-Exponent and editor of The Greene County Record.

Ray Finefrock 9

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

Shaun Fogarty, local advertising manager at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, was appointed secretary-treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic Newspaper Advertising & Marketing Executives association board of directors.

Charlie Leffler, sports editor of the MechanShaun Fogarty icsville Local and Goochland Gazette newspapers, stepped down from the position in June to return to his home state of Kentucky.

Brian Carlton, a 10-year veteran journalist, was appointed as editor of The News Virginian in Waynesboro.

Longtime Richmond-area journalist Scott Bass was hired as the editor of the weekly Chesterfield Observer, replacing Nancy Nusser, who moved to Austin, Texas.

Tina Griego, an award-winning journalist with experience at the Denver Post and Los Angeles Times, joined the staff at Style Weekly as its news editor.

Tom Nash, a native Virginian and Virginia Commonwealth University graduate who spent five years in the Boston area working as a jour- Tina Griego nalist for daily, alt weekly and specialty publications, was hired to be a reporter for Style Weekly.

Deana Meredith has returned to her roots as editor of The Central Virginian in Louisa. She served in the same position from 1997 to 2008.

Terry Jamerson, who is vice president of BH Media Group’s Virginia Community Newspaper Deana Meredith Group and formerly the publisher of The News &

New award recognizes contributions of news and advertising The 2013 Virginia Press Association awards program will include a grand prize that recognizes the contributions of both news and advertising to the association’s print and online-only members.

The grand prize will be presented in each competition group to the member with the greatest number of combined points in news and advertising. Points are awarded on the basis of three points for each first place, two points for each second place and one point for each third place.

The news contest has had sweepstakes awards for more than 30 years. As part of this change, an advertising sweepstakes award is being added. The new grand prize will be a capstone award, combining the points in the news and advertising sweepstakes.

The news and advertising awards committees held a joint meeting in May and recommended the new awards to the association’s board of directors. The board’s approval was given at its July meeting.

“In the three years since we combined the news and advertising awards programs, we’ve seen growing camaraderie between the news and ad staffs at the awards banquets,” said Randy Jessee, chair of the news awards committee.

“At this year’s meeting, we saw news staffers cheering for ad staffers and the other way around. We felt it was time to have an award that saluted the cumulative efforts of the two groups.”

To be eligible for the grand prize, a member publication must have won points in both news and advertising.

If there had been an advertising sweepstakes in the 2012

contest, the following would have been the winners: Non-daily group 1: The Tidewater News and the Amherst New-Era Progress Non-daily group 2: The Coalfield Progress Non-daily group 3: The Virginia Gazette Specialty: Style Weekly Daily group 1: The Northern Virginia Daily Daily group 2: The News & Advance Daily group 3: The Virginian-Pilot If there had been a grand prize in the 2012 contest, the following would have been the winners: Non-daily group 1: The Tidewater News Non-daily group 2: The Breeze Non-daily group 3: Loudoun Times-Mirror Specialty: Style Weekly Daily group 1: The Northern Virginia Daily Daily group 2: The Free Lance-Star Daily group 3: The Virginian-Pilot Two other awards – one each in news and advertising – also were approved the board of directors.

In advertising, the existing award for outstanding sales professional will be joined by an award for the outstanding young sales professional. This award would be for ad representatives who were 30 years old or younger during the contest year. Both awards are based on nominations and recommendations.

In news, the existing award for outstanding young journal-

ist will be joined by an award for the outstanding journalist.

This award would be for journalists who were more than 30 years old during the contest year. Both awards are based on nominations and recommendations.

The association’s annual meeting and awards program will be held April 4 and 5, 2014, at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa/Short Pump in Richmond’s western suburbs. Although the meeting is two weeks earlier than in 2013, deadlines will be approximately the same: News entry deadline Advertising entry deadline News entries released to judges Ad entries released to judges News results to members Ad results to members

Jan. 17 at 3 p.m.

Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.

Jan. 31 Feb. 7 Feb. 28 March 7

In the news contest for the 2013 year, the only other change was in the online categories. All of the projects previously required inclusion of a print component. The committee discussed the fact that many members are now doing online-only projects that have no print elements. In addition, requiring a print component prevented the association’s online-only members from entering the categories for which they were best suited. The requirement for a print component was removed from those categories.

Full contest rules will be posted on the Virginia Press Association website, www.vpa.net, by Sept. 15. The contest entry system will be opened in November.

Nominations open for VPA Golden 50 Club nominations First Amendment Award

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

Know someone who is an ardent supporter of the First Amendment?

Then nominate them for the Virginia Press Association First Amendment Award. This award, first presented in 2007, is given to journalists, newspapers or citizens who, in an extraordinary way, seek to advance, defend or preserve the First Amendment.

The criteria are broad. It would include those who challenge closed government, closed courtrooms, access to information or threats to press freedom, such as search warrants and subpoenas. It could recognize extraordinary educational efforts, including First Amendment training, and efforts to change or strengthen laws pertaining to the First Amendment.

Nominations may be made by individual citizens, newspapers, educators or profession-

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al organizations. Nominations must include information on what the nominee has done to be considered for the award. Supplemental information, such as news stories or other documents, must be included with the nomination.

A nomination form and related information, including a list of previous recipients, are available online at http://www.vpa.net/index. php/membership/article/first_amendment_ award/.

Nominations should be sent to Janet Madison, member services manager, at janetm@ vpa.net or 11529 Nuckols Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059; or Dick Hammerstrom, chair of the VPA Freedom of Information Committee, at rhammer@freelancestar.com or at 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.

The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2014.

Do you know a newspaper veteran who has been in the industry for at least 50 years?

The Virginia Press Association is taking nominations for its Golden 50 Club, an honor roll of individuals who have spent a minimum of 50 years in the newspaper industry. Nominations are solicited from the membership and

the honorees are invited to attend the induction ceremony, which will take place on April 5 during the VPA’s 2014 annual conference.

Golden 50 Club honors can be bestowed posthumously. Nomination forms can be found online at http://www.vpa.net/images/ pdf/Golden50_Nom_form.pdf.

TRAINING

The Virginia Newspaper Academy at VPA

Save the date and mark your calendars now for these professional development opportunities.

CIRCULATION ROUNDTABLE Moderated by Sue Baker, circulation services manager, The Free Lance-Star Friday, Oct. 18, 2013 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

VPA Headquarters Virginia Press Association, Mid-Atlantic Circulation Managers Association (MACMA) and Southern Newspaper Publishers Association have partnered for this roundtable for newspaper circulators.

Participants are asked to bring one idea from their newspaper that has helped improve service, grow circulation or increase revenue that they can share with the group. Attendees should also be prepared to share one challenge they are currently facing at their newspaper that they would want to receive input from the group. This session is free and lunch is provided.

WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE DIGITAL AD? With Adam Cook Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

VPA Headquarters Adam Cook, who has more than 14 years of experience in brand, content, advertising, marketing, consumer and media research, will help participants learn how to make digital advertising effective during an upcoming Virginia Newspaper Academy.

In an increasingly competitive business and media climate, understanding how to maximize your advertisers’ ROI is more important than ever. This session will help you do just that.

Topics on how to set advertiser expectations, what elements make a digital ad effective, branding and how it impacts results, and most importantly, how to maximize potential response for your advertisers will be covered in this interactive session. Not only should this session be useful in helping you retain business, but also in helping you grow business.

Cost is $70, which includes lunch and VPA members may send two staffers for the price of one!

SALES LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP – MOTIVATING, MANAGING AND MORE With Carolyn Cullen, regional advertising director, Central Virginia Media Group Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

VPA Headquarters Being a sales manager is more than closing sales and meeting quotas. Managing a sales staff can be a challenging job.

This interactive, three-hour session will include information on: • setting expectations • coaching • managing • delegating It is moderated by Carolyn Cullen, the Regional Advertising Director for the Central Virginia Media Group. The cost is $45.00 – lunch is included – and VPA members can send two attendees for the price of one.

LEGAL ISSUES FOR JOURNALISTS ARISING FROM NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES With W. Wat Hopkins Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

This workshop will cover complications the Internet and social media cause in the areas of defamation, privacy and anonymity (by both sources for reporters and anonymous posters on electronic bulletin boards).

It will also cover how copyright has become a troublesome issue for traditional news media and problems of using social media as sources of information. Cost is $45, which includes lunch. VPA members can send two for the price of one.

ADVERTISING ROUNDTABLE With Cindy Morgan, publisher, The Progress-Index Thursday, May 1, 2014 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

VPA Headquarters

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to attend an Advertising Roundtable brought to you be the Virginia Press Association and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.

This session, which is designed for ad managers and directors, is moderated by Cindy Morgan, publisher of The Progress-Index in Petersburg.

There is no charge (and lunch is included!) for the first 25 registrants. Deadline to register is April 23, 2014.

ENGAGING THE YOUNG AUDIENCE With Jenn Burleson Mackay Thursday, May 15, 2014 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

How are young people getting their news? What online features do they prefer? How important is social media to their news consumptions? Are there particular news sites that they prefer to use for their media consumption?

If you had to build a newspaper business for this audience – what would you build?

This session will look at how young audiences consume the news. It will consider the role that social media plays in their news consumption as well as which online news features appeal to them the most. Session will also include a panel – details are pending. Cost is $70 and VPA members can send two for the price of one.

COMMUNITY JOURNALISM WORKSHOP June 19-20, 2014 VPA Headquarters It’s been described as a “boot camp” for new reporters.

It’s launched numerous newsroom careers.

It’s an effective skills refresher for mid-career reporters.

It’s been the foundation for many VPA news contest award winners.

The details are pending, but it’s not too early to start making plans. Stay tuned as workshops are finalized. You can even register, if you are so inclined: For more information contact Kim Woodward at (804) 521-7574, kimw@vpa.net or visit the training section at www. vpa.net.

Virginian Review He began publishing the Dispatch weekly on Jan. 1, 1914, then on Aug. 10 of that year, he started the daily Covington Virginian to share news of World War I more frequently with the residents of Covington and surrounding communities.

The paper, renamed the Virginian Review on Jan. 1, 1989 after purchasing the Clifton Forge Daily Review, celebrated its 99th anniversary on August 10.

The Beirne family is synonymous with Virginia newspapers. Four generations of Beirnes have been involved in print publications. Richard F. Beirne Sr. (Horton Beirne’s great-grandfather) was the owner and editor of The State newspaper in Richmond in the 1880s and 90s until his death in 1893. He was the second president of the Virginia Press Association – the first of three Beirnes to hold the position.

Some of Horton’s earliest memories involve the newspaper. His first being the flatbed press used to print the paper each day from 1928 to 1951. When he was five, he accompanied his father, Richard F. Beirne III, to the newspaper and passed the time by picking

up lead slugs – pieces of metal type from old linotype machines – to be melted and reused.

Horton Beirne’s professional career found him in the newsroom. He spent three years with the Richmond Times-Dispatch as the bureau chief in Warsaw before he returned to Covington for the past 41 years.

His love for the newsroom stemmed from a stint in news as a high school student. “Every day was different. The different people that you meet; different situations you come up on.

It’s fascinating. No day has been the same,” he said.

Despite the changes at the Virginian Review, they have not lessened the paper’s importance to the community it serves. Papers are the watchdog for local government, Beirne said.

“I think there will always be a need for small town, community newspapers,” he said.

In its history, the Virginian Review has only missed two days of publishing, which came in July 2012 when a powerful derecho rocked the Highlands, causing a power outage for several days. An extra edition was printed on Dec. 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

“For 99 years, members of the Beirne fam-

Photo By Gavin Dressler/Virginian Review

Third generation family members of the founding family of the Virginian Review currently manage the newspaper, which turned 99 years old on Aug. 10. They posed for a photograph in the paper’s mini-museum at the office on Maple Avenue in Covington. From left, Coite Beirne, Mary Ann Beirne and Horton Beirne. Coite and Horton are grandsons of the founder and Mary Ann is Horton’s wife. Also in the picture is an Associated Press printer used in the newsroom until replaced by computers. In the center is one of the first computers that replaced typewriters for reporters in 1973.

ily have been serving the community with the Covington Virginian and Virginian Review, contributing to the lives of each family and individual,” Horton Beirne wrote in July. “This

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

Continued from page 1

tradition will continue. While the business is family owned, the real stockholders of the company are the paper’s subscribers and advertisers. We report to them.”

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Harry F. Byrd Jr. dies

Virginia’s Press • Fall 2013

Harry F. Byrd Jr., a former U.S. Senator and a longtime newspaperman, died July 30 at his Winchester home. He was 98.

Byrd, who was more well-known for his political career and being the first Independent elected to the U.S. Senate, was just as involved in journalism, working in newspapers for nearly 80 years.

Before entering the realm of politics, Byrd joined another family business – newspapers. He started working at what was then The Winchester Evening Star in 1935 when he succeeded his father, Harry F. Byrd, as the paper’s editor and publisher.

According to The Winchester Star, the younger Byrd wasn’t destined for the newspaper business, planning instead a move to Paris and a position with Freeport Sulfur Co. However, in 1935, Byrd wrote a letter to his father with details of how to improve The Star. His father’s response was short: “Why not come home and put those ideas into practice?” the newspaper reported.

The younger Byrd took his father’s offer and embarked on what became a 78-year career in newspapers. He also served in the Navy during World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander and was executive officer of a patrol bombing squad.

In 1950, Byrd was elected a director, and then vice president, of The Associated Press, serving in those capacities for 15 years, The Winchester Star reported. He also served as publisher of the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg from 1936 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1981. He continued to serve as a member of the newspaper’s board of directors until his death.

In 2003, Byrd was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. Byrd was also a member of the inaugural class of the Virginia Press Association’s Golden 50 Club; the first inductions were held in 2006, coinciding with the VPA’s 125th anniversary.

VPA Executive Director Ginger Stanley spoke warmly of Byrd’s friendship and mentoring.

“I was blessed to have Sen. Byrd as my mentor all these years, especially in the mid80s, when I was new to the political world of lobbying for the newspaper industry,” she said. “His advice to ‘steer clear of party affiliations and work both sides of the aisle every

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time you need votes,’ has served the newspaper industry and this lobbyist well.

“His phone calls to me over the years were priceless and always made me feel good about my chosen career. I will miss his calls and his genteel wisdom. I will miss my friend.”

Byrd’s son, Thomas T. Byrd, currently serves as the publisher of The Winchester Star and Daily News-Record; Thomas Byrd was president of the Virginia Press Association in 1985-86. Byrd Newspapers own nine papers in Virginia, including The Winchester Star, Daily News-Record, Page News & Courier and The Warren Sentinel.

In the edition following Byrd’s death, The Winchester Star offered its view of Byrd. “He was a courtly man among men, candid and witty, and to us here at this newspaper, with which he was associated for 78 years, a fixed ‘Star’ whose memory will be treasured and perennial ‘good humor’ cherished.”

William C. Mims, a justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia and the son of longtime Daily News-Record editor D. Lathan Mims (the Virginia Press Association’s award for editorial service to the community bears his name) recalled Byrd fondly.

“Sen. Byrd was a Virginia gentleman in the best sense of the word,” Mims told The Winchester Star. “His life was devoted to serving his country, his state, his community and his family. He was indeed a gentle man, who treated everyone he met with grace and dignity.”

A longtime conservative Southern Democrat, Byrd broke away from the Democratic Party in 1970 due to its growing liberalism and became the first Independent to win election to the U.S. Senate with a majority of the vote against two major-party nominees.

He was easily reelected in 1976.

Together with his father, they occupied the senate seat for 50 years.

Richmond Times-Dispatch political columnist Jeff E. Schapiro described Byrd in a news obituary as “silver-haired, blue-eyed and apple-cheeked. He was given to a firm handshake, a deliberate speaking style and a slightly reedy laugh. Sen. Byrd could be mischievous, occasionally telling audiences, ‘I bring good news from Washington: Congress is not in session.”

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell ordered all

state flags to fly at half-staff for two days in memory of Byrd.

“Sen. Byrd was an iconic figure in Virginia history. He lived through a century of immense change, both here at home and abroad, and he never sat on the sidelines,” McDonnell said in a statement. “From his time in public office to his long career in journalism, Harry F. Byrd Jr. was at the center of the great debates and policy discussions that marked our nation’s path forward.”

Harry Byrd

YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR NEWSPAPER, YOUR LIFE. National Newspaper Week October 6-12, 2013