The Washington Newspaper, February 2021

TWN

THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER

New editor takes the reins in Woodinville Page 3

February 2021

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Looking ahead: staying flexible on convention

Better Newspaper Contest to open April 1

We have often joked in the newspaper business that we could put a headline at the top of every issue’s front page that says: “Future uncertain.”

That is certainly true today as we plan for the year ahead.

One major event that won’t happen in the same way as years past is Legislative Day in Olympia.

Everything in state government these days is virtual.

Gathering in conference rooms, or at the Supreme Court or at the Governor’s Mansion will not be allowed.

We are still waiting to see if virtual activities will take the place of this year’s gathering, or whether we will cancel altogether. Stay tuned.

Our other major event of the year is the annual convention, this year scheduled for Oct. 8-10 in Bellingham.

At this writing, it is vey unclear whether that convention will be possible. We are hoping for the best, but the Board of Directors at its January meeting decided we need to stay flexible in case cancellation is necessary.

This isn’t such a bad idea.

We have so much talent in

We’re off to a quick start here at WNPA and already we’re gearing up for the 2021 Better Newspaper Contest.

Our contest committee met to go over the rules, to evaluate last year’s contest and to make any necessary changes.

Most of the contest remains pretty much the same, but the committee tweaked a couple of things.

First of all, a new award will be given for the best coverage of a COVID-19 issue. This could be a feature, or hard news or a business story, as long as it relates directly to the pandemic and its impacts.

Also, in the past we have given out community service awards in news and advertising.

This year, entries will be combined to recognize contributions across the paper. Most community service entries include ads and stories, so this is a good way to recognize the paper’s committment to a project.

We also reviewed circulations, and in a few cases, papers have moved to new categories.

You can review everything, rules included, at wnpa.com > For Members > Documents Folder > 2021 BNC Content.

People interested in leading ad and news workshops wanted

our membership, and so much to share with each other that making this year’s convention a home-grown affair makes a lot of sense.

Toward that end, we are asking people in the membership what kinds of workshops they would like to see and if people are willing to lead a workshop at the convention.

Workshops can cover any topic, from news to advertising to page design, to photography and videos. If you have a special talent, or possess knowledge you like to pass along, please shoot the WNPA staff an email.

One idea this is consistently put forward are short presentations on successful projects.

Everyone is looking for new things that work. If you’ve had particular success with a new special section, or if you’ve taken a new approach to old idea, we want to hear from you.

No pressure. If the convention doesn’t happend, perhaps a series of zoom workshops will be possible.

So put on your thinking cap and ask yourself what you have to contribute. We are anxious to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Not too early to gather entries

Steve Mitchell of the Methow Valley News earned a photography award in the 2020 Better Newspaper Contest for this shot of a Christmas fireworks show.

New job board debuts A new version of our job board is now active on wnpa. com.

It allows people to search job listings by position, or, to see all jobs, just pucnch the search button without specifiying a position.

WNPA members also can post job openings themselves if they have a password to the the WNPA website.

Those wishing to have that ability can contact Member Services Director Janay Collins at ads@wnpa.com or by calling the office at 360-344-2938. She will set you up with a password.

We also will continue to post ads for you, if you decide that is more convenient. To do that, just email your job listing to Janay’s email address.

Legal emergency? Call WNPA for assistance

At WNPA, we are devoted to helping our member newspapers protect themselves from lawsuits, libel actions and other legal emergencies that arise from doing their journalism.

For years, we kept an attorney on retainer and members were allowed to call the attorney directly, and people were calling about lots of nonemergency issues the WNPA staff was qualified to handle. Many of these non-emergency questions concerned access to meetings and documents, questions about becoming a legal newspaper, copyright infringement and plenty of other issues.

Ultimately, the WNPA Board of Directors decided that keeping an attorney on retainer to answer these non-emergency legal questions was veering pretty far from the original pur-

pose of our legal hotline, and because legal advice from practicing attorneys often costs $400 an hour or more, the board decided to rein in use of the hotline.

Our policy today is this: If someone serves you with a subpoena, presents you with an order to turn over files, files a lawsuit against you, issues you a summons to testify, or takes some other legal action against you that requires an immediate response, you should call WNPA first to get clearance to talk to our hotline attorney.

This consultation is limited to one hour and is paid for by WNPA. Questions about open meetings and records usually can be answered by the WNPA staff, so feel free to call.

Legal questions about your business should be referred to your local attorney.

Officers: Caralyn Bess, President; Steve Powell, First Vice President; Michelle Nedved, Second Vice President; Patrick Grubb, Past President.

Trustees: Roger Harnack, Scott Hunter, Teresa Myers, Pili Linares, Eric LaFontaine and Donna Etchey.

THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER is the offical publication of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. It is published monthly by WNPA, PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368.

Fred Obee: Executive Director: 360-344-2938 Email: fredobee@wnpa.com Janay Collins, Member Services Director: 360-344-2938. Email: ads@wnpa.com 2 The Washington Newspaper February 2021

FROM THE PRESIDENT

We gain credibility with our readers day after day, one story at a time

By Caralyn Bess We made it past the inauguration…President Trump handing the leadership of our great nation over to President Biden…along with a lot of hype and controversy that continues to divide our country. Not only has it divided our country, but it has also hurt our industry as we are labeled “the media.”

CNN left-leaning, Bess Fox, right-leaning… the challenge it presents for us, is the perception that all media is biased.

In that same week, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He was a man who offered leadership and wisdom, that frankly, we need to adopt today. While many of his quotes are inspirational, there is one in particular that really hits home in what we do as journalists and guardians of our communities: “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

Pretty profound. That is what we, the news media, and local journalists serving our communities, are charged with. To rise above the narrow confines of our individual concerns and beliefs (bias) to focus on the broader concerns of the communities we serve. To provide fact-based, balanced, unbiased information. Information that people can trust, news that provokes thought, news that educates, allowing people to make informed decisions.

So how do we break through the noise? All of the armchair quarterback reporting and commentary on social media and the sharing of disinformation and misinformation? We hear people blaming “the media” for the division and unrest.

Quoting Matt DeRienzo from an article in Editor & Publisher: “Google and Facebook have made a lot of money from platforms that have been

blamed for the viral spread of misinformation, intentional disinformation campaigns and hate speech. In the process, they’ve also commoditized digital advertising (a story itself), and disrupted the traditional business models that support the journalism that cuts through that misinformation.”

How do we change those perceptions, at least locally? How do we rise above it and separate ourselves from that? How do we cut through that misinformation? How do we get people to reengage with local, community newspapers?

We do it, one story at a time. One conversation at a time. We do it by being connected to our communities, not just covering the news, but really being connected to our communities.

We do it by responsible journalism.

Ensuring that every story we publish, in our papers, on our websites, and in our social media, is fact-based, balanced, and unbiased, and just as important, is relevant and meaningful to our respective communities. We accomplish that if we are truly connected to our community and living

by MLK Jr.’s words of wisdom, rising above the narrow confines of our own individual concerns to the broader concerns of our communities.

These are all conversation topics that the Rural News Initiative project

team is having. This is a project initiated by NWPB and Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at WSU that I have been asked to serve on.

The team includes a cross-section of leaders from national distributors of news, regional collectors and distributors of news, academic leaders in rural journalism, national leaders in journalism, regional leaders in community needs, and interested national and local leaders who are committed to solving this problem. We are in the early stages however. As we move forward, I will share with all of you. If any of you would like to discuss this topic or if you have ideas you would like to see the WNPA explore, please reach out to me, cbess@hagadonemedia.com or 509-765-4561.

As with previous columns, I’ll leave you with my request for each of you to carry these messages forward to your community and to your legislators, to garner their support of local journalism and the passage of pending legislation that benefits local journalism. The passage of these bills will provide us the time and resources we need to pivot.

Cheers to a bright future.

Caralyn Bess is the publisher of the Columbia Basin Herald and this year’s WNPA president.

States eye pulling legals from papers

The Public Notice Resource Center is presently tracking about 60 different public notice bills introduced in 22 states so far in 2021.

That includes all legislation that has any impact on public notice laws — even in a minor way.

Legislators in 10 of those states have introduced bills that would move all or a significant percentage of notice from newspapers to government websites.

Those numbers aren’t particularly unusual.

They’re similar to figures we’ve seen in previous years at the beginning of legislative sessions. Nevertheless, the public notice

wars feel more fraught this year than they have in the past, due primarily to budget shortfalls resulting from the pandemic and increased partisan rancor.

Whether that elevated level of concern is warranted remains to be seen.

What has been different so far this year is an uptick in the number of bills that would give the force of law to notices published on newspaper websites.

Legislation introduced in four states would require newspapers that qualify to run notices in print to also post the notices at no additional cost on their own websites and/ or their press association’s

statewide public notice site. Press groups in three of those states (Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconsin) back the effort. The Michigan Press Association also plans to support the introduction of a web-posting bill later this session. Statutes requiring notices to be published on newspaper websites are already law in 14 states.

Meanwhile, seven different bills in three states (New York, Maryland and Connecticut) would authorize local government units to post original notice on newspaper websites and/or other local news websites in lieu of newspaper publication.

These bills aren’t

unprecedented — similar bills were introduced in smaller numbers in previous sessions — and they appear to have little chance of passing. But it’s a trend that bears watching.

WNPA maintains a statewide legals website to guard against state officials deciding to pull legals from printed newspapers.

Maintaining the site takes away the argument frequently made by legislators in other places that legals should be easily discovered online and kept in one place.

For more information on uploading your legals, contact WNPA.

Guido promoted to Woodinville editorship Laura Guido, designer/ reporter at the Woodinville Weekly, Guido has gained a new title: editor.

Having previously worked at the Whidbey News-Times in Coupeville, Guido joined the Weekly in February of 2020. Since then, she has completely transformed the look and content of the paper.

“When the pandemic hit, Laura kept her feet to the grind and made sure we never missed

a paper,” said Eric LaFontaine, owner and publisher of the Weekly.

The position has been vacant since Bob Kirkpatrick left the paper in September.

With the team now assembled, LaFontaine said the Weekly will begin publishing more digital content at a faster pace, with the print paper as a compliment to the digital news experience.

“Laura will continue to solidify herself as a tremendous journalist and I’m very proud of her for taking on the editor role,” LaFontaine said.

WITH OVER 60 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE KNOW JOURNALISM. From public records to protecting journalists, from defamation claims to business needs, large and small Washington publishers turn to us.

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The Washington Newspaper February 2021 3

Our goal: Every paper should sell one ad!

Selling statewide or regional 2x2 or 2x4 Impact Ads is a big part of what helps fund your Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, and it’s a great option for advertisers seeking broader reach for their messages.

It also is a perfect match for hotel-motel tax funds distributed annually by cities and counties to local non-profit groups. If you have not already, you should ask your city and county governments (each has separate funds) for a report on where the hotelmotel tax money is going.

In most cases, the non-profit organizations that receive this money are supposed to spend it in outside markets that will draw people to your town.

Although most events are limited right now, at some point we will get back to community gatherings. If anything, people will be itching to get out next spring and summer and these ad dollars are often planned a year ahead of time. It’s not too early to check on plans for 2021.

WNPA ads are a perfect match for boosting community events because you can choose to advertise regionally or

statewide.

Here’s how it works: • You sell the ad to a local non-profit organization to bolster tourism.

• You charge your client for the full cost of the ad, and send an insertion order to WNPA. WNPA then invoices you for half the cost of the ad, splitting the revenue on the ad sale. The advertising sales person gets their regular commission on the sale.

• WNPA uses our share of the money to provide your legal hotline, professional services, Legislative Day, the Better Newspaper Contest and the annual convention.

• We keep the cost to the client affordable by asking all member newspapers to publish the ads sold by other newspapers without cost.

Potential customers include festivals, fairs, resorts, real estate offices, state agencies, statewide or regional political candidates – anyone who desires a cost effective regional or statewide campaign.

Because member newspapers publish these ads for free, we can only promise that they will run as black and white ads. If you include a color version, many papers will use it instead,

The map above shows the regions for Impact Ads. Sell the whole state, or choose a region.

4 The Washington Newspaper February 2021

but there is no guarantee of this.

The ads are small – just two columns wide by either two or four inches tall. One column by four or eight inches are also OK. They

need to be produced in two different widths, to accommodate different column widths.

So talk with local chambers or festival organizers or others who receive hotel-

motel tax money from local governments, and let’s start planning our comeback.

The WNPA 2x2 ad program is an important arrow in your sales quiver and a great way for advertisers in

your area to reach a broader audience at a very affordable price. Questions? Call Member Services Director Janay Collins at 360-3442938 or email ads@wnpa. com.

Affinity Publisher: Is it time to dump Adobe Indesign?

By Kevin Slimp It’s been a while since a column has drawn as much response as my November review of Affinity Publisher, the layout application that has so many designers, editors and publishers talking. As a reminder, Affinity Publisher is an application with many of the same features as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXpress, but without the monthly subscription fee.

Following that November column, I was inundated with emails from publishers throughout the U.S., Canada and Asia to learn more about the new application.

In response, I held two webinars, attended by more than 100 newspapers, which presented an overview of Affinity Publisher, as well as information about Affinity Photo – an app very similar to Adobe Photoshop – and Affinity Designer, which has a lot in common with Adobe Illustrator.

Following those webinars, I heard back from several publishers and designers who took my advice and ordered the $50 Affinity Publisher application and took it for

a test drive. My advice was simple: Don’t jump off the InDesign or Quark ship right away. Spend $50 (which quickly became $25 when Affinity offered a discount on its applications in January that, as of this writing, is still available).

So far, all reviews are positive. Taking my advice, no one reported leaving their current applications yet, but all seemed very enthusiastic about what they’ve seen in the Affinity products.

There was good reason to wait. Affinity has been working on a beta (1.9) version of their product for months, which I’ve been testing. It has many enhancements not available in the 1.8 version, which has been on the market over the past year. Until Affinity updates Publisher from 1.8 to 1.9, it just isn’t ready to do some of the tasks necessary in newspaper and magazine design.

Here’s the good news: My sources tell me the release of version 1.9 is eminent. It may very well be available by the time you read this column. With version 1.9, users have

almost all the tools they are used to using in InDesign and QuarkXpress, and a few more.

For newspapers and magazine, there are a few areas I find Affinity Publisher lacking, compared to InDesign and QuarkXpress.

• Tables: Publisher has the ability to create tables, and they work fine, but it requires more steps than tables in InDesign and QuarkXpress.

• Libraries: There are no libraries in Publisher, which might or might not be a big deal for your designers. Assets are similar to libraries, but can’t be alphabetically sorted (yet), which is a definite deficiency.

Having written that, I’m reminded that most designers rarely use tables in InDesign or QuarkXpress, however, for those of us that do, they’re very important, so these might be deal breakers.

Since my November column, I’ve been quite impressed at the speed with which the programmers at Affinity (Serif Ltd.) have made additions and

improvements to the beta here are some things you application. should know: The PDF workflow • Affinity Publisher sells works very smoothly now, for $50 (they have it on giving users the ability to sale for $25 as I write this). let a PDF file “passthrough” That’s a one-time fee, not a without any changes to the monthly subscription. original or to open and edit • If you already have, the PDF file in Publisher. or order, the 1.8 version of Trust me, you will rarely, if Publisher, the 1.9 version ever, want to edit a PDF file will be a free upgrade. from an advertiser, but the • There are free 30ability is there. day versions of Affinity Affinity has recently products available at added the ability to merge affinity.serif.com. data from Excel and other • If you order Publisher, databases in Publisher order Affinity Photo. This documents. I played with will allow you to edit photos this feature for about two while working on a page in hours and finally figured out Publisher, without forcing how it works. you to leave Publisher Issues with paragraph to work on the photo in styles, called “Text Styles” another application. in Publisher, have been Have I lost my love for fixed, as have earlier issues Adobe products? No way. with guideline. Frankly, as My relationship with Adobe far as I can tell, everything goes back a long way. In is working as it should. the 1990s the then-CEO I’m sure it was tempting of Adobe wrote to me, for the folks at Affinity “I’m not sure we’d still be (Serif Ltd.) to release in business without you.” version 1.9 sooner. It tells Heck, later this week, I’m me a lot about the company leading a webinar for more that they’ve waited until than 100 newspapers in they’ve gotten all these advanced InDesign. issues fixed before releasing But my love for the it to the public. printed word is greater. I My 900-word limit is won’t be leaving InDesign quickly approaching, so switchSize: to Publisher 3.5” x 2.5” | MaximumtoFont 30 ptany

time soon. But for many newspapers, it might be a way to save hundreds of dollars each month, with no loss in productivity.

My advice hasn’t changed. Go ahead and purchase a copy of Affinity Publisher. Have a designer begin working with it to create ads and report his/ her findings. Then, if/when the time is right, make the move to Affinity.

If you do make the move to Publisher, you’ll want to purchase a copy of IDMarkz from markzware. com. IDMarkz will allow you to convert your InDesign documents to Publisher documents with the press of a button.

I have a feeling it won’t be long before a lot of newspapers will be creating pages and ads using Affinity Publisher, but there’s no rush. Get Publisher, try it out, and see if it’s for you and your staff. In the meantime, don’t get rid of your copies of InDesign and QuarkXpress.

Kevin Slimp is a newspaper consultant.

Contact him at kevinslimp. com.

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The Washington Newspaper February 2021 5

JOB BOARD For a complete listing of employment opportunities, go to wnpa.com.

SPORTS EDITOR The Ellensburg Daily Record sports editor covers local high school sports and Central Washington University’s Division II athletic program.

Preference will be given to those who are well-versed in digital journalism tools, are deadline-driven and are detail-oriented. A strong candidate will be adept with social media and have the ability to engage and draw in readers. The sports editor must also be comfortable shooting their own video and photos.

The Daily Record has a small staff so the ability to work well with others and pitch in when needed is essential.

The job is full-time but is temporarily at 35 hours a week. It does have fulltime health benefits.

Interested candidates should send resume, cover letter, references and five work samples to managing editor Michael Gallagher at mgallagher@kvnews. com.

SALES CONSULTANT The Whidbey NewsTimes and South Whidbey Record, divisions of Sound Publishing, Inc. are looking for a Multimedia Outside Sales Consultant for our office on Whidbey Island.

Professional sales experience necessary; media experience is a definite asset but not mandatory.

We’re looking for someone with: • Strong sales, customer service, and phone solicitation skills.

• Computer-proficiency in database and spreadsheet

software programs.

We offer competitive base pay with commissions, and a benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, a 401k retirement plan with company match, paid time off including vacation and sick leave.

Please email your cover letter, including salary requirement and resume to careers@soundpublishing. com and be sure to include ATTN: ADREP Whidbey in the subject line.

REPORTER The award-winning weekly newspaper, North Kitsap Herald, has an opening for a general assignment reporter.

We want a skilled and passionate writer who isn’t afraid to tackle meaty news stories.

Experience with photography and Adobe InDesign preferred. The ideal candidate is comfortable writing hard news and features, both longform and short. Weekly or daily newspaper experience is preferred, though time worked on student publications and internships will be considered.

This is a full-time position that includes medical, dental, life insurance, 401k, paid vacation, sick and holidays. No calls, please.

To apply, please e-mail to careers@soundpublishing.com and be sure to include GenRep BIR in the subject line; include a resume including at least three professional references, three or more nonreturnable relevant work samples in PDF or Text format (and/or a link to them), and a cover letter addressing the specific job requirements we’ve out-

6 The Washington Newspaper February 2021

lined. Please also include your salary requirements.

REPORTER/ PAGE DESIGNER The Shelton-Mason County Journal is seeking a full-time hybrid general assignment reporter/page designer. The duties of the position will be split about 50/50 between the

two roles.

As a reporter, you’ll be charged with covering a number of beats, as well as community and business profiles. Our journalists are responsible for their own photography as well.

As a page designer, you’ll be tasked with building pages weekly

and contributing to special sections throughout the year. The ideal candidate will have thorough command of InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Other duties may include assisting with ad builds and website management.

Candidates located in, or with knowledge of, the Western Washington

region are preferred.

Please email three to five samples of your writing, three of your best page designs and an example of a graphic or ad that you created to Editor Justin Johnson at justin@masoncounty.com or mail it to P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. No phone calls please.