The Washington Newspaper, March 2019 by Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER March 2019

Wyman to speak at TTT conference Page 3

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Public records bill dead after one hearing

Eyes now turn toward Supreme Court; oral arguments set for June 11 A bill to carve broad exemptions from the Public Records Act is dead after one hearing, and arguments that the Legislature should be subject to the act now move to the Supreme Court. Michele Earl Hubbard, attorney for the media organizations that last year sued the Legislature, said the court will hear oral arguments in the case at 1:30 p.m. July 11. Each side will have about 20 minutes to argue their case. There is no estimate as to when the court will issue its opinion, but opinions are usually released at 8 a.m. on Thursdays. The court posts on Wednesdays opinions that may be released the next morning. People interested in receiving an email notice

can sign up for notification on the Supreme Court’s website. The bill to largely exempt the legislature, SB 5784, sputtered to an early death after testimony Feb. 13 before the Senate State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections committee. Rowland Thompson of Allied Daily Newspapers and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association testified in opposition, saying, “We would rather lose the case than have this bill.” Democratic lawmakers cited testimony from Thompson and other media representatives as a deciding factor in not pursuing the bill. “This bill is a nonstarter, there’s noth-

ing to even work with,” said Senate Majority Leader, Andy Billig, D-Spokane. Members of the Legislature last year attempted to rush through a bill in two days without public comment to exempt themselves from the act after a Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled that the legislature was subject to the Public Records Act and had not been in compliance for years. That attempt sparked an avalanche of emails, phone calls and letters from the public in opposition to the bill. Ultimately, Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed the law. WNPA reporter Emma Epperly contributed to this report.

Seattle Weekly ends 42 year run in print

Registration now open for Legislative Day 2019

The following note to readers was written by Sound Publishing President Josh O’Connor following the decision to stop publication of the Seattle Weekly as a print product: After more than 42 years, Seattle Weekly will print its final edition Feb. 27. The paper was founded in 1976 by local journalism legend David Brewster. Early in its life, Seattle Weekly hit the sweet spot. The paper celebrated Seattle at a time when Seattle was still an

See SEATTLE WEEKLY, Page 2

Rowland Thompson

One of Seattle Weekly’s “Best of Seattle” issues from Aug. 2016.

Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington and WNPA descend on Olympia Thursday, March 14 for this year’s Legislative Day. Online registration is now open at wnpa.com. Scroll down on the home page and click on the Legislative Day tile to begin the registration process. You can register for all or part of the Legislative Day activities. The program is tightly packed this year so please be on time. The day starts promptly at noon in the Senate Rules Room, located in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office in the Administrative Building. A brown bag lunch will be served.

There, we will hear from Legislative leaders from the House and Senate from noon to 1 p.m., statewide elected officials including Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib and Attorney General Bob Ferguson from 1 to 2 p.m., and from agency directors from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. Agency directors include State Patrol Chief John Batiste and Department of Revenue Director Vikki Smith. Following the briefing, participants will move to the Temple of the Justice for a reception hosted by Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst. Other Supreme Court

See OLYMPIA, Page 2

Seattle Weekly: end of print publication Continued from Page 1

needs a clear sense of underappreciated gem. purpose that answers It was written and the questions: Who are edited by educated we trying to engage? urban professionals Where do we want who understood the to be positioned in kind of arts, politics, the market? What are and commentary that the paper’s unique would engage other offerings? At this urban professionals. point, we are unable to As an early player in identify a promising a market with a lot of target audience. upside, Seattle Weekly was And we are facing able to achieve a big significant costs, footprint in the market including newsprint, with both the newspaper distribution, and and its guidebooks. escalating wage costs. A series of ownership Amid the changing changes — including nature of Seattle, it Village Voice Media and remains difficult to Voice Media Group — define a “clear sense left Seattle Weekly on of purpose” that would shaky financial footing by attract new readers, the time Sound Publishing or even lure non-print acquired it in 2013. consumers back to a Under Sound printed product. Publishing, Seattle The passion and Weekly tried to continue ambition necessary an emphasis on to invest in a features and lifestyle reinvention of Seattle topics that would Weekly is more likely appeal to younger to come from an readers, but this, outside buyer. In the unfortunately, came meantime, Seattle right at a time when Weekly will move “younger” readers were forward as a webabandoning print. In only product featuring 2017, Sound Publishing news from Sound relaunched Seattle Publishing’s BothellWeekly as more of Kenmore Reporters a community paper, across the region and but the relaunch state. Thank you to all did not achieve that the readers, advertisers, all-important clear and journalists who sense of purpose. A have shared this successful newspaper journey with us.

OLYMPIA: Register now for Legislative Day 2019 Continued from Page 1

Justices frequently attend as schedules allow. At 5 p.m. the crowd moves to the Governor’s Mansion and dinner with Governor Jay Inslee and First

Lady Trudi Inslee. Photo identification is required for entrance to the Governor’s Mansion. You will be heading home from the Governor’s Mansion at about 7:30 p.m.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

Great journalism takes some work By Michael Wagar I’m crying as I write this. No, these tough industry times are not bringing a tear to my eye, it’s the onions and shallots I just chopped up. My household has been suffering from the cold virus and I am making up a pot of homeWagar made chicken soup. It’s pretty simple but takes a bit of work, as are most worthwhile projects we undertake in life. Onions, shallots, carrots, celery, salt and pepper, some thyme — we always can use more thyme — all sauteed and then, a whole chicken boiled for a few hours. I add seasoned rice to finish it off. It makes a deep broth that feels good on a sore throat. The smell wafting through the house is an added pleasure. It feels solid and good in the stomach as I watch the snow drift down outside my window. I chop and sauté, return to my computer and write a little, moving back and forth from my home office to the kitchen. What does this have to do with journalism? Sometimes we make our efforts so fancy, so social media, so data driven, we take our eyes of the core of what we should do. At the key to our suc-

cess is producing vital, local content that can’t be had anywhere else. Sure, we do the briefs, the city council coverage, prep sports — the basic news of the day. We do a bit of everything. We have comics, crosswords, life features. Why? To get people to pick up the paper, which in turn attracts subscription dollars and advertisers. But it is the investigative pieces that set us apart, that make us a “must read,” that drives our business. It all starts with our newsrooms producing deeper stories, doggedly digging for facts, investigating what others don’t have time nor the inclination to do. That is our true value, our true bank account. And it is simple like making chicken soup. It just takes effort and commitment from owners and publishers, and then it rides on the backs of reporters to follow through by working hard, by not settling for the easy story each day. Editor & Publisher just released its annual “10 Newspapers That Do It Right 2019: Honoring Innovative Revenue Strategies, Impactful Journalism and Creative Audience Growth.” Of the 10, many are finding success in new ideas, new technology, new methods of delivery. And those are all important to take note of and for some of these ideas, to downright steal. As the E&P writers stated, there is more. “On the other hand,

some of them, despite operating with limited staff and resources, are being recognized for doing hard-hitting investigative journalism that produced results and changes in their communities.” One of the 10 papers is the nearby Idaho Press, published in Nampa, Idaho. They are bigger than most of our weeklies with a daily circulation of 16,510, but what they put in place in my opinion is what at a most elemental level we all should embrace. Under new ownership about 16 months ago (Adams Publishing Group), they had two directions: get smaller with “significant” staff reductions, or “get bigger and better,” as stated by its president and publisher Matt Davison. They expanded news

coverage and expanded their circulation territory. They added staff with a new community engagement editor, a new photo editor and a new sports editor, relaunched a third section and revitalized the Sunday Life section. They hired four new reporters, including a government reporter to report out of the state capital. They launched an alternative weekly that publishes every Thursday covering the arts and entertainment. They added a new farm section each Friday. Davidson said the payoff is an increase in circulation by 22 percent Monday through Saturday, and up 31 percent for their Sunday edition. Davidson said they did it not for the almighty dollar, but to deliver a relevant, needed newspaSee WAGAR, Page 5

Officers: Michael Wagar, President; Patrick Grubb, First Vice President; Eric LaFontaine, 2nd Vice President; Sandy Stokes, Past President. Trustees: Colette Weeks, Caralyn Bess, Roger Harnack, Scott Hunter, Steve Powell, Teresa Myers and Michelle Nedved. 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. Staff Fred Obee: Executive Director: 360-344-2938 Email: fredobee@wnpa.com Janay Collins, Member Services Director: 360-344-2938. Email: ads@wnpa.com

Nominations sought for Bradley award Nominations are being sought for one of WNPA’s top honorss, the Dixie Lee Bradley award. The award recognizes newspaper staff members who work long and hard, often behind the scenes, to see that the best possible community newspaper is produced and distributed each week. The selection criteria includes a demonstrated record over a considerable time period of consistent quality work in production, circulation, or front office support. There is no entry fee at the time of nomination. However, should its nominee win,

the sponsoring newspaper must agree to pay the winning employee a $250 bonus which will be matched by WNPA for a total cash prize of $500 for the winner. The winner also receives an engraved clock. To nominate someone, send us a short essay describing why your nominee should win. Be sure to include your contact information and send entries to Fred Obee at fredobee@ wnpa.com or mail to Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368. Deadline for submission is July 1, 2018.

WCOG turns focus to transparency

A panel of journalists sharing their wish lists for access to government records, an overview of law enforcement records management and tips for pro-active posting by government agencies are among the panels scheduled for the Transparency Through Technology conferences March 29, hosted by the Washington Coalition for Open Government. Keynote speaker is Kim Wyman, Washington’s secretary of state. Also speaking is Michael Morisy, chief executive of MuckRock, which provides tools for journalists seeking access to records and does its own digging (and sharing) of government documents. The full day of panels and programs takes place at the Lynnwood Convention Center. Registration and exhibits open at 8 a.m., and sessions run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fee, which includes lunch, is $49 for

WCOG members and $99 for nonmembers. The TTT Conference aims to gather stakeholders in the open government movement to present, examine, brainstorm and problemsolve issues surrounding the creation, organization Wyman and retrieval of public records through technology. A panel of particular interest to journalists is one on “Wish Lists,” with area journalists sharing their stories of struggle and success obtaining public records. Participants include reporters from The Seattle Times, Investigate West, The Ever-

ett Herald and others. A panel on Law Enforcement Records includes representatives of local police agencies, notably Seattle, sharing how they have installed technical tools to ease availability of records. Similarly, a panel on “Lessons Learned” features representatives of cities and other agencies that have implemented automated systems, tracking or other tech tools for greater efficiency (and speed) for public records. Participants include public records officers from Kirkland, Yakima and Bellingham. Several panels include makers of technology to expedite public records retrieval and their customers; the journalists – especially Morisy of MuckRock – will share some of their own tech tips as well. More information is available at washingtoncog.org.

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.

The Washington Newspaper March 2019 3

Methow Valley News wins rural reporting fellowship By Don Nelson Methow Valley News These days, few daily newspapers in America have the resources or ambition to take on in-depth stories that require extensive reporting and research. Weekly newspapers, particularly those in rural areas, seldom can afford to devote time, energy and money to major projects when they are focused on coverage of events and news vital to the civic health of the community. Even in better times, traditional journalism attitudes have worked against creative approaches to supporting that kind of demanding work — call it investigative, non-fiction long-form narrative, community service or whatever. Alternative means of financing big projects were regarded as possibly compromising the effort. Those attitudes are changing, out of necessity and perhaps enlightenment. Non-traditional partnerships are emerging as a legitimate means of doing valuable journalism with credibility and impact. Increasingly, the nonprofit sector is finding innovative ways to support ambitious local journalism while adhering to high standards for independent reporting and ethical practices. The Methow Valley News has been the grateful beneficiary of such assistance in the past. Now we are embarking on an exciting new partnership that reflects progressive developments in the evolving world of collaborative journalism. Thanks to a Rural Reporting Fellowship granted to Methow Valley News reporter Ashley Ahearn, we have partnered with Ecotrust — a Portlandbased nonprofit which supports an impressive

Valley News without restrictions or directions by the donors. That’s how we assure the credibility of our work. The same will be true under our agreement with Ecotrust. Ashley developed the four story proposals based on issues of particular local importance and her own experiences and interests. Ecotrust had no involvement in the specific The Methow Valley News has partnered with story ideas we developed, Ecotrust of Portland to promote in-depth report- nor will it be involved in ing on climate change. Photo by Marcy Stamper. the reporting and editing

range of social, economic and environmental projects and other forward-looking initiatives — to help provide the resources necessary for substantive reporting of climate change issues on a local basis. The News will administer the grant to support the production of four in-depth articles this year. Here’s how Ecotrust characterizes the partnership: “As more local news outlets disappear, it’s become very difficult to make a living as a journalist if you don’t live in a big city. 73 percent of all Internet publishing jobs are concentrated in coastal cities. That means that journalists are becoming less connected with rural communities who depend on natural resources for economic survival, and are being directly impacted by the effects of climate change. These are some of the most complex and important issues of our time — issues that are central to the work of Ecotrust — and rural voices are being given short shrift in coverage of those issues. Journalists parachute in from big cities for a story and often miss the local nuance or subtleties of the communities they are presuming to cover. And for that, we all suffer, as the rift between rural and urban

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widens and distrust in the ‘coastal elite media’ grows. Ecotrust has a chance to counter this trend by creating a new fellowship for journalists living in rural communities. By providing economic support, the Rural Reporting Fellowship will enable journalists who live in rural communities to tell stories that are truly of those communities.” This isn’t the first time we’ve benefited from the confidence and support of generous donors. Our “Trial by Fire” publication was funded by Tom and Sonya Campion through the Community Foundation of North Central Washington. The follow-up publication, “Living With Fire,” was backed by a substantial donation from the local Moccasin Lake Foundation. We worked with the Reddington family on a community fundraising effort to publish “Living With Alzheimer’s: The Reddington Project.” Links to all of these publications can be found on our website, www.methowvalleynews.com. None of those were profit generators for us. But without those partnerships, we could not have afforded to take on such projects. In each case, the content was developed by the Methow

TURN ON THE LIGHT…

process. When I learned more about Ecotrust, I was impressed with the breadth, scope and ingenuity of its groundbreaking work over nearly 30 years. For more information what Ecotrust has accomplished, visit ecotrust.org. The rural reporting fellowship is consistent with Ecotrust’s mission, but the responsibility for a quality product is ours. We have a demanding year of work ahead of us. Climate change is an

issue the Methow Valley News has consistently covered in the past and will continue to focus on in the future. The partnership with Ecotrust helps us fulfill that pledge. I know Ashley is excited to dig in and hopes to hear from readers with ideas or questions. Don Nelson is the publisher of the Methow Valley News, a past president of WNPA and the current president of the WNPA Foundation.

…OUR TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT BELONGS TO YOU.

DON’T LOSE IT!

Keys to government Accountability Responsibility Accessibility

Washington’s Open Public Meetings and Public Records Acts Preserve your rights to government actions that affect you. Learn about Open Government – When Records Requests are Denied…

http://washingtoncog.org/dealing-denial

In partnership with Contact us with your open-government questions

360-344-2938 • wnpa.com

Several bills that remain alive raise concerns

The Legislature continues its march toward adjournment, and a number of bills are being tracked by our friends at the Washington Coalition for Open Government. March 1 was the deadline for bills to be voted out of fiscal committees in their house of origin. Any bill that didn’t is considered dead for this session. An exception to that is a bill that might be deemed “necessary to implement the budget” and thus not subject to

cutoff dates. The next cutoff date is for bills to be voted off the floor of their house of origin. That cutoff is Wednesday, March 13. Between now and then, both chambers will spend nearly all their time in caucus or on the floor debating and voting on bills. Things can move very quickly, with amendments being introduced and voted on with very little notice – in fact, most of the onerous provisions in the PRA today regarding access

to legislative records were introduced in just such “dark of night” of amendments with little debate. Of the bills are still alive, WCOB and WNPA support the following: • SHB 1667 Concerning public records request administration. • SHB 1782 Concerning public meetings of advisory groups established by local governments and other agencies. • HB 1537 Concerning sunshine committee recommendations.

• SHB 1538 Concerning sunshine committee recommendations. • SHB 1379 Concerning disclosure of contributions from political committees to other political committees. Bills that still live that we oppose include: • SHB 1195 Concerning the efficient administration of campaign finance and public disclosure reporting and enforcement. • SHB 1692 Protecting information concerning agency employees who have filed a claim

WAGAR: Aggressive reporting a key per. The money followed. If you go to the WNPA website, scroll down and click on the podcasts button for another example of bold moves to increase coverage in the right areas, you’ll hear from Les Zaitz of the Malheur Enterprise in Eastern Oregon. In an article late last year by NPR, titled “Digging Deep Into Local News, A Rural Oregon Newspaper Is Thriving,” reporter Tom Goldman gives a glimpse of the changes Zaitz has made since buying the small weekly three years ago, and the results of those

changes. Zaitz was a longtime, respected investigative reporter for The Oregonian, the largest newspaper in the state. He’s been nominated twice as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. At the heart of Zaitz approach is a premium on local news, investigative news, news that matters. “It wasn’t delivering much in the way of real local news,” Zaitz says, adding, “(it) had one reporter who primarily focused on high school sports. And only in Vale for the most part.” “It had not had an ad salesperson in 10 years. It took only what business came in the front door,”

he added. “There was just no doubt in my mind that if we turned around the news product, and got a salesperson in, we could make the thing profitable pretty quick.” Today the newspaper has a newsroom staff of only three, but that is two more than when Zaitz bought the paper. The paper won a major national award soon after Zaitz stepped in the door. As one of his reporters states, it comes about from Zaitz’ mantra of attention to detail and asking, over and over again, “Why?” The paper’s circulation has “surged” to about double, according

to the article. Revenue has tripled. Advertising dollars are up, as are eyeballs on its website. The paper turns a profit. Like making chicken soup, it’s simple, according to Zaitz — “in-depth aggressive coverage that you normally don’t see in rural America.” Strong newsrooms with an emphasis on investigative reporting, and a hot steaming bowl of homemade chicken soup. That’s a recipe journalists of all kinds can find comfort in during these cold winter months. I’m ready for spring and summer at our papers.

It isn’t too soon to start gathering clips of your best work -- The WNPA 2019 Better Newspaper Contest opens April 1. There are a few changes over previous years. One major one is that we are requiring in most entries that you sub-

mit a PDF of the full page that contains the entry. Except in web categories, links to pages will not be accepted. This change includes photos. We need to see them as they appeared on the page where they were published.

The website opens for entries April 1. Deadline for regular entries is May 3. Deadline for tourism special sections is June 3. Winners are announced at the annual convention Oct. 11, which this year will be held at the Hotel RL in Olympia.

The contest period for regular entries is April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The eligibility period for tourism magazines is April 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019. A complete list of rules and changes is on wnpa. com under documents.

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Better Newspaper Contest coming soon!

of harassment or stalking. • SB 5787 Concerning hours of availability for inspection and copying of public records. WNPA Members are encouraged to contact legislators and ask them to vote yes on the bills we support and no on the bills we oppose. Please see the Bill Status Report for details on the bills. You can find that at the

following link: https:// app.leg.wa.gov/DLR/billstatus/default.aspx Please note that Saturday, March 16, is the traditional date on which legislators hold midsession town hall meetings in their districts. If you have the opportunity, please go to your local town hall meeting and let your legislators know that open government is important to you!

The Pinnacle Award CONTEST RULES

• Presented each year at WNPA’s annual convention. • Awarded to the top salesperson of WNPA Impact Ads and statewide classifieds. • Winner will be the person with the highest program revenue totals. • Contest period: begins the Monday following the annual October con$1,000 CASH vention’s adjournment. It PRIZE! concludes the following Sept. 30. • Winner receives a $1,000 cash prize and a trophy. • Standings are reported in WNPA email updates and The Washington Newspaper throughout the year. • Winner must be employed at a WNPA member newspaper at the time the award is presented. • Impact Ad sales brochures are available at wnpa.com.

PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368 360-344-2938 • wnpa.com

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WNPA JOB BOARD MANAGING EDITOR The Leader in Port Townsend is looking for a managing editor to lead and develop a team of reporters in a weekly newspaper-first newsroom. The managing editor will work on story planning and development, story assignments, gathering visuals in all mediums and measuring editorial goals. This is a great opportunity for an ambitious, handson leader who will coach news reporters, shape ideas and coordinate resources to provide strong visuals and presentation to our print and digital readers. You have excellent writing ability, you pay attention to details in a fast-paced work environment, and you can meet daily and weekly deadlines without fail. You produce clean, clear, accurate copy, have strong editing abilities to polish the work of freelancers and columnists. We believe in telling great stories that reflect our communities and readers, blending writing skill with compelling visuals to bring those stories to life. We aim to tell the stories our readers need and want to know. We aim to be creative, develop great content and value accurate, watchdog journalism. Candidates should have a background in journalism, with five years of editing experience required. Those without editing experience or who have an equivalent combination of experience and education may be considered. Strong knowledge of AP style, along with excellent grammar and spelling skills, is required. Also, candidates must be able to multitask in a fast-paced newsroom, be resourceful and provide ideas that our readers will find interesting and compelling.

The Leader is a familyowned award-winning newspaper. We offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits package with health, dental and vision insurance, simple plan and paid time off. Send resume and cover letter to Kelli Ameling, general manager for The Leader, by email at kameling@ptleader.com. MANAGING EDITOR The East Oregonian, an award-winning fiveday-a-week newspaper in Pendleton, Ore., is looking for a Managing Editor to lead its outstanding newsroom. Based in historic Pendleton — home to the worldfamous Round-Up and woolen mill — the EO is a small town newspaper with a statewide and regional outlook. Writing, editing and management experience are essential to this position. At least 5-10 years of professional journalism experience is required, with at least three years of direct newsroom management experience. Good driving record and reliable transportation required. Benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO), 401(k)/Roth 401(k) retirement plan and insurances. Send your resume and cover letter telling us how your prior experience has prepared your for this position, along with your salary requirements to EO Media Group, PO Box 2048, Salem, OR 97308-2048 or e-mail to hr@eomediagroup.com REPORTER Do you want to live in one of the most beautiful places in the country? Do you want to be part of a community that cares about the land and each other?

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And do you want to do the kind of journalism that serves the community and uses modern tools without abandoning long-held principles? Consider the Methow Valley News, a 116-yearold, locally owned weekly near Washington’s North Cascades mountains. We are seeking a full-time news

and feature reporter to help provide coverage of a rural but sophisticated community that values good journalism. News reporting and writing experience required, as are the ability to meet firm deadlines; the willingness to work nights and weekends as necessary; and photography skills. Design experience is a bonus. This

could be an entry-level position for the right person, but we are looking for someone who already knows how to do journalism and is eager to join an experienced, capable staff (two of our current reporters have been here more than 10 years; our most-recent hire was formerly a correspondent for National Public Radio).

Salary is competitive and will depend on experience; health care coverage is available. The position is open in April; relocation to the Methow Valley is required. Submit a cover letter, resume and representative work samples to editor@ methowvalleynews.com. No calls.