The Washington Newspaper, March 2021

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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER

New editor arrives at the Methow Valley News Page 2

March 2021

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Collect your entries! BNC opens April 1

Nixon retires as president of WCOG Fancher steps up to the presidency

Better Newspaper Contest rules online at wnpa.com

Time to review your best work over the last year and get ready to enter this year’s Better Newspaper Contest.

The BNC site opens April 1 for entries and closes May 3 for regular entries. Tourism special sections can be entered until June 1. Winners will be announced in person this year (we hope) at our convention in Bellingham Oct. 9.

We have a few new categories this year. There’s a special one for reporting on COVID-19 that can be anything from hard news to feature stories. No shortage of coverage among our

members for that.

In the features categories, we’ve added a place for stories on history and animals, so break out your favorite animal story and let the best dog (cat, coyote, iguana, python, horse, donkey) win.

Advertising entries have decreased in recent years, so we are especially anxious to see what ad reps and their designers have come up with in the pandemic year.

All the rules and categories are online go to: wnpa.com > Members > Document Folder > 2021 BNC content.

Al Camp of the Omak Okanogan County Chronicle captured this dancer and took home a second place feature photo award in last year’s newspaper contest.

Ad reps: Make a quick $50 on Impact Ads It’s all over the news: while there is still reason to be cautious, there also is some hope this summer will see a return to some festivals, fairs and other events.

But how will anyone know what’s happening? How will anyone looking for regional exposure let people know that they are starting up again?

That’s where WNPA comes

into play.

We operate a co-op ad network that allows you to sell an ad and place it in every WNPA member newspaper. You sell statewide or by region.

And now, for a limited time, WNPA will pay you $50 cash if you sell an Impact Ad. That’s on top of the commission you earn from your employer.

The ads are small -- just eight

A full explanation of Impact Ads is on Page 4.

column inches -- but that makes them affordable for everyone.

If you have questions, you can always call WNPA. We’re here to help.

These ads are great for events, golf courses, festivals, fairs, car shows, resorts, whale watching tours, online classes or

anything that can benefit from regional exposure.

If you are selling an ad for a local event, why not use Impact Ads as an upsell? It’s a great way to reach out and expand market share.

With so much moving to online during the pandemic, people aren’t limited to local markets anymore. Impact Ads are a great way to win new customers.

Toby Nixon, a longtime senior program manager at Microsoft, never envisioned himself an advocate for government transparency and open records laws.

It wasn’t Nixon until Nixon was appointed to the Washington Legislature in 2002 that he gave any thought to how open records laws, when poorly written and poorly enforced, damage civic engagement and erode public trust.

Digging into Washington state’s cumbersome Public Records Act, and noticing exemptions swallowing the rules, lit a spark in Nixon, a Libertarian. He made it his focus to restructure, clarify and strengthen Washington’s law. He gained attention for his work, was elected to his once-appointed seat as state representative, and joined the board of the Washington Coalition for Open Government.

Reluctantly, he acknowledges, he agreed to serve as vice president, See NIXON, Page 2

Johnson the new editor at Methow Valley News

Natalie Johnson, an accomplished journalist and Okanogan County native, joins the Methow Valley News staff this week as the newspaper’s Managing Editor.

Johnson was most recently editor of The Chronicle, a threeJohnson timesweekly newspaper based in Centralia.

She previously was a reporter at The Chronicle, and before that was a reporter at the weekly Mason County Journal.

Johnson is a 2006 graduate of Okanogan High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in sociology and comparative literature at the University of Washington in 2010. Her journalism career started

with an internship at KOMO-TV in Seattle, where her grandfather Bryan Johnson was a longtime reporter. She also was a reporter at the UW Daily.

During her tenure as editor of The Chronicle, the paper won multiple awards for distinguished newspaper reporting.

Johnson said she is enthused about returning to her home turf. Her parents live in Okanogan, and her aunt and uncle, Chris and Kate Johnson, live in the Methow Valley.

“We are pleased and fortunate to have Natalie join the newsroom in a leadership role,” Publisher/Editor Don Nelson said. “She brings experience, energy, personality and a fondness for the Methow Valley.”

Johnson’s duties will include editing, reporting and management of the newspaper’s website and social media initiatives.

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 March 2021

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Celebrate reading this month and instill a love of thinking & learning Hard to believe it’s already March. One of my favorite days is National Read Across America Day, celebrated on March 2. It’s a day to celebrate the joy of reading and, to get children interested in reading. It is actually a yearround program with big celebrations throughout National Reading Month.

Perhaps it’s my Bess favorite because I personally love to read. Maybe it is because I am keenly aware of the impact illiteracy has on our society, or perhaps it’s because I know the future of newspapers is reliant upon people’s love of reading and their desire to stay informed and support local, community journalism by paying for a subscription.

There are a lot of quotes associated with reading too, like one by Margaret Fuller “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader” that resonates with me. Another is “Think before you speak. Read before you think,” by Fran Lebowitz.

The National Education As-

sociation (NEA), the organization responsible for establishing Read Across America Day back in 1998, says “it is also a good way to cultivate compassion and promote inclusion through reading.”

The NEA goes on to say: “Readers who feel included, recognized, and a part of the world are engaged readers.” Isn’t that what we do day in and day out? Engage readers by reporting on issues, people, places, events…all things relevent and meaningful to them.

According to the Literacy Project Foundation, there are 45 million Americans that are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level. One in four children in America grow up without learning how to read, and 85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading.

Those are startling facts.

When coupled with time constraints and social media’s influence driving the perception that people do not need to pay for news or information, our respective communities and our businesses are profoundly impacted.

While I don’t profess to have the answers, I do know that we as an industry, need to continue to grow our NIE programs and

work with educators on ways they can use our newspapers and get children engaged in the habit of reading. If started at an early age, they will develop a love for reading and more importantly, a love for reading newspapers. Imagine how many new future subscribers we will grow.

We also need to need to continue our efforts to inform, educate, and engage with our communities each and every day, with each and every story. So, celebrate National Reading Month and encourage your readers to share their love of reading with a child. Volunteer to become a reading mentor or donate vacation stop papers to a classroom as part of your NIE program.

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 literacy, local journalism and the passage of pending legislation that benefits local journalism.

Cheers to a bright future.

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

NIXON: Challenges to open government remain

Continued from Page 5

thinking the role wouldn’t require too much work. But soon after, the president resigned, and Nixon ascended to the top spot — as an “accidental president,” in Nixon’s words.

After 13 years in the role, Nixon retired in February, handing the presidency to Mike Fancher, former executive editor of The Seattle Times. Nixon will remain with the coalition as president emeritus.

“My passion is about making sure everyone can make a public records request, not about me, personally,” Nixon said. “I want to see us preserve

the sovereignty of the people. The people can’t be in charge if they don’t know what the government is doing.”

Nixon points to the coalition’s increased stature, and the state law’s improved structure, as meaningful progress. State courts, legislators and members of the public often seek the coalition’s advice on matters of transparency. And the state’s Public Records Act, now disentangled from the state’s campaign finance laws, makes more sense and is easier to use.

Challenges to transparency remain.

Nixon says records requesters too often face arbitrary and intentional delays. Governments, institutions

and politicians too often invoke attorney-client privilege when it’s not warranted. Offices overseeing records requests too often are starved of resources and staff.

Fancher, the new president of the Washington Coalition, said Nixon leads by example, uniting people to promote transparency.

“He embodies the spirit that WCOG truly is a coalition whose members can, and often do, disagree with each other but stand together to fight for openness in government, believing it is the best way to ensure accountability and preserve public trust,” Fancher said.

Safe Harbor bill breathes new life: opens door to online negotiations The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act was reintroduced March 10, giving at least some hope that newspaper publishers will be able to negotiate as a group with Facebook and Google over a share in ad revenue.

The bill provides a limited antitrust safe harbor for news publishers to pursue and agree and win fair compensation for the use of their content online.

“This is a huge milestone for U.S. news publishers,” said News Media Alliance President & CEO

David Chavern. “As we have seen over the last several weeks in Australia and Europe, the world is moving toward new compensation systems for publishers. The cost of inaction, in terms of the spread of misinformation we are all experiencing, is simply too great to ignore any longer. Quality journalism is key to sustaining civic society and we must ensure that the digital ecosystem returns value back to the people who create that journalism.”

Since 2018, the News Media Alliance has been advocating for such legis-

lation in the U.S., which it believes is needed to address the imbalance in the news publisher-platform relationship.

“Without an antitrust safe harbor, news publishers will have no capacity to collectively fight for their futures,” Chavern said.

The previous bill was supported by representatives and senators on both sides of the aisle and has now been reintroduced in the 117th Congress.

Currently, the Facebook and Google capture 90 percent of all digital ad revenue growth and approximately 60 percent of

total U.S. digital advertising revenue.

The Alliance joins the members of Congress in their belief that a safe harbor for news publishers to allow them to come together to negotiate with the platforms on their overall behalf is the solution to this problem.

The bipartisan legislation is co-sponsored by House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI), Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO), Senate Antitrust Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Sen. John N. Kennedy (R-LA).

Nominations sought for Bradley award Nominations are being sought for one of WNPA’s top awards, the Dixie Lee Bradley award.

Bradley tirelessly served the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and its members for 45 years.

The Bradley 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 any facet of the community newspaper industry including production, circulation, or front office support.

Professional positions, such as photographer and advertising sales, are not included.

To nominate someone, send a short essay describing why your nominee should win to fredobee@wnpa.com or mail to Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368.

Deadline for submission is July 1, 2021.

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 March 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 March 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.

Get ready to rumble: Adobe will toss Type 1 fonts in 2023

By Kevin Slimp Founder, Newspaper Academy.com “Out with the old and in with the new!”

We’ve all said it, and the idea of replacing outdated technology with something new is sometimes exciting, sometimes frightening.

Keeping up with technology comes with a cost, however, and one of those costs is letting go of familiar, albeit antiquated, tools.

In 1994, I stood in front of an audience in Nashville, Tennessee and announced the Syquest drive would soon give way to the smaller, less expensive, Zip drive. The group almost laughed me out of the convention ballroom. How many Mac users remember the SCSI interface? For that matter, how many PC users remember the parallel port? Does anyone remember the Apple Friendly Net? Be careful before admitting it. You’re bound to age yourself.

Like many, I

clearer and louder than the wired speakers I paid more than $200 for six years ago.

So, when GXpress managing editor Peter Coleman wrote to me all the way from Australia and asked if I would be writing something about Adobe’s recent announcement concerning Type 1 fonts, I felt like Slimp I was back in front of screamed (metaphorithat convention audience cally) at the top of my in Nashville. Yes, Peter, lungs when it was anit’s true. Type 1 fonts nounced that FireWire are on their way out...at was going the way of least as far as Adobe is the Syquest. How would concerned. Say it ain’t we connect our external so, Adobe! hard drives? Certainly Okay, hang on. It’s not with USB. not that bad.

My latest computer, Remember VGA a Macbook Pro, came ports? What about DVD with four ports, all the drives? We all thought USB-C variety. How was Apple had lost its senses I supposed to connect when they removed four external hard drives, DVD drives. How would three monitors, and all we install software? the other devices conDon’t panic. You’ve nected to my earlier got until 2023 to figure computer? Who knew out what you’re gowe wouldn’t need cables ing to do about fonts. I much longer? wouldn’t wait that long, The new $28 speaker however, if it were me. that arrived on my door- Beginning January 2023, step today is wireless.

Type 1 fonts will no lonAt the same time, it’s ger appear in Adobe font

menus, nor will they op- need to be replaced. erate in Adobe software.

• Make a plan right Existing Type 1 fonts in away. Determine what to documents will appear do about documents with as “missing fonts” when Type 1 fonts. Your temyou open a document. plates will require The good news is that tweaking. Two years – fonts embedded into well, less than two years your PDF and EPS now – will pass before files are safe. They will you know it. still work when placed • Consider a redesign. on a page in InDesign.

It’s the perfect time to However, don’t try to create new templates, open them in Illustrator while you are replacing or Photoshop for editfonts. ing. You’ll be welcomed • Begin replacing with that same “missing fonts. Can’t live without fonts” error. My advice: Palatino? You’d better • Start planning now. find an OpenType verDon’t wait. Make a sion of the font before long-term plan for deal- 2023 arrives. If you’re ing with Type 1 issues using Adobe products, in your documents. Some there are plenty of fonts Adobe products, includ- to choose from in the ing InDesign, now reCreative Cloud font mind you that you have library. If you’ve purType 1 fonts when chased Type 1 fonts opening documents. It’s from Adobe and other a regular occurrence on foundries, contact them my screen. to learn if there’s an up• Keep Track of the grade path to OpenType Type 1 fonts used in your versions of the same workflow. When a mesfonts. I suspect this sage comes up, remindcould speed the move ing you that you’re using of some newspapers a Type 1 font, take note. away from Adobe to Within a few weeks, other software options. you should have a good Hundreds of newspaidea of which fonts will pers have attended my 3.5” x 2.5” | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt

recent Affinity webinars, and most say they’re considering a move away from Adobe software in the near future. I’m not recommending a move from Adobe software. But if you are considering a move to Affinity or something else, now is a good time to look seriously at your options.

Let’s face it, if you’re replacing fonts and redesigning your templates, now might be the proper time to have a discussion about software. It’s not the end of the world. The worstcase scenario is we have to spend a few hundred (or a few thousand) dollars and replace a few fonts.

But like the move from Ethernet cables to wireless networks, the move away from Type 1 fonts has been a long time coming. Gather your staff together. Consider your options and make a long-term plan.

You’ve got a little more than a year. Don’t be surprised when 2023 arrives.

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The Washington Newspaper March 2021 5

JOB BOARD

REPORTER The Sunnyside Sun in the Yakima Lower Valley is seeking a general assignment reporter/photographer to immediately fill this vital role in our WNPA award-winning newsroom.

Duties include assigned beat work of public meetings; police and fire coverage, agriculture and community news and features, and sports coverage when needed.

The hourly wage starts at $13.69 and is a 40 hour per week position with an occasional weeknight and weekend assignment as part of the job.

Candidates with the combination of news writing experience and education, along with new college graduates are encouraged to apply.

Email your cover letter, resume and three writing and photo samples in PDF format to Patrick Shelby, managing editor at pshelby@sunnysidesun.com. No phone calls, please. The qualified candidate will need to possess a valid driver’s license, clean driving record and vehicle insurance.

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

Experience with photography and Adobe InDesign preferred.

Applicants must be able to work in a teamoriented, deadline-driven environment, possess excellent writing skills, have knowledge of community news, and be able to write about multiple topics. The ideal candidate is comfortable writing hard news

and features, both longDonna Etchey detchey@ • Must be able to sit for tasker, self-directed, able web platform skills a plus. form and short. Weekly or to meet deadlines & have ptleader.com or mailed up to eight hours.

• Able to work in a daily newspaper experito 226 Adams St., Port Our new teammate will a good laugh. Inquiries team setting with other ence is preferred, though Townsend WA 98368. be a well-organized multi- & resumes can be sent to members of the office. time worked on student publications and internships will be considered.

Must be comfortable using a smartphone in the field to take photos and shoot video.

This is a full-time posiWhat happens to your archives tion that includes excellent when newspapers consolidate? benefits: medical, dental, life insurance, 401k, Sometimes the selling publisher will retain ownership, sometimes the archives paid vacation, sick and are passed on to the new owners. In either case, it is important that all parties holidays. EOE. No calls, agree and understand what is going to happen with the bound, loose or please.

To apply, please e-mail microfilm archives. to careers@soundpublishing.com and be sure to Historical stakeholders will include GenRep BIR in the subject line; Please continue your stewardship! include a resume includThere’s no downside to scanning your newspaper's archive but there is a ing at least three professingular hurdle so daunting that most publishers simply cannot foresee any sional references, three or more non-returnable way to overcome it – cost. Luckily, there are organizations determined to relevant work samples in help. ArchiveInABox works with historical societies and museums who can PDF or text format (and/ provide funding to digitize and index small-town newspapers, while publisher or a link to them); and a retains all ownership and rights. cover letter addressing the specific job requirements we’ve outlined. Please also include your salary requirements.

ArchiveInABox can help you: Sound Publishing, Carry on Stewardship Mission www.soundpublishing.

Maintain Ownership of Copyrights com, is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Digitize Archives for Community Access strongly supports diversity in the workplace.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER The Port Townsend Leader is seeking a designer to create advertisements and other products as required and assigned, for both print and web.

Skills/requirements needed: • The ability to handle multiple projects on tight deadlines is essential.

• Knowledge of page layouts and designs • Professional understanding of the Adobe Creative Suite software package (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop.) Mac &

6 The Washington Newspaper March 2021

ArchiveInABox.com