The Washington Newspaper, March 2023

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March 2023

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Olympia:

It’s the good, bad & ugly session

Newspaper B&O tax exemption still alive, but more secrecy sought by legislators

Washington’s newspapers are winning some and losing some in this year’s Legislative session.

A bill extending B&O tax advantages for newspapers remains alive because of its budget implications and likely will be approved as part of the final state budget, according to Rowland Thompson of Allied Daily Newspapers.

A bill that would shield employment records of any public

employee, however, remains alive.

HB 1533

Presented as a way to help shield victims of harassment and domestic violence, this bill is winning legislative support.

Under the proposal, any public employee can file an affidavit claiming they could be harassed and have their name, job title and other information kept secret.

Grant County Journal drops Monday edition, now publishes weekly

For more than four decades, the Grant County Journal has been one of the few community newspapers in Washington state published twice a week.

That ended in early March when its staff decided to drop its Monday edition and consolidate into a single weekly issue that will be distributed on Thursdays.

In a notice to readers, the newspaper staff cited economic and staffing considerations as reasons for the change.

With the change, all local subscribers will receive their newspaper by mail, and home delivery by carrier within Ephrata will end. The Journal

will be printed and mailed on Wednesdays and arrive in local mailboxes on Thursdays.

The Journal’s office hours will remain 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, but the office will now be closed on Fridays.

Looking ahead, the Journal staff told readers they intend for the consolidated weekly Journal to provide expanded content and an online version.

“We’re proud to have served as your community newspaper for over 116 years and we want to continue in that role,” the notice to reader said.

“Our sincere thanks to all our readers for being part of this journey.”

Open government advocates point out the bill would make it nearly impossible for the public to obtain records about potentially dangerous people working for the government and with vulnerable populations.

It also would make it impossible to know how government agencies are investigating problem employees and preventing them from harming others.

The bill passed the House of Representatives on an 80-

Legislative

15 vote. Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, pushed through an amendment that requires two year renewals of the affidavit.

The bill now moves to the Senate and a public hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. March 21 in the Senate Committee on State Government & Elections.

“We are still in the struggle and can prevail if we keep working by contacting members of the Senate,” Thompson said.

Day returns

SUNSHINE COMMITTEE

Finally, Kathy George, an attorney and former journalist, resigned from her place on the state Sunshine Committee to protest the committee’s inaction.

The committee studies exemptions to the state’s Public Records Act. While state law makes most government records public, there are exemptions that withhold some government

See LAWS, Page 2

The annual Legislative Day event in Olympia returned this year, as media representatives converged on the capital to discuss Legislative affairs with Legislative leaders, and elected and appointed state officials. The event a featured day long meeting with leaders and receptions with

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LAWS: More secrecy and a resignation from Sunshine Committee

Continued from Page 1

information, for privacy or other reasons.

The committee’s job is also to recommend which of those exceptions to take away or change. But George said that in recent years, lawmakers haven’t passed legislation to turn those ideas from the committee into law.

“The main reason why I’m terminating my membership is because I’m just spinning my wheels,” George said in an interview. “We can’t get a bill passed. We couldn’t even get a bill introduced. And it just doesn’t seem like the Legislature is likely to remove the exemptions.”

Committee Chair Linda Krese, a former Snohomish County Superior Court judge, started a discussion at the meeting — before George resigned — about why lawmakers weren’t considering the committee’s proposals.

When the committee was created in 2007, she said, there were about 300 exemptions to the public records law, which Washington voters had approved as a ballot initiative in 1972.

There are now at least 600 exemptions, Krese said.

“And frankly, if you look at the entire history of the committee, there’s been very little that has ever been taken up” by lawmakers, Krese said.

“We haven’t been really encouraged by the Legislature,” said committee member Lynn Kessler, a Democrat who served in the state House from 1993 to 2011, during the meeting. “They seem to be even going more toward being exempted themselves. So I’m not sure they really believe in open government, at least not for themselves.”

A team of freelancers might help fill voids within small news staffs

One-half of our already slim newsroom resigned this week. That leaves us one full-time news editor and myself to write and edit the newspaper. We plan to advertise for the position, but given what I’ve heard from other newspapers, we’re not too optimistic we’ll fill the position with someone as experienced and dedicated as Sophia Aldous, the Gem State Editor and jack-ofall trades reporter, who is leaving us.

This is causing us to once again reevaluate how we do things here at The Miner. We all know the days of 9-5, Monday through Friday office jobs are over. Newsroom types have always worked odd hours, but we’re more and more thinking outside the box to get the stories written.

in Europe have proven that workers get more done, have better overall mental well-being and profits increase when companies reduce hours without reducing pay.

A few years ago, the WNPA conducted a survey of community newspaper employees and found that an overwhelming majority would rather have more vacation and a flexible work schedule than more money. Given that profits are down and costs are up, this dovetails well with the nature of our business in that what we cover often doesn’t happen between 9 and 5.

As we eye the future without Sophia, we’re looking to a newsroom model that has been hugely successful at our sister newspaper The Nugget, in Sisters, Ore. The publication is about the same size as The Miner. Editor-in-chief and part owner Jim Cornelius is the only on-staff writer. He has a cadre of freelancers who cover the happenings in Sisters. Jim and I have spoken often about this model over the years, and now it’s seeming more and more plausible here.

managed to keep a core group for decades and it works well.

He had some suggestions for me. First, talk with retired teachers in the community. If they aren’t wanting to write for the newspaper, chances are they know someone who is. Second, let the writer direct what they write about, at least in the beginning. Once you build a relationship with them, then you can direct them where you want them to go but allowing them to write what they want – as long as you have your bases covered. That allows the newspaper to better represent the community it covers, and your writers are more willing to do the job if they get to cover what interests them.

We will miss Sophia dearly. Not only is she an outstanding member of our team, she’s a good friend. We’re grateful she’s staying here in Newport, just pursuing a different career path.

Officers: Michelle Nedved, President; Sean Flaherty, 1st Vice President; Steve Powell, Past President; Trustees: Roger Harnack, Teresa Myers, Rudi Alcott, Matt Winters, Ron Judd and Bob Richardson.

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

Several months ago, we went to four-day work week. Our office is closed on Fridays. And while most of us are still in the office on Fridays anyway, it is a nice break from interruptions from the public and it gives our front office staff a well-deserved break. Studies done

For about the same cost of one full-time reporter, The Nugget includes six to seven different voices that wouldn’t otherwise be in the newspaper. Jim said The Nugget has always used freelancers, so the community is used to it. Those freelancers come and go, but he has

I’ve experienced losing a core member of our team before. But we always survive. Like I told another co-worker who was expressing her dismay at Sophia’s departure: “We’ve been here before. And we’ve survived.” We just need to stay nimble, flow with the times, and do things a little differently.

Michelle Nedved is Publisher of the Newport Miner and this year’s WNPA President.

Upload legals to protect our franchise

More than a decade ago years, WNPA, in partnership with Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington, established a statewide legals website after legislators began discussing moving legal advertising from printed newspapers to a statewide website.

Similar proposals are being made all across the country, and we didn’t want it to happen here so WNPA and Allied told state

legislators that the newspapers of Washington would create their own statewide website at no cost to the state if legislators left in place that requirement that legals continue to appear first in print in the state’s newspapers.

We reached out to the Illinois Press Association and partnered with them to provide Washington State newspapers with Washington’s public notice site, wapublic -

notices.com. WNPA asks all newspapers in the state, daily and weekly, to upload their legal advertisements to this statewide site.

There is a small charge to help support the site – 15 cents per legal. But that is a very small price to keep legal advertisements in our print newspapers. Please contact WNPA if you have questions or technical problems.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Nedved

In two states, free papers press for legal ads

Most states require newspapers to have paying subscribers to publish legal notices but at least a few grant that authority to freedistribution papers as well.

Those requirements don’t change very often which is why it’s so unusual to have two states considering legislation this year that would allow free papers to publish notices.

The newspapers supporting the measures in both states were founded by entrepreneurs in communities where the paid-circulation newspapers have experienced multiple rounds of layoffs and cutbacks in recent years. Taking the other side of the debate are the states’ press associa -

tions, both of which oppose the bills.

The legislation in South Dakota was backed by Joe Sneve and Jonathan Ellis, who started The Dakota Scout last fall. The former reporters for Gannett’s Sioux Falls-based Argus Leader describe their new paper as an “independent and locally owned political newspaper focusing on state and local politics in the state Capitol and Sioux Falls.”

According to Sneve, the paper has a weekly print run of 5,000 copies distributed in 200 locations throughout the Sioux Falls areas, including coffee shops, retail outlets and grocery stores.

WITH OVER

The original measure supported by the startup expanded the definition of “legal newspaper” to incorporate publications with at least 200 paid online subscribers and “an associated (weekly) print edition” with a minimum circulation of 500 copies.

Newspapers meeting those criteria would qualify to publish notices “regardless of whether the print edition is made available to the public for a paid subscription or for free.”

The South Dakota Newspaper Association (SDNA) argued the bill undermines key principles in the law defining legal newspapers, including authenticated circulation, local presence

and demonstrated publishing viability.

The legislation was killed, but The Dakota Scout’s founders formed an independent press association, hired a lobbyist to press for new legislation. That second bill was turned back but “much of the discussion in favor of the bill was aimed at criticism of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Aberdeen American News and Watertown Public Opinion.” All three newspapers are all owned by Gannett, which has sharply cut their staffs and news gathering capabilities.

Sneve emphasizes that The Dakota Scout supContinued on Page 6

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Counties, cities have cash for tourism

Regional ads bring visitors

When you are looking for ways to bring in new revenue, spend a few minutes learning how your WNPA co-op ad network can help your bottom line.

Now that the pandemic is mainly behind us, people are itching to get out and mingle and community events are once again filling the streets.

But after two years of relative inactivity, extra effort is necessary to let people know your town is open for business and welcoming tourists.

Online advertising is an option, but with ad blocking software and distrust growing over social media, it isn’t the solution it used to be. In this changing environment, trusted community newspapers across the state serving a highly educated, affluent and involved readership are a perfect place to get a message out.

Every ad salesperson knows it is wise to identify the entities in your community with fat ad budgets. At this moment in time, don’t overlook the folks with hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend – your local governments!

Every city and county in the state has a pool of money generated by local lodging taxes, and that money is supposed to be used to reach beyond local markets and bring people to town.

If you have not already, you should ask your city and county governments (each has separate

Continued on Page 5

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Ad network:

Continued from Page 5

funds) for a report on where the lodging tax money is going (usually chambers of commerce and local non-profits) and then propose a marketing plan that reaches out across the region.

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

Here’s how the WNPA program works:

• You sell the ad to a local organization.

• 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 salesperson gets their regular commission on the sale and $50 direct from WNPA.

• 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 price to the client affordable by asking all member newspapers to publish the ads sold by other newspapers for free. The ads are small – just two columns wide by either two or four inches tall. One column by four or eight inches is also OK. They need to be produced in two different widths, to accommodate different column widths.

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, but there is no guarantee of this.

Need more information?

Contact Janay at WNPA by emailing ads@wnpa.com or by calling 360-344-2938.

The Washington Newspaper March 2023 5

LEGALS: Free papers in other states lobby for legals

Continued from Page 3

ports the preservation of laws requiring newspaper notice. “We have bent over backwards to protect print — we’re newspaper people,” he says. “We believe there should always be a printed record of notices so they’re not subject to revision.”

Sneve says the press association he and Ellis started now includes eight news organizations — three publish free-distribution print editions (one hasn’t launched yet) and five are online-only.

SDNA Executive Director David Bordewyk says his organization “left this session with a gentleman’s promise to legislators and others to work on this issue in the

interim and propose a legislative solution next year.”

The bill in New Jersey that would allow free-distribution papers to publish notices was also initiated by an entrepreneur who started a paper to fill a hole in local news coverage.

Doug Melegari launched the weekly Pine Barrens Tribune in 2016, in a rural area of South Jersey. The Tribune circulates 7,000 copies in grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants and other retail outlets, mostly in boroughs and townships in the central and southeastern regions of Burlington County. Melegari says most notices in the county — which covers a large

swath of the state abutting both Trenton and Philadelphia, and includes over 40 separate municipalities — are published by Gannett’s Burlington County Times. He claims the paper no longer circulates widely in his region and its coverage of the area has diminished as its editorial resources have dwindled.

“We’re usually the only newspaper that covers local council meetings,” he says.

Alden Global Capital also owned a paidcirculation newspaper called the Central Record that once had a significant presence in Burlington County. After a long decline it seems to have been quietly shuttered, although Al -

den still appears to be running some notices for municipalities in Burlington County on its AllAroundPhilly Marketplace website.

The bill Melegari is backing is designed to allow free-distribution papers to publish notices. Currently, a postal permit is required there and the post office won’t issue a permit to free newspapers. Some of the same concerns that arose in South Dakota were on the minds of the state senators who voted 4-0 in favor of the bill.

The committee chairman argued “the weeklies of my area are vital to the communities of the area because local news is no longer covered by our local

newspaper.” He blamed “the corporatization of media (which) has actually shrunk the coverage of what is happening” in local communities.

“You want to protect the First Amendment?” asked another committee member. “Then have greater competition, because what has happened now is all of the little guys have been eaten up by the big guys and we have one editor deciding what news gets printed in the paper. ... I think this bill is important to make sure we protect the First Amendment, in addition to making sure a greater number of people are informed.”

According to the report in Pine Barrens Tribune, the attorney represent-

ing the New Jersey Press Association at the hearing argued that public notice should remain exclusively in paid-circulation newspapers because readers tend to devote more time and attention to publications they pay for than to those they can get for free. Although the focus at the Feb. 9 hearing was on print circulation, it’s worth noting that the Burlington County Times appears to publish all of its notices on its website and makes them easy to read. The Times also includes a prominent home-page link to notices so readers can easily find them. The same can be said for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, also a Gannett property.

Building Healthier Communities

Local newspapers are working to provide access to high quality news coverage. Local dentists are working to provide access to high quality oral health care. We’re both working to build a stronger community. Thank you for everything you do.

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REPORTER

Call us old-fashioned. The Methow Valley News, a weekly newspaper in the beautiful North Cascades of Washington state, is looking for a reporter with digital-age skills but also traditional journalism values and work habits, grounded in quality, consistency and ethics.

We don’t have story quotas. We don’t give a damn about analytics or deliverables or whether you are a social media influencer. What we need is a reporter who is productive because they are curious, who loves to dig into things and who strives to continually improve their fact-gathering, interviewing and writing.

We want someone who thrives in a diverse community, and has the flexibility and willingness to take on all kinds of stories, from briefs and rou-

tine items to hard-hitting scoops to heart-tugging features. There is plenty of opportunity in the Methow Valley, a vibrant community that is not without challenging issues.

You need to be a competent photographer. Added value if you are fluent in InDesign and the Adobe production suite, know your way around social media platforms and/or have newsroom management experience that enables you to take on additional tasks as needed.

(The Editor needs a vacation.)

You need to demonstrate applicable experience through clippings or links to your work. You could be a recent college grad with potential, or a veteran who wants to keep doing great work at a newspaper where it’s appreciated. You can start quickly and accelerate. As

good as you are, we can help you get better.

We are a small paper with big ambitions and accomplishments to match, including regional and national awards. Competitive salary, and a health care subsidy is available. Hiring bonus if you make it through a probationary period and it looks like you’re committed. Speaking of that, you will need to live here. We’re located in a year-round recreational paradise. If that sounds like a good situation for you and us, please be in touch. Check us out at www.methowvalleynews. com and our Facebook page. Make a case for yourself by emailing editor@ methowvalleynews.com with a cover letter, resume and work samples. References would be helpful. No calls, please.

SALES MANAGER

The Port Townsend Leader is looking for an experienced Advertising Sales Manager who will work directly with business executives to ensure that their revenues grow with us. What does that mean.

• Evaluate new business models and corporate relationships.

• Negotiate complex business models, partnerships, transactions, and other commercial agreements.

• Identify and target attainable opportunities in the market.

• Clearly define company goals and long-term strategy.

• Examine the profitability of each product, business location, and line of business to redirect resources.

• Utilize skills in sales management to lead decision makers in change processes.

• Develop methods for motivating and inspiring stakeholders.

• Leverage professional networks to attain critical resources.

Base hourly wage of $17 plus commission. A qualified candidate should expect to earn in excess of $70,000.

Contact Lloyd Mullen at (360)385-2900 or lloyd@ptleader.com

MULTIMEDIA SALES

Sound Publishing is looking for self-motivated, results-driven people interested in a multi-media sales career who can share the many benefits of newspaper, online, and niche product advertising with new accounts and current clients.

The position is responsible for print and digital advertising sales to an eclectic and exciting group of clients in the North Kitsap County area.

Successful candidates will be engaging and goal-oriented, with good organizational skills, and will have the ability to grow and maintain strong business relationships through consultative sales and excellent customer service.

Professional sales experience necessary; media experience is a definite

asset but not mandatory. If you have these skills and enjoy playing a pro-active part in helping your clients achieve business success, please apply. Specific responsibilities include:

• Maintain and expand advertising sales volume with present accounts.

• Develop and sell new advertising accounts.

• Knowledge of sales and marketing, the production process, ad design/layout, and market competition.

• Excellent communication skills with the power of persuasion and persistence.

Also required, valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and mainadequate liability insurance on the vehicle you use for company business.

Location: This position is required to travel within Kitsap County. The office is located on Bainbridge Island.

What we offer you:

• An annual salary of 35k, with the ability to earn up to 50-60k total on average through commission.

• Benefits package includ-

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8 The Washington Newspaper March 2023
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Continued from Page 8 ing health insurance, paid sick, vacation, and holidays, and 401k with employer match.

Please send your cover letter including salary requirements and resume to careers@soundpublishing.com with a subject line of ATTN: KITSAP SALES.

ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

The Inlander, a familyowned urban weekly newspaper in Washington state, is looking for an ambitious and creative Arts and Culture Writer (with a heavy emphasis on Food coverage) to join its award-winning editorial team.

The position will focus on lively and insightful feature writing about food, chefs and entrepreneurs, as well as the news of food with stories on new restaurants, rules that affect the business of owning and running a restaurant, etc.

The perfect candidate is a skilled writer and hungry storyteller who understands that creativity, deep reporting and developing sources is vital to quality journalism.

If you think you’re a fit, please send a cover letter, resume and several samples of your work to the Inlander’s editor, Nicholas Deshais, at nickd@inlander.com

There is the potential for this to be a full- or part-time position, and compensation depends on experience, but will range from $35,000 to $45,000 a year. Other benefits include access to Inlander medical/optical/dental benefits, participation in Inlander Simple savings plan, 10 days paid time off per year, six days of personal/sick time off per year and an annual review.

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