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

By Michelle Nedved

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.