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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER
Nominations due for annual Bunting awards Page 5
June 2020
Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Better Newspaper Contest remains open until June 8 The Better Newspaper Contest site is open for entries, but don’t delay. You won’t have as long this year to enter. The contest closes June 8. The good news? This will be the most affordable year to enter. Recognizing that these are difficult times for newspapers, the WNPA board agreed to a sliding scale for entries, with the price per entry getting smaller as the number of entries increase. Newspapers entering up to seven entries get a 10% discount; eight to 20 entries get a 20% discount; 21 to 49 entries get a 30% discount and papers entering 50 entries or more will
get a 50% discount off their entry fees. In addition, newspapers have credits for judging two newspaper contests and those will be applied to entries. We hope WNPA members will take advantage of the deal and keep this important tradition alive. We will all need to do a little celebrating in October, so look over your work during the contest period and enter the contest. Rules for the contest, and a list of credits available for member newspapers are all online at wnpa.com. Just click on the home page contest tile to get started.
Congress adds flexibility to CARES Act PPP loans Bipartisan legislation that gives newspapers more flexibility in the use of Paycheck Protection Program loans was approved this week by the Senate. The approved legislation: • Allows borrowers to spend their funds over 24 weeks from the date they received their loans, instead of requiring all funds to be spent by June 30. • Allows up to 40% (previously 25%) of forgivable loans
to be used for the allowable nonpayroll expenses: rent, mortgage interest, utilities, interest on prior SBA loans. • Sets a Dec 31, rather than June 30, deadline for rehiring employees to achieve full FTE complements from the baseline. • Extends the period for paying back any unforgiven portion of loans to five years, rather than two years. See PPP, Page 2
Protesters across the country have turned out in force. In some cases, journalists covering the protests have been targeted by police.
Press groups condemn targeting of reporters covering the protests Journalists covering the protests of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in many instances say they were targeted by police who were attempting to disperse protesters. A joint statement of the News Media Alliance, America’s Newspapers and the National Newspaper Association condemned the assaults on reporters, and underscored the importance of having journalists reporting what happens. “It is essential that law enforcement and government officials not only allow journalists to report on the historic events currently unfolding, but to provide journalists with the necessary protection in order to remain safe to do their jobs, as members of the press – the
rights of which are guaranteed under the First Amendment. Reports of reporters being targeted poured in from around the country. • A CNN crew was arrested in the Minnesota’s Twin Cities while giving a live television report. • In Louisville, Kentucky, a crowd swarmed a television photographer and knocked him to the ground, laughing and taking pictures of him. • In that same city, a police officer fired more than a halfdozen non-lethal PepperBall rounds that hit a television reporter and photojournalist. • A television photographer in Minneapolis was taken into custody by the Minnesota State Patrol.
• Police arrested a Des Moines Register reporter while she was covering a demonstration that turned violent. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sent a letter this week co-signed by 115 media and press freedom organizations to officials in Minnesota demanding attacks against credentialed, clearly identifiable journalists stop. “The right of the press to document police activity is foundational to our democracy and has long been recognized and protected by the courts,” the Reporters Committee’s letter states. The letter also argues that reporters should be exempt from curfew orders as compliance with the curfews is newsworthy.
PPP: Congress adds leeway to payroll loans
Continued from Page 1 The bill applies only to the period for spending the funds. No new applications will be accepted after June 30, 2020. However, the bill also does not change the categories of allowable spending for forgivable loans and it does not address the deductibility of payroll and other covered expenses. The bill also does not make clear whether a business may opt to wrap up its spending period and apply for forgiveness before Dec. 31. Further information on this option from the Treasury Department is expected soon. Senate leaders in their floor statements on June 3 said they are committed to continuing to work on other legislation to fix flaws in the program. The clarifications to the loan program got
wide bipartisan support. The bill cleared the House by a vote of 247 to 1 and easily passed the Senate as well. National Newspaper Association President Matt Adelman, publisher of the Douglas (Wyoming) Budget, said NNA urged the Congress to act. “This bill is welcome news for the many small businesses who found the restrictions on use of the money very difficult to administer,” he said. Adelman thanked NNA’s Congressional Action Team for its work in support of the legislation. He said NNA had worked since late April to improve the terms of the forgivable PPP loans. “These funds have been indispensable for many locally-owned newspapers that have been doing their best to keep publishing under extremely trying circumstances,” Adelman said.
Officers: Patrick Grubb, President; Caralyn Bess, First Vice President; Steve Powell, Second Vice President. Trustees: Roger Harnack, Scott Hunter, Teresa Myers, Pili Linares, Eric LaFontaine 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 2 The Washington Newspaper June 2020
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Looks like we’ve been Zuckered! By Patrick Grubb Near the end of March, Facebook announced the $100 million Facebook Journalism Project COVID-19 Local News Relief Fund. Grants ranging in size from $25,000 to $100,000 would be awarded to local publishers who served immigrant, rural, underserved Grubb and economically disadvantaged communities, were family or community-owned or independent and had a established digital presence, among other criteria. One hundred million dollars? For small-town newspapers, familyowned, in rural, underserved and economically disadvantaged areas? We’re shoo-ins. Casting aside our natural journalistic cynicism, we rushed by the thousands to get our applications in. And then we waited. And waited. Until finally, on May 7, Facebook announced who was getting the grants. And it wasn’t us, for the most part. And it wasn’t $100 million, either. It was only $10.3 million being awarded to just 144 newsrooms across North America. Who were these newsrooms? Well, the list includes the Arizona Republic, a Gannett paper ($150,000). The San Francisco Chronicle ($150,000). LA Times ($225,000). Denver Post ($150,000). Miami Herald ($150,000). Atlanta Journal-Constitution ($150,000). Boston Globe ($150,000). Omaha World Herald, Lee newspapers ($150,000). Philadelphia Inquirer ($150,000). Dallas Morning News ($150,000). Seattle
Times ($150,000). Toronto’s Globe and Mail ($75,000). Montreal’s LaPresse ($75,000). No one can deny that all newsrooms, large and small, are facing an unprecedented test of survival. But, seriously? The LA Times? The Globe and Mail? For most of these companies, $25,000 or $100,000 or even $150,000 would be chump change. Money they could raise in a heartbeat. Yet that money would be enough to ensure survival for true community newspapers like the ones who belong to the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. We got Zuckered. Not for the first time and not for the last time. Facebook has used our content for years to attract eyeballs without paying for it. Along with Google, they vacuumed up 78 percent of the online advertising dollars in 2018 while leaving the people who produce the majority of news content on life support.
This needs to change. How much music would you hear on radio or Spotify if those outlets didn’t have to pay the artists and the companies behind the songs? In Australia, the government is expected to force Facebook and Google to begin paying news producers for content as early as July. News organizations in Europe and Canada are demanding that their governments take similar steps. Here in the U.S., some big publishers like the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal are starting to see some money from the internet giants. But unless the green stuff flows down to the community newspaper level, we won’t see any benefit. Until we see the money, we will remain punked, snookered and Zuckered.
In case you missed it, a recording of the Pulse Research/WNPA webinar on using the recent COVID-19 Shopping Impact Survey webinar is available online at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=eH0VC0KhjEo&t=11s
Pulse asked Washington State newspaper readers what they were planning to buy in the next few months and over 4,500 Washington newspaper readers and web site visitors responded. In the recording, John Marling
shares specific recommendations on how to use the shopping information with local advertisers and businesses. Pulse also gives you tools to create sales sheets and talking points for sales calls.
Patrick Grubb is the publisher of The Northern Light in Blaine and this year’s WNPA president.
Shopping survey webinar now online!
House leaders introduce appropriation to help US Postal Service
House leaders introduce appropriation to help US Postal Service The leaders of two Congressional oversight bodies have introduced a $25 billion appropriation bill to help the U.S. Postal Service stave off financial disaster. Reps Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee; and Gerald Connolly, D-Virginia, chair of the Government Operations Subcommittee, said they believed the coronavirus is “wreaking havoc on the U.S. Postal Service.” USPS this week reported that its mail volumes were off 27% during April, the first full month when
government-imposed shutdowns were felt in postal operations. Although its package delivery business saw a 35% increase, the net impact for USPS is still negative because packages are significantly more costly to deliver. Also, USPS has had to hire extra workers to fill in at postal hotspots where workers have come into contact with the COVID-19 infection. The bill, HR 7015, is styled after the Postal Preservation Act. It designates the additional funds to make up for lost revenue and adds $15 million for the Office of the Inspector General to oversee the expenditures. USPS is ordered to make protective gear, sanitiz-
included in the House’s HEROES stimulus bill, which passed before Memorial Day recess. But that bill has not yet been taken up by the Senate and prospects for its passage are dim. Although many Republicans have expressed concern about the fate of USPS, the GOP leadership has been reluctant to support appropriations for USPS after President The post Office needs additional $25 billion aid Trump called the Service package, House Democrats say. “a joke.” Sen. Ron Johnson, ers and cleaning supplies nation actually allowing R-Wisconsin, head of the available to help the work- the Postal Service to shut Senate’s Homeland Secuforce avoid the virus. its doors?” the representarity and Governmental AfMaloney and Connolly tives said in their introducfairs Committee, reported expressed alarm at USPS’s tory statement. “We can’t recently that his staff is condition, which had been let that happen. This is a precarious even before the national emergency that we keeping tabs on USPS finances to see if financial pandemic struck. must address.” support is needed. “Can you imagine our Funding for USPS was
NNA President Matt Adelman, publisher of the Douglas (Wyoming) Budget, said NNA has long supported additional federal revenues for USPS because universal service is too important to small towns and rural areas to allow interrupted service. “We understand that great pressure is being applied to the federal treasury right now and we appreciate our leaders’ attention to the need for wise spending. But USPS was in trouble before the coronavirus disaster and is in worse shape now. Our concern that is if Congress waits until the last dollar is in the postal coffers, a rescue will come too late.”
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The Washington Newspaper June 2020 3
Look to WNPA Impact Ads for 2021 tourism 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 June 2020
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.
Deadline is June 15 for Bunting Award nominations The Washington Coalition for Open Government’s annual Bunting Award recognizes organizations or individuals for journalistic work that utilizes, advances or educates citizens about the state’s Open Public Meetings Act and Public Records Act. Entries for the Bunting Award may come from anywhere, but the submitted work must be substantially about Washington state to be eligible for consideration. The award can go to either journalists or their organization, although WCOG prefers to honor individuals.
Nominations are open until June 15, 2020, and include any work published, broadcast, or posted between June 1, 2019, and May 31, 2020. The award will be presented at the coalition’s annual Madison Andersen Awards Breakfast tentatively scheduled Sept. 18 at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle. Journalism can support and demonstrate the importance of open government in many ways. Some examples include: • Reporting high-impact stories that could not have been written without
Ken Bunting using open government laws, such as Washington state’s Public Records Act and the Open Public
Meetings Act. •Reporting stories that cite – either explicitly or implicitly – the Public Records Act, the Open Public Meetings Act or similar laws. •Reporting stories that show how government transparency and accountability serve the public interest. This may include instances in which citizens, organizations and public officials use or support open government laws for the public’s benefit. •Aggressively using open government laws to gain access to public records and meetings. •Exposing instances
where the government inappropriately withheld public information or access to it. •Showing persistence, especially against resistance, in gaining access to public records and meetings. •Taking legal action in response to government attempts to inappropriately block access to records and meetings. •Publishing commentary that informs the public about important issues concerning government transparency and accountability. Transparent, accountable government was a priority
for Ken Bunting. He was former executive editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a founding WCOG board member. Late in his career he was executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. This award honors his life’s work. To nominate someone for this award, send your name and contact information along with an essay describing the nominee’s work to the Washington Coalition for Open Government, c/o Clark Raymond & Co., PO Box 2633, Redmond, WA 98073 or email to info@ washingtoncog.org.
TownNews offers free websites to combat ‘news deserts’ As you well know, an already-stressed newspaper operating environment has been made more perilous for community publishers by the pandemic. And yet communities need local journalism more than ever. Recognizing the vital importance of sustaining community journalism, TownNews has cre-
ated a pathway for local publishers to serve their communities when it might not otherwise be feasible. News Nirvana is a new service targeted at “news deserts,” which may be existing communities with no local news outlet or those with a local newspaper or website that is at risk of going out of business.
News Nirvana provides capable local publishers with the tools, resources and consulting to serve their communities. Specifically, qualifying news start-ups will be equipped with a mobile-friendly website at no cost. Participating sites will have access to a programmatic ad revenue program and be able
both to distribute and use content on the TownNews Content Exchange, a network of more than 600 participating new publishers nationwide. If you know of a newspaper or other local media outlet closing, your are invited to make them aware of this program or connect them to me so we can work to help
them keep going as they re-evaluate their business plan. News Nirvana also can serve as an incubator for community news startups, giving access to a “light” edition of the industry-leading platform that’s used by more than 2,000 news organizations nationwide. You can read more
3.5” x 2.5” | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt
about News Nirvana on the TownNews website, and fill out an application to see if you fit the criteria to participate. More infomration can be found at www.newsnirvana.com. Existing, struggling or new local news publishers are urged to be in touch with TownNews to learn more about News Nirvana.
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Political ads have their own set of particular rules The political season is fast approaching, and in some cases already here. That means, ad sales staffs and production folks need to be aware that political advertising has its own set of particular rules. The rules apply to newspaper ads, billboards, signs, brochures, articles, tabloids, flyers, letters, radio or TV presentations, or other means of mass communication. If the item directly or indirectly asks for votes or for financial or other support or opposition in an election campaign, it is considered political advertising. The Public Disclosure Commission’s website has complete information, and if you have questions, they are willing to help you sort things out. Here are some of the common rules that should be taken into account when preparing election materials: • Candidate photos must have been taken within the last five years. • Party preference must be included in any form of advertising about a candidate seeking election to a partisan office, regardless of who sponsors the ad. Official symbols or logos adopted by the state committee of the party may be used to indicate a candidate’s party preference in political advertisements instead of words. • Sponsor identification is required for political advertising, except for certain types of ads. The sponsor is the candidate, committee, or other person who pays for the ad. When the person buying the ad is an agent for another person or is otherwise reimbursed, the
sponsor is the ultimate spender. The PDC has separate instructions that explain the unique sponsor ID requirements for electioneering communications and independent expenditures. • Use the words “paid for by” or “sponsored by” followed by the sponsor’s name and address in all print ads over one column inch. Include all sponsors’ names and addresses when there is more than one. A political committee must include its top five contributors’ names when sponsoring an ad about a ballot measure with a cost of at least $1,000 in the aggregate. (The top five is defined as the five largest contributors who gave more than $700 during the 12 months before the ad appears.) • Print ads and websites must display sponsor names and any party preference in an area set apart from the ad text on the first page of the ad. Use at least 10-point type; do not screen or half-tone the text. Small online ads with limited characters may display sponsor names & party preference in an automatic display such as a mouse tip/rollover or non-blockable popup that remains visible for at least 4 seconds or on a webpage that is conspicuously linked to the small ad and reached with one mouse click. • A sponsor’s name and address may be left off of a political ad that meets all of the following criteria: • The sponsor is an individual acting on his or her own behalf, independent of any candidate, political committee
or organization, who personally produces and distributes the ad; and no more than $50 in the aggregate is spent for online advertising or $100 in the aggregate for any other type of advertising; and the advertising is either distributed through the individual’s social media
site, personal website, or similar online forum where information is produced and disseminated only by the individual; or a letter, flier, handbill, text or email from the individual that does not appear in a newspaper or comparable mass publication.
• It is illegal to sponsor a political ad, with actual malice, that contains a statement constituting libel or defamation. Ads cannot directly or indirectly imply a candidate has the support or endorsement of any person or organization when the candidate does not.
• Candidates cannot falsely imply incumbency in a political advertisement about a candidate who does not hold the office. For more information or to clarify the rules, you can call WNPA at or visit the Public Disclosure Commission’s website at https://www.pdc.wa.gov.
The Washington Newspaper June 2020 6