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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER
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June 2021
Page 5
Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Good community, flexible work hours keys to satisfaction Salary survey shines a light on pay scales for positions
Living and working in a community they love and having flexible work hours were among the most important factors in job satisfaction for WNPA newspaper employees, according to a recent survey conducted by WNPA. The survey of WNPA papers looked at three areas – personal employee profile, newspaper profile, and salary and wages. There were 119 total respondents, with 101 providing pay information. Respondents skewed toward those who have worked in the industry for more than 10 years, and 85% said their company offered employees at least some benefits. Most respondents (45%) were paid salaries; 39% were paid an hourly wage and 16% of respondents said they were paid a “base wage plus commission.” Pay among respondents was most affected by role at the newspaper, where publishers and editors earned the highest median wage ($28.85 per hour and $19.62 per hour, respectively). Employees working in marketing/sales earned a median base pay of $15.72 per
A detailed copy of the salary survey is online at wnpa.com hour plus a 5 percent commission on sales. Reporters, content designers, and office staffers earned the least ($15.43, $16.75 and $15.63, respectively). Not surprisingly, the smaller the circulation, the less employees were paid. One inconsistency in the data was lower wages for mid-size papers, ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 circulation. There was no obvious explanation for this result, so it was likely a shortcoming in the representativeness of the sample in that group. Length of time in the newspaper industry directly affected overall pay for those with the longest tenure, but surprisingly, there was almost no difference in median or average pay scales for people who had been in the industry for one to seven years. Another surprising fact: there were essentially no differences in pay based on the respondents’ perceived cost See SURVEY, Page 2
This photo, by Luke Whitaker of the Chinook Observer, showing family members who escaped a house fire, was among the entries in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest. Contest winners will be announced at the WNPA annual convention Oct. 9 in Bellingham, if health directives allow us to meet in person.
Woman wins suit after being arrested for recording a city council meeting
By Roger Harnack Franklin Connection MESA — After 18 years, a local woman has won several arguments in a major round in court after being denied the right to video tape a City Council meeting and then being arrested. On Tuesday, June, 1, the state Court of Appeals, Division III found in favor of Donna Zink, a local resident who sued following the May 8, 2003, actions of the Mesa City Council and Mayor Duana Rae Ross.
Zink sued the city after Mayor Ross illegally ordered Zink to stop recording a public meeting, records show. The mayor also called 911 and asked that Zink be removed from the meeting and demanded she be arrested for trespassing. Her removal and arrest led to the lawsuit, and this week’s appellate ruling. In the appellate ruling, Judges Rebecca L. Pennell, Laurel H. Siddoway and Robert E. Lawrence-Berrey affirmed lower court rulings that the city had indeed violated the state
Open Public Meetings Act by barring Zink from recording. The appellate court also lifted the “restrictive” amount of attorney fees awarded and remanded that issue back to a lower court, allowing Zink to pursue full compensation for her legal fees and costs. In the initial lawsuit, Zink claimed $19,411.65 in fees and costs, but a lower court ordered the city to only pay $6,511.49 in compensation. The appellate court also reversed a lower court order See LAWSUIT, Page 2