The Washington Newspaper, June 2023

TWN THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER

June 2023

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Grant County Journal to close doors June 29

The end of publishing in Ephrata closes a distinguished chapter in journalism

After more than a century of keeping Ephrata and surrounding communities in the know, the venerable Grant County Journal will cease publication at the end of June.

“I’ve been here 51 of our 117 years,” said Journal Production Manager Kerry Moser. “It’s breaking my heart, but you can’t stay in biz and not make money.”

Publisher Jeff Fletcher purchased a minority interest in the Journal in 1977 and bought out his partner in 1981.

At its height, the company owned newspapers in Ephrata, Grand Coulee, Davenport, Cheney, Medical Lake, the Spokane Valley and Newport along with two printing facilities in Ephrata and Cheney.

“We didn’t set out to have a chain of papers,” Fletcher once said, but as some publishers retired and others sought financial backing, the company stepped in and grew.

Fletcher and business partner Bill Ifft acquired new titles, expanded into competitive territories and established themselves as an important of hub of journalism and printing in Eastern Washington.

And as their employees

and other entrepreneurs expressed an interest in owning their own newspaper, Fletcher and Ifft helped them get started. Fred Willenbrock bought the Newport Miner that way and similarly Scott Hunter became the owner of the Grand Coulee Star, buying the newpaper where he worked as the publisher.

Ultimately, Ifft bought out Fletcher to create Free Press Publishing in Cheney. Today, WNPA Board Member Roger Harnack is acquiring Free Press Publishing from Ifft, and WNPA President Michelle Nedved is the publisher in Newport.

To say WNPA has benefitted from seeds planted in Ephrata is an understatement. Fletcher was president of the board of directors in 1989, Willenbrock in 1997 and Hunter in 1993.

In an attempt to stay afloat, the Journal in early March cut back its twice-weekly publication schedule that had been the norm for four decades. It dropped the Monday edition and published only on Thursday.

In the end, however, that wasn’t enough to keep the paper open.

Inslee

praises the long career of Wahkiakum Eagle publisher

After learning Wahkiakum Eagle Publisher Rick Nelson was entering hospice care, Gov. Jay Inslee in a May 15 letter to Rick’s family offered his sympathies and his appreciation for Rick’s long career with the newspaper.

Here is the text of Inslee’s letter:

“Trudi and I were deeply saddened to hear that Rick recently entered hospice care. Please know that we are keeping your entire family in our prayers during this difficult time Words are inadequate to express the depth of our appreciation for Rick’s contributions to the Wahkiakum County community, but I wanted to take a moment to recognize his decades

of exemplary journalism.

“Local newspapers have long been a crucial part of the fabric of a community. Those who work for these publications keep their neighbors informed, offer a forum in which to discuss ideas, and ask important questions about the issues of the day. For forty years, Rick Nelson kept the people of Cathlamet and indeed all of Wahkiakum County connected to one another through the power of the press.

“Since 1963, Rick has been an easily recognizable sight in his old, canopied pickup with his well-worn camera bag, sparkling blue eyes, wry sideways smile, and the reporter’s notepad peeking out of his chest pocket. No matter the issue, residents trusted him to tell the truth without fear or favor - a trust he repaid time and time again.

“On behalf of a grateful state, thank you for the sacrifices Rick and your entire family made to bring Wahkiakum County residents the news each day for four decades. Again, please know that Trudi and I am praying for peace and comfort for your family as you navigate this chapter.”

One of the many photos submitted in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest was this kite festival photo by Luke Whittaker of the Chinook Observer. The results of the contest will be announced Oct. 7 at the annual convention in Kennewick. Make your plans now to attend!

Nelson

Direct link to public notices a good idea

Most newspapers now publish notices on their website in addition to print, even in states that don’t require it. It’s one of the most important things publishers can do to help their state’s press association protect newspaper notice.

However, too many publishers still make it difficult for users to find the notices that are posted on their website.

Recently, the Rhode Island newspaper the Westerly Sun published an editorial arguing against legislation that would allow local governments to publish notices on their websites in lieu of print newspapers. A website visitor quickly added a helpful suggestion in the comments section below the article.

“If the Sun believes in the importance of legal notices how about adding a ‘legal notices’ link on your

website?” asked a reader.

It turns out the Sun does post their notices on the site, but they’re hidden behind the “Public Notices” link which can be found in the website’s “Classifieds” pull-down menu.

The Sun fell into the same trap that ensnares many newspapers — wrongly assuming their readers understand newspaper industry jargon.

Most people don’t know that in newspaper world public notices are published in a classified section, so they wouldn’t think to look for them there.

That’s why your public notices or should have their own link in the primary navigation toolbar on your website.

Whatever you do please don’t call them “Legals”! Nobody except you and some of your employees know what that means.

We just aren’t going to get anywhere talking in ideological echo chambers

By Michelle Nedved

Washington’s Attorney General

Bob Ferguson visited Pend Oreille County last week as part of his campaign for governor. He was scheduled to hold a town hall at the Kalispel Tribe’s Camas Center for Community Wellness, an open invitation to the public to visit with the candidate. The morning of his visit, word was sent out that the open house was canceled.

Ferguson did indeed visit Pend Oreille County, but instead of meeting and greeting the general public, he spent his time at the Usk Community Club with members of the local Democratic Party and gaining an endorsement from the Kalispel Tribe of Indians.

regularly, we rarely – if ever – see Democrats.

I met Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both Democrats, close to 20 years ago, and while I think Cantwell came to Pend Oreille County within the last 10 years, Murray has not. Jay Inslee did come to Pend Oreille County when he was first running for governor but we haven’t seen him since.

Our Port of Pend Oreille Manager commented that Ferguson’s cancelation of his town hall shows residents here what he would do for us if elected: nothing. While I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with the sentiment, this is the impression he and most Democratic candidates leave with voters here.

Obviously rural counties vote Republican, but that doesn’t mean it’s OK for candidates and elected officials to ignore us.

out to support a Democrat before.”

Shocking that he was surrounded by supporters at an event that only his supporters were invited to.

What good does this do anyone? The people Ferguson met with here were going to vote for him regardless. The concerns they raised I’m sure were concerns he already has. The people he really needed to hear from were those not already committed to voting for him. And we know that at least 10 of those people were at the Camas Center, waiting to talk with him when they were told the event was canceled, including myself.

The situation was disappointing and insulting.

Officers: Michelle Nedved, President; Donna Etchey, 1st Vice President; Sean Flaherty, 2nd Vice President; Steve Powell, Past President; Trustees: Roger Harnack, Teresa Myers, Rudi Alcott, Matt Winters, Staci Baird 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

While we appreciate his coming to Pend Oreille County, talking with people who are already going to vote for him doesn’t do him or our residents any favors. This is a common theme we’ve noticed from Democrats. While we see Republican officials and candidates

Ferguson’s campaign sent out an email touting his plans to visit all 39 counties in Washington during his campaign. Included were photos of him with Kalispel tribal leaders and members of the Democratic party wearing Ferguson T-shirts.

The email stated, “Folks were excited to hear from Bob and share their top issues affecting their region. Some even said that they had never seen so many people come

I hope candidates and sitting elected officials soon realize that we aren’t going to get anywhere talking in an echo chamber. It’s not easy – downright scary in some cases – to face those who don’t agree with us. But it’s necessary in a democracy to do so. If you’re running for public office then meet the public, face to face, and listen to the other side. You might just flip a county.

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

States Newsroom comes to Washington

States Newsroom, a North Carolina-based nonprofit building a national network of statehouse news bureaus, is expanding to Washington.

The organization announced recently it was launching an Olympiabased outlet in early to mid-May.

The organization has hired a team of four Washington State based reporters.

“Our goal is to focus even more attention on state government policy and politics and how it affects people’s lives there in Washington,” said States president and publisher,

Chris Fitzsimon.

States is an outgrowth of NC Policy Watch, a Raleigh-based nonprofit site that Fitzsimon started in 2004 and rebranded as NC Newsline this year.

As it expanded into other states, the organization benefited from a recent surge in philanthropic support for news. Its funding grew from about $10 million in 2020 to $22 million last year.

It received another boost last month when Pew Charitable Trusts transferred its Stateline news service

to States, along with a $3 million grant to support the transition. States makes its coverage available for free through its national and state websites, newsletters and local newspapers with which it shares stories.

The website here in Washington is the Washington State Standard. The address is: https://washingtonstatestandard.com.

Much of this story was taken from reporting by Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times.

Nedved

WNPA is here to help in legal emergencies

By Fred Obee

At WNPA, we are devoted to helping our member newspapers protect themselves from lawsuits, libel actions and other legal difficulties. The hotline, as we’ve always referred to it, was established many years ago to get quick legal advice from an attorney when members faced a legal emergency.

For years, we kept an attorney on retainer and members were allowed to call the attorney directly, and during this time the use of the hotline expanded. People were calling about lots of non-emergency issues the WNPA staff was qualified to handle. Many of these non-emergency questions concerned access to

meetings and documents, questions about becoming a legal newspaper, copyright infringement, what the rules were for housing ads in classified columns, human resource questions and plenty of other issues.

Ultimately, the WNPA Board of Directors decided that keeping an attorney on retainer to answer these non-emergency legal questions was veering pretty far from the original purpose of our legal hotline, and because legal advice from practicing attorneys cost hundreds of dollars an hour, we decided to rein in use of the hotline for non-emergency questions.

Our policy today is this: If someone serves you with a

subpoena, presents you with an order to turn over files, files a lawsuit against you, issues you a summons to testify, or takes some other legal action against you that requires an immediate response, you should call WNPA and we will give you clearance to talk to our hotline attorney.

In a legal emergency, WNPA will connect you with an attorney who will tell you what your legal options are and what steps you need to take next.

WNPA members can retain the hotline attorney for any follow up beyond the scope of the hotline, such as writing a letter to the complaining party or their attorney or defending a lawsuit. All discussions with

the hotline attorney are protected by the attorney client privilege and are not shared with anyone outside the contacting newspaper.

This consultation is limited to one hour and is paid for by WNPA. You can choose to retain the attorney after the consultation, or you can select a different attorney.

If the initial consultation goes beyond an hour, the caller must pay for the additional time.

The reality is that most of the questions our members face can be answered by the WNPA staff.

When we face a particularly vexing issue about open records or meetings, we can collaborate with the experts at

the Washington Coalition for Open Government.

We have a quick turnaround time. WNPA staff is available at almost any time of the day, any day of the week. Our office phone is 360-344-2938. If we are out of the office, you can call my cell phone at 360301-6453.

We are happy to consult with our members on any issue they face, but legal advice about your business, taxes, employee issues, copyrights and other non-emergency questions aren’t for the legal hotline. Those issues are more appropriately directed to your company’s attorney for resolution.

Still have questions? Just give us a call!

public records to protecting journalists, from defamation claims to business needs, large and small Washington publishers turn to us.

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.

People are itching to get out and mingle and community events are filling the streets.

But extra effort is necessary these days to let people know your town is open for business and welcoming tourists.

Many just truct in online notices, but with ad blocking software and distrust of social media growing, 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 funds) for a report on where the lodging tax money is going (usually chambers of

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Ad network:

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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.

• 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.

Know advertising rules for election season

Political advertising has its own set of particular rules, and ad managers should regularly review the regulations with sales and production people.

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.

Here are a few of the rules established by the state Public Disclosure Commission 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. Include all sponsors’ names and addresses when there is more than one. A political committee must include its Top 5 contributors’ names when sponsoring an ad about a ballot measure with a cost of at least $1,000 in the aggregate. (The top 5 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 halftone the text. Small online ads with limited characters may display sponsor names and 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 (or pays for it to be produced and/ or distributed); the sponsor receives no contributions or other support to produce and distribute the ad; 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 ac-

tual malice, that contains a statement constituting libel or defamation, or imply a candidate has the support or endorsement of any person or organization when the candidate does not. Ads cannot include a false statement of material fact about a candidate or falsely represent that a candidate is an incumbent.

• Candidates cannot falsely imply incumbency in a political advertisement about a candidate who does not hold the office. Recommended format: Elect Tracy Jones Auditor or Tracy Jones for Auditor. For more information or to clarify the rules, you can call WNPA at 360-344-2938 or visit the Public Disclosure Commission’s website at https://www.pdc.wa.gov.

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.

wsda.org

REPORTER

Cascadia Daily News, a startup digital daily/print weekly news publication in Bellingham, Washington, needs an enterprising journalist to serve as a general assignment reporter .

Our ideal candidate will jump on breaking news and produce smart, contextual, enterprise journalism in a digital-focused newsroom.

It’s not an entry-level gig. We need a reporter with the news judgment tools and reporting skills to anticipate and produce local takes on subjects with regional and national interest. On our team-oriented staff, this reporter must be able to work independently, with the drive and skills to produce cleanly written daily stories derived from original reporting.

You will report on breaking news, trending topics, interesting events and activities across Northwest

Washington state, for publication on cascadiadaily. com or in our weekly print edition.

Maintain an active presence on social media to promote and distribute your work, and occasionally report live events.

Applicants need to have a Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field and at least two years’ experience in a newsroom or a related work environment.

This position is full time in our newsroom in a historic building in downtown Bellingham.

We offer a salary ranging from $50K to $60K DOE. Competitive benefits include full health, vision and dental insurance, nine holidays and sick leave pay and generous 401(k) plan.

To apply, send a letter of application, resume and work samples to Ron Judd, executive editor, ronjudd@ cascadiadaily.com.

MANAGING EDITOR

Cascadia Daily News, a growing news organization in Bellingham is on the hunt for a Managing Editor to serve as a key cog in an innovative startup news operation.

We’re a digital daily/print weekly publication with the largest newsroom in Northwest Washington state.

We’re looking someone with at least five years daily experience managing journalists — someone perhaps seeking a step up, step down or fresh start in a newsroom creating highimpact local journalism with a distinct absence of internal bureaucracy.

This position is full time in a historic building in downtown Bellingham, Washington. Remote work is not an option.

Generally, work full time Monday through Friday, but be on call to

manage breaking news and supervise staff. Oversee newsroom scheduling, deadline editing, story budgeting, meetings, story and project planning. Collaborate with Executive Editor on broader coverage goals and staffing strategies. We off an Annual salary of $75K-$85K, depending on experience and competitive benefits including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, nine holidays and a generous 401k savings plan.

To apply, send a resume, cover letter and access to work samples to Executive Editor Ron Judd, ronjudd@cascadiadaily.com.

EDITOR

The Reflector, a weekly newspaper with a circulation of about 20,000 located in southwest Washington state, is seeking an editor to lead its newsroom.

The successful applicant will have a bachelor’s degree in journalism or equivalent experience. The editor will manage a team of two reporters while contributing stories

and photographs and working with a full-time designer to publish the newspaper each week. Experience with InDesign, Photoshop and Google Drive is a plus. The editor will also be responsible for management of The Reflector’s website, thereflector.com, as well as its social media platforms.

The Reflector is a family-owned newspaper as part of CT Publishing, which also includes The Chronicle in Centralia, Washington, and the Nisqually Valley News in Yelm, Washington.

Health insurance, paid time off and mileage reimbursements are among benefits offered to employees. To apply, send a cover letter, references and resume to CT Publishing Editorin-Chief Eric Schwartz at eschwartz@chronline. com.

NEWS WRITER

The Inlander, a family-owned urban weekly newspaper in Washington state, is looking for an ambitious

News Writer to join its award-winning editorial team.

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 $50,000 a year. Other benefits include access to medical/optical/dental benefits, participation in a SIMPLE savings plan, paid time off and annual review.

REPORTER

The Vashon Beachcomber, a division of Sound Publishing Inc., is seeking a general assignment reporter with a

Continued from Page 8 minimum of 1-2 years of writing experience and photography skills.

This position is based out of the Vashon Island office.

This is a full-time position. We offer a competitive hourly wage and benefits package including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick, and holidays), and 401K (currently with an employer match.)

Email us your cover letter, resume, and include five examples of your best work showcasing your reporting skills and writing chops to: careers@soundpublishing.com ATTN: VMB Reporter.

MULTIMEDIA SALES

Sound Publishing has openings in Friday Harbor and Snoqualmie, Wash. for a self-motivated, results-driven person interested in a multimedia sales career to generate advertising sales on new and existing business.

This is a full-time salaried (30-35k salary) PLUS commission with an initial 3-month commission guarantee. 50k55k first year potential with unlimited commission growth opportunities!

We offer a competitive base wage with commissions, and a benefits package that includes health insurance, life insurance, a 401k retirement plan with company match, paid vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays. If you have these skills, please send your resume to careers@soundpublishing. com with a subject line of ATTN: JSJSALES for the Friday Harbor job and ATTN: SNOSALE for the Snoqualmie position.