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THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER September 2017

Services for Wallie Funk Sept. 23 in Anacortes Page 3

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Mail bill stalled in Congress NNA pushing hard for law’s passage

Convention registration deadline extended

Registration for WNPA’s fall convention at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia Oct. 12 -14 has been extended by one week to Sept. 15. If you have not registered but plan to come, go to wnpa.com and register.

The 2017 convention program is a strong one. Les Zaitz, formerly an investigative reporter for the Oregonian and now the owner of the weekly Malheur Enterprise, will lead off the convention as the Keynote Speaker.

Zaitz, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a fierce advocate for community newspapers. Since buying the Enter-

This pumpkin patch photo is among the entires in this year’s Better Newspaper Contest. It was taken by Rachel Ciampi of the Kent Reporter. uniquely poised to serve as prise, he has found himself in a had marshalled the support of journalists everywhere. more than billboards for local number of challenging posiIn an essay this year, Zaitz information. They have an options. First, a big national story broke in his backyard - occupa- said the community press needs portunity to pull segments of a to step up to the challenge of community together, focusing tion of the Malheur Wildlife them on an issue of importance, Center by followers of Ammon creating a national conversation. whether it’s how to drive down Bundy, a rancher and critic of “At the moment, we’re belocal poverty or replace a danfederal land management. having nationally as two people gerously aging school.

Later, the state of Oregon in a conversation talking past “The need is significant for started a suit against him after solution-aimed conversations, he filed a public records request each other. Neither side hears about a crime in his circulation the other. Volume substitutes for to get people talking.” reason,” Zaitz wrote.

Also on the agenda is Tom area. Ultimately, the suit was “Community journalists are dismissed, but not before Zaitz See CONVENTION, Page 2

Slate of officers proposed for WNPA

A slate of officers for WNPA’s Board of Directors will be presented to the membership for approval at the association’s annual convention Oct. 12-14 at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia.

The slate is: Sandy Stokes, Olympia News Bureau, President; Michael Wagar, Nisqually Valley News, First Vice President; and

Donna Etchey, Sound Publishing, Second Vice President.

The slate was selected by a nominating committee, composed of the three most recent Presidents of WNPA, as detailed in the bylaws.

Other candidates may be nominated by the submission of the candidate’s name by at least

10 regular members of the association. Deadline for doing that is Oct. 1.

Filling out the board in the trustee positions are Tom Mullen, Shelton-Mason County Journal; Patrick Grubb, Northen Light; Eric LaFontaine, Sound Publishing; and Scott Hunter, The Star, Grand Coulee.

By Matthew Paxton IV President National Newspaper Association Most people get mail every day, Monday through Saturday.

But what happens when the mail comes later than we expect?

We found out a few years ago, when the Postmaster General had to take away overnight FirstClass and Periodicals mail from most of the nation. That caused a problem for a lot of consumers and businesses. Now, we may be facing a new slowdown, if something isn’t done by Congress very soon.

Who needs the mail, some people ask? We have the Internet now. But a lot happens in the mail, and a lot goes wrong when it is late. To begin with, mail is the backbone for about $1.3 trillion in jobs, products and services. And then there is the personal impact.

People send in their credit card payments at the last minute when cash is tight. The payment reaches the credit card company late, and credit scores take a beating. That causes loans for cars and houses to get more expensive.

Many people count on the mail for medicines. A missed dosage can mean a trip to the

See MAIL, Page 5

Convention: Registration remains open until Sept. 15 Continued from Page 1

Hallman, another Oregonian staff member, who will lead a session on narrative writing. Hallman is a Pulitzer Prize winner and nationally recognized for his compelling storytelling and his approach to newswriting.

One member of a previous Hallman workshop said this: “Tom Hallman Jr.’s narrative writing seminar was the most useful I’ve attended in my 40 years working in radio and newspapers.”

On the ad side, Trish Kinney is among the session leaders who will get you organized and inspired.

Kinney knows print and digital sales, is an Interactive Advertising Bureau certified Digital Media Sales Trainer and a certified Google Professional, with more than 18 years of in-field sales training.

Since 2005, she’s signed over seven million in digital revenue, and her focus on multi-media training helps sales reps strengthen their business relationships, exceed

their sales goals, and gain a greater sense of wellness in the workplace.

Registration for the conference is open at wnpa.com.

Click on the home page convention tile to find the registration forms.

We’ve simplified things a little. The Opening Night reception is part of the full registration, and there is no higher charge for the first registrant.

A la carte registration is also available if you are planning to attend only part of the conference.

The opening night reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday Oct. 12 should be memorable.

The Del Rey Trio will provide blues and ragtime tunes for attendees at the Heritage Room on the Capitol Lake waterfront.

Del Rey is a well-known Northwest performer and an excellent guitar and ukulele player. She regularly travels the nation teaching at music camps and appearing at festivals.

A convention brochure is available online at wnpa.com.

Officers: Don Nelson, President; Sandy Stokes, First Vice President; Michael Wagar, Second Vice President; Keven Graves, Past President.

Trustees: Tom Mullen, Donna Etchey, Patrick Grubb and Scott Hunter.

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 September 2017

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Re-entry into a familiar place

By Don Nelson I was in the checkout line at a Safeway store in Monroe last week when the clerk blurted that I looked “like someone who just escaped from somewhere.”

She had a point. I hadn’t had a shave or a haircut in more than a month. I had the gaunt, holloweyed look Nelson of someone who had endured more than a bit of institutionalization. I was a little slow on the uptake and my clothing was clean but haphazard, as if hastily borrowed from multiple closets.

Since I was in fact a bit of a shambles, I couldn’t take offense at the clerk’s observation. I was less than four hours removed from the hospital, still wearing my plastic patient ID bracelet – which I flashed as proof of my recently concluded incarceration.

After precisely four weeks at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, where I underwent two surgeries and intense IV antibiotic drips for an invasive infection, I had been sprung – with a prescription for several more weeks of scorched-earth antibiotics in hand.

Now I’m back in the Methow Valley, wondering how re-entry will go. I look different, having kept the better part of the beard (we’ll see what people think of that). I’ve been away while a lot of interesting things happened – the news just kept on coming. I figure a month out of commission will require at least another month of catching up. Maybe more.

I also fell a bit behind in WNPA business but am doing my best to make up lost ground.

I’m really looking forward to the convention in October, because it’s a strong program and another

opportunity to connect with all of you.

Meanwhile, the Methow Valley News kept up with everything in grand fashion. To my everlasting, inexpressible gratitude, the newspaper staff and columnists cranked everything up a notch to ensure that 115 years of publication wouldn’t be interrupted. They were assisted by some of the best journalistic talent and community commitment this valley has seen. Karen West and Solveig Torvik, experienced newspeople with distinguished careers, interrupted their retirement to make substantial contributions.

And while she shuns the spotlight, I have to credit my partner, Jacqui Banaszynski, with helping to steer coverage and shape stories the past few weeks. Jacqui, a Pulitzer Prizewinnng reporter, has been a top editor at several large newspapers including The Oregonian and The Seattle Times.

While we needed those people’s best efforts to ensure the newspaper’s ongoing integrity, I have always thought

of the News as a community effort. We rely on so many people in the valley and beyond to help us with news contributions, interviews, tips, advertising support, advice and perspective. The News is, in a sense, an information cooperative – everyone here has a role in making community journalism as good as it can be. That’s especially importnat now, when credible information can be hard to come by.

We drove back into the valley Sunday afternoon on Highway 20, the way I first discovered it more than 20 years ago. It was wonderfully familiar – and, as usual, a revelation.

I’m always struck by the beauty and serenity of this amazing place, and impressed with the powerful sense of community that shapes how we live. It would take a lot more than a month away to make me lose sight of that.

Don Nelson is the Publisher of the Methow Valley News and this year’s WNPA President.

PASSINGS

Wallie Funk, former publisher, WNPA president Wallie Funk once said, “I have had very few dull moments in my life.” Funk, a newspaper publisher, arts advocate and a man who loved Anacortes, passed away Aug. 12, 2017 at age 95. His family assumes his afterlife will be no less dull.

Wallie Valentine MEMORIAL Funk Jr. was SERVICE born in Ana1 p.m. Sept. 23, cortes April First Baptist 29, 1922, to Church, Wallie Val2717 J Ave., entine Funk Anacortes, WA Sr. and Irene Brown Funk. That he died in his hometown more than 90 years later speaks to the grip its artists, fishermen, Croats, refinery workers and Anacortes Seahawks sports teams had on his soul. His favorite smell was of salt water and creosote at the port dock.

Funk’s interest in newspapering started early, in the mid-1930s. To pass the hours he assembled scrap books recording seasons of Seattle Rainiers’ baseball, University of Washington football and more. His

Wallie Funk, a former WNPA president and the publisher of the Anacortes American, The Whidbey News-Times and the South Whidbey Record, died Aug. 12, 2017. He was 95. first sports story was written after Anacortes beat Bellingham 3-0 in football. He wrote it by hand, then glued a splinter from the goalpost to his copy as a final touch.

Funk graduated from the University of Washington.

Like so many of his generation, he interrupted his studies to serve in World War II. He carried shrapnel in his hand

from a small wound suffered at Leyte Gulf, but was otherwise uninjured.

The post-war UW was a remarkable place; its influence on a small-town man profound.

Funk sometimes attended classes, usually journalism. His highest education came from the Sigma Nu fraternity; the UW Daily student newspaper and student government.

As senior class president, he served with such future leaders as Wing Luke, Martin Durkan and Brock Adams.

Home beckoned in 1950.

Starting a business relationship that would last until 1988, Funk and fraternity brother John Webber bought the Anacortes American, a daily newspaper with a circulation so small that the Associated Press didn’t bother charging for its service.

Funk’s first editorial: A call for an Anacortes history museum.

Love beckoned, too. Mary Ann Ringwall was a high school teacher newly arrived Wallie Funk’s office at the Whidbey News-Times, shown from Waitsburg, Wash. and here in the mid-1980s, was a wild assortment of plaques, Columbus, North Dakota. They photos, art and newspapers. met dancing at the Elks Club.

But Funk nearly let Mary Ann get away. It was “Marry me or I go teach in Turkey.”

They wed in 1954. Within three years they had two sons, Mark and Carl.

Funk was an unapologetic homer when it came to high school sports. Local referees once gave him an embroidered crying towel. He never got over the back-to-back state championship losses Lincoln of Seattle dealt his Seahawks basketball team. Said Funk: “I hated Lincoln . . . I hated the referees . . . I hated . . . the air . . . in the ball.”

Funk used the newspaper to advocate for his vision of Anacortes. The American campaigned vigorously for better schools, roads and infrastructure. If you opposed these good things (and the tax increases) you were a “no-good-nick.”

Establishing the Anacortes Arts and Crafts Festival was a very good idea, indeed. In 1961, Funk and lifelong friend Dr. Eugene “Bud” Strom, were in Miami Beach, Florida, to accept an All-America City award for Anacortes.

Not everyone shared Funk’s vision. In a town that could barely support one newspaper, a rival popped up. Coin jars were placed in taverns asking for donations to drive off the Four Fs: Funk the newspaper publisher, Fox the Chevy dealer, Fritz the radio station owner and French the city manager. Loss of advertising dollars proved decisive; Funk and Webber sold the American in 1963.

At the same time, the Whidbey News-Times came up for sale. Funk continued his newspapering in Oak Harbor.

Each edition was loaded with local names and photographs.

On deadline mornings, reporters raced to Funk’s home to pickup his weekly column only to find Wallie still pounding away at a manual typewriter in his bathrobe and pajamas. This weekly routine became fondly known as as “the pajama run.”

Funk likely was writing about politics. The American was the first state newspaper to endorse Dan Evans, a Seattle lawmaker running for governor.

Evans later appointed Funk to

See FUNK, Page 4

The Washington Newspaper September 2017 3

FUNK: Camera was his favorite tool

Continued from Page 3

the Washington State Arts Commission, a post he would hold under the next two governors.

Skagit Valley artists infused Funk’s life; Graves and Anderson, two of the so-called Northwest mystics, lived close by.

He befriended so many others - Max Benjamin, Russ and Betty Frost, Phil McCracken, Ann McCool, Kevin Paul. Their works surrounded him until the end.

Funk’s own tool was the camera; a Leica or Nikon. He photographed NAS Whidbey sailors on the USS Enterprise’s deck.

He captured presidents from Johnson to Carter; the Queen of England; the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; and hundreds of school band concerts.

His most important photos, though, were taken in 1970 at the Penn Cove orca

roundup, pictures graphically capturing the iconic mammals’ treatment at whale hunters’ hands. The photos remain in worldwide circulation, an internet click away.

A family tree of newspaper people started with Funk. Several graduated to the Skagit Valley Herald, The Seattle Times, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Everett Herald.

The Wall Street Journal’s London chief’s first job was with Funk.

Another alum holds two Pulitzers. Others rose to become weekly publishers in their own right.

Funk presided over the Washington Newspaper Publishers’ Association, a trade group of remarkable publishers. He enjoyed traveling to their homes; Lynden, Port Townsend, Stanwood and Waitsburg WNPA friendships extend into the next gen-

Wallie Funk at right, joins in the fun at a WNPA event, with fellow publishers Tom George and piano player Gail Flint.

eration.

Upon “retirement,” Funk turned to local causes. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for history museums in Anacortes and Island County; Oak Harbor’s community playhouse, LaConner’s Museum of Northwest Art; and, on the waterfront, the Northwest Center of Excellence for Marine Manufacturing & Technology.

Almost every Anacortes High School class from the mid-1930s to the early 1970s regarded Funk as an honorary member.

Funk was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Ann; and two brothers, Jim and Charlie Funk. He is survived by his sons, Mark and Carl; their wives, Pam McGaffin and Mara Funk; and grandsons, Casey and Charlie.

The family sends out a special thank you to San Juan Rehabilitation’s staff, particularly Agnes Haller, whose friendship extended beyond care.

Funk was honored recently at Western Washington University, where thousands of his historic photographs have a home. He talked with the school’s communications students. He told them, “Don’t send flowers when I pass. Simply being here today, with you, is all the memorial I need.”

The family suggests honoring Funk’s memory by subscribing to a newspaper (weekly, daily, doesn’t matter); buying a copy of Funk’s Pictures of the Past: Celebrating 125 Years of Anacortes History, proceeds going to the Anacortes History Museum; or, donating to the WNPA’s Wallie Funk scholarship, which meets expenses for reporting

interns covering the state Legislature.

The address for the scholarship fund is WNPA Foundation, PO Box 389, Port Townsend, WA 98368.

A memorial ervice for Wallie will be held Sept.

23, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Anacortes, 2717 J Ave. A reception follows the service.

Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel of Anacortes, WA. To share a memory of Wallie, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com.

Wallie Funk caputured the brutal capture of Orcas in Penn Cove on Whidbey Island in 1970.

The Washington Newspaper September 2017 4

Mail: HR 756 would reduce post office costs Continued from Page 1

hospital.

Small businesses count on the day’s mail to bring in cash from customers. A few days’ delay can mean a trip to the bank for a loan. Loans cost money, and put pressure on the business to raise prices.

Some things just can’t be emailed. Some farm supply houses use the mail to deliver small animals quickly. And then there are legal documents that have to arrive by certified mail.

Also, I have to mention late newspapers, where sales coupons are missed and public event announcements arrive after the event. Newspapers that rely on the mail for delivery to readers took it on the chin the past few years, with disappointed readers canceling their subscriptions.

We are at another crunch point. The US Postal Service has

a $57 billion deficiency on its balance sheet, most of it caused

by Congress. Fixing it may require the Postmaster General to close more post offices and mail sorting plants, eliminate mailhauling truck routes and ground the airmail. The mail would be slowed down even further.

USPS last received a major overhaul by Congress in 2006.

The next year, Steve Jobs appeared on a stage with a new gadget called an iPhone. Since then, Congress and the Postmaster General have been grappling with the tough problem of collecting enough postage for a system that must reach ever more mailing addresses in America, but with less mail to pay for the service. So far, Congress has done nothing but tinker.

This is nothing new. Since the birth of the nation, Congress bogged down many times in

finding resources for this essential economic backbone — one of the few government services actually in the Constitution! Usually a slow Congress results in slower mail.

The choices are tough.

Businesses that buy postage cannot afford big increases.

Consumers cannot afford to pay more for slower mail. USPS wants to protect jobs for its workers.

Of course, USPS is not supported by tax dollars, but by postage. And no tax-payer money should be needed unless Congress lets the system deteriorate further.

There is a better choice.

A bill was sent to House Ways and Means Committee last March by the House committee responsible for overseeing the US Postal Service. The bill, HR 756, is now sponsored by Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, and three Democrats:

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5 The Washington Newspaper September 2017

Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland; Gerald Connolly of Virginia; and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts. All are experts on postal matters. That this group, who agree on little else, could come up with a solution says a lot about this bill.

The legislation would require about 77,000 retired postal workers who draw benefits from a federal benefits health fund to use Medicare instead. Medicare taxes were already paid for these workers.

The Medicare fund owes these retirees their benefits anyway.

It is just that this group has chosen a different benefit for themselves, which they were allowed to do. Now it is time for them to follow the practice of most private sector workers and draw their earned benefits from Medicare instead.

Commercial mailers would

have to accept a small postage increase to pay most of the new cost to Medicare. But the benefits to the federal budget and to USPS would be substantial. Overall, the federal deficit would be $6 billion less if the bill passed.

And the US Postal Service would save about $30 billion over 10 years. The rest of its red ink would have to erased through new efficiencies, and many steps have already been taken to find those, without creating slower mail. All that needs to happen is for House Speaker Paul Ryan to put the bill up for a successful vote before it is too late.

If you are concerned about losing more mail service, the way to protect it is to contact your Representative and ask for a big push for HR 756 in September.

Go to www.house.gov to find a message page for your Member of Congress.

La Conner Weekly News has new owner The La Conner Weekly News has a new owner-publisher with its July 5th edition. Ken Stern’s La Conner News Publishing Co. purchased the weekly newspaper from Sandy Stokes and Cindy Vest, who have published the 1,500 circulation newspaper for 10 years and are “inching” toward retirement as they assist Stern, from Cincinnati, with an orderly transition.

Gauger Media Service, Inc.,

a newspaper and magazine brokerage firm in Raymond, Wash. managed sale of this adjudicated paid-circulation weekly.

Stern holds two master’s degrees, one in resource development from Michigan State University and the second in English from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. His background suits him well in the agriculture and tourism oriented

La Conner market. Stern’s prior career was in agricultural food production economy. Most recently he managed a farm advocacy program spanning Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

Stern’s business experience and expertise will be focused on expanding the newspaper’s digital reach while continuing the La Conner Weekly News’ focus on hyper-local news and advertising content.

Implementation of overtime rule change looks unlikely U.S. District Court Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas has struck down the U.S. Department of Labor’s decision in 2016 to more than double the minimum salary requirements for employees exempt from overtime rules, giving the Labor Department a new opportunity to create a more realistic rule.

Mazzant said the Labor Department overstepped its bounds with the dramatic increase in minimum salary requirements. Congress, he said, laid out the rule that administrative, executive and professional employees (AEP employees) would be exempt from the overtime requirements.

With the 2016 threshold change, he said, the Labor Department effectively invalidated the meaning of these three types of job descriptions. Many workers performing duties consistent with the AEP

descriptions would have lost their exempt status.

The judge had already put the new rule on hold in November 2016 before it went into effect.

Trump administration appointee Alexander Acosta, the new Secretary of Labor, said last spring that he intended to revisit the new rule.

Labor could choose to appeal Mazzant’s decision, but it is unlikely that the salary requirement will ever go into effect.

The requirement caught many community newspaper publishers by surprise. A recent National Newspaper Association survey on the industry’s response to the rule indicated that few newspapers intended to budget for more overtime, most citing a lack of resources. Instead, most intended to cut back on news coverage, but were concerned about being unable to properly cover their communi-

ties.

NNA President Matthew Paxton IV said the Mazzant decision would buy employers and employee groups some time to find a better standard.

“NNA met with the Obama Administration last year and agreed that the salary threshold was due for an increase. But by ratcheting it up so high, the Labor Department had pretty much guaranteed most employees would not see a fatter paycheck, but rather were in danger of layoffs or simply being handcuffed in their abilities to chase the stories they wanted to cover. Overall, the industry is in no position to meet the 2016 standard.

Now we can all work on finding something that actually works,” Paxton said.

Acosta is accepting comments on the standard through September 25. NNA will file comments on behalf of community newspapers.

WNPA JOB BOARD MEDIA SALES PROFESSIONAL Capital Press, a weekly agriculture newspaper and website, is hiring for a Media Sales Professional to cover our Willamette Valley sales territory.

Excellent communication skills, the drive to exceed goals, and general computer skills (PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Word) are crucial. This position is field-based (home office) and requires daily territory travel, and some overnight travel.

Wage plus commission and benefits including Paid Time Off (PTO), 401(k)/Roth 401(k) retirement plan, company car and insurances. Capital

Press is owned by EO Media Group, a family-owned and run company for over 100 years. Send resume and letter of interest to EO Media Group, PO Box 2048, Salem, OR 973082048 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup. com.

(POSTED 8/11/17) REPORTER/EDITOR Experienced reporter/newspaper editor needed for award-winning weekly newspaper in Morton. If you understand the importance of quality journalism, strong local coverage, ethical values, and

6 The Washington Newspaper September 2017

connecting with the community, we’d like to talk with you about joining our team.

This position involves extensive reporting and hands-on editing in beautiful east Lewis County. We offer health, dental, vision and retirement benefits in a growing company with opportunities for advancement. Send cover letter, resume and clips to: Frank DeVaul, DeVaul Publishing, Inc., 429 N. Market Blvd., Chehalis, WA 98532, or respond by e-mail to fdevaul@ devaulpublishing.com.

(Posted 8/11/17)

Have a legal question?

WNPA is ready to help If you have a question about access to public meetings or records, the WNPA staff can help.

Call 360-344-2938 For questions beyond government access -- if an attorney has served you with a demand letter, or if Earl Hubbard you need emergency review of a story, letter or ad -- call or email our WNPA attorney, Michele Earl Hubbard.

(206) 801-7510 or email

michele@alliedlawgroup.com