The Washington Newspaper, December 2020

TWN

THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER December 2020

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

Interns prepare for virtual Legislature

When the Legislature convenes Jan. 11 in Olympia, the WNPA Foundation will have three interns on the job reporting on developments.

Because COVID-19 is making it difficult to gather in groups, this year’s interns will face a daunting landscape of virtual lawmaking, TVW meetings and Zoom hearings.

On the job for WNPA will be Sydney Brown from Washington State University, and Patric Haerle and

Joseph Claypoole from the University of Washington. All come with great credentials and experience in student publications.

Sandy Stokes, who has been guiding the interns for the last several years, steps down this year from the position. WNPA Executive Director Fred Obee and University of Washington instructor John Tomasic will serve as editors for the students.

Stories produced by the interns

will be distributed by email to WNPA members and posted on The Washington State Journal website, a non-profit news website operated by the WNPA Foundation. The web address is wastatejournal.org.

Access to the Capitol building and other legislative offices will be severely limited and the interns will work remotely froom their homes in covering the session.

TVW, Washington State’s public

affairs television network, will make it possible to observe everything the state Legislature is doing. While cable television can only broadcast one event at a time, TVW can live stream many hearings at once online.

Hearing testimony will be delivered

by Zoom conference call, broadening the ability for more people to testify.

“It’s likely to be a bumpy ride,” Obee said. “But where there is a will, there’s a way.”

Mail delays wreak havoc across U.S.

Flaherty new publisher at Wenatchee World Sean Flaherty has been named publisher of The Wenatchee World.

Flaherty, 56, has been serving as the paper’s general manager since June 2019. He joined the operation as advertising director in April 2018.

The announcement of Flaherty’s new role was made

by Francis Wick, president and CEO of Arizona-based Wick Communications, which purchased the newspaper from the Woods family in 2018. The company owns 27 newspapers and 18 specialty publications in 11 states.

“Flaherty is a longtime newspaperman, with a family history tied to journalism, he is knowledgeable and committed to the foundations of community journalism and is energized by the opportunities transformation provides within the news industry,” Wick said.

“He, and The World staff, will continue to serve in a manner that is reflective of past

publishers, and though each chapter of The World is different, the mission is still to provide local professional Flaherty journalism and help lead the community in a responsible manner.”

Flaherty said the duties and responsibilities of the general manager and publisher are similar.

“The publisher is the standard bearer of the paper in the community,” he said. “I am excited to lead The Wenatchee World in this time of great transformation in the news media industry.

“People have many choices in which media they consume.

These days especially, they need trusted, professional journalists reporting their local news. No organization in North See Flaherty, Page 2

Roger Harnack of the Cheney Free Press took first place in the Photographer of the Year competition this year with shots like this one at the top of the hill.

National Newspaper Association members are reporting systemwide problems in getting newspapers delivered by mail this season. NNA has alerted the Postal Service to the issues and is working with USPS service teams to address them.

“We want publishers to understand that these delays are not just in their markets, nor the result of failures by printers or mail preparers.

This is happening partly because of COVID-19-related personnel absences, but mostly because of record numbers of packages in the mail,” NNA Chair Brett Wesner, president of Wesner Publications in Cordell, Oklahoma, said.

“We are in continuous conversation with the senior management at USPS about this problem.”

The Postal Service expected See MAIL, Page 3

FLAHERTY: Long history with WNPA

Continued from Page 1 Central Washington does this better than The Wenatchee World.”

He will handle both the general manager and publisher duties.

In addition to The World’s print and online newspaper, the company publishes two weekly newspapers, several periodicals and owns and operates a printing press in Wenatchee.

“I’m pleased that Sean Flaherty is the new publisher at The Wenatchee World,” said Rufus Woods, who served as publisher from 1997 until the sale in 2018, and who has remained on staff as a columnist and involved in the community. “I couldn’t be happier for Sean and the staff.”

Flaherty moved to Wenatchee from the Tri-Cities. He grew up on the west side of the mountains. His father

and grandfather ran community newspapers in the Seattle area.

“My grandfather was the classic bow-tied editor and publisher of the newspapers he started in the 1920s, The Beacon Hill News and The South District Journal,” he said.

“My father took on more of a business leadership role, starting or acquiring other community newspapers until he sold them in 1990. I have an immense amount of respect for the important role that newspapers have in their communities.

I grew up and saw that leadership first hand.”

Sean and his wife, Wendy, have three adult children. Two of them live in the Seattle area and one lives in the Baltimore/D.C. area.

“I love what we do,” Flaherty said. “I am honored to be part of this great team at The World.”

Officers: Caralyn Bess, President; Steve Powell, First Vice President; Michelle Nedved, Second Vice President; Patrick Grubb, Past President.

Trustees: Roger Harnack, Scott Hunter, Teresa Myers, Pili Linares, Eric LaFontaine and Donna Etchey.

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 2 The Washington Newspaper December 2020

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Reach out to Legislators & share your newspaper’s struggles and concerns

By Caralyn Bess What a year this has been. Nonstop news events…racial injustice protests, the never-ending pandemic along with the accompanying economic downturn, and a historic election. While these have presented opportunities for newspapers to reconnect with readers as they flocked to newspapers and Bess their accompanying digital/social sites, it also presented huge challenges, financially, logistically with remote reporting, quarantines and even reduced news staff, as well as titles with newspaper companies shutting some operations altogether and merging others.

The Local Journalism Sustainability Act was introduced in the House on July 16, 2020, and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. This bill can provide meaningful support for all of our newspapers. It allows individual and business taxpayers tax credits for the support of local newspapers and media. Specifically, individual taxpayers can claim an income tax credit up to $250 for a local newspaper subscription. It also allows local newspaper employers

a payroll tax credit for journalist wages and allows certain small businesses a tax credit for local newspaper advertising.

As of Nov. 23, nine Washington Representatives (Rep. DelBene, Rep. Heck, Rep. Herrera Beutler, Rep. Jayapal, Rep. Kilmer, Rep. Larsen, Rep. Newhouse (original co-sponsor), Rep. Schrier and Rep. Smith) have signed on to co-sponsor H.R. 7640.

America’s Newspapers has taken a leadership role in advocating for this legislation. Francis Wick, President of Wick Communications was responsible for working with Rep. Kirkpatrick & Rep. Newhouse to co-sponsor this bill. He recently joined Dean Riding’s of America’s Newspapers for a session at PIVOT. Wick said, “I see this piece of legislation (Local Journalism Sustainability Act) focusing in on the real need to incentivize good behavior of owners, readers and businesses and ultimately to transform and invest in our organization so that we are transforming into a new business model that is stronger and more dynamic in the future. And, the best part ... this is not a handout.

This all sunsets ... after five years.”

There is also another piece of legislation, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act that would give publishers safe har-

bor from antitrust laws allowing newspapers to collectively negotiate with online content distributors like Facebook and Google.

I’d like to encourage you to take action by reaching out to legislators to share your concerns and struggles and ask for their support to help impact pending legislation. We need more Representatives to co-sponsor the LJSA bill and support the passage of both of these important pieces of legislation. The passage of these bills would certainly provide newspaper companies the time and resources we need to pivot. Contact information for House and Senate members is at www.usa.gov/ elected-officials.

Speaking of pivoting, if you didn’t sit in on the advocacy session at America’s Newspaper’s PIVOT conference, I encourage you to view a recording of the session available online.

Finally, I would like to know what you think the WNPA should be focusing on and how we can continue to improve our value proposition and support our members and our industry. Please reach out to me cbess@ hagadonemedia.com or call 509-7654561. I’m here to serve.

Caralyn Bess is the Publisher of the Columbia Basin Herald and this year’s WNPA President.

Cost to upload legals going up 5 cents Jan. 1

The cost to upload legal advertisements to the website operated for WNPA and Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington will increase to 15 cents per legal starting in January.

The site was established to protect the publication of legals in print newspapers after some arguments arose that legals should be available in a single online platform, perhaps operated by the state.

This is the first increase in a decade, and reflects the increased cost of managing the site.

MAIL: USPS struggles Continued from Page 1 to deliver roughly 20 million packages a day during the holiday season, but that number has exceeded 40 million some days, according to USPS. Mail processing plants and local post offices are challenged to keep up with the volume.

“The private couriers, like United Parcel Service, can decline to accept packages. We are receiving reports in the mailing industry that the private networks are overloaded so packages are being deferred to the Postal Service, which cannot refuse to accept them. This is particularly

an issue for rural areas, where less dense deliveries are unprofitable for the private services but a required service for USPS. Unfortunately, that pushes a glut of package volume into the areas where many of our newspapers are also trying to reach subscribers,” Wesner said.

NNA said it expected service to improve after the holiday package season ends, but NNA cautioned that as vaccine deliveries are ramping up for the private couriers, USPS might still be the deliverer of last resort for packages displaced by the priority vaccine packages.

“Short-term, we advise our members to use maximum selfhelp. Use exceptional dispatch where you can.

Convert long-distance subscribers to paid digital subscriptions where you can. Most of all, make sure members of Congress know you are having problems. This disruption is not only about packages. It is also about a neglected USPS that is being pressured to cut overtime and save money because Congress has not done its part to help create a sustainable service. Long term, we have to find the right fix to keep universal service alive,” Wesner said.

Staff changes at Northern Light Point Roberts Press, Inc. is pleased to announce two recent staff changes. Grace McCarthy has been named editor of The Northern Light, succeeding Oliver Lazenby who has left the company and begun a new career in home remodeling and repair.

Grace is a graduate of the journalism program at Western Washington University and interned at The Northern Light. Last May, she joined the company upon her graduation.

Ian Haupt takes over Grace’s last position as reporter and special publications editor. Ian graduates from the journalism program at Western Washington University this month and also interned at The Northern Light as part of his studies.

Both have a strong awareness of the Blaine and Birch Bay communities, said Publisher Patrick Grubb.

Haupt McCarthy Grubb also expressed his appreciation to Lazenby for his contributions over the nearly five years he spent with the company.

One of his responsibilities was managing and editing the Mount Baker Experience, a quarterly outdoor adventure magazine. He leaves that publication a much stronger and more exciting title. As editor of The Northern Light, he was a true professional.

“We wish him well in his new career,” Grubb said.

WITH OVER 60 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE KNOW JOURNALISM. From public records to protecting journalists, from defamation claims to business needs, large and small Washington publishers turn to us.

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The Washington Newspaper December 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, but there

The map above shows the regions for Impact Ads. Sell the whole state, or choose a region.

4 The Washington Newspaper December 2020

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 hotelmotel 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 360-344-2938 or email ads@wnpa.com.

Washington newspaper archive preserved by SmallTownPapers SmallTownPapers, Inc. of Shelton, Washington has taken ownership of the archives of 10 small-town newspapers from nowretired eastern Washington and Idaho publisher LuJane Nisse. Copyrighted titles from communities including Palouse, Garfield, Latah County, Moscow, Genesee, and Kendrick have archives stretching back all the way to 1874.

LuJane and her husband Bear Nisse actively published newspapers covering the region starting in the 1980s. They purchased, created and consolidated newspapers to provide outstanding coverage of the communities they served.

Their award-winning newspapers were packed

Now-retired publisher LuJane Nisse and her husband Bear Nisse published newspapers covering the region starting in the 1980s. with coverage of local news, sports, business and community events, and statistics on elections, marriages and obituaries -- history these publish-

ers were determined to preserve.

While happy to oblige requests to research information, in 2000 they discovered a better way to preserve and provide access to their archives -- online where they could be easily explored by everyone.

“SmallTownPapers would make all of our titles scanned and searchable using keywords to get needed information,” LuJane Nisse recalled.

“I was more excited than a little girl on Christmas morning because I had long wondered what role the internet would play in newspaper archives.”

The newspaper doors were eventually closed but, because of the Nisses’ commitment to preserving local history, stewardship

The Latah Eagle is one of several titles preserved in an archive acquired

by SmallTownPapers. president Paul Jeffko, addof these newspapers -- in- these important commuing “so far we’ve made cluding the archives -- has nity newspapers means transferred to a new owner the extraordinary steward- more than 50,000 pages of ship of LuJane and Bear archives from our Nisse committed to digitizing Nisse can now be fully collection available online the entire press runs. realized,” said company for free public access.”

“Taking ownership of

Legislation authorizes memorial to journalists who sacrificed their lives The Fallen Journalists Memorial (FJM) Foundation thanked the U.S. Senate for passing bipartisan legislation (H.R. 3465) to authorize the foundation to establish a national memorial that honors reporters, edi-

tors, photographers and broadcasters who have lost their lives reporting the news.

The legislation, known as the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, was passed by the House of Representa-

tives in September and is awaiting the president’s signature. Sponsored by Sen. Ben Cardin (DMaryland), Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-California), Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), the

bipartisan legislation commitment to a free authorizes the foundapress. tion to begin the proOn June 28, 2018, the cess of designing and deadliest attack on jourconstructing the first nalists in U.S. history took memorial on public land place at the office of the that honors journalists Capital Gazette, the local who sacrificed their lives newspaper in Annapolis, in service to America’s when a gun3.5” x 2.5” | MaximumMaryland, Font Size: 30 pt

man shot and killed five employees and wounded two others. The memorial will honor those victims, along with journalists who have lost their lives while reporting in dangerous conditions across the globe.

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The Washington Newspaper December 2020 5

JOB BOARD REPORTER The Leader, a 6,500-circulation independently owned weekly newspaper serving Port Townsend & Jefferson County, has an immediate opening for a reporter/ photographer. Our General Excellence award-winning operation needs someone with a nose for news. Beginning reporters welcome; journalism education is a must. Salary range is negotiable, based on experience. Email your resume, a cover letter, one text document of your work & one of your photos to Donna Etchey at detchey@ptleader. com Port Townsend is a Victorian seaport & arts community on the Olympic Peninsula, 50 miles and a ferry ride from downtown Seattle.

REPORTER The Enumclaw Courier-Herald, a division of Sound Publishing Inc. is seeking a general assignment reporter with a minimum of 1-2 years of writing experience and photography skills. This position is based out of the Enumclaw office. The primary coverage will be city government, business, sports, general assignment stories; and may include arts coverage. The schedule includes evening and/ or weekend work.

We are looking for a team player willing to get involved in the local business community through the publication of the monthly journal and daily web journalism. The ideal applicant will have a general understanding of local commerce and industry, education, employment, and labor issues, real estate and development, and related public policy. He

or she will have a commitment to community journalism and everything from short, brief-type stories about people and events to examining issues facing the community; be able to spot emerging business issues and trends; write clean, balanced, and accurate stories that dig deeper than simple features; develop and institute readership initiatives.

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 too: careers@ soundpublishing.com ATTN: ECH Reporter.

REPORTER The award-winning weekly newspaper, Whidbey News-Times and South Whidbey Record, in beautiful Oak Harbor, WA, has an opening for a general assignment reporter. We want a skilled and passionate writer who isn’t afraid to tackle meaty news stories. Experience with photography and Adobe InDesign preferred.

Applicants must be able to work in a team-oriented, deadline-driven environment, possess excellent writing skills, have a knowledge of community news, and be able to write about multiple topics.

The ideal candidate is comfortable writing hard news and features, both long-form and short. Weekly or daily newspaper experience is preferred, though time

6 The Washington Newspaper December 2020

worked on student publications and internships will be considered. Must be comfortable using a smartphone in the field to take photos and shoot video.

Position requires: • 1-2 years’ experience as a newspaper reporter • 4-year college degree in Communication, Journal-

ism, English, or equivalent journalism experience • Familiarity with AP Style • Use of personal vehicle, possession of valid WA State Driver’s License, and proof of active vehicle insurance • Job involves pagination, including knowledge of digital photography and

Adobe InDesign, in addition to Web page management. The ideal candidate must: • possess excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communications skills; • have strong writing and layout skills; This is a full-time position that includes excellent

benefits: medical, dental, life insurance, 401k, paid vacation, sick, and holidays. EOE. No calls, please. Send resume with cover letter, and three or more non-returnable clips in PDF or Text format to careers@soundpublishing. com. Please include in the subject line GenRepWNT Reporter.