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Your connection to industry & member news | Aug. 27, 2026
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SCPA to host Digital Roundtable on Oct. 2 in ColumbiaSCPA members are invited to attend an in-person roundtable where we’ll discuss all things digital! Join us Friday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., at SCPA Offices in Columbia. This will be a great time to meet with your peers for robust discussion about the evolving digital news media landscape!
Whether you publish an online news publication or are a newspaper that also uses digital platforms, this event is for you.
The agenda is up to the group, but will focus on a mix of digital content, revenue and audience topics. Discussion may include digital trends, social media challenges and opportunities (including monetization), digital advertising options, content that works, newsletters, video, audience growth/engagement strategies, AI, metrics and training/resources for your staff. Plus, time for show and tell!
Special thanks to Bailey Dunlap, president of Dunlap Media Group, for moderating this event!
The cost to attend is $30, which includes lunch. Thanks to the SCPA Foundation Smoak Fund for sponsoring this event!
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Charleston Housing Authority uploaded agenda with false timestamp after questions about public access
CHARLESTON — For the second month in a row, missteps by Housing Authority staff stymied public access to special board meetings.
“I take transparency very seriously,” CEO Nathan Simms Jr. said in a written statement. “Changes will be made immediately to maintain public confidence.”
A Post and Courier reporter was locked out of a special board meeting in July. Spokesperson Vernon Graham first said the meeting was not open to the public, despite state law prohibiting a quorum of members of a governing body from meeting in private. He later apologized for misspeaking and explained that the gates were closed and the door was locked due to an “administrative oversight” that would not happen again.
When it came time for another special meeting on Aug. 18, a public notice of the date, time and location had been published in the newspaper. It was not posted in the Housing Authority’s lobby or on its public website.
South Carolina law requires that information, as well as an agenda explaining the topics of discussion, be publicly accessible at least 24 hours ahead of time. No agenda was publicized.
By Kailey Cota, The Post and Courier | Read more
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Editorial: There are two ways to hire public leaders; this is the right way
Something important happened earlier this month that you might have missed if you don’t live in Myrtle Beach — and even if you do live along the Grand Strand, you might have missed its importance.
On Aug. 11, the city invited the public to a meet-and-greet with four candidates for police chief, where The Post and Courier’s Nicole Ziege reports that dozens of residents heard presentations by and then had the opportunity to talk with the candidates. ...
It wasn’t that long ago that this was a fairly routine part of the process of hiring a police chief or a school superintendent or a university president or a host of other public leadership positions. And as Myrtle Beach reminds us, it’s something that a lot of governments still do.
But it’s no longer expected. What’s expected is for state and even local governments to hire expensive search firms to recruit candidates and then tell the government that the finalists won’t allow their names to be released unless they’re guaranteed the job. The most obvious problem with this is that it shuts out members of the public who might have insights into the candidates that the search firm either overlooked or didn’t consider important enough to mention.
From The Post and Courier | Read more
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How to file FOIA requests like a pro
The Freedom of Information Act is an invaluable tool for reporters to access public records from federal agencies. But government officials frequently exploit FOIA’s flaws to keep records secret, delaying and denying journalists from telling important stories in the public interest.
Navigating these obstacles isn’t easy — but it is possible.
Reporters Committee asked several journalists who regularly use FOIA in their work — including a couple of our attorneys’ clients — to share three proven strategies:
1. For generating FOIA ideas
2. For crafting requests
3. For navigating administrative appeals
Here’s what they told us.
From Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press | Read more
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Canadian trade talks fail, newsprint tariff exemption continues
Trade talks with Canada failed on Aug. 22 leading to 50% tariffs imposed on certain goods effective immediately. Newsprint (HTS Code 4801 & 4802) continues to be exempt from the tariffs and was not added in the latest proclamation from President Trump. See today’s Federal Register Notice. Canadian Prime Minister Carney announced retaliatory actions, but specific codes have not been released.
By Holly Lubart, The News Media Alliance | Read more
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PRC denies USPS motion to allow January density rate increase
The News/Media Alliance filed comments on July 29 opposing the USPS motion with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to calculate the FY 2026 density rate authority early. The Postal Regulatory Commission denied the request for a waiver on August 21 citing that the USPS failed to show good cause, failed to establish that the waiver is consistent with public interest, and that it will not unduly prejudice the interests of other participants. If the USPS wants to use density authority in FY 2027, it must wait until the April filing for a July increase or it can file in October 2027 for a CPI-only increase next January. The Alliance was cited several times in the order.
By Holly Lubart, The News Media Alliance | Read more
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'Mother of the newsroom': Aiken residents remember longtime newspaper employee Lynne Katonak
AIKEN — Friends and family of the late Lynne Katonak are sharing stories in remembrance of the longtime Aiken Standard employee who was known for a variety of roles around the community, including being part of a marriage that lasted for 72 years.
Katonak, who died Aug. 22 at age 92, moved from Ohio to Aiken in 1956 with her husband, Paul, who died July 17 at age 91. A Facebook account from the family noted that the couple "started both the Aiken Running Club and Aiken Bicycle Club, and spent every minute they could together." They were married in 1954.
"Lynne and Paul were always on the go," said Kelly Greene Lynn, one of Lynne Katonak's longtime co-workers at the newspaper.
"I’d see them around town, whether it was walking downtown, at a concert at Hopelands, at an event at the museum, or just shopping. They were always together," she said.
"When I was in eighth grade at Jefferson Junior High School in Bath in the late 1970s, I won the Aiken County Spelling Bee held at the Aiken Standard office. Lynne Katonak wrote a story about me for the newspaper. In ninth grade, still at Jefferson, I won a statewide poetry contest sponsored by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. Lynne wrote another story about me then."
Lynn added, "After I graduated college, I started my first job as a reporter at the Aiken Standard in 1987. Lynne was still working there, and she became a coworker and a friend."
By Bill Bengtson, Aiken Standard | Read more
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 | By John Foust,
Advertising Trainer
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| Don’t follow the crowd, follow the idea
When advertisers say, “Make my ads stand out,” they’re usually thinking of big headlines and big logos. There are other ways.
During my ad agency days, one of my accounts was a fumigant manufacturer. Their products were developed specifically for commercial pest control companies, not for direct-to-consumer use. For example, grain transportation and silos need protection from rodents and insects. And golf courses need to keep their grounds (especially the greens) safe from moles and voles.
One ad was targeted to industries who have to deal with rodents. I spent some time researching competitors’ advertising and discovered that most depictions of rodents were cartoon drawings or photographs of ones that had (excuse the terminology) expired. Those two concepts were so common that it looked like advertisers flipped a coin to see which one they would use. Read more
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