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Your connection to industry & member news | Sept. 19, 2024
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By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications
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| S.C. Federal Judge Finds No First Amendment Right to Inmate Interviews
Ruling in a case brought by the ACLU, federal district court judge Jacquelyn Austin has upheld the South Carolina Department of Corrections policy that “Personal contact interviews with any SCDC inmate, untried county safekeeper, or death row inmate by anyone will be prohibited,” with the judge holding that the ACLU “has no constitutional entitlement to the access it demands.”
The ACLU’s lawsuit sought the ability to record interviews with two death row inmates— Sofia Cano and Marion Bowman Jr.—and release the interviews to the public. The organization is currently representing Cano in a case over her medical treatment in prison, and is working to publicize Bowman’s case as part of its efforts against the death penalty.
The Corrections Department policy, the ACLU argued, “violates [its] First Amendment right to publish the speech of others, including incarcerated individuals.”
Issues with the Department of Corrections policy and conveying inmates’ messages to the public rose to recent public attention in the Alex Murdaugh murder case. First, Richland County released under the state’s Freedom of Information Act recordings of some of Murdaugh’s phone calls while Murdaugh was detained pending trial,. The led to the recordings being widely distributed by the media and online. Then, Murdaugh’s lawyer recorded phone conversations with his client after conviction, and made then available to producers of a television docu-series. Murdaugh was punished for the incident, and his attorney was warned against repeating such activity. Read more
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Celebrate National Newspaper Week Oct. 6-12 National Newspaper Week will be celebrated Oct. 6-12.
Since 1940, Newspaper Association Managers has sponsored and supported National Newspaper Week, a week-long promotion of the newspaper industry in the United States and Canada.
As we prepare to celebrate 2024 National Newspaper Week, we find ourselves reflecting on the unique role newspapers play in our communities. This year, we are inviting you—the publishers, editors, and journalists who make up the heart of our industry—to share your stories about why you are in the newspaper business.
Every one of us has a story about what led us to this profession. Maybe it was the thrill of chasing a breaking news story, the joy of telling the untold tales of our community, or the drive to hold the powerful accountable. These are the stories that define us, inspire us, and keep us committed to the work we do every day.
We are asking you to take a moment to reflect and share your journey. Why did you choose this path? What keeps you motivated through the challenges? What impact have you seen your work have on the community? By sharing our experiences, we can celebrate the vital role that newspapers continue to play in our society.
Use this National Newspaper Week as an opportunity to remind your readers—and yourselves—why journalism matters. Whether it’s a personal essay, a column, or a special feature, let’s come together to highlight the passion, dedication, and resilience that drive us. Share your story with your readers and join the conversation using the hashtag #TellingOurStories2024.
Our voices are powerful, and our stories are worth telling. Let’s celebrate what it means to be a part of the newspaper business and inspire the next generation of journalists to carry the torch forward.
Thank you for your dedication to the truth, and for the stories you tell every day.
Here are promotional print and digital ads, social media posts, logos, columns and editorial cartoons, all available for download at no charge to newspapers across North America.
SCPA will also have a S.C. house ad and social media campaign to compliment the national toolkit.
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RSVP for Sept. 26 FOI/Legal Zoom training Join SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 2-3:15 p.m. for a refresher on the S.C. Freedom of Information Act and libel.
If you are new to the Palmetto State or just need a refresher, sign up for this helpful session.
This session is only open to SCPA members and is free to attend.
If you have specific questions or topics that you’d like Taylor to address, you are welcome to email us in advance.
Please let us know if you'd like to register.
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 | Pickens County Courier promoted the area's upcoming delinquent tax sale with a large teaser on this week's front page, as well as a social media post alerting the public to where they can find these important public notices.
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Add your delinquent tax sale notices to public notice site A friendly reminder that all delinquent tax sale notices should be uploaded to the statewide public notice site. You can upload your PDFs to SCPublicNotices or email the files to SCPA with run dates and we will upload the notices to the site for you.
We also encourage you to promote these notices with teasers on your front page, as well as on your website and social media.
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|  | SCPA hosted ad sales trainer Ryan Dohrn last Friday for a full-day motivational training. Thanks to nearly 30 members who attended and to Dohrn, who shared lots of great advice.
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Libel Manual
SCPA recently mailed copies of Attorney Jay Bender's new libel guide to all S.C. newsrooms.
Bender's short, easy-to-read and understand publication, “A Field Manual with Tips and Tricks for Reporters and Editors to Avoid Claims for Libel and Invasion of Privacy” is a helpful resource that is being provided to SCPA member newsrooms at no cost thanks to SCPA’s FOI Fund.
A reminder that if you ever have a legal question or concern, contact SCPA’s Legal Hotline IN ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION. To speak to SCPA’s attorneys, call (803)750-9561 or email SCPA.
Have a tool, tip, resource or hack that you'd like to share with fellow SCPA members? Tell us what's helping you do your job and we'll share it here in a future newsletter!
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North Myrtle Beach calls special meeting to vote on removing city manager
North Myrtle Beach leaders plan to hold a special called meeting Thursday, Sept. 19, regarding the employment of city manager Mike Mahaney, the city announced Wednesday.
Thursday’s meeting agenda lists two resolutions: one to “approve the notice of removal of the city manager” and another to place the city manager on administrative leave with pay pending a final decision from city council to remove him. ...
In July, My Horry News requested Mahaney's personnel file, which was denied by the city. Press attorneys said the city was violating the state's Freedom of Information Act in not releasing the file.
The city also refused to provide documents presented to council during an April 29 meeting where council met in executive session to perform a performance evaluation of Mahaney. State law dictates that “all documents produced by the public body or its agent that were distributed to or reviewed by a member of the public body during a public meeting for the preceding six-month period” must be made available for public inspection.
By S.T. Cardinal, My Horry News | Read more
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Meet SCPA's new interns
SCPA has hired two new interns to help with communications and member services.
USC journalism and political science student Emmy Ribero, has been hired as SCPA’s Communications and Public Policy intern.
Ribero is in her senior year at USC and is from Columbia, Maryland.
She has been on USC’s student newspaper, The Daily Gamecock, for her entire time at the university, holding positions from university politics beat writer to news editor.
Last summer, Ribero spent time in Florence working with Matt Robertson and Lee Harter as a reporting intern at the Morning News.
She hopes to take her experiences from working in the field as a journalist both at a collegiate and professional level to SCPA.
“I am looking forward to seeing how I can help at SCPA,” Ribero said. “I believe SCPA does some really great work with helping the newspapers of South Carolina and I hope to help continue that.”
Outside of journalism and school, Ribero loves spending time outdoors and with friends and family. She has a particular interest in environmentalism.
She hopes to become an environmental law reporter as a career.
Emmy can be reached at emmy@scpress.org.
SCPA has also hired Tyuanna Williams as a Communications and Public Notice Intern.
Ty, a spring graduate of Claflin University, is currently vying for a Master’s of Mass Communication at the University of South Carolina. She is from Gilbert.
Ty was recognized as the SCPA’s 2023 Collegiate Journalist of the Year for colleges with an enrollment of 5,000 or less. She has worked with The Times and Democrat, Fort Lauderdale Magazine, YR Media, and Open Campus Media through internships and fellowships.
Ty is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
After obtaining her master’s degree, Ty plans to join a newsroom and continue the work of journalism while taking opportunities to learn and grow.
“I am excited to be here at the SCPA,” Ty said. “I am sure that the skills I learn here, will certainly strengthen my journalistic abilities.”
In her free time, Ty likes to read, travel, listen to music, and catch up with friends.
Ty's email is ty@scpress.org.
Mae Giorgi, who has worked at SCPA since January, will also be staying on as a communications and membership intern. Mae’s email is mae@scpress.org.
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|  “An Ariail View” is an upcoming exhibit at the Koger Center in Columbia featuring original political cartoons and paintings by South Carolina artist Robert Ariail. The show will run from Sept. 23 through Nov. 17, with an Opening Reception on Sept. 25 from 5:30-7 p.m. Ariail has been creating award winning editorial cartoons in South Carolina for 40 years. His work is distributed to over 600 newspapers by Andrews McMeel syndicate. Robert’s cartoons have won international, national, regional and state awards.
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Why journalists should look at question order when covering survey and poll results
We explain how question order bias can affect how people answer questions. We also offer five tips to help journalists spot the problem.
Researchers conduct surveys and polls to collect a wide variety of information, including how many Americans own guns, how substitute teachers feel about working at certain schools and which presidential candidate U.S. voters prefer. Not only does this type of data help researchers answer pressing societal questions, government agencies often rely on it when designing policies or prioritizing projects.
However, polls and surveys vary in quality, sometimes significantly. Because biased data is bad data, journalists need to be aware of factors that can influence results. A key source of bias is question order — the sequence in which researchers ask questions can elicit different responses, a phenomenon experts refer to as question order effect or question order bias.
By Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource | Read more
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Study reveals winning strategies to monetize newsletters
The popularity of newsletters with readers and the revenue-generating opportunities for publishers have increased substantially since E&P’s February 2022 Revenue Round-Up article, “Newsletters attract more readers, advertisers and revenue.”
Released in July 2024, a new study from MAGNA Media Trials and Sherwood Media shows why newsletters have gained prominence. Their survey of monthly newsletter readers found 41% said it was their preferred news source — topping a list of 12 sources. TV and news websites were tied for second at 39%, followed by social media third at 29%. By comparison, newspapers were ninth at 17% and radio 10th at 16%.
Another major finding from the study revealed that many news outlets, legacy or online-only, fail to understand: “One-third of newsletter readers don't use news websites as their regular news source.”
This result echoed the newsletter monetization strategy and success of 6AM City, a network of newsletter publications in 28 U.S. markets co-founded by Ryan Heafy and Ryan Johnston in 2016. Coming from outside the news industry, they have been willing to try new ideas.
By Bob Sillick for E&P Magazine | Read more
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New study looks at why journalists stay in the profession
“The day-to-day work of news, journalists reminded us, was the opportunity to learn for a living.”
“Joy” may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think about journalism. In some ways, that makes sense: Journalists report emotionally exhausting stories, manage the at-times hostile audience members, and navigate long working hours.
Recent academic research has explored much of that. But we’re missing something essential in all of that research — often, the people studied are still working in journalism. So in a recently published study in Journalism Practice, Dr. Claudia Mellado — a professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile — and I explored the mirror phenomenon: What brings journalists joy in their work. Perhaps more important than why journalists leave is understanding what encourages journalists to stay. ...
In our study, Claudia and I found that journalists found joy in exercising service-oriented roles of journalism and in opportunities for camaraderie. The study draws on interviews with 20 journalists across the United States who were asked about the joyful experiences in their news work. The journalists worked in a range of mediums and beats at outlets including The Charlotte Observer, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Robesonian, FanSided, and ESPN.
Journalists found joy in developing genuine emotional connections with their audience. They reflected on the incredible amount of trust their audience granted them in the interview process — and they didn’t take that trust for granted. As one put it, “You’re telling me your life story and you’re just going to have to trust me that I’m going to get it right, that I’m going to tell it well.”
By Gregory P. Perreault, Nieman Lab | Read more
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By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant
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| One checklist for election countdown
Election Day is fast approaching. Newsrooms are likely starting the countdown when they take a collective breath from the exhaustive campaign season and return to some level of normalcy.
Elections coverage is put under the microscope by readers, especially if newspapers have a strong editorial voice. The scrutiny is ratcheted to new heights in today’s hyper partisan political climate. Editors and reporters confront passions through phone calls, emails, letters and a variety of social media avenues. Candidates as well as their supporters and detractors are quick to challenge all aspects of election content.
Pressure only builds in these final weeks as campaigns seek to elevate their candidates and issues. Newspapers should seize the opportunity to reaffirm the principles that have guided their coverage for all these months and resolve to not get hoodwinked on election eve.
Here’s one checklist of dos and don’ts to guide coverage:
Press releases: Do consider press releases of substance, and strive to give all parties opportunity to comment, if warranted. Do not give a second thought to ignoring the churn of statements that are repetitive and/or level a series of unsubstantiated charges against opponents.
Letters to the editor: Do your best to provide a forum for readers to endorse their favorite or unendorse their least favorite candidates or referendum issues; letters are the lifeblood of an editorial page. Do not be afraid to edit letters aggressively, especially those that have all the signs of an orchestrated effort. Read more
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Sept. 19 | Postal Academy with Brad Hill of Interlink | SCPA, Columbia
Oct. 4 | News Contest Rules & Site Live
Oct. 24 | Executive Committee & Budget Meeting | SCPA, Columbia
Dec. 6 | Deadline to enter the News Contest
April 3-4, 2025 | SCPA Annual Meeting & Awards | Columbia
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