Your connection to industry & member news
Your connection to industry & member news
South Carolina Press Association eBulletin
Your connection to industry & member news  |  July 25, 2024
Jan Marvin and Ronda Schilling of 
The Daniel Island News take Best of Show in the Under 7,500 division for this "Back to School - Back to you" ad. 
Staff of Charleston City Paper take home "Best in Show" in the Over 7,500 division for this ad created from Alvin Ord's Sandwich Shop. 

Congrats PALMY Ad Award winners

Congratulations to winners of the 2024 PALMY Advertising Contest! The winners presentation containing winning ads and judges’ comments for first place winners is now live for viewing. This is a great resource for your ad sales and design staff to get ideas!

Best Overall:

The President's Awards for Best Overall Advertising go to The Daniel Island News and The Journal of Seneca. These top honors are presented to one weekly and one daily newspaper based on number and ranking of awards won, regardless of circulation.Both newspapers are repeat winners!

Designer of the Year:

Congratulations to Melissa Bradley of The Journal in Seneca for being named Advertising Designer of the Year! Judges said, "Rather than cookie cutter ads, this talented designer creates ads that pop off the page. Great eye for color, style and art. Solid font selections, headlines and copy. Strong portfolio that is consistently creative and professional.” 

Best of Show:

All first place PALMY winners were judged by circulation division to award a "Best of Show" honor. The winner in the Under 7,500 Division is by Jan Marvin and Ronda Schilling of The Daniel Island News for its O’Neill Plastic Surgery ad. Best of Show in the Over 7,500 Division goes to Charleston City Paper and Alvin Ord's.

Awards:

Plaques and certificates will be heading out in the mail next week unless you'd like us to come present your awards in person. Please let us know what you prefer!

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's PALMY Contest and to members of Nebraska Press Association for judging this special contest!
View all winning ads
Here are three of Designer of the Year Melissa Bradley's ads. Bradley is a designer at The Journal of Seneca. 
Friday is the last day to sign up for our annual Editors Roundtable. If you'd like to participate, please register online and submit topics for discussion. The event will be held Friday, Aug. 2 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at SCPA Offices in Columbia. SCPA member daily, weekly, monthly and online news organization editors are invited to attend. 
Special thanks to Matthew Hensley, editor of The Post and Courier Spartanburg; Gina Smith, regional projects editor for The State, The Island Packet, The Sun News and Beaufort Gazette and Founder of SC Investigates; Alexandra Whitbeck, reporter for The People-Sentinel in Barnwell; and SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith (not pictured), for speaking at the South Carolina State Library's FOIA roundtable last week. 
SCPA hosted 18 members Friday for our "Back to School" Education Beat Reporting Roundtable. Thanks to all the reporters and editors who attended, and to Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association who joined us to share tons of resources and information. SCPA's next roundtable is Aug. 2 and is a time for editors to get together for robust discussion and collaboration.
SCPA hosted a group of University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications retirees Tuesday for lunch. From left: Doug Fisher, John Lopiccolo, Sandra Hughes, Nancy Clark, Claire Boatwright, Rick Stephens, Pat McNeely and Henry Price.

Resource of the Week

Jobs Board

As a service to its members, the S.C. Press Association lists S.C. newspaper employment opportunities on our website. There is no charge for this service to SCPA members. Email us your openings. We're also happy to share the listing on our LinkedIn page. 

If you are looking for a job, S.C. newspapers are hiring so take a look!
Over the next several weeks, SCPA will share a series of print and digital ads promoting S.C. newspaper readership and where to find public notices. Here's this week's ad, available as a print 2x4 and a digital 300x250. View and download additional ads here. 

FOI & Legal Briefs

North Myrtle Beach breaking SC law by not releasing public records, attorneys say

South Carolina press attorneys say North Myrtle Beach officials have violated the state’s open records law after refusing to hand over a personnel file – a document that is subject to disclosure.
The city refused to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act request asking for City Manager Mike Mahaney’s personnel file following a special meeting in April, mostly held in private, to discuss his performance.
Since then, news has broken about Mahaney applying to another city manager job in Florida.
In April, the city of North Myrtle Beach held a special-called meeting with just one item on the agenda: A performance review of the city manager.
And that’s all the information that was given to the public.
By Tommy Cardinal, My Horry News | Read more

Clemson wants $181,000 for emails

CLEMSON — The city of Clemson has given The Journal a hefty price tag for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
On June 18, The Journal sent the request to city administrator Andy Blondeau and asked for “any emails, transcripts, minutes, or other communications with the following terms for your search parameters: ‘Core,’ ‘Uptown,’ ‘Keowee,’ Abernathy,’ ‘Hub,’ involving city council members, city staff or anyone affiliated with the city of Clemson from Jan. 1 2023 to May 31, 2023.” 
This is after The Journal received news that Eleanor Hare, a Clemson resident, said she paid $1,000 for a similar request.
By Caleb Gilbert, The Journal | Read more

People & Papers
The Gaffney Ledger employees had a baby shower for Associate Publisher and News Editor Abbie Sossamon last week. Abbie's baby is due Sept. 7. She's pictured here with her dad, Cody, who serves as the newspaper's publisher.

Industry Briefs

Asset mapping 101

Asset mapping — identifying a community’s official and unofficial existing resources — can be an important groundwork for engagement. I always approach asset mapping this way: Pull out a piece of paper, and draw a map of the neighborhood where you live.
Seriously. Do it now. It’s fun.
After drawing the cross streets, mark on the map where people hang out or meet. It could be a park, a school, a church, a bar or even a busy bus stop. Then mark all the key community organizations — places that provide services of some sort to the community. Yes, in some cases, community organizations also serve as places where people gather. Finally, think about the location of people in your neighborhood who are well-known to others. Maybe you have a block captain or someone who leads litter cleanups or that person who always comments on social media about things happening in your neighborhood. Once you are finished, stop and take a look at what you’ve drawn.
Congratulations! You have just made a community asset map. And asset mapping — using a bit more complexity, of course — can help you build relationships and better sources within underrepresented communities. This week, we’ll show you why asset mapping is important and how you can develop and sustain your asset maps using free tools.
By Letrell Deshan Crittenden, American Press Institute | Read more

Navigating the challenges of USPS print delivery

In this episode, E&P spoke with two prominent figures in the newspaper industry: Matt Paxton, publisher of The News-Gazette in Lexington, Virginia, and past president of the National Newspaper Association (NNA), and Brad Hill, CEO of Interlink and an NNA representative on the USPS Mailer’s Technical Advisory Committee. They explore the ongoing relevance of print media, the intricacies of postal delivery and the NNA’s advocacy efforts.
Watch this episode of "E&P Reports," a vodcast series hosted by Mike Blinder
Related: Rep. Joe Wilson cosponsors, "Deliver for Democracy," a bipartisan bill to require on-time USPS delivery of periodicals and unlock additional rate authority and pricing (By Holly Lubart, News/Media Alliance)

10 tips for effective election fact-checking

During a recent visit to the London offices of the fact-checking organization Full Fact, I noticed an important question written on a whiteboard as the team prepared to fact-check the United Kingdom’s July 4 elections.
“What does a good election look like?”
This question is pivotal, especially for fact-checkers who aim to ensure election integrity. To effectively fact-check, we must understand how our efforts contribute to the overall quality of the election itself. How can our work actually lead to what Full Fact called “a good election”?
We can all agree that elections should be open and transparent, with clear procedures and mechanisms for accountability. It then follows that fact-checking organizations and fact-checkers play a crucial role in maintaining these principles. By providing accurate information and debunking hoaxes, fact-checkers help maintain voting integrity and foster public trust.
By Saja H. Mortada, Poynter | Read more

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