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Your connection to industry & member news | Jan. 26, 2023
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SCPA to announce News Contest winners Feb. 1Winners from the 2022 News Contest will be posted online for proofing by 5 p.m. on Feb. 1.
The list will include winners from the News and Associate/Individual contests.
As of last night, judges were still working hard reviewing entries. So far, 67% of the judgements have been submitted. We hope to have the rest back by early next week. If any judgements are still outstanding after the initial announcement on Feb. 1, additional winners will be added to the Google Sheet in real-time as they come back from judging.
You'll have until Feb. 8 to proof your newspaper’s winners.
Secret winners, President's Cup winners and Best of the Best will be announced at the SCPA Annual Meeting on March 10.
Thanks to members of the Georgia Press Association for judging our contest! If you'd like to volunteer to judge their News and/or Ad contest, please sign up.
Collegiate winners will be announced for proofing on Feb. 8. Awards will be presented March 31 at Clemson University.
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25 more judges needed for Georgia's News, Ad ContestsTHANK YOU to more than 40 SCPA members who have already volunteered to help judge Georgia Press Association's News and Advertising Contests next month!
We still need 20 more news contest judges and 5 more ad contest judges to volunteer their time and expertise to review GPA's contests. All current and retired SCPA members, J-School instructors and associate/individual members are eligible to help judge.
Without your participation, these important contests can't happen so please sign on as a volunteer.
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Use caution in Super Bowl adsThe Super Bowl is a couple weeks away which means SCPA member newspapers should be cautious about using NFL trademarked words and logos in advertising promotions.
The NFL has more than 100 federally registered trademarks, including "Super Bowl" and "Super Sunday." The Super Bowl logo, NFL shield and team names and designs are also trademarked. These words and designs cannot be used in newspaper ads or for any other commercial purposes without the NFL's permission.
While you are OK using vague terms like "the big game," any ads that suggest a connection to the Super Bowl should be called back.
It is acceptable to use these words and graphics in news stories about the Super Bowl.
If you have any specific questions about the legality of an ad or promotion and you'd like an SCPA attorney to review it before publication, contact SCPA.
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Please pay 2023 membership duesSCPA members should have received 2023 membership dues invoices in early December.
If you haven't received your dues invoice or have any questions, please contact us.
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SCPA hires student assistantsSCPA has hired two USC J-School students to help with communications and member services.
Win Hammond and Hank Lunn will be working part-time with SCPA staff and members on daily tasks including order fulfillment, communications and public notice site administration, as well as large projects like the Annual Meeting winners presentation and exhibits.
Their names may be familiar as both helped SCPA over Winter Break getting News Contest entries ready for judging.
Win is a sophomore journalism major and economics minor.
A native of Greer, Win started writing for The Daily Gamecock as a columnist before being promoted to assistant opinion editor and now he's reporting on university politics. His goal is to become an investigative reporter in politics or business for a daily newspaper. In his free time, Win likes to read and find the way to pull a perfect espresso shot.
Hank is a junior advertising major and English minor.
A native of Hartsville, she has a background in ad sales, working as a member of Garnet Media Group's ad sales team. Her goal is to become a copywriter or work in art direction.
In her free time, Hank enjoys making earrings and walking her dog, Mac Mac, on the West Columbia Riverwalk.
"These students have jumped right in -- quickly learning about South Carolina's newspapers and how to serve them," Co-Executive Director Jen Madden said. "They have very bright futures and we're excited to see what they accomplish during their time at SCPA."
Win and Hank replace Kassidy Wright, who recently left SCPA to take a full-time position as marketing and development coordinator for The Nickelodeon, a nonprofit cinema in Columbia. Kassidy joined SCPA in August 2021 as a part-time communications and membership coordinator.
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|  Only six seats remain for our Feb. 10 IRE workshop. Sign up soon if you'd like to attend!
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| "Sense of comity" by Robert Ariail
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|  If you can't get enough of award-winning Camden cartoonist Robert Ariail, enjoy his new strip featured every week in the Charleston City Paper, which has granted us ongoing permission to republish it. Called "Lowcountry," the weekly feature, which is available for syndication in South Carolina newspapers, focuses on politics, human nature, the environment and public policy. More: Contact publisher Andy Brack.
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Fairfield County’s audit overdue; state withholding funds
The SC Comptroller General’s office notified the county’s financial department on Jan. 3, 2023, that the county’s audit was overdue and that the state would begin withholding funds from the county that day.
While they were aware the audit was late, Council Chair Douglas Pauley, Vice Chair Clarence Gilbert and council members Peggy Swearingen, Dan Ruff, and Shirley Green told The Voice two weeks later, on Jan. 17, that the information that the comptroller’s office was withholding funds was never passed along to them. The Voice was unable to reach councilmen Neil Robinson and Tim Roseborough.
“We have not yet received your county’s audited financial statements,” Senior Assistant Comptroller General Ronnie Head wrote in an email to the county’s Comptroller Anne Bass. “As you are aware, SC Code of Laws (section 4-9-150) requires that you provide your audited statements to our office no later than yesterday [Jan 2, 2023].
“As this deadline was not met,” Head continued, “it will leave our office with no other option than to begin withholding state payments to your county beginning today [Jan. 3, 2023], pending receipt of a copy of these audited financial statements.”
Head concluded that, “Issuing timely financial statements and making them conveniently accessible to citizens are important qualities for maintaining public confidence in government.”
The Voice acquired this email and others between county officials and the SC Comptroller’s office through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Bass replied to Head that same day, copying Deputy Administrator Synithia Williams and County Administrator Malik Whitaker, that, “In communication with our audit firm, we should have the draft in the next week or two. We will send it immediately when it is ready.”
However, by Jan. 17, the Comptroller General’s office had not yet received it.
By Barbara Ball, The Voice of Fairfield County | Read more
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|  | Last week Brian Tolley, President and Editor of The State (left), presented Bristow Marchant (right) with the newspaper's Hampton-Gonzales Award for Journalist of the Year. Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County. He's a College of Charleston graduate and has previously worked at The Clinton Chronicle, The Sumter Item and The (Rock Hill) Herald.
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Senate advances bill to protect SC injury victims after Sun News series shines light on issues
South Carolina legislators appear to prioritize protecting vulnerable residents’ financial futures in light of a McClatchy investigation.
The investigative series, Cashed Out, detailed how JG Wentworth and other companies have for years been purchasing accident victims’ future structured settlements for immediate lump sums, often for pennies on the dollar.
The state’s law regulating these transactions has sat untouched since it was implemented in 2002 despite several other states adding additional protections in recent years. But South Carolina is now on the path to joining those states.
A bill to comprehensively reform the state’s Structured Settlement Protection Act passed its first hurdle [last week] after members of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee unanimously moved it forward during their first meeting of the 2023 session. The legislation will next need approval by the full Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Luke Rankin, the bill’s primary sponsor.
By David Weissman, The Sun News | Read more
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Applications sought for 2023 America's Newspapers Executive Development Program
The America’s Newspapers Executive Development Program, funded in part by the Inland Press Foundation, gives the next generation of newspaper leaders the opportunity to connect and gain valuable insights from industry leaders and their peers.
Applications will be accepted until Feb. 20. Applicants will be notified by Feb. 28 if they are accepted so they can plan and book their travel to the Mega-Conference.
This is a six-part program focused on the core topics that emerging leaders need to further their careers. The curriculum of the program will be tactical, developmental and inspirational with participants gaining exposure to multiple disciplines. Each session will be led by industry veterans who will provide an overview of the business of newspapers and a roadmap for the skills needed to be successful. From revenue development, content, digital, finance and more, Executive Development participants will learn from the best the industry has to offer.
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DEI in Newsrooms: It’s time to shift diversity from a metric system to a values system
Newsrooms must “establish diversity as a value system” rather than a quota system in order to truly foster a diverse and equitable workplace.
That’s what Larry Graham, founder and executive director of The Diversity Pledge Institute, says will help newsrooms better achieve their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
Graham launched The Diversity Pledge Institute in 2021 to improve retention rates associated with DEI by matching vetted, diverse candidates to newsrooms and providing support to journalists through mentorship and resources.
We asked Graham for advice that newsrooms can use right now to create and maintain an inclusive newsroom culture.
By Holly Butcher Grant, National Press Club Journalism Institute | Read more
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5 Tips to help prioritize mental health in the newsroom
In a recent one-hour webinar, a panel of experts shared insights and tips for taking care of journalists who cover traumatic events. For those who couldn't tune in, we're sharing a video recording and five highlights from the discussion.
By Naseem S. Miller, The Journalist's Resource | Read more
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By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant
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| Resolve to be accessible, stay relevant
Surviving in today’s fractured media landscape depends on your ability to identify, collect and deliver the relevant community news. That job becomes more challenging if readers become frustrated in their attempts to connect with reporters.
The normal channels of communication took a serious hit during COVID-19 as isolation was the norm for reporters and news sources alike. Though the worst of the pandemic is behind us, communication remains splintered in many circles.
I encourage newspapers to put at the top of their New Year’s resolutions: Make it easy for readers to connect with you.
I’m passionate in my belief that community newspapers can still compete in today’s communications dynamics – if they stick to and excel in the basics. That means owning the franchise for aggressive reporting of local news. That will occur only if readers have a direct pipeline to editors and reporters.
Yes, I understand the important and necessary role of social media both in collecting and reporting the news – in connecting with readers. Social media was integral when I led communications and media relations for a statewide business advocacy organization.
But nothing replaces direct, one-on-one conversation. It’s truly amazing the barriers that many newspapers place between themselves and their readers – their news sources.
I routinely surf a variety of websites, often looking for contact information. If I can’t track it down within five minutes, I likely give up. If I am successful, the frustration often continues with no phone numbers. Some companies may list a general number, and we’ve all been there. We punch numerous extensions, hoping to get a live voice with someone who can assist.
Why can’t we make it simpler? Here are a handful of tips from someone who has sat on both sides of the editor’s desk.
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By Al Cross, Sustaining Rural Journalism
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| A new mission: answering how rural communities sustain journalism that serves local democracy
The Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues has a new mission: to answer the question we posed at our second National Summit on Journalism in Rural America last June: How do rural communities sustain journalism that serves local democracy?
So, this column, which we started almost 12 years ago as a guide to covering rural issues, using examples from The Rural Blog, has a new name: Sustaining Rural Journalism. It will continue to draw from issue stories on the blog, which increasingly focuses on the practice of rural journalism and how it can adapt to the new media landscape.
One encouraging trend in rural journalism is the purchase of quality newspapers by relatively small chains or individuals that appear committed to editorial quality. Read more
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- Feb. 10 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | IRE Data Journalism Workshop | SCPA, Columbia
- Feb. 16 | 2-3:15 p.m. | FOI & Libel Training | Zoom
- March 9-10 | SCPA Annual Meeting & Awards | Cooperative Conference Center, Columbia
- March 12-18 | Sunshine Week
- March 31 | SCPA Collegiate Meeting & Awards | Clemson University
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