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Your connection to industry & member news | June 11, 2026
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Use caution with World Cup ads, editorial coverageWith the World Cup starting today and running through July 19, SCPA member news organizations should be cautious about using trademarked words, images and even hashtags in promotions and ads. Soccer’s global governing body FIFA has strict intellectual property guidelines that are worth reviewing if you're working on World Cup coverage, print/digital ads or social media promotions.
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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Rick Nelson retiring as Post and Courier opinion editor, will be succeeded by Cindi Ross Scoppe
A changing of the guard is underway in the opinion section of The Post and Courier, with newsroom veteran Rick Nelson preparing to retire later this month as editorial page editor.
Cindi Ross Scoppe will succeed him in the top role, effective June 22. Robert Behre will become assistant editorial page editor. Both currently work on the opinion team.
"We are very fortunate to have Cindi and Robert’s experience to lead the department moving forward,” said PJ Browning, publisher and president of The Post and Courier.
Nelson is retiring after a 41-year career at the newspaper. He was promoted to his current role to succeed Charles Rowe in April 2018, saying at the time his goal was to continue the editorial page’s tradition of focusing on growth management, land conservation and historic preservation, as well as transportation, education and government accountability.
Nelson, a graduate of Summerville High School who attended the University of South Carolina, started his journalism career at The Post and Courier in 1985 as an obituary clerk. He later became a city reporter, night editor, sports reporter, bureau chief, city editor and managing editor.
Nelson said the newspaper and its local ownership have long been committed to maintaining a robust opinion section, an essential part of encouraging informed public debate in the Charleston region and the entire state.
“We’ve strived to live up to our goal of making the opinion section a marketplace of ideas, and that effort will continue under Cindi’s leadership,” he said. “In these partisan times, The Post and Courier plays an important role in giving readers informed commentary, providing a platform for different perspectives and driving community conversations.”
By John McDermott, The Post and Courier | Read more
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University presidential searches are growing more secretive despite disclosure laws
CLEMSON — After decades of giving the public a chance to vet candidates for some of the state’s top positions in academia, South Carolina’s leading universities have moved almost entirely to confidential searches — despite a state law intended to open up records on finalists.
Under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act, materials related to “not fewer than three” finalists for a position must be disclosed — but this provision of the law, in place since 1998, does not say when public schools and government agencies must release the information.
The result: Many public universities now withhold information about finalists until after trustees have chosen their school’s next president — positions with seven-figure salaries and budgets to manage that can exceed $1 billion.
Nothing in state law prevents K-12 school districts or other government agencies from following suit. ...
While not technically illegal, this tactic “flies in the face” of the Freedom of Information Act’s spirit, said Taylor Smith, an attorney for the South Carolina Press Association.
“Why are some people creating a sense they might be trying to hide the information?” Smith said. “It makes sense to instead get out in front of that concern so you can maintain the public trust in your institution.”
By Anna B. Mitchell, The Post and Courier | Read more
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Editorial: Shine more light on SC legislators’ financial ties to the government they run
We’re still not sure what to make of Sen. Stephen Goldfinch’s allegation that there was something unethical and possibly illegal about a quarter-century-old law that directs money to Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter’s nonprofit — well, except that it was an attempt to make it look like his GOP opponent in the race for attorney general, Solicitor David Pascoe, did something wrong.
But we welcome senators’ efforts to help us better understand the ways in which state legislators make money from the government they control.
This is supposed to be easy to keep up with, because legislators are required to report annually any money they receive from state and local governments. But precision is not a hallmark of the forms that public officials are required to fill out — or of the law from which the forms are derived.
From The Post and Courier | Read more
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New AP Stylebook features expanded artificial intelligence chapter
The Associated Press recently released the 58th edition of The Associated Press Stylebook, the must-have reference for writers, editors, students and professionals. It is the definitive resource for journalists.
The edition features an expanded chapter on artificial intelligence with new and updated guidance and entries reflecting the rapid evolution and proliferation of the technology.
New additions include:
A new entry on AI agent, describing artificial intelligence systems designed to act autonomously on behalf of a person or institution and advising to explain the technology’s specific use when using the term.
A new entry on AI slop, a term describing certain kinds of low-quality, mass-produced online content generated using artificial intelligence, including text, music and imagery.
A new entry on vibe coding, a slang term for using artificial intelligence tools to help write or troubleshoot computer code, advising to avoid the term outside quotations in favor of clearer language.
From The Associated Press | Read more
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National Press Club Journalism Institute offers free training on reporting on public health
As public health becomes increasingly politicized, journalists continue to face challenges in reporting clearly and accurately on issues that impact their communities and the broader public.
Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute at 11 a.m. ET on June 16 for a timely conversation with KFF Health News journalists Julie Rovner and Amanda Seitz. They will explore how journalists can gain audience trust and navigate misinformation and controversial statements from officials while producing accessible, fact-based journalism.
Drawing collectively on decades of experience covering health policy at the national and local levels, Rovner and Seitz will share practical insights on:
- translating data and industry jargon for broad audience
- making tough editorial judgements when covering major public health issue
- building trust in a fractured media environment
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Proposed FAA rules ground journalists
Drone journalism is running into roadblocks.
The federal government, under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has restricted airspaces around protests, law enforcement operations and other sensitive activities. Those restrictions led to some legal challenges (and wins for journalists) in the short-term, but newly proposed regulations will challenge press freedom and have a deeper impact.
Drone operations are primarily governed by the FAA under Part 107, which imposes safety regulations regarding altitude, line of sight and operations over people, according to Mickey H. Osterreicher, general counsel for the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). Over the past year, the FAA has invoked more Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR).
“These restrictions are often broad in scope, implemented quickly and difficult to interpret in real time,” Osterreicher said.
In March, photojournalist Rob Levine and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sued the FAA over its restriction that prevented drones from flying within 3,000 feet of Department of Homeland Security buildings and vehicles. The FAA issued the TFR in January during ICE’s immigration raids in Minnesota. The Reporters Committee noted there were no means of verifying in advance whether DHS vehicles, such as unmarked cars, were operating in a particular location.
By Bob Miller for E&P Magazine | Read more
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America won’t save local journalism by ignoring newspapers
For the past two decades there has been growing interest in funding local news organizations. As local newspapers have come under increasing pressure from economic challenges and shifting media consumption patterns, community leaders have witnessed the negative impact on civic life.
Much of that support, however, has focused primarily on launching new initiatives — particularly nonprofit local news organizations.
The conventional wisdom among many funders seems to be that the traditional newspaper model is no longer viable, so they are looking to support something different in the hope that a new model will provide the answer to sustainable journalism. Unfortunately, the past 20 years have shown that “new” does not necessarily mean “improved.”
No single replacement model has yet demonstrated a scalable, long-term solution for local journalism. Many newspapers, meanwhile, have continued evolving their business models, investing heavily in digital journalism while also relying on a mix of revenue streams that may include print and digital.
From America's Newspapers | Read more
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