2019 contest to recognize those who turn public notices into stories

As I wrote about in the previous PressLines, we learned during the newsprint tariff battle that we have considerable influence with Congress. That’s because as an industry, we play a vital role in the communities we serve.Now we must return our attention to the state level. We are going to see some new members of the Illinois Legislature next session. Build and nurture relationships with these new lawmakers.The tariff won’t be the last battle we fight, and we know a new legislative s...

The first time I heard about newsprint tariffs was in early December of last year when Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Josh Sharp and I were in Washington for a meeting of Newspaper Association Managers. We came back to Illinois thinking, “How can we influence or weigh in on a federal issue that would have a devastating effect on our member newspapers?”Granted, we’re no stranger to the legislative dealings in Springfield and are effective at marshaling ou...

Take a look at your paper’s most recent edition. What do you see?I’m guessing there are stories about: Events going on in your readership area. Issues under discussion by the powers that be. Stories about the special people who make up your community.Real news.Real news that readers aren’t likely to find anywhere else, especially with the depth of coverage that we typically provide in our publications.Somewhere between the news that "newspapers are dead" and that we a...