Also in this issue: International Newspaper Carrier Day - Saturday, Oct. 8, Part of National Newspaper Week 2016; Poynter: Progress on Press Freedom Legislation; and Upcoming Webinars.
Issue: #399
September 30, 2016
DA Rain bans Watertown Daily Times staff from post-verdict press conference  
 
 
From Watertown Daily Times -
St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary E. Rain held a press conference shortly after a not guilty verdict was rendered by Judge Felix J. Catena in the murder trial of Oral "Nick" Hillary, but not everyone was invited.

Watertown Daily Times police and courts reporter William T. Eckert and photographer Jason M. Hunter were denied access to the press conference, held in the room used for grand jury proceedings, by Ms. Rain's staff.

"As I approached the room with my colleague Brit Hanson, a pool photographer in the trial from North Country Public Radio, we were both stopped by St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary E. Rain's investigator Daniel W. Manor who told us we were not allowed in, that it was an invitation-only press conference, in a public building," Mr. Eckert said. "Mr. Manor said he was only told by Ms. Rain that we weren't allowed to attend the conference and she did not provide him with any other reasoning for her decision. I was later told Brit was kept out in error but that the family of Garrett Phillips, the boy Mr. Hillary was accused of having murdered, agreed to 'blacklist' me from the meeting for what she said had been 'biased' reporting by me."

Mr. Hunter said when he approached the press conference, he was asked to provide his name by Mr. Manor.

"I told him my name and then he followed up by asking me what organization I worked for. I told him that I worked for the Watertown Daily Times, and at that point he told me I was not allowed to enter the press conference," Mr. Hunter said. More 
Staff changes at The Post-Star
 
From poststar.com - At small newspapers like The Post-Star, turnover has always been a way of life.

This past week Features Editor Rhonda Triller moved down the road to a position with The Hyde. It's a great opportunity for her that will give her a chance to spend far more time with her family.

I don't think most people understand the commitment involved when you work at a daily newspaper where it seems like we are always on call.

Rhonda was one of those people who went the extra mile time and time after time. She had responsibility for the layout and design of the newspaper as well as the coverage of the arts community and the Sunday Arts/Life section specifically. She also coordinated the work of our obituary clerks and the hometown news.

I'm only realizing now how much she contributed to our newspaper.

We wish her well.

But when one door closes, another opens.

Angela Valden, our Sunday editor, has been promoted to news editor and will oversee the work of the copy desk and the layout and design of the newspaper.

We have also hired Kathleen Phalen-Tomaselli, who currently lives in Whitehall, as our new feature writer. She will oversee the Sunday Arts/Life section in addition to her writing duties.

Dan King, a South Glens Falls native, has joined our copy desk as the weekend editor and will handle content for the Monday newspaper. He comes to us from the Whitehall Times where he was associate editor.

That's a lot of changes, but we are kind of used to it.
Ads Available to Help Celebrate International Carrier Day - Oct. 8 
 
Carrier Day Ad
Each year, we recognize the accomplishments of newspaper carriers who are working hard to get the newspaper into the hands of our readers.

This year, the newspaper industry has designated Saturday, October 8, 2016, as International Newspaper Carrier Day, a salute to the hundreds of thousands of newspaper carriers who deliver to 123 million print readers every week.

A number of former newspaper carriers have gone on to achieve national prominence in business, entertainment, politics and the press. John Wayne, Warren Buffett and Martin Luther King Jr. are among the former carriers who are now part of the Newspaper Carrier Hall of Fame, which began in 1960 by the International Circulation Managers Association and now is archived by the News Media Alliance.

International Newspaper Carrier Day is held in conjunction with National Newspaper Week, Oct. 2-8, 2016, now in its 76th year and which is sponsored separately by Newspaper Association Managers, Inc.  More
National Newspaper Weeks Begins Sunday, Oct. 2 
 
 

This year we mark the 76th anniversary of National Newspaper Week (NNW), October 2-8.  The annual observance celebrates and emphasizes the impact of newspapers to communities large and small all over.

 

The content kit contains editorials, editorial cartoons, promotional ads and more; all available for download at no charge to daily and non-daily newspapers across North America. NNW is sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers, Inc., the consortium of North American trade associations representing the industry on a state and provincial, regional and national basis.

NNW_WayneStroot_cartoon 

 

This year's theme is "Way to Know!" The aim is to applaud and underscore newspaper media's role as the leading provider of news in print, online or in palms via mobile devices.

 

For more information on National Newspaper Week go to their website or contact Committee Chair George White, executive director, New Jersey Press Association, 609-359-7380.

Gavel
From Poynter.org - A recently published article asks whether the news media is keeping up with challenges surrounding freedom of information in the digital age.

While there is no doubt that journalists and news organizations are facing a variety of challenges when it comes to access to government information, a number of organizations are working to address those challenges - and delivering results.

A prime example is the Sunshine in Government Initiative, which has been a powerful force in protecting and improving freedom of information. This year, that coalition was credited by lawmakers as being "critical to the success" of amendments to the federal Freedom of Information Act that bring important updates to the law on its 50th anniversary.

Special credit goes to the AP for its outsized role in the initiative, in whose work it has invested more than $1 million over the past 10 years.

At the Reporters Committee, our pro bono litigation project, now two years in the running, was undertaken with the specific purpose of addressing the need for access and freedom-of-information work at the state and federal levels across the industry. More 
UPCOMING WEBINARS AND EVENTS
10/6 - Election Coverage: Are You Ready? - Online Media Campus - $35

10/13 - A Road Map for Surviving Digital Transformation - Poynter NewsU - $29.95

10/13 - Tools for Live Reporting - Online Media Campus - $35

10/19 - The Power and Persuasion of the Spoken Word - Poynter NewsU -  $29.95

11/3 - Immersive Storytelling with 360-Degree Video and 3D Virtual Reality - Poynter NewsU - $29.95

11/11 - Prospecting That PAY$ - Online Media Campus - $35 
 
4/6-4/8/17 - 2017 Spring Convention & Trade Show - NYPA/NYNPA/NYNAME - Saratoga Springs
 
In a New York Minute is the weekly electronic newsletter of  NYNPA, providing you with member news, money-saving and money-generating ideas, and upcoming events. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter please reply to this e-mail or contact mmiller@nynpa.com. For more on NYNPA please visit us on the web at www.nynpa.com.
 
Mary Miller
Education Services Director 
New York News Publishers Association
New York News Publishers Association | 518-449-1667 | www.nynpa.com