WPA Bulletin · 2018-11-11 · Kevin Olson, Kristen Czaban WPA BULLETIN OCTOBER 2018 PAGE 3 BONNERS...

OCTOBER 2018

WPA Bulletin2121 Evans Avenue • Cheyenne, WY 82001 • 307/635-3905 • Fax 307/635-3912 • [email protected] • www.wyopress.org

Calendarof EventsJAN. 17-19, 2019

WPA Winter Convention

Red Lion HotelCheyenne, Wyo

WPA Offi ceHoliday Closures

ThanksgivingNov. 22-23Christmas

Dec. 24Open until noon

Dec. 25Closed

New Year’s DayClosed

SEE PUBLIC NOTICES PRINTED IN ALL OF

WYOMING’S NEWSPAPERS Visit

www.wyopublicnotices.com or

www.publicnoticeads.com/wy

WYOMING

PRESS

ASSOCIATION

CONTEST TIME! Time for journalists, photographers, designers,

and columnists to pull together entries that show off your best work for the WPA’s annual Pacemaker Contest. Deadline for submissions is Friday, Nov. 16.

As in the past, we’ll be using the Better BNC online contest system to accept most of your entries to be

judged by members of the North Dakota Newspaper Associ-ation. They’ll be responsible for judging all contests ex-cept the photo contest, which will be judged by a panel of

photographers from the Denver Post. Our entry portal at BetterBNC.com is active, so your contest manager can begin uploading entries immediately. Instructions for uploading to the site were emailed Oct. 19. If you haven’t seen them yet, let us know and we’ll send them to you. In addition, if you need copies of the contest rules, give us a call or email us. For major awards — general excellence, advertising excellence and typographic excellence — send hard copies of your newspapers to the Wyoming Press Association at 2121 Evans Ave., Chey-enne, WY 82001. Nine copies are to be sent — three from each of two dates selected by the WPA and three from one date you select. Entries for the Jim Tiemann Legal Writing Award and the new Wyoming EPSCoR Science Award are to be emailed to the WPA at [email protected]. The winner of the Tiemann Award receives a $250 cash award and free registration to the 2019 State Bar Convention in Jackson. The winner of the science reporting contest receives a $500 cash award and free registration and lodging to the 2020 WPA Winter Convention. Contact the WPA offi ce if you have not received the rules for these contests. Deadline for both contests is Friday, December 14.

by Milton Ontiveroz, WPA Associates Chair Time to gather the good work you’ve created the past year and dream big about winning in the annual Wyoming Press Association’s (WPA) Associates Contest! Contest rules/categories will be emailed to you Nov. 2 through the WPA offi ce. Work submitted must be from Nov. 1, 2017 through Oct. 31, 2018. The WPA Winter Convention is Jan. 17-19 at Cheyenne’s Red Lion Hotel. WPA members will judge the Associates contest, and winners will be announced during the weekend convention. Watch upcoming emails for details on the convention, including the Associates’ Award Ceremony. The Associates subcommittee is working diligently to produce a daylong set of timely work-shops for its members. The Associates Track is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 18. The best motivation to come to Cheyenne that day? The workshops are free through paid membership. All you pay for is meals. The WPA will notify everyone when online registration is open. There is no separate registration for the Associates Track – just mark on the registration form which meals you plan to attend that day. Another bonus - your $125 Associates dues cover your entire offi ce, meaning that you can bring the entire crew! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (307) 766-6709 or [email protected].

GET READY TO SUBMIT YOUR BEST WORK!

OUR SPEAKERS

PAGE 2 OCTOBER 2018 WPA BULLETIN

2018 WPA BOARD MEMBERS

Mark Tesoro,, PresidentKemmerer Gazette

PO Box 30 � Kemmerer, WY 83101(307) 877-3347/Fax (307) 877-3736

Email: [email protected]

Louie Mullen, Vice-presidentGreen River Star

Box 580� Green River, WY 82935(307) 875-3103/Fax (307) 875-8778


Kristen Czaban, Sec.-TreasurerThe Sheridan Press

P.O. Box 2006 � Sheridan, WY 82801(307) 672-2431/Fax (307) 672-7950Email: [email protected]

Stephanie BonnarNewcastle News Letter JournalBox 40 � Newcastle, WY 82701

(307) 746-2777/Fax (307) 746-2660Email: [email protected]

Jen Sieve-HicksBuffalo Bulletin

P.O. Box 730 � Buffalo, WY 82834(307) 684-2223/Fax (307) 684-7431

[email protected]

Bob KennedyCody Enterprise

P.O. Box 1090 � Cody, WY 82414(307) 587-2231/Fax (307) 587-5208

[email protected]

Rob MortimoreTorrington Telegram

2025 Main � Torrington, WY 82240(307) 532-2184/Fax (307) 532-2283


Kevin OlsonJackson Hole News&Guide

P.O. Box 7445 � Jackson, WY 83002(307) 733-2047/Fax (307) 733-2138Email: [email protected]

Rory PalmAdams Publishing Group

P.O. Box 1286 � Cheyenne, WY 82003(307) 633-3165/Fax (307) 633-3191Email: [email protected]

Jeff RobertsonLaramie Boomerang

320 Grand Ave. � Laramie, WY 82070(307) 742-2176/Fax (307) 742-2046


Matt Adelman, NNA ChairDouglas Budget

PO Box 109 � 310 Center St.Douglas, WY 82633


Milton Ontiveroz, Assoc. ChairUW Institutional CommunicationsDept. 3226, 1000 E. Univ. Ave.

Laramie, WY 82071(307) 766-6709/Fax (307) 766-6729

[email protected]

Cindy Price SchultzUW Dept. of Communication and Journalism

Dept. 3904, 1000 E. University Ave.Laramie, WY 82071


Ken SmithUW Liaison Emeritus


STAFFDarcie Hoffland, Executive Director

Cec Moats, Deputy DirectorJulie Davis, Office Assistant

Advertising consultants win a trip to con-vention!! Get free registration and a three-night stay at the Red Lion Hotel and Convention Center in Cheyenne Jan. 17-19 for the 120th Annual Wy-oming Press Association Winter Convention. How to win? Easy! Sell any combination

of 2x2s, 2x4s, or 24/7 digital statewide ads that add up to $4,800 (or more). Only one winner will be chosen, so be the fi rst to get there! The contest ends November 30. For ques-tions or more particulars, email the WPA at [email protected].

This month WPA members received the regular dividend payments for the 2x2 and WyCAN programs. Because of your sales eff orts, total rev-enue from July through September for 2x2s and 2x4s totaled $31,167.50. Half of that was divided amongst participating members.

Additionally, members saw 10 percent of the $4,370.50 in WyCAN sales. Thanks to everyone for the hard work selling ads through these programs. The WPA relies on its members for the continued success of these statewide ad programs.

2X2/2X4 AND WYCAN DIVIDENDS SHARED

WIN A TRIP TO CONVENTION!

We’re only three months away from the 120th Annual WPA Winter Convention Jan. 17-19 at the Red Lion Hotel and Convention Center in Cheyenne. Speakers include: Kevin Slimp, founder of the Institute of Newspaper Technology and NewspaperAcade-my.com, who will give lessons on photo editing, a common sense approach to customer service, addressing the issue of fake news in your com-munity and more; Tom Hallman, a Pulitzer prize-winning re-porter from the Portland Oregonian, will lead a panel discussion of WPA reporters and talk about writing techniques; Kristen Landreville, associate professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the De-partment of Communication and Journalism, will present models and approaches to science journalism;

Peter Lamb returns to lead seminars for increasing ad sales and making 2019 the most eff ective sales year ever; Chuck Underwood, founder and principal of generational consulting fi rm The Genera-tional Imperative, Inc, has spoken to several press associations. He will present Generational News Media Strategies; AND MUCH, MUCH MORE ... round table discussions, the governor’s luncheon (meet the new governor!), the Early Bird Cocktail Party, Friday Night Social, Hall of Fame inductee, banquets, awards and an amazing time! We’ll be sending detailed information by email and mail, but you can start getting ready now! Mark your calendar! Make reservations! The WPA registration portal will open soon, but you can reserve your room now at the Red Lion Hotel by calling (307) 638-4466. Be sure to ask for the special WPA rate of $89.

LOTS OF LEARNING ON THE HORIZON!PHOTO EDITING, WRITING TECHNIQUES, AD SALES, MORE!

Kevin Slimp Tom Hall KristenLandreville

Peter Lamb ChuckUnderwood

2018 WPA COMMITTEES

Hall of Fame

Darcie Hoffland (Chair)

Wyoming Press Association

Bob Kennedy

Cody Enterprise

Pat Schmidt

Past President

Ken Smith

UW Liaison Emeritus

NNA

Matt Adelman, Chair

Douglas Budget

Louie Mullen

Green River Star

Toby Bonner

Powell Tribune

Robb Hicks

Buffalo Bulletin

Legislative

Bob Bonnar

Newcastle News Letter Journal

Jim Wood

Wyoming Newspapers, Inc.

Rob Mortimore

Torrington Telegram

Jen Sieve-Hicks

Buffalo Bulletin

Rory Palm

Adams Publishing Group

Audience/ Marketing

Kevin Olson, Chair

Jackson Hole News&Guide

Jeff Robertson

Laramie Boomerang

Mark Tesoro

Kemmerer Gazette

Louie Mullen

Jen Sieve-Hicks

Contest

Kristen Czaban (Chair)

Sheridan Press

Stephanie Bonnar

Newcastle News Letter Journal

Rory Palm

Rob Mortimore

Convention

Stephanie Bonnar (Chair)

Ann Turner

Gillette News-Record

Mark Tesoro

Budget

Jeff Robertson (Chair)

Louie Mullen, Bob Kennedy,

Kevin Olson, Kristen Czaban

WPA BULLETIN OCTOBER 2018 PAGE 3

BONNERS ATTEND NNA CONVENTIONNotes from Powell Tribune General Manager Toby Bonner, AKA “the Flag Carrier.” I had a tremendous time representing the WPA last month (Sept. 28) at the National News-paper Association annual con-vention in Norfolk, VA. It was not too hard to fi nd my place in line as Flag Carrier for the State of Wyoming — No. 51! The time slot on the pro-gram was the only problem: a 7 a.m. call to the staging area for the Opening Ceremony. It was particularly early since my wife Tanya and I had just arrived in Norfolk hours earlier at mid-night. Nevertheless, I fulfi lled my mission and carried our Wy-oming colors in the Parade of States prior to the kickoff break-fast. It was a pleasure to meet in person Tonda Rush and Lynn Lance of NNA. They have shown themselves to be absolute troopers for newspapers. I also met a lot of fi ne news-paper publishers, learned a lot from the breakout sessions and took in the huge number of as-sembled vendor displays.

Kickoff … or Anchors away! Keynote speaker David Woronoff , publisher of The Pilot, in Southern Pines, North Car-olina, was inspiring. He spoke to what’s weighing publishing businesses down and preventing them from growing. David became the publisher of The Pilot in 1996, interest-ingly the same year I joined the staff at the Powell Tribune as a full-time ad sales rep. During Woronoff ’s 22 years at the helm, The Pilot has transformed from a three-days-per-week newspaper into a statewide media compa-ny. In addition to The Pilot’s print publication, David also publishes three regional maga-

zines, two telephone directories, and runs a local bookshop. Some might ask why a bookshop? Da-vid mentioned the 65-year-old Country Bookshop was a staple of the community of Southern Pines. When the former owners reached retirement age and at-tempted to sell, there were no takers. David stepped up and purchased the shop to keep a historical brick and mortar store-front open… and keep books ac-cessible to the community. David spoke about getting rid of the proverbial anchor that slows us all down. He asked not “What you will do?" but “What will you stop doing?” Here’s a synopsis of David’s keys to success: * Will you stop being prod-uct driven and become audi-ence driven? The Pilot stopped producing regional products to concentrate on local newsprint, magazines, newsletters and its digital agen-cy. * Will you continue to pub-lish 7 days per week?

The Pilot converted from 3 to 2 days a week. * Will you eliminate your production facility? The Pilot outsourced its pro-duction. * Will you stop being your own anchor? The Pilot sold its press. Today, David leads his team by the following core val-ues: Fun / Accessibility / Entre-preneurship / Energy and Enthu-siasm / Pleasant Persistence.

Anchors away… The Pilot, circulation 13,500, was named the best community newspaper in the nation by the Inland Press As-sociation (2002 and 2007)… and by the National Newspaper Association in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Non-daily Division, circ. 10,000 or more). By putting an end to things that slowed down their productivity, David and his team grew to new heights.

OTHER NOTES: See NNA CONVENTION next page

Bringing up the back of the procession (Wyo - #51!) entering the convention. I’m handing my information card to NNA’s Lynn Lance. She introduced all fl ag carriers as we entered the Ball-room.

OCTOBER 2018 WPA BULLETIN

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Newspaper Tariff s: On the newspaper tariff win, there was a lot of positive discussion with an excellent panel. I was most proud of the fact that the win was largely credited to weekly newspa-pers like many of us here in Wyoming. According to panel speaker Seth Kurs-man of Resolute Forest Products,“It was not the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal… but com-munity newspapers. "You were the mice

that roared!”Combine and conquer: Chatter from the convention is that in the interest of its survival, NNA is strongly considering merging with the Inland Press Association. The two were integral in de-feating the tariff s with their combined ef-forts. They often collaborate to off er webi-nars on news writing/sales education. The move makes sense for the betterment of all.

An Extravaganza to top it off : My wife Tanya and I joined WPA and NNA Representatives Matt and Lisa Adel-man (Douglas Budget) and Louie Mullen (Thermopolis Independent Record) for a fun evening on the “Spirit of Norfolk” cruise ship during Friday night's Extrava-ganza dinner party. The boat took us along the Norfolk wa-terfront with spectacular views of the Na-vy’s Atlantic Fleet and Norfolk city skyline.

NNA CONVENTION CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

SCIENCE REPORTING INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE TO PAPERS Dr. Kristen Landreville, Ph.D., Uni-versity of Wyoming associate professor and the Director of Graduate Studies, has se-cured a National Science Foundation Grant that will fund fi ve to eight science reporting interns each year for the next four summers, beginning summer 2019. Funding is avail-able for interns to each work 20-30 hours (hours funded will depend on the number of interns per summer). As this is a National Science Foun-dation grant, interns would be expected to

produce three to four science stories over the course of the summer. The rest of the hours could be non-science related report-ing (eg. general assignment reporting). If mutually agreed upon, the hosting news-paper could hire the intern for additional hours per week. Recruiting materials for the internships will go out to UW students soon and will include the internship expectations. To best match students and WPA mem-ber papers, papers who wish to host an in-

tern during Summer 2019 must complete an application. Applications are due Wednes-day, Nov. 21. The WPA will assist in matching news-papers and interns. In this way, we hope to ensure that over the course of four summers the interns can be spread across the state. Applications may be complet-ed online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPJ5_z8sFwZ-5dx-oR3fJKvzsv3H7R6ZLw-MNBVk7PzcTZ-MLw/viewform?usp=sf_link


CHECKING THE PULSE OF JOURNALISMBy Kevin Slimp, The News Guru Over the past two weeks, I’ve traveled from coast to coast speaking at newspaper conferences and meeting with Canadian and American journalists about what is happening at their newspa-pers and, hopefully, off ering a little good advice. As I’ve met with publishers, editors and writers in places like Keene, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Arizona and Bismarck, North Dakota, I’ve become even more convinced that the results of the Newspaper Institute spring publisher’s survey were right on target when it comes to the state of newspapers across the U.S. and Can-ada. At newspaper conferences, I often give a “pop quiz” to learn a little about what is going on at newspapers and what journalists think is going on at papers across the country. I used to be sur-prised that most attendees could guess, with relative success, the answers to the quiz. For instance, while much of the general public might think most papers are part of large groups, the fact that 51 percent of newspapers are independent and locally owned, doesn’t get past most quiz-takers, and the fact that less than 20 percent of papers are related to large regional or national groups doesn’t surprise too many.

At each recent conference, I’ve taken time to visit with journalists about what is happening at their papers. Just this week in Bismarck, North Dakota, I met with publishers, editors and reporters from more than 20 newspapers in one-on-one meetings. What did I learn? I learned there are quite a few younger editors and publish-ers moving up the ranks at newspapers. I learned most newspapers are doing well, and are continually looking for ways to improve their products and serve their communities better. I met with college and high school newspaper staff s who are excited about their futures in journalism. I met with metro news-paper investigative reporters about how to dig deeper to get bet-ter stories. I met with several publishers who were concerned that their readership was rapidly shrinking due to centralized produc-tion, meaning their papers are fi lled with stories from other places that local readers have no interest in reading. I learned that reporters still struggle with boredom while cov-ering school board, city commission and other meetings that must See PULSE OF JOURNALISM next page

OCTOBER 2018 WPA BULLETIN

be attended. I learned there are still a lot of newspapers where one or two people do every-thing from reporting, designing, selling ads and running the paper. I learned that print is still king. I’ve learned that the further a newspaper is from its corpo-rate headquarters, the more likely it is that its readership is shrinking rapidly. Meeting over dinner conversation, I heard many times how hard it is to be a journalist. Hard work and long hours, combined with the wrath of angry readers, requires a special breed. I also learned while many publishers and editors talk about someday moving off to the mountains or beach, in reality they can’t imag-ine doing anything else.

Yes, journalism is unlike any other career, and newspapers require a special type of jour-nalist. I suppose that’s why I fall in love with every place I go and feel close to so many peo-ple I meet. I recently heard one publisher say, “Jour-nalism is a thankless job.” I turned to her and said, “Thank you.” Callings aren’t always easy. Usually, they’re not. But something within continues to drive us, and the world is a better place because of what we do. I still fall in love with every place I visit. I still meet close friends and make new friends at each conference. I suppose that’s because we’ve heard the same calling. Oh, by the way, thank you.

Kevin is a favorite speaker and trainer

in the publishing world. He travels the globe,

speaking at conventions related to publishing,

news, customer service and more. Recently re-

ferred to as “the most popular speaker among

community newspaper publishers” by Publish-

ers Auxiliary and “America’s Consumer Guru”

by Across Tennessee.

PULSE OF JOURNALISMCONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The History of the First Amendment

#FreeSpeechWeek

A Look at the Ever-Evolving Right to a Free Press in America

Publisher Peter Zenger faced one of the first libel

cases in the United States for publishing articles

critical of the royal governor. He was found not

guilty by a jury and acquitted of all charges.

1734

Virginia

The Virginia Declaration of

Rights was adopted. Among

the protections granted was

freedom of the press.

The Bill of Rights is adopted, with

the First Amendment granting

freedom of speech, press,

assembly, religion and petition.

People v. Croswell libel case in

New York leads the state to

change the law so truth is a

defense against libel charges.

June 12, 1776December 15, 1791February 13, 1804

The Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition

Act of 1918 restrict the freedom of the

press during wartime and prohibit

"disloyal" content about the

government.

Congress repeals the

Espionage and Sedition Acts,

restoring the free press.

Near v. Minnesota determines

that state laws allowing prior

restraint are unconstitutional.

June 1, 193119211917 – 1918

It is decided in Brandenburg

v. Ohio that the government

cannot punish inflammatory

speech unless it poses an

imminent threat.

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan

establishes that publishers can

only be held liable for libel if

the remarks were made with

blatant disregard for the truth.

In Lovell v. City of Griffin it is

decided that publications do not need

permission to be distributed within

city limits, regardless of content.

March 28, 1938March 9, 1964June 8, 1969

New York Times Co. v. United

States finds that a claimed threat

to national security is not reason

enough for prior restraint of

publication of classified documents

(in this case, the Pentagon Papers).

The Supreme Court upholds

that school-sponsored student

publications can be censored by

administrators in Hazelwood

School District et al. v.

Kuhlmeier et al.

In an 8–0 decision in Hustler v.

Falwell, the Justices determine that

public figures cannot sue for

damages for emotional distress.

February 24, 1988January 13, 1988June 30, 1971

In Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox,

the Supreme Court determines that

bloggers have the same rights as other

members of the press.

January 17, 2014

2018

The U.S. drops to 45th place on

the Reporters Without Borders

World Press Freedom Index, falling

25 spots since 2010.

““Hard work and long hours,

combined with the wrath of

angry readers, requires a

special breed.”

”

By Bob Berting, Berting Communications For the advertising salesperson, their customer is thinking a buying decision usually means a decision to enter into a long-term relationship with them and their publication. It is much like an “advertising business marriage.” Before the customer decides to buy, he can take you or leave you. He or she doesn’t need your publication. But when your customer does fi nally make a decision to buy from you and gives you money for your advertising service, they can become dependent on you. And since they proba-bly have had bad buying experiences in the past, they can become very uneasy and uncertain about getting into this kind of de-pendency relationship again.

Your promises must be fulfi lled What if you let the customer down? What if your advertising doesn’t work as promised? What if you don’t service the account as you promised? You can’t sell a long-range program and then get compla-

cent. The ad sales professional never loses their attention to detail and accuracy just because a new account is sold. These are real dilemmas that go through the mind of every customer when it comes time to make that critical buying decision.

Concentrate on the relationship Because of the mixture of print, digi-tal, and social media today, the relationship can sometimes be more than the product. The customer doesn’t know how your pub-lication will function or how he or she will be treated after they have given you their money. So in reality, the customer’s deci-sion is based on how they can trust and be-lieve you.

Building a solid trust Here is the important bottom line to this article and worthy of a lot of thought. In many cases the quality of your relation-ship with the customer is the competitive advantage that enables you to edge out your competition. The quality of the trust bond that exists between you and the cus-

tomer can be so strong that no other competitor can get between you and that customer. Bob Berting is a pro-

fessional speaker, adver-

tising sales trainer, pub-

lisher marketing consultant, and columnist

in many national and regional newspaper

trade association publications. He is Presi-

dent of Berting Communications, 6330 Wo-

burn Drive, Indianapolis In 46250.


PROPOSING AN ADVERTISING BUSINESS MARRIAGE

Order Bob’s new e-book for the newspa-per industry, “Power Selling Tools For The Advertising Sales Consultant.” The e-book has valuable content for both beginning and experienced advertising salespersons.

Two previous e-books, “Dynamic Sales and Image Power” and “ Advanced Selling Skills For The Advertising Sales Pro” are also available.

Go to: www.bobberting.com.

“Hey you: Get the heck out of the of-fi ce!” In the Internet age where information is easy to get, it may seem almost quaint to seek out fi rst-hand, up-close, eyes-on expe-riential reporting opportunities. With smaller news holes to fi ll, fre-quent deadlines to feed the web and respon-sibilities of reporters to maintain vibrant social media profi les, it’s understandable that the number of stories featuring real people and real-world activities has dipped in recent years. I would argue that newspapers, web-sites and broadcast TV are suff ering as a re-sult. News produced from inside four walls is less vibrant, less interesting and less hu-man. For the improving writer, failing to leave the offi ce equates to missed storytell-ing and crafting opportunities. Twenty-fi ve years ago, as a cub report-er -- hungry to learn and hungry for front-page bylines - I had a beat covering city hall in Eau Claire, Wisc., but you wouldn’t have known it from my clips. What a blessing it was to work for an afternoon paper whose daily deadline was 11 a.m. (or noon if you pushed it.) My typ-ical routine was to fi le city government sto-ries, up to three short pieces on some busy days, take lunch and then fi gure out what to

do with the afternoon hours. I would sit all antsy and hyper at my desk for an hour or so until the city edi-tor, Doug Mell, would tire of my jumpiness and demand, “Pfankuch, get the heck out of the offi ce.” I took that advice and would often just drive around town, into the country, stroll through City Hall or the library or the courthouse and, truth be told, sometimes head to the bowling alley to play a couple video games. Those little journeys could have been a waste of time, but they weren’t. I often dis-covered things that turned into stories, such as a new business, a major road project, a llama farm or a cheese factory operated by an old German woman. Throughout my career, reporting from the fi eld and not the phone has led to my most memorable pieces. In Florida, I spent a night on a shrimp boat, layered sandbags along a fl ooding riverbank, drank moon-shine with a mystery author in the Okefe-nokee Swamp, witnessed an execution in the electric chair, fl ew over the Everglades in a prop plane, and watched wild women and men roll fully clothed in a wading pool of cooked grits. In the nine months since I left the editor’s chair and returned to reporting in South Dakota, I’ve toured a woman’s prison, gazed over a secretive FLDS po-lygamous compound, attended a livestock auction, observed the municipal sewage treatment process, visited a gold mining site, and spent time on a cattle ranch, a con-centrated hog-feeding operation, a wind farm and bumped through fi elds of sheep in an ATV with a rifl e-packing rancher. Most of those stories also included in-formation gathered by phone. But the heart and soul of those stories originated in the fi eld. Here are some tips to getting the most of fi eld work.

Plan ahead. Arranging to visit with a source in person takes time and fl exibility, so seek out such opportunities early in the reporting process.

Tap those in the know. Business or trade groups, government agencies and in-dustry leaders are great resources to fi nd

people who know their stuff and might be willing to meet with a reporter.

Do your homework. Scour the internet, check clips and talk to other people knowl-edgeable about your topic or your source so when you show up, you can hit the ground running and show the source you cared enough to do some prep work.

Dress appropriately. A farm visit re-quires old jeans, sturdy boots and a fl annel shirt that is OK if stained some. For a day-long visit, bring a sandwich and a bottled water so you can hang tough.

Consider a recorder. While I don’t typically use a voice recorder, mostly due to an aversion to transcription, it can re-lieve the burden of taking notes furiously while trying to get a source to relax and open up.

Gain trust, but don’t befriend. Be open about your topic and approach to gain trust, yet ask personal, and sometimes pain-ful, questions to reveal deeper meaning. Push the source to be as real as possible. Be clear about what you’re reporting and why, but don’t make outrageous promises or hand over your ethics.

Think visually. On the one-person “team” that many of us operate these days, don’t forget to take photos, shoot some vid-eo and write down descriptions of people and actions to bring life to your copy.

Be patient. It can be hard to spend a whole day with a stranger, but believe me, every moment will be worth it. Block out enough time.

Persist past objections. While some editors may balk at granting a reporter a full day in the fi eld, you must persist be-cause once you develop a reputation as an in-fi eld reporter whose stories jump off the page, those objections will soon fade to nil.

Bart Pfankuch is an investigative re-

porter for South Dakota News Watch, on-

line at sdnewswatch.org. Write to him at

[email protected].

PAGE 8 OCTOBER 2018 WPA BULLETIN

92%

*NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, April 2018

BETTER WRITING WITH BARTREPORTING FROM FIELD MEANS GREATER STORYTELLING


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$25

$35

CALL OR EMAIL FOR DETAILS:Wyoming Press Association

(307) 635-3905 [email protected]

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PEOPLE AND STUFFOnline subscriptions are now available through the New-castle News Letter Journal’s new website, which launched Sept. 13. While the website address is the same - newslj.com - the new one off ers “the whole paper online, as well as” being able to view photos, according the News Letter Journal. “It is a complete site now versus a complement to the paper product.”

CLASSIFIEDEditor Wanted

Do you pride yourself on being the best? Enjoy team-work, brainstorming and idea implementation? Come work with the most ambitious local news organization in Wy-oming — The Sheridan Press. Our leadership team is re-cruiting an individual who wants to work with the best and be a part of an evolving and forward-thinking newsroom that operates more like a start-up than a 100-year old news organization. The top candidate will have a natural interest in the industry, must be curious and should have comfort with leading and coaching a talented team of reporters. The ability and drive to approach issues with outside-the-box thinking will be required as The Sheridan Press continues pushing the boundaries of journalism. A thorough understanding of AP style, attention to de-tail and organization will be vital along with comfort in utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite. Candidates should be able to work independently and have a strong understanding of what community journalism means. The Press is an independent newspaper with family and local ownership and with print and online news deliv-ery platforms. Sheridan is a thriving community of 18,000 with a college, a lively arts/culture/music scene, a busy downtown and many other amenities, including unlimited outdoor recreational opportuni-ties. Please send a resume, cover letter and writing samples to [email protected].

OBITUARY Keith Rounds, 76, of Cheyenne, died Oct. 22 at his home. Rounds was an honorary life member of the Wyo-ming Press Association’s Associates Group. A lifelong Wyomingite, Rounds was born Oct. 8, 1942, in Rock Springs. He grew up in Antelope, a railroad section, and Granger, before moving to Laramie and then Cheyenne. Cecil and LaPriel Rounds were his parents. Rounds is survived by his wife, Linnea; daughter Pau-la (David) Novick and four grandchildren, as well as two sisters-in-law, a niece, nephew and a goddaughter. He was preceded in death by a son, Daniel; brother, Clark and his parents.

WPA Bulletin · 2018-11-11 · Kevin Olson, Kristen Czaban WPA BULLETIN OCTOBER 2018 PAGE 3 BONNERS...

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Transcript of WPA Bulletin · 2018-11-11 · Kevin Olson, Kristen Czaban WPA BULLETIN OCTOBER 2018 PAGE 3 BONNERS...