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 Bulletin photos by Ryan McMahon Terrence Williams,
at left, and Oreste “Rusty” D’Arconte finish the typical
exchange between the incoming and outgoing presidents of the New England
Newspaper and Press Association’s board of directors. Williams
is holding the gavel given to him by D’Arconte for Williams’
new term as president, and D’Arconte examines the gift he received
from Williams for his service in the past year as NENPA’s president. By Samantha
Laine If those attending the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s 2012 Convention and Trade Show Feb. 10 and 11 left the Boston Park Plaza Hotel with one understanding, it could be this: It’s time to upgrade even more than before. With 40 workshop topics ranging from how to meet libel challenges head on to innovative approaches to selling advertising to the best use of social media, the convention drew together leading figures in the newspaper industry to exchange strategies on how to improve and how to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Sessions resonated with the idea that journalists need to put forth a great amount of effort for journalism to survive. “Newspapers
will change, and so will the world, but the bond will still be there,”
Oreste “Rusty” D’Arconte, NENPA’s outgoing president
and publisher of The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Mass., said at NENPA’s
annual meeting Saturday morning, Feb. 11. “Democracy is in trouble if there are fewer reporters. Young people are disengaging from civil knowledge and have a difficult time discerning news and entertainment, news and spin, fact and fiction ... We need newspapers more than ever,” Anfinson said. Anfinson said journalists need to continue to find ways to ensure the future of journalism. “A crisis for journalism is a crisis for democracy,” he said. Terrence Williams, NENPA’s incoming president and publisher and president of The Telegraph of Nashua, N.H., commended NENPA for its success and for its efforts to keep up with the industry’s changes. “Dan (Cotter) and his staff have helped us to embrace the changes throughout the years,” Williams said of NENPA’s executive director. This was Cotter’s second winter convention as NENPA’s executive director. Also at the annual meeting, Cotter discussed NENPA’s 2011 success in relaunching its website. The website is more professional; better articulates what NENPA offers members; offers a better presentation to potential advertisers and partners; provides a capability for better recognition for NENPA; and makes resources for NENPA members more accessible, Cotter said. Essentially, the website has become a much more valuable tool for the association and its members, he said.
“We’ll have a lot more time this year — because we won’t be working on the website — to develop this fantastic program,” Cotter said. The university program will provide a full curriculum of high-quality, inexpensive training that all NENPA members can take advantage of, Cotter said. NENPA also plans to develop what is known as “skunk works,” a term coined by Lockheed Martin Corp., one of the world’s largest aerospace companies and defense contractors. “The idea is to take a group of smart, interdisciplinary people and have them envision new ideas and strategies. (Newspaper people) don’t (always) have a lot of time to think about strategic initiatives for the future, but (rather) they have to focus on their next edition. We’ll give selected groups of our members a mission to think ahead about issues that impact newspapers’ future -- they can experiment with new ideas, stress-test them, refine them, and present their concepts and solutions ... It will drive innovation for all of our members,” Cotter said. The program will work with NENPA’s new Marketing and Advertising Council to envision and create digital advertising and revenue initiatives that all NENPA members can share. One critical mission is to create and sell a New England digital ad network, Cotter said. The annual meeting elected, besides Williams as the board of directors’ new president, the following officers and executive committee members for the coming year: vice president, Gary Farrugia, president and publisher of The Day Publishing Co. of New London, Conn.; treasurer, David Costello, president of Celsius Technology Group of Lewiston, Maine; secretary, Peter Haggerty, editor and publisher of Woburn (Mass.) Daily Times Inc. D’Arconte also is on the executive committee as past president. Newly elected members of the board of directors are John Winn Miller, publisher of the Concord (N.H.) Monitor; Leah Lamson, editor of the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Mass.; and Jane Seagrave, publisher of the Vineyard Gazette of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Departing members are Mary Pat Rowland, managing editor of Foster’s Daily Democrat of Dover, N.H.; John Christie, executive director of The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting of Hallowell; and Geordie Wilson, former publisher of the Concord Monitor and now publisher of the Frederick (Md.) News-Post. The convention not only provided journalists, through workshops and other sessions, with tools needed to help endure and improve during a period when the future seems uncertain; it also recognized journalists for exemplary work and accomplishments during the previous year or in their careers. On Friday, Feb. 10, Martin Baron, editor of The Boston Globe for the past 10 years, was awarded the second annual Stephen Hamblett First Amendment Award by the New England First Amendment Coalition. Baron was recognized for his “relentless pursuit of truth,” leadership ability, and management skills, which have been instrumental in the Globe’s winning five Pulitzer Prizes in the past 10 years. “Our purpose is to find the truth and tell it as honestly, accurately, fairly and forthrightly as we can,” Baron said. Journalists are an important accountability partner for society, and now is not the time to stop investing in the trade, he said. “We owe the
founders – and our own communities – the courage to pursue
and tell the truth,” The winter convention concluded with the New England Better Newspaper Contest awards banquet. More than 700 awards were presented in editorial, photography, digital/Web, marketing/revenue, and special awards categories. The key awards presented follow: Weekly Journalist
of the Year: Jason Graziadei, The Inquirer and Mirror of Nantucket,
Mass.
POSTED 2/14/12 |
|
In
2012, NENPA is determined to provide the training that newspaper personnel
need to best compete for audience and advertising share. Cotter revealed
NENPA’s plans to develop NENPA University: a figurative university
that will provide year-round training at NENPA’s offices in Dedham,
Mass., in advertising, news and operations.
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