Upcoming FOIA Webinar hosted by the Maine Press Association

The Maine Press Association is excited to offer a wide variety of webinars throughout 2021. Our first in the series focuses on Maine’s Freedom of Access Act.
Join Maine Monitor Senior Reporter Samantha Hogan as she discusses the complexities of Maine’s public-access rules and the importance of holding government officials accountable. Hogan will also share useful tools that can help journalists with digital research, public access and data visualization.
Samantha Hogan, Senior Reporter for the Maine Monitor, focuses on a range of government accountability projects. She previously worked for The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, covering state politics, agriculture, the environment and energy, and interned twice for The Washington Post. In 2020, Samantha was selected to work with the ProPublica Local Reporting Network to investigate Maine’s indigent defense system. She lives with her cat Ida – named for the mother of investigative journalism, Ida Tarbell.
Cost: $10
Platform: Zoom
Please use the link below to learn more and register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mpa-conference-foia-tickets-132332452929?fbclid=IwAR2FZRVNGUgAOSfUROmgYWhpPoSvew6czqqoWkifh5RQpxeBYRO2vy8rowg

News and More from MPA

The 2020 MPA Conference: By the #s

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s MPA Conference. While we missed being together in person to celebrate, we made the most of the virtual platform with plenty of emojis, applause, and shout-outs to our comrades and friends. And take a look at those Scholarship Fund donations, hailing from the Silent Auction, Live Auction (thanks Aimsel!), and MPA Store. See below for your chance to own some commemorative logowear and keep that Fund # growing!

  • 40 Attendees at the Hall of Fame Induction
  • 100+ Attendees at the Live Auction & Awards Presentation
  • 60 Better Newspaper Contest Awards, 3 Divisions, 34 entrant newspapers
  • $3,642 and counting raised for the MPA Scholarship Fund via the Live & Silent Auctions, and MPA Store

Survey Says? Please Take This Brief Conference Survey

Conference organizers would appreciate hearing your thoughts regarding the 2020 MPA Conference, featuring the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, Live Auction, and Awards Presentation. If you have feedback or suggestions you’d be willing to share anonymously, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2CLP578

2020 Better Newspaper Contest Award Winners

Looking for a list of the 2020 Winners? You’ll find the complete list plus the 2020 Awards Supplement on the MPA Website. Visit http://mainepressassociation.org/mpa-contest/2020-contest-winners/

Buy some MPA Logowear, Fund a Scholar

Now’s your chance to score some 2020 MPA Commemorative Logowear while contributing to the MPA Scholarship Fund. We’re getting ready to award 2021 Scholarships and the more money we have in the Fund, the more scholarships we can bestow. Choose from Hoodies, T-Shirts, and Hats, all bearing the “Adapt, Adjust, Inform 2020 Conference” Logo; and Newsprint Cotton Masks, handsewn by the team at the Boothbay Register. All are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 100% of the proceeds benefit the MPA Scholarship Fund. Inventory is below. Email Diane Norton at mainepressmail@gmail.com to place your order.

  • Hoodies | $40 $30: 1 Small (1 Light Blue) | 1 Med (Light Blue) | 2 Large (1 Ash, 1 Light Blue)
  • Crew T-Shirts | $25 $15: 1 Small (Heather Navy) | 3 Med (2 Ash, 1 Heather Navy) | 2 Large (1 Ash, 1 Heather Navy)
  • Ladies V-Neck T-Shirts | $25 $15: 1 Small (White) | 2 Med (1 White, 1 Navy) | 2 Large (1 White, 1 Navy)
  • Hats | $15 $10: 3 Black | 4 Navy
  • Cotton Newsprint Masks | 3 for $25 $3 for $15

Maine Press Association Programs Commence with Focus on FOAA

The first session of MPA’s virtual program initiative will take place in late January.  Stay tuned for details on how to register and participate. The January topic will be: Project journalism and how to optimize Maine’s Freedom of Access Act

Join Maine Monitor staff writer Samantha Hogan as she discusses her work investigating Maine’s public defense system and the state’s county jails. Samantha will share tips and ideas that she’s learned by working closely with the ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network and data team. She will also talk extensively about Maine’s Freedom of Access Act and how to stay organized — and vigilant — while pursuing public records in Maine.

Contest Judges Needed 

Each year, the Maine Press Association partners with another press association in a different state to help with judging Better Newspaper Contests.

This year, our partner is South Dakota, and we need to get to work judging that state’s entries in February. This involves assessing editorial, as well as advertising entries.

If you are willing to join the effort, please email your category preference (editorial, production, sales)  to mainepressmail@gmail.com and we will be in touch soon!

Fellowship Resource 
Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute is now accepting 2021-22 RJI Fellowship applications from individuals or organizations with an innovative journalism project idea that could also benefit the industry.

Potential project ideas could include devising new strategies or models to solve a problem, building new tools, creating a prototype, or advancing a prototype, so it’s ready to launch.

This year’s fellowship projects address the increasing challenges in covering climate change, unpublishing, harassment of marginalized journalists and more.]RJI will be hosting its 15th class of fellows in 2021–22. Since launching in 2004, the fellowship program has hosted a wide variety of entrepreneurs and innovators that have come from different backgrounds including large legacy newsrooms and small nonprofits.

“Our fellows are trailblazers, creative thinkers, determined doers and great partners,” says Randy Picht, RJI’s executive director. “If that sounds like you, then it’s time to apply.”

RJI’s eight-month fellowship is a flexible program with three types of fellowship options — residential, nonresidential and institutional that give fellows the time, space and resources they need to work on projects.

“I have felt absolutely supported and backed by people who didn’t know anything about us before,” says Dagmar Thiel, USA Director of Fundamedios.“I became part of a community of professionals that believe in change and also believes it is important to listen to the voice and needs of minorities.” Fundamedios is working on a diagnostic and database of threats, online and offline harassment of Latino journalists working in the U.S.

Fellows can either choose to work from RJI’s headquarters in Columbia, Missouri, with a residential fellowship and an $80,000 stipend. They can choose to work from the location of their choice with a nonresidential fellowship or with their newsroom or organization with an institutional fellowship. Both institutional and nonresidential fellowships come with a $20,000 stipend.

Fellows get access to the intellectual and technological resources of RJI and the Missouri School of Journalism, including access to programmers, support to conduct market research and paid students to produce multimedia content.Fellowships are open to anyone above the age of 18 from around the world. Applications are due December 18, 2020.
Full article here: https://www.rjionline.org/stories/rji-now-accepting-applications-for-the-15th-fellowship-class-of-innovators

The Portland Press Herald, The Ellsworth American and the York County Coast Star among MPA winners

Clockwise from top left: Randy Billings, Journalist of the Year; Meg Robbins, Bob Drake Young Writer; Carl Natale, Unsung Hero; Joanne Alfiero, Advertising Person of the Year.

CAMDEN – For the second consecutive year The Portland Press Herald, The Ellsworth American, the York County Coast Star and the Maine Sunday Telegram have been honored by the Maine Press Association for General Excellence in print newspapers.

CentralMaine.com, The Maine Monitor, and The Camden Herald took top honors for digital General Excellence in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest.

The awards were presented Saturday afternoon during the association’s annual conference, this year held virtually due to COVID-19.

Earlier in the day, the association inducted two new members to its Hall of Fame: the late Arthur Guesman, who served as the faculty advisor of the Maine Campus newspaper and a professor of journalism at the University of Maine for 20 years; and Terry Carlisle, who recently retired after 42 years at The Ellsworth American, serving in key management positions where she led with innovation, excellence, and total enjoyment of her job.

In the General Excellence competition for print newspapers, The Portland Press Herald was judged the best daily in Maine for the second consecutive year while the Maine Sunday Telegram was the weekend Newspaper of the Year for the tenth time in eleven years.

The contest judges, who hailed from The Oklahoma Press Association, wrote of The Portland Press Herald, “Beautiful page design and use of photos throughout. Strong reporting and local coverage. Good ad design and service directory.”

“Amazing CMP investigation with six pages of stories, photos and coverage that tell the full story,” said the judges about the Maine Sunday Telegram. “Striking feature and news photos. Strong reporting, beautiful front-page feature designs and solid ad design.”

In the Weekly 1 division, for newspapers with less than 3,000 print circulation, the York County Coast Star took the top prize. Judges said,  “This is the complete package – good news coverage, well written; good layout with strong headline writing and good photos/reproduction; and excellent political coverage” while the Weekly 2 winner, The Ellsworth American, was lauded for its, “Good mix of local news, strong editorial page, great classified section, well-designed ads, and colorful and well-composed photos.” This was the second consecutive win for both newspapers.

The Maine Monitor won the Freedom of Information first-place award in the Weekly division while the Sun Journal took top honors in the daily/weekend division.

Randy Billings of the Portland Press Herald was named the Journalist of the Year and Joanne Alfiero of the Portland Press Herald was the Advertising Person of the Year.

Meg Robbins, formerly of the Morning Sentinel and now of The Maine Monitor, won the Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award, and Carl Natale of the Sun Journal was honored by the MPA as the Unsung Hero of the Year.

A complete list of 2020 award winners will be posted later this week on the MPA’s website: www.mainepressassociation.org

VERY IMPORTANT 2020 MPA Conference Information!

  1. Did you newspaper register you as part of a group? If so, you need to register yourself individually in order to have access to all of the events happening Saturday, and future programming.

It’s easy to do: Go to the conference site (https://mpa.vehlovenue.com/) and register individually, using the guest code provided to you by your employer. You’ll also need to enter your own payment information under “My Account” for auction bidding or donations. Questions? Contact Diane Norton at mainepressmail@gmail.com.

All of the events will take place at the conference site (On Saturday, look for the link at the top of the page, next to “Register Now” that says “Go to Event”).

  1. Web Browser: Users will experience the site differently on a Mac(iOS)/Safari vs Mac(iOS)/Chrome or Windows/Chrome. The preference is via the latest version of Chrome (on either type of system). However, for those users who are on a Mac(iOS)/Safari, the only option is to join the event via the App. Here are the instructions for those Mac users:

Option 1: If using a Mac device and you have never used Zoom before (Zoom is NOT installed on your device):

  1. Click on Join via App
  2. pkg will download
  3. Click show downloads
  4. install Zoom.pkg
  5. Welcome to the Zoom installer window, click “Continue”
  6. Select a destination > Choose “Install for all users of this computer” or INstall for me only
  7. Click “install”
  8. Enter your password (prompt)
  9. CLose the “installation was successful” window
  10. Go back to Safari window and click on “Launch Meeting” blue button
  11. Enter your name in the Enter your name window and click “Join”

Option 2: If using a Mac device and you HAVE used Zoom before (Zoom IS installed on your device):

  1. Click on Join via App
  2. Click on “Launch Meeting” blue button
  3. Enter your name in the Enter your name window and click “Join”

You can still register for the event :  The $20.00 registration fee includes access to all 10/24 Conference events and programming for the coming year. Register here: https://mpa.vehlovenue.com/

10/24/20 Schedule of Events: 

9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (via Zoom) | Annual Business Meeting

You have the right to attend and participate in the Maine Press Association’s annual business meeting! The annual meeting includes the election of new board members and reelection of those members whose terms end at the annual meeting. Every “regular” member of the Maine Press Association — all those other than associate and individual members — has one vote in this election. The annual meeting is open to all members and to the general public. We welcome you to attend.
– Maine Press Association 2019-2020 President J.W. Oliver

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71188107028?pwd=OUlFUGVkTVQ3N2JsWGZPVVBWOElaZz09

Meeting ID: 711 8810 7028 | Passcode: 2e9V69

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. | Induction of Terry Carlisle and the late Art Guesman into the MPA Hall of Fame

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Live Auction with Aimsel Ponti and Awards Presentation & Celebration with Greg Rec, honoring winners of the 2020 Better Newspaper Contest, as well as the Individual Awards: Journalist of the Year, Advertising Person of the Year, Bob Drake Young Writer, and Unsung Hero.

The Silent Auction is Live: Once you’ve registered for the event, you can access the Silent Auction which will be open for bidding through conference day with a stop time of 9:00 p.m.

Live Auction items are also visible once you’ve registered. Take a look and get your auction paddle ready. Don’t forget to check out The MPA Store for 2020 commemorative logo wear and other fun items.

All proceeds of both Auctions and The MPA Store benefit the MPA Scholarship Fund and we’ve added a Donation button to the event site for those who choose to make a straight donation to the MPA Scholarship Fund.

A big thank you to our Conference Sponsors: Mitchell Tardy Jackson and Broadreach Public Relations

        

To learn more and to Register, go to: https://mpa.vehlovenue.com/

We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 MPA Conference.

9 Days Away: MPA Annual Conference

Maine Press Association Annual Conference

We’re 9 days away from the 2020 MPA Conference to be held October 24. There’s no question that we have endured a strange, challenging and remarkable year, so let’s get together and celebrate each other, albeit online!

Thanks to those of you who have already registered and we look forward to seeing more registrations as we get closer to the event. Register here: https://mpa.vehlovenue.com/

Your $20.00 registration fee includes access to all 10/24 Conference events and programming for the coming year.

10/24/20 Schedule of Events: 

9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (via Zoom) | Annual Business Meeting

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. | Induction of Terry Carlisle and the late Art Guesman into the MPA Hall of Fame

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Live Auction with Aimsel Ponti and Awards Presentation & Celebration with Greg Rec, honoring winners of the 2020 Better Newspaper Contest, as well as the Individual Awards: Journalist of the Year, Advertising Person of the Year, Bob Drake Young Writer, and Unsung Hero.

The Silent Auction is Live: Once you’ve registered for the event, you can access the Silent Auction. Thanks to those of you who have donated items to both the Silent & Live Auctions. We’ve set up the timeline so that folks can bid on items right up and through conference day with bidding set to close 10/24 at 9:00 p.m.

Live Auction items are also visible once you’ve registered.

The MPA Store is live and includes 2020 commemorative logo wear.

All proceeds of both Auctions and The Store benefit the MPA Scholarship Fund and we’ve added a Donation button to the event site for those who choose to make a straight donation to the MPA Scholarship Fund.

In Memoriam: We’d like to include an In Memoriam piece in the program and need your help. Please send a photo and brief by 10/15 for any MPA-related people who have passed away in the past year to Awards Presentation MC Greg Rec at grec@pressherald.com

A big thank you to our Conference Sponsors: Mitchell Tardy Jackson and Broadreach Public Relations

       

To learn more and to Register, go to: https://mpa.vehlovenue.com/

We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 MPA Conference.

 

Maine Press Association Invites YOU to the 2020 Annual Conference

Maine Press Association Annual Conference
We’re pleased to announce that registration is now LIVE for the 2020 MPA Conference, to be held online October 24.
There’s no question that we have endured a strange, challenging and remarkable year, so let’s get together and celebrate each other, albeit online!
Your $20 registration fee includes access to all the Oct. 24 Conference events and programming for the coming year.
Oct. 24 Schedule of Events 
9 – 9:30 a.m.
Annual Business Meeting (to be held via Zoom; log-in details to follow)

10 to 11 a.m.
Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony
Induction of Terry Carlisle and the late Art Guesman into the MPA Hall of Fame

4 – 6 p.m. 
Auction and Awards Ceremony

Join us at 4 p.m. for our annual Live Auction with our lively and entertaining Auctioneer Aimsel Ponti. This important auction raises money for MPA’s Scholarship Fund, helping to build the ranks with educated and trained journalists.

The Live Auction will be followed by the annual MPA Awards Ceremony, with Esteemed Host Greg Rec. Get ready to sit back in your favorite armchair and enjoy it all.

The Awards Presentation & Celebration will honor the winners of the 2020 Better Newspaper Contest, as well as the Individual Awards: Journalist of the Year, Advertising Person of the Year, Bob Drake Young Writer, and Unsung Hero.

Stay Tuned!
Coming later this week, we will launch the online MPA Silent Auction to benefit the MPA Scholarship Fund and the MPA Store, where you can purchase all kinds of branded MPA gear and other fun logo wear…. INCLUDING the commemorative 2020 Logo Wear — Year 2020 was wild, unforgettable, and we all pulled together as journalists to keep the public informed.

We’ve also added a Donation button to the event site for those who choose to make a straight donation to the MPA Scholarship Fund.

To learn more and to Register, go to: mpa.vehlovenue.com/

We look forward to seeing you at the 2020 MPA Conference.

Maine Press Association to induct two into Hall of Fame

Two new members will enter the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame on October 24. Terry Carlisle and Arthur Guesman have been selected by the MPA’s Hall of Fame Committee and will be inducted during the association’s annual Fall Conference.

    

When it came to journalism, the late Arthur Guesman worked to promote respect and ethics in all aspects of the industry and appreciated what freedom of speech and press really means. He began his career delivering newspapers as a child and then selling newspaper advertising as a young adult. He spent the next 20 years as a professor of journalism at the University of Maine in Orono, advising the next generation of journalists on the ethics and hard work that goes into respecting and maintaining freedom of speech and press.

As a professor, he advised over 100 students each year. He was the faculty advisor of the Maine Campus newspaper, which under his direction took the paper from a weekly to a daily and helped students and the paper win many awards along the way, including best newspaper in the east. He developed and led mass media communications classes to England and the Soviet Union to examine the fundamental differences in journalism based on the freedoms of the press or lack thereof. Guesman died in 2007.

An Ellsworth native, Terry Carlisle started working at The American in 1978, as secretary to former Publisher James Russell Wiggins. She later worked in accounts receivable before going into sales. She was promoted to advertising manager in 1988. At the time, the sales staff stayed in the office and waited for customers to come to them. Terry turned that approach on its head. She grew the sales team, established territories and pushed for ad reps to get out into the business community. The newspaper’s revenue doubled during her tenure in the position.

In 1995, Carlisle was promoted to marketing director with added responsibility for circulation. In 2000, she was named general manager in charge of all business operations. Smart, bold and innovative, Carlisle has shepherded the papers through many changes over the years. She is a past president of the Maine Press Association and was honored as Advertising Person of the Year by the MPA in 1996. She has also been a New England News and Press Association board member and served as president of the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations, the governing board of Woodlawn. She retired in 2019.

The MPA Hall of Fame, established in 1998, honors newspaper people with Maine connections who have made outstanding contributions to the profession. Its members are on the MPA website, at http://mainepressassociation.org/hall-of-fame/.

Tickets to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony (to be held virtually this year) are available by contacting MPA Executive Director Diane Norton at mainepressmail@gmail.com or 691-0131.

MPA seeking nominations to 2020 Hall of Fame

Nominations are being taken for 2020 inductees to the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame. The deadline for nominations is Friday, July 3.

Candidates must be Maine newspaper professionals who made lasting career contributions to their craft, in or out of the state. Typically, some of each year’s Hall of Fame class is inducted posthumously.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1998. A list of all inductees is on the MPA website at: http://mainepressassociation.org/hall-of-fame/

The MPA’s Hall of Fame Committee asks that nominations be submitted as soon as possible so they can be circulated among the committee members who will select the inductees.

Each nomination should be accompanied by supporting material that will help committee members as they make their decisions. Please be prepared to submit all nominations and supporting materials in an electronic format so the committee can access them remotely.

Nominations can be sent to the committee chair:
Faith DeAmbrose
fdeambrose@mdislander.com

Questions may be directed to Faith DeAmbrose or to Executive Director Diane Norton at mainepressmail@gmail.com.

The 23rd annual induction ceremony will be held October 24 at the MPA Fall Conference in Bar Harbor.

MPA Signs Statement on Government Coronavirus Emergency Transparency

The Maine Press Association, along with the Maine Broadcasters Association and the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition, have joined other trade, academic and civil liberty organizations around the country in signing and sending a joint statement to state and national governmental groups that emphasizes the right to government emergency transparency and public access.

The letter grew from the National Freedom of Information Coalition, a Florida-based nonprofit that promotes press freedom, legislative and administrative reforms and litigation to ensure open, transparent and accessible state and local governments and public institutions.

“One hundred and thirty-two organizations representing diverse constituencies and political ideologies agree that our democracy and democratic practices should not be obstructed in the interest of streamlining deliberations and decision making by our governing bodies in this time of crisis,” the NFOIC said.

The statement, which can be found in full here, reads in part:
“Government bodies should not opportunistically take advantage of the public’s inability to attend large gatherings to make critical decisions affecting the public’s interest if those decisions can reasonably be postponed. Just as citizens are being asked to defer nonessential travel and errands, so should government agencies defer noncritical policy-making decisions until full and meaningful public involvement can be guaranteed. Where postponement is not realistic, every available measure should be taken to (1) notify the public of meetings of government bodies and how to participate in those meetings remotely, (2) use widely available technologies to maximize real-time public engagement, and (3) preserve a viewable record of proceedings that is promptly made accessible online.”