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MPA Individual Award Nominations due July 8

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It’s time to nominate your deserving staff and co-workers for the 2022 MPA Individual awards. Please email all nominations to maine@newspapercontest.com by July 8, 2022. Digital entries only, please. The 2022 winners will be announced at the MPA Fall Conference on Oct. 22 in Bar Harbor.

Here are the categories:

  • Unsung Hero Award: For any staff member, in any department, whose contributions to his or her newspaper have been essential but often overlooked. Nominations may include examples of the nominee’s work and letters from supervisors and/or co-workers detailing his or her contributions.
  • Advertising Person of the Year: For an advertising employee whose work has been truly distinguished over the course of a year or years. Candidates may have established unique marketing plans or stood out through other measures, such as sales record. Work samples may be included with a nomination letter.
  • Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award: For a full-time employee of a Maine Press Association member with fewer than three years of full-time experience in journalism as of July 8, 2022. A letter from the staffer’s supervisor must contain a review of the nominee’s experience and accomplishments. School or college newspaper experience does not count as full-time experience. Entries will be evaluated on writing quality, enterprise, imagination, thoroughness, balance, and general reporting. As many as six articles may be submitted. 
  • Journalist of the Year: For an exceptional news employee whose work has been truly distinguished over the previous year or a period of years. A reasonable number of news clips, photographs, or other samples of work must be included with a cover letter from the nominee’s editor or publisher. The nominee must be an employee of a member organization.

Jody Jalbert named publisher of the Sun Journal

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The Sun Journal has named Jody Jalbert, a 34-year veteran of the Lewiston newspaper, to the role of publisher. 

The move hands Jalbert leadership of the Sun Journal and the Western Maine Weeklies. 

The promotion is particularly impressive considering that Jalbert began her career more than three decades ago taking classified ads over the phone.  That was in May 1988 and it was just a part-time gig. But over the next three decades, Jalbert rose through the ranks of the newspaper’s advertising department, ultimately becoming its vice president for advertising in 2018. 

Jalbert’s face is a familiar one to anyone who has worked for the newspaper at any level over the past three decades. “The Sun Journal deserves to have a local publisher,” said Lisa DeSisto, CEO of Masthead Maine, “and there’s no one better suited for this role.” Her colleagues, from the press crew to the news staff to those in leadership positions tend to agree. “Jody loves Lewiston and she loves the Sun Journal,” said Judith Meyer, executive editor of the Sun Journal and other papers. “Having her at the helm is good for our city and for our newspaper. She knows our readers very well, she knows our business and her support of our journalism is unwavering.” 

“I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by mentors and co-workers who fed my curiosity and allowed me to transition, learn and grow throughout my career,” Jalbert said. “I felt it important to know and understand the process — the details of each department’s handoff to the other, from the person meeting with an advertiser, design, paper layout, pagination, plating, printing, distribution and transportation to ensure advertisers and readers get the best possible product so they continue to support the mission of our newsroom.” 

We know it’s early, but we’re on it!

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Every year, MPA holds its annual Scholarship Fund Auction to raise money that we turn around and give (100 percent!) to selected students enrolled in Maine higher education journalism programs.

The goal is to encourage more young journalists to join the profession, and every autumn, we distribute approximately $2,500 to 4,000 in scholarships.

The exact amount, however, depends on how successful our auction is, and this year, we are going BIG!

After two years of virtual conferences, MPA is banking that we gather together IN PERSON this coming October. That means we have the opportunity to make the MPA Scholarship Auctions — live and silent — one to beat the band.

That’s where you come in. Please put on your MPA auction thinking cap see what you might donate to the cause.

Ideas? Gift cards to shops, restaurants, pet sitting/grooming services and grocery stores; theme-based baskets; overnight stays at your camp (rustic to luxurious!); boat rides and picnics.

It doesn’t have to be fancy (yes, one year a member newspaper donated a box of toilet paper. Considering how lean our office budgets are these days; hell, a roll of toilet paper is gold), but we do want to raise some cash.

Email mainepressmail@gmail.com with ideas and questions, and we will get you the proper donation form. Don’t delay; no one likes the deadline blues!

Learn more about the Scholarship Fund and how it impacts aspiring Maine journalists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ7LBQHeHAc

2022 MPA Better Newspaper Contest: 2021 Publisher’s Statements needed by April 6

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In an effort to balance the entrant count in the Weekly 1 and Weekly 2 Divisions, the MPA Contest Committee has adjusted the circulation requirement:

Weekly 1: Published fewer than five times per week with circulation or distribution from one to 1,999.

Weekly 2: Published fewer than five times per week with circulation or distribution of 2,000 or more.

Online-only members the Daily Bulldog, The Maine Monitor, and Pen Bay Pilot will remain in the Weekly 2 division while Spectrum News Maine will compete in the Daily division.

All entrants, with the exception of online-only members, must submit a copy of their Oct. 2021 Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation by April 6 so that we may verify your circulation and ensure each member is accounted for correctly in the Contest entry portal. (Free newspapers, please provide a print invoice from Oct. 2021 with documentation of your print run.) Once we have this information, we’ll reach out to weekly members with confirmation of their division. Email the statement/information to Executive Director Diane Norton at mainepressmail@gmail.com .

Legislative Committee Update | 2.3.22

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The Maine Legislature Judiciary Committee voted Jan. 27, 2022 to table LD 1529, “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Create a Right to Privacy.” The bill was introduced in May, 2021 and proposes changes to Article 1, §1 and §5, and the addition of §25, “Privacy.” The MPA Legislative Committee submitted testimony Jan. 24, 2022 opposing the bill, and maintains its stance after new amendments were since introduced which the committee feels do not address concerns for the future of journalists and information gathering.

The changes to Maine’s constitution would provide a natural right “of privacy” and protections against unreasonable search or access to “electronic data or electronic communications.” Original language provided for freedom from “governmental and private intrusion” which includes “a natural person’s interaction with an Internet, communication or other electronic data service does not diminish the natural person’s reasonable expectation of privacy.”

MPA Legislative Committee member Judy Meyer authored the testimony on behalf of MPA, New England First Amendment Coalition, the New England Newspaper & Press Association, the Maine Association of Broadcasters, the Society of Professional Journalists Maine and SPJ New England. The coalition felt the bill failed to adequately preserve First Amendment rights for news gathering organizations in its efforts to secure a right to privacy for all.

“People deserve privacy,” Meyer wrote, “but there must be a balance between privacy and public access, between shielding personal information and allowing businesses to use that information to serve customers, between privacy and First Amendment freedoms, and between blocking access to all private communications and thoughts – even if a person chooses to make private thoughts public on social media or other forums.”

The testimony suggested addressing governmental intrusion only, striking “private intrusion” for unintended consequences – as other states with similar provisions are experiencing – to organizations and individuals which collect data for the public good.
“If LD 1529 moves forward as written, and goes to referendum and is adopted, the Constitution can’t be overridden through legislation and the damage would be real … We ask that this Committee compare this overly broad language with the work being done in other states to protect individual privacy, and proceed with a more balanced approach, perhaps doing so through legislation that could be amended if or as needed.”
A recent amendment revealed a shorter passage designated for Article 1 §25, a provision the MPA still feels is inadequate for First Amendment protections: “All natural persons have an inherent right to privacy that is free from intrusion, including privacy of a natural person’s personal life, personal communications, private affairs and personal thoughts or inner life.”

The Judiciary Committee did not indicate when LD 1529 would return to its work session agendas.

Joe Charpentier
Boothbay Register

Maine Press Association awards $2,500 in scholarships

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Emma H. Smith (L) and Meaghan Bellavance (R)

The Maine Press Association is delighted to announce the recipients of two journalism scholarships totaling $2,500. The recipients of the 2022 scholarships are Emma H. Smith and Meaghan Bellavance. 

Smith, a Bangor native, is currently in her fourth year of study at the University of Maine at Orono, working towards a Bachelor’s degree, double majoring in Communication and Journalism as well as Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies. While interning at the Fox 22 / ABC 7 broadcast news station in Bangor, she fell in love with the newsroom and was inspired by the quick wit and genuine nature of those around her. Onwards, she wants to focus on her writing, and her dreams include publishing books with historical narratives, as well as working on investigative projects to uncover and write about long-awaited truths. 

Bellavance, is a fifth-year student at the University of Maine at Orono. A native of Danielson, a small town in the quiet corner of Connecticut, she is currently studying to earn a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Journalism and Anthropology. She is the Culture Editor for Maine Campus, UMaine’s student newspaper of record since 1875. After graduation this coming May, her career goal is to become a multimedia journalist and become fully immersed in the journalism industry. 

The Maine Press Association awards at least one scholarship every year to a junior or senior with financial need who plans to pursue a career in journalism. The scholarships are possible through the generosity of bidders at the Maine Press Association’s annual scholarship auction and the donors who provide the auction items.

To inquire about the 2023 scholarship, contact scholarship committee Chair Sindhu Manjesh at sindhu.manjesh@maine.edu.

The Maine Press Association (MPA), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest professional news organizations in the nation. We strive to promote and foster high ethical standards in journalism and the best interests of the journalists and media organizations that constitute our membership; to encourage best business and editorial practices and a better media environment in Maine; and to protect the principles of freedom of the press and the public’s right to know.

The Portland Press Herald, the Portland Phoenix, and The Camden Herald among MPA winners

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CAMDEN, Maine, November 13, 2021 –The Portland Press Herald, the Portland Phoenix, The Camden Herald, and the Maine Sunday Telegram have been honored by the Maine Press Association for General Excellence in print newspapers.

The Portland Press Herald, The Maine Monitor, and the Boothbay Register 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 awards presentation, this year held virtually due to COVID-19.

Dorothy “Dot” Roderick, one of the first women advertising executives in the newspaper industry; Dieter Bradbury, a force in Maine journalism for more than four decades; and Judy Meyer, executive editor for Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel and a fierce advocate for First Amendment rights, were selected by the MPA’s Hall of Fame Committee as the 2021 inductees. Due to the decision to forego this year’s in-person conference, the formal induction ceremony will be held at next year’s MPA Conference, Oct. 22, in Bar Harbor.

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

The contest judges, who hailed from The South Dakota Press Association, wrote of The Portland Press Herald, “Clearly the class of this division. Front page designs are attractive and leave no doubt about the day’s top story. It features a robust editorial page with local editorials and an attractive sports page…. The writing ranges from professional to first-rate.”

“There’s not much getting done on Sundays in Portland for the readers of this newspaper,”  said the judges about the Maine Sunday Telegram. “It’s stuffed with ads and sections that feature stories from staff writers in each one. The sports news pops off the page. Headlines are solid and photos are crisp.”

In the Weekly 1 division, for newspapers with less than 3,000 print circulation, The Camden Herald took the top prize. Judges said, “This is a newsy, well-written newspaper. The front pages are attractive…It has lively opinion pages and a first-rate sports section.” The Weekly 2 winner, the Portland Phoenix, was lauded for its differences. “Unlike many tab-sized newspapers, this one does not overload its front page, opting to take an attractive magazine approach. The writing here is superb.”

The Camden Herald and The Lincoln County News won the Freedom of Information first-place award in the Weekly 1 and Weekly 2 divisions, respectively, while Bangor Daily News took top honors in the Daily/Weekend division.

Samantha Hogan of The Maine Monitor was named the Journalist of the Year and Jane Patriquin of the Portland Press Herald was the Advertising Person of the Year.

Emily Bader, formerly of the Lakes Region Weekly and now of the Sun Journal, won the Bob Drake Young Writer’s Award, and Keith Taylor of MaineToday Media was honored by the MPA as the Unsung Hero of the Year.

A complete list of 2021 award winners will be posted later this week on the MPA’s website.

The Maine Press Association (MPA), founded in 1864, is one of the oldest professional news organizations in the nation. Learn more at www.mainepressassociation.org.

2021 Virtual Awards Presentation | Let’s Celebrate!

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While we won’t be meeting in-person for the 2021 MPA Fall Conference, let’s celebrate each other and all 69 categories of Better Newspaper Award winners!

We hope you’ll join us November 13 at 5:00 p.m. for the Virtual Awards Presentation, hosted by esteemed MC Greg Rec, to celebrate all of the winners of this year’s Better Newspaper Contest and unveil the winners of this year’s coveted General Excellence and individual awards including Journalist of the Year, Advertising Person of the Year, Bob Drake Young Writer, and Unsung Hero.

Like last year, your registration fee includes the Awards Presentation PLUS subsequent programming throughout 2022 and we have four presentations lined up and ready to go.

Please join us:                                                                                                              Saturday, November 13                                                                                                    5:00 – 6:30 p.m.                                                                                                                    $25 per person

To Register, Click Here.

Award plaques and certificates and the 2021 Awards Supplement, complete with all contest winners and judges’ comments, will be provided to members in PDF form after the Virtual Awards Presentation.

We will also produce a ½-page ad to celebrate this year’s award winners, including our Hall of Fame inductees, and promote the Scholarship Auction. The ad will be made available to every MPA member for publication, if they so choose.