Briefing Archives | Page 14 of 28 | Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Marquette Law School poll considers changes for 2022 election cycle

Jul. 26, 2021

Marquette University Law School pollster Charles Franklin has a challenge as Wisconsin prepares for another election cycle. While the failures of 2016 forced the polling industry to make changes to better account for voters who turned out for Donald Trump, those tweaks still didn’t catch the surge in turnout among Trump supporters in 2020, leading to another round of questions about why polling failed once again to accurately gauge the electorate.

Franklin says he's looking into making additional tweaks to the Marquette University Law School poll’s methodology. The first MU Law School Poll of Wisconsin voters in 2021 will be released Aug. 11.

Results available for poll on Wisconsin state cheese

Jul. 22, 2021

Polco users and readers visiting WNA member websites from July 7 to 20 were asked whether colby should be named the official state cheese of Wisconsin. Out of 485 respondents, 43% said they believed it should, while 38% said there should be no official state cheese in Wisconsin.

Poll questions are available through a WNA partnership with Polco aimed at helping newspapers better engage readers and access enhanced data and insights.

WNA Foundation to honor 26 in Memorial Pylon ceremony

Jul. 16, 2021

The WNA Foundation will honor 26 industry leaders during a virtual Memorial Pylon ceremony at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20.

While we miss gathering with our members and their families at the Trees for Tomorrow campus in Eagle River, Wis., we look forward to the participation of those across the state and the country who would not regularly have the opportunity to join us — and we're asking for all of your help! We know our inductees made a lasting impact on the lives of many, and we’d like to include as many memories as possible of each honoree. Upload a video message, share photos or submit your memory in writing using our online form or email them to WNA Membership & Communications Director Julia Hunter by Monday, Aug. 2.

journalism, convention, conference, mobile, phone

SPJ, CMA, ACP announce 2022 conference partnership

Jul. 15, 2021

The Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Association and Associated Collegiate Press have announced that they will partner for their 2022 conference, which will be held in October in Washington, D.C. It marks the first time SPJ, CMA and ACP will have hosted a national conference together.

"Emerging journalists are not just the future of journalism, they’re the present, and I hope that our 2022 conference is just the start of a long and fruitful relationship because SPJ’s 6,000 members have a lot to teach college journalists and a lot to learn from them," SPJ National President Matthew T. Hall said in the announcement.

Cross: Now we have to make people want local news

Jul. 9, 2021

Community newspapers can’t do much about a decline in the interest of local news, but there are some things they can do. It starts with understanding the problem, writes Al Cross, director of the University of Kentucky's Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which publishes The Rural Blog.

In the latest installment of his "Into the Issues" column, Cross offers suggestions on how to draw readers' interest back to the news they need.

polco, coronavirus, voter registration, presidential debates, covid-19

Poll: Should colby be the official state cheese of Wisconsin?

Jul. 7, 2021

A new poll question about whether colby should be named the official state cheese of Wisconsin is available to be used by WNA members. We are asking the question in light of a recently introduced bipartisan bill that would give the honor to the cheese, which was created in 1885 in the central Wisconsin city of Colby.

Poll questions are available through a WNA partnership with Polco aimed at helping newspapers better engage readers and access enhanced data and insights. WNA members who have signed up for an account with Polco can access their local version of the new question, as well as local poll results, on their dashboards. Those who have not signed up can do so here for their own dashboard.

RELATED: Results available for large summer events poll

Evers vetoes bill eliminating personal property tax

Jul. 6, 2021

Assembly Bill 191, which eliminates Wisconsin's personal property tax, has been approved by the state Legislature and now heads to Gov. Tony Evers for his signature.

The WNA is among the many business associations that opposed the tax, levied on businesses for furniture and other miscellaneous office fixtures, as part of the Coalition to Repeal Wisconsin's Personal Property Tax. Its repeal ends a strong signal of support from the state to the business community, the coalition said in a statement.

WNA members are strongly encouraged to consider publishing an editorial supporting the repeal and/or reaching out to Evers to request he sign the legislation.

Your Right to Know: No private email accounts for public business

Jul. 6, 2021

In Wisconsin, it’s perfectly legal for government officials to use their personal emails to do government work — even though a government entity may not have the ability to access personal accounts that can be used to hide conversations from the public.

In the latest "Your Right to Know" column for the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Tom Kamenick argues that to remove barriers to public accountability and improve the efficiency of government operations, the legislature should prohibit the use of personal email accounts for government business at the state and local level.

How to give your advertising some personality

Jun. 30, 2021

Every ad has some kind of personality — and it's important not to leave the ingredient to chance.

In his latest "Ad-libs" column, veteran sales trainer John Foust takes a look at four things that can help clients' ads stand out from their competitors on the page and on the screen.

EagleHerald celebrates 150 years as newspaper in Marinette

Jun. 30, 2021

The EagleHerald last week celebrated its 150th anniversary as a newspaper in Marinette.

The anniversary edition included a 12-page special section filled with historical photos, a brief timeline of local history and stories about the past, present and future of newspapers. Also featured throughout were memories from current and former staff members — including longtime news editor Penny Mullins and former publisher Dennis Colling.