News & Announcements | Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Wisconsin Civics Games state finals set for May 12 at state Capitol

May. 5, 2023

Students from 13 high schools across the state will compete in the Wisconsin Civics Games state finals — presented by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation — on Friday, May 12, in Madison.

The state finals are open to the public, and media outlets are encouraged to attend. Welcoming remarks will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 411 South. Speakers include Gov. Tony Evers, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Patience D. Roggensack and UW System President Jay O. Rothman. The Games, which will be broadcast on WisconsinEye, are expected to conclude at approximately 3 p.m.

Bill to fix records problem deserves support

May. 4, 2023

A unanimous voice vote by the Wisconsin Senate on a piece of legislation is a rare occurrence. But that’s what happened on April 19, when state senators approved a bill to undo a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court regarding public records.

WNA names 2022 Newspapers of the Year

Mar. 24, 2023

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation honored the work of newspapers across the state during its 2022 Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet on Friday, March 24, at The Madison Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison, Wis.

WNA president Pat Reilly testifies in support of Senate Bill 117

Mar. 17, 2023

WNA President Pat Reilly on Thursday testified in support of legislation that would allow for the recovery of attorney fees and costs under the state's public records law when an authority voluntarily or unilaterally releases a contested record after an action has been filed in court.

Senate Bill 117, co-sponsored by Republicans Sen. Duey Stroebel and Rep. Todd Novak, rolls back a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision from 2022 that restricted the public’s ability to recover fees when suing for records.

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Criminal justice funding must be a top priority

Mar. 17, 2023

The criminal justice system is at a breaking point. One of the root causes is a lack of adequate state funding to attract and retain lawyers to work in critical public safety positions, such as prosecutors and public defenders.

Center for Journalism Ethics to host ‘Ethics, Urgency & Climate Journalism’ on April 28

Mar. 6, 2023

The UW-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics will host its 14th annual conference on Friday, April 28, at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery in Madison. It is free, open to the public and made possible by generous sponsorships from craig newmark philanthropies and the Evjue Foundation. The WNA also is among the conference's participating sponsors.

"Ethics, Urgency & Climate Journalism" will bring together news media professionals, non-profit news leaders, media innovators, academics, climate change communicators, students and the public to address the ethical dimensions of covering climate change for our local, state, national and global communities.

Former Journal Sentinel reporter Dan Egan pens another book

Mar. 3, 2023

Dan Egan, a former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter, has released a new book, "The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World out of Balance," in which he sounds alarms on both the scarcity and overreliance of phosphorus.

In 2017, Egan released "The Death and Life of the Great Lakes," which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a Go Big Read book at UW-Madison.

O-W Enterprise purchased by thepaperboy.news group

Mar. 2, 2023

Last month, John McLoone's thepaperboy.news group of newspapers purchased the O-W Enterprise from NJL Media LLC and publisher Nathan J. LePage, on the heels of just having purchased The Sentinel & Rural News, which serves the same area, from Multi Media Channels in November.

LePage will remain with the newly formed Enterprise-Sentinel through the transition period and plans to step down this summer, after 17 years with the paper.

Milwaukee Press Club announces 2023 Sacred Cat and Headliners Awards

Mar. 1, 2023

The Milwaukee Press Club will honor its 2023 Headliners, Derek Mosley, director of Marquette University Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education and George Stanley, former editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and regional editor of USA TODAY Network Wisconsin, on Friday, May 12, at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.

During the event, the press club also will honor Anna Wolfe, an award-winning investigative reporter for Mississippi Today, as its 2023 Sacred Cat Award honoree, as well as winners of the 2022 Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism competition

2023 News Leaders Association Awards Open for Submission

Feb. 28, 2023

Awards honor outstanding reporting produced in 2022. Categories take into account the massive stories that unfolded across the past twelve months.