Jim Wood at WNA board meeting

WNA joins Competitive Wisconsin coalition

The WNA Board of Directors voted unanimously at its quarterly meeting on March 24 in Madison to join Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. — a non-partisan coalition that engages business, education, agriculture, and labor in strategic collaborations dedicated to strengthening and growing the Wisconsin economy.

CWI was founded in 1981 and, for more than 30 years, has engaged in strategic analysis of Wisconsin’s economic challenges and opportunities. It’s dedicated to identifying and advocating for policies and activities that will support the retention and creation of family-supporting jobs, sustain prosperity, and protect and enhance Wisconsin’s quality of life.

us capitol

Revamped Journalism Competition and Preservation Act aims to help smaller news outlets

Newly revamped federal legislation aimed at helping news publishers negotiate deals with tech giants would create an arbitration process to settle disputes and wouldn’t apply to the biggest media companies, Alexandra Bruell and Keach Hagey report for The Wall Street Journal.

Several media organizations had expressed concerns that an earlier proposal, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, would mostly benefit the largests news companies with the greatest leverage, stifling the voices of smaller outlets. The amended legislation, which would only apply to organizations with fewer than 1,500 employees, seems to take those worries into consideration.

jessica contrera, 2022 shadid award

Washington Post’s Jessica Contrera wins 2022 Shadid Award

Jessica Contrera of The Washington Post is the winner of the 2022 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics, the Center for Journalism Ethics at UW-Madison announced Tuesday.

Contrera earned the award for her stories on child sex trafficking in the U.S. She will accept the award May 17 during a ceremony at the University Club in New York City. The ceremony also will include a conversation on journalism ethics with NBC's Lester Holt and award-winning journalist and author David Maraniss.

chuck hagen

Chuck Hagen, former Wisconsin newspaper publisher, dies at 86

Former Wisconsin newspaper owner Charles “Chuck” Stephen Hagen, Sr., died March 21 at his home in Chippewa Falls. He was 86.

In 1966, Hagen and his then-wife Lorraine purchased the Cornell Courier. They added the Cadott Sentinel in 1971 and merged the two newspapers. They sold the Courier Sentinel in July 1974, when Hagen briefly left the newspaper industry to work for a commercial printer in the Twin Cities area. In 1975, he purchased The Colfax Messenger and the The Boyceville Press-Reporter from Lyle Christianson. The following year, the Hagens sold both newspapers back to Christianson.

ross mcduffie, madison media partners

Ross McDuffie appointed to WNA Board of Directors

Ross McDuffie, president of Madison Media Partners and publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal, is the newest member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Board of Directors. McDuffie was appointed to the board during its quarterly meeting March 24 at The Madison Club.

He replaces Chris White, who formerly served as publisher of the State Journal

andrew johnson

Andrew Johnson, WNA past president, wins seat on Dodge County Board

Andrew Johnson, past president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, WNA Foundation and National Newspaper Association, has been elected to the Dodge County Board of Supervisors, the (Beaver Dam) Daily Citizen reports. In a race for the county’s District 9 seat — to which he was appointed in June 2021 to fill a vacancy — 72% of ballots were cast for the former publisher.

Johnson sold his trio of newspapers — the Dodge County Pionier, the Campbellsport News and the Kewaskum Statesman — to Multi Media Channels in March 2020.

Spring Green Valley Sentinel joins WNA

Join us in welcoming the WNA's newest member, the (Spring Green) Valley SentinelThe Valley Sentinel is a bi-weekly newspaper, publishing every other Thursday. Its coverage area in southwestern Wisconsin also includes Arena, Lone Rock, Plain, and the surrounding areas in Sauk, Iowa and Richland counties.

Owners Nicole Aimone and Taylor Scott started the newspaper in October 2020, adopting a hybrid model that focuses on community engagement. Aimone is the newspaper's editor-in-chief and Scott serves as managing editor.

Wisconsin Newspaper Association