News & Announcements | Page 134 of 379 | Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Washington Post’s Jessica Contrera wins 2022 Shadid Award

Apr. 1, 2022

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, former Wisconsin newspaper publisher, dies at 86

Apr. 1, 2022

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 appointed to WNA Board of Directors

Apr. 1, 2022

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, WNA past president, wins seat on Dodge County Board

Apr. 1, 2022

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

Apr. 1, 2022

Join us in welcoming the WNA's newest member, the (Spring Green) Valley Sentinel. The 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.

In hot housing market, real estate transfer revenues near all-time high

Mar. 31, 2022

Revenues from fees on transfers of real estate in Wisconsin increased 37% in fiscal year 2021, the largest annual increase in nearly four decades. This was driven by robust increases in real estate sales and residential property values during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pull the plug on shadowy business courts

Mar. 31, 2022

In the latest "Your Right to Know" column, Attorney Richard Niess says that anyone who doubts that secrecy in government breeds poor public policy should take a look at the Business Court Pilot Project launched by our Wisconsin Supreme Court.

"For the last five years, the project has granted large commercial interests outsized influence over our court system’s handling of their cases," he writes. The business court pilot debuted in 2017 in Waukesha County and the 8th judicial district (encompassing Brown, Marinette, Kewaunee, Oconto, Door, Outagamie and Waupaca Counties). It was expanded to other districts and, in a surprise move, to Dane County in 2020.

Seize opportunity to steer, moderate election noise

Mar. 30, 2022

Campaigns are increasingly sophisticated in targeting their audiences. The messages, unfortunately, are all too often sound bites that lack meaningful context.

In his latest column, Jim Pumarlo argues newspapers should step up and fill the void — use your community knowledge to provide an inside look at candidates, to set a framework for constructive debate on issues. It takes work, and now is the time to start planning for the November 2022 elections.

Determining child custody in Wisconsin

Mar. 29, 2022

I recently re-watched “Mrs. Doubtfire” – a classic, family-friendly comedy from the 1990s that also deals with the serious topics of divorce and child custody. (Spoilers ahead.)

Bears awaking a sign of spring

Mar. 29, 2022

Even when the icy grip of winter keeps holding on, there are signs of spring around us. One sign of spring in the woods is the waking up of the bears.