News & Announcements | Page 156 of 379 | Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame banquet set for Nov. 18 in Madison

Oct. 7, 2021

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation is pleased to announce the distinguished industry leaders who will be inducted into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame on Thursday, Nov. 18, at The Madison Club, 5 E. Wilson St., Madison.

The 2021 inductees are Harland & Helen Everson (posthumous), The Edgerton Reporter; William “Bill” Hale (posthumous), Grant County Herald Independent, Lancaster; Phil Haslanger, The Capital Times, Madison; Margaret “Meg” Jones (posthumous), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; J. Anthony Josey (posthumous), Wisconsin Enterprise-Blade, Milwaukee; and Lucius W. Nieman (posthumous), The Milwaukee Journal.

wisconsin state capitol, civics education

New poll question: Should civics education be required in Wisconsin schools?

Oct. 5, 2021

A new poll question asking whether readers believe civics education should be required in Wisconsin schools is available to be used by WNA members. We are asking the question following the recent passage of Assembly Bill 563, which would create a mandatory civics curriculum to be taught in all Wisconsin schools.

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 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.

Mike Mathes, longtime Kiel publisher and WNA past president, dies at 68

Oct. 4, 2021

Michael E. “Mike” Mathes, past president of the WNA and former longtime publisher of the (Kiel) Tri-County News, died Friday, Oct. 1, following a brief battle with brain cancer. He was 68.

Mathes started his career at the Kiel Record — now the Tri-County News — with his father, Earl, who was editor and publisher of the newspaper. Mike took over after Earl retired in 1986, running the paper alongside his brother, Joe. He served as publisher for more than 30 years until selling the newspaper in September 2019.

During his time as publisher, Mike was an active member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. He served as WNA president in 1996 and was the longtime master of ceremonies of the annual WNA Trees Retreat in Eagle River.

GOP would have advantage even under Evers’ maps

Oct. 4, 2021

Republicans in Wisconsin would still have an advantage under drafts of Assembly and Senate district lines created for Gov. Tony Evers’ People’s Maps Commission, according to a WisPolitics.com review of the proposals.

Wisconsin’s special ed system: High stress, sparse state funding

Oct. 4, 2021

Over the past five decades, state support for special ed has dwindled, and staff shortages and turnover make it difficult to provide required services.

Coalition issues statement on new personal property tax bill

Oct. 1, 2021

The Coalition to Repeal Wisconsin’s Personal Property Tax issued a letter Thursday to Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Legislature regarding a newly introduced bill, LRB 4737, that would repeal the state’s personal property tax.

The coalition, which advocated for the passage of the bill previously passed by the Legislature and vetoed by Evers, identified its concerns with LRB 4737, including the proposed funding plan to replace lost revenue, among other items. The group of trade and business associations — which includes the Wisconsin Newspaper Association — noted it believes the items are not relevant to the main issue and only bring unnecessary politics into an otherwise bipartisan tax cut.

investigative reporting, goodman institute

Goodman Institute seeks investigative reporting grant proposals

Oct. 1, 2021

The Leonard C. Goodman Institute for Investigative Reporting has announced that Monday, Oct. 11, is the deadline for investigative reporting grant applications.

The Goodman Institute offers story-specific grants for investigative features to be published by In These Times magazine. Those selected to receive grants will be awarded up to $10,000, along with compensation for travel and reporting expenses. Answers to frequently asked questions and more information on formatting requirements and acceptance benchmarks are available on the In These Times website.

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Judge rules sheriff violated First Amendment with jail threat over COVID posts

Oct. 1, 2021

A federal judge last week ruled the Marquette County sheriff violated the First Amendment rights of a teenage girl with whom he threatened arrest over her social media posts about COVID-19, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The posts, which Amyiah Cohoon shared on her Instagram account in March 2020, detailed her experience with what she believed to be a case of COVID-19. When a member of the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office visited her home on March 27 and ordered the posts to be taken down, she complied but later sued the sheriff with support from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.

Bill Lueders named to National Freedom of Information Hall of Fame

Oct. 1, 2021

Lueders, editor of The Progressive, was one of four honorees inducted into the National Freedom of Information Coalition’s State Open Government Hall of Fame.

NAHJ chapter introduces itself to Wisconsin newsrooms

Oct. 1, 2021

The Wisconsin Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists recently issued a formal introduction to newsrooms across the state in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

In its introduction letter, NAHJ Wisconsin says it believes “Latinos in Wisconsin deserve to see themselves represented in the news media and see accurate coverage of their community.” The letter asks for help in this effort from Wisconsin newsrooms. Among its requests are that newsrooms be intentional about hiring Latino journalists and support the talent already within those newsrooms.