CJW Scholarships Available! Virginia’s E-Press for April 25

VPA APPROVES ONLINE MEMBERS
VPA membership is now expanding beyond print into the digital world: VPA members approved bylaws changes that open membership to online members at the annual breakfast business meeting in Roanoke on April 21.

The membership requirements for the newly created Online Newspaper/Publication category are available online at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/membership/article/constitution_bylaws_vpa/.

TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

Six paid scholarships available for Community Journalism Workshop attendees; apply by May 15!
VPA is offering six paid scholarships for this year's Community Journalism Workshop (CJW), June 21-22 at VPA headquarters in Glen Allen.

Scholarships are open to staff from VPA member organizations. Each scholarship includes the $99 cost of the two-day workshop and one overnight (with breakfast included) at the Comfort Suites Innsbrook on Thursday, June 21.

The scholarship application, including criteria, is available online at http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/CJWScholarshipApplication.pdf. The deadline to apply for scholarships is Tuesday, May 15. Winners will be notified by May 30.

The CJW is an intensive two-day program aimed at beginning journalists and those who want to refresh their skills. Interns and copy editors also benefit from the workshop. The emphasis is on the fundamentals of reporting and writing, with special attention to ethics. Participants also receive a take-home "tool box" of resources to use in their daily reporting.

CJW alumnus Mike Jones, Washington Redskins beat writer for The Washington Post, will be this year's keynote speaker.

NOTE: Please register by June 1.

Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23202/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012CJWregis.pdf

VPA CONFERENCE NEWS
Our 2012 Conference is over... but our awards gallery is up and running! Visit it online at http://www.vpa.net. We've also posted the winners of special awards. Congratulations to all! Conference photos are coming soon. Next year's conference will be April 18-20, 2013, at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott -- save the dates and plan to be there!

INDUSTRY NEWS

NNA files testimony with Postal Regulatory Commission in support of overnight mail delivery
The National Newspaper Association (NNA) today filed testimony with the Postal Regulatory Commission urging the commission not to recommend an end of overnight mail delivery and to instead recommend numerous changes in mailing rules and practices for newspapers faced with closing mail processing facilities.

NNA featured as an example the problems created in South Dakota when a sectional center facility was closed in 2011. South Dakota Newspaper Association General Manager David Bordewyk presented evidence from publishers and businesses in the area, demonstrating how disruptive service changes were to newspaper readers and the cash flows of small businesses.

NNA Postal Committee Chair Max Heath also provided testimony on the needs of readers who depend upon newspapers in the mail. Using data from NNA's 2011 Readership Survey, he said:

74 percent read a local newspaper each week.

Readers prefer the printed copy to the online version, with 48 percent saying they never read the local news online.

They prefer to receive advertising through the newspaper (51%) instead of on the Internet (11%).

Readers have a strong preference for government accountability through newspaper public notice, with 80 percent saying the government should be required to publish notices in the newspaper.

He also noted that the Pew Research Center reports that readers under 40, sometimes mistakenly labeled as non-newspaper readers, use newspapers for news of crime, arts/cultural events, community events, taxes, local government, jobs, social services and zoning/development.

Heath said that overnight delivery is essential for local newspapers. He recommended a series of steps by the Postal Service to help keep overnight delivery if mail processing facilities close. Among them are:

1) Setting up hubs to keep local/area mail containers sorted direct to post offices from traveling to distant processing facilities.
2) Keeping business mail entry units available locally.
3) Preserving and expanding overnight mail drop privileges.
4) Lowering minimum requirements for containers to encourage more flats tubs prepared to go directly to local post offices.

"The decisions on ending overnight mail service are not yet complete," said NNA President Reed Anfinson, publisher of the Swift County (MN) Monitor-News. "Congress is debating the Postal Service's plans. The PRC is required by law to issue an opinion on this subject. We are far from the day when the collapse of the Postal Service for newspaper delivery is imminent. But unless we defend our right to service, we will lose it.

"We hope thoughtful people in this process will realize that eliminating service will not save the Postal Service. Nor will it save taxpayers any money, as some mistakenly think. Instead it will hasten the day of an extremely costly taxpayer bailout. We owe it to our readers, as well as ourselves, to work for the strong maintenance of universal, effective Postal Service."

The U.S. Senate is debating S 1789 this week, a bill that calls for maintaining local overnight mail delivery for three years.

SPRING TRAINING!

NOTE: Our May 10 workshop and the Community Journalism Workshop both have registration deadlines; for these workshops to go forward, we MUST have adequate registration for each by its stated deadline. If you're thinking about attending, don't delay -- register today!

MAY 10
Learn How to Put Data Online Without Programming:
This workshop, led by Jeff South, Chris Young and Abdellatif Boudaouch, will show participants how to put data online -- so readers can easily view and search lists of information, such as campaign donations, crime statistics, school test scores and census demographics -- with mostly free tools that don't require programming or computer-server resources.

NOTE: Please register by May 1.

Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23703/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/51012DataOnline.pdf

For more information about training opportunities, please visit our Training page at http://www.vpa.net, or contact Kim Woodward at 804-521-7574 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Visit the Public Notice Resources page for VPA members on http://www.vpa.net to access online and print ads, our general information page, and more!

Executive Management Retreat registration information is here!
July 13-14
The Cavalier
Virginia Beach
Click here: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/EMRagenda12.pdf

SPJ scholarship applications due May 1
Applications are now being accepted for two scholarships of $1,500 each, available to rising juniors or seniors attending a Virginia college or university. The Virginia SPJ,SDX Educational Foundation awards the scholarships annually, with support from Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro Chapter. Applications must be postmarked on or before May 1, 2012. Details are available at http://virginiaspj.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/2012scholarships/.

Job hunting starts with VPA Classifieds!
If you're job hunting, VPA's online classifieds at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/classifieds/ are a great place to start. Listings are added each week; check back often to see the latest opportunities. And if you have a position to fill, remember that VPA members can post classifieds for free.

Know a student who's just starting out? VPA also lists daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/daily_internships/) and non-daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/non_daily_internships/).

Ad networks pay off: join one or both today!
The Statewide Classified Ad (SCAN) and 2x2 Networks recently welcomed the following new members:
SCAN: The Lebanon News, Martinsville Bulletin, The Richmond Voice
2x2: The Lebanon News, Page News & Courier, The Richmond Voice, Shenandoah Valley-Herald, The Smithfield Times, The Valley Banner
By joining the networks, they are eligible for the network reward programs. Are YOU? If you are not participating in the network reward programs and would like to begin, or if you are only participating in one of the networks and would like to participate in both, please contact Adriane Long, Statewide Classified/2x2 Coordinator, at 804-521-7585 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Expert Advice: Ask the Columnists
Newspaper Technology: Kevin Slimp
Common Sense Journalism: Doug Fisher
Writing Matters: Jim Stasiowski
Design for Readers: Ed Henninger
Ad-libs: John Foust
Visit http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/expert_advice_ask_the_columnists1/ for contact information!