PublisherA R K AN S A S

PublisherWEEKLY

Since 1873

VOL. 11 | NO. 23 ° THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 SERVING PRESS and STATE SINCE 1873

411 SOUTH VICTORYLITTLE ROCK AR 72201

ANF releases list of

auction itemsKaren Brown, executive director of the

Arkansas Newspaper Foundation (ANF), thisweek announced the items that would be includ-ed in the live and silent auctions and the drawingthat will take place during next week’s ArkansasPress Association (APA) SuperConvention. Theauctions are an annual feature of the meeting,and proceeds go to fund the foundation’sInternship Program and Continuing EducationGrants. The auction items for 2016 are:

Live Auction:• Framed Norman Rockwell “The Country

Editor” Print;• Sunday Afternoon of your choice “Private

Party for 10” on the Arkansas/Missouri Railroad,including lunch; and

• Branson Get-Away Package

Drawing:“One-of-a-Kind” Handmade Razorback Quilt

Silent Auction:• Live laugh love old window;• Ice bucket and wine glasses garden party;• Decorative pot for plants;• Gazette board game;• Watermelon slicer and watermelon;• Tripod and camera bag;• Heron framed print;• Tools in basket;• Basket of Kimberley-Clark items;• Bird feeder, fire ant bait and white trellis;• Lawn sprinkler, fire ant bait and black

trellis;• “Mr. Handyman!” Tools with Toolbox and

Set of Ratchet Straps;• Candles;• Hot Pink headphones and speaker;• Neon blue headphones and speaker;

SC starts next week, deadline is FridayThe Arkansas Press Association (APA) has

mailed 2016 Convention Packets to all mem-

bers. They include a schedule of events for this

year’s SuperConvention, information on the

dinners and tours at Crystal Bridges Museum

of American Art and the Museum of Native

American History and the annual Golf

Tournament. Registration forms, speaker biog-

raphies and flyers on other convention offer-

ings are also included. The Convention Packet

can be downloaded from the association’s web-

site (www.arkansaspress.org) in the “APA

Spotlight” section.

The annual gathering begins on Wednesday,

running June 22-25, and those interested in

attending are urged to act now. Online registra-

tion is available, and those wishing to sign up

can do so at APA’s website. In “APA

Spotlight” section is a link to the online con-

vention registration form.

The theme, “#Newspapers: Read All Over!”

plays on the merging of newspaper platforms,

from the traditional print to the new age digital

versions. The “Read all over!” part, of course,

comes from the old riddle asking, “What is

black and white and read all over?”

APA is encouraging members to mark their

calendars and make plans to join their col-

leagues when the annual gathering convenes

for the first time in Bentonville. Nearly 90

“APAers” have already registered (see page 3).

Among the other highlights for the 2016

SuperConvention are:

• The annual Awards Luncheon featuring

the announcement of the winners of the 2016

Better Newspaper News-Editorial Contest;

• The Honors Banquet recognizing recipi-

ents of the Special Awards;

• A number of timely educational forums

including a Question and Answer Session on

legal issues for newspapers, a discussion of

emerging newspaper technology and ethics in

journalism and a round table discussion;

• The Annual Arkansas Newspaper

Foundation Golf Tournament at Lost Springs

Golf & Athletic Club in Rogers

• The Silent Auction benefitting the

Arkansas Newspaper Foundation;

• The Press Camp for Kids; and

• The annual Passing of the Gavel

Ceremony and installation of the new APA

president.

3

4SC REGISTRATIONS

NEAR 160

DISTRICT FARMFAMILIES OF THE YEAR

ANNOUNCED

—continued on page 4

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

PotpourriTom Larimer’s

Tom

Where’s Mickey Spillane when you need him?

Well, actually Mick died in 2006, but this case screams for his crime

novel literary attention approach. I guess you could call this one the

“Case of the Vanishing Journalist.”

So where did they go, these journalists upon whom we once depend-

ed for so long to keep us informed of government malfeasance and to

point out bad actors in government at all levels?

Well, of course, they didn’t go anywhere really. They’re still with us.

Thank goodness, and God bless’em. It’s just that there aren’t nearly as

many of them as there once was and eventually, at this rate, there won’t

be enough.

So many colleges and universities have dropped their journalism pro-

grams and no longer offer degrees in journalism. They may still offer

some of the courses previously required for journalism majors, but the

colleges are now called “mass media” or “mass comm” or some such,

and they’re not really training journalists so much as they are training

publicists or public relations trainees.

Perhaps that’s because we now have so many “citizen journalists”

who populate the internet publishing “news” that many no longer see

the need to train journalists. They are already journalists. They’ll tell

you so.

Citizen journalists. Indeed.

This is not an indictment of colleges and universities. They’ve got to

market what’s marketable and if there’s no market for journalism

majors. Well, pretty soon there won’t be any. That’s pretty much where

we are now.

The sad thing in all of this ... well, one sad thing, is that so many will

never know or be able to find out just how fun and rewarding being a

journalist can be. It should be rewarding in some way because it is not

rewarding financially. You never hear the life story of a wealthy person

that includes that he or she made their fortune practicing journalism.

Living on the cheap is also a trait of journalists. They can get by on

less than most people and continue to do that thing that is the thing that

journalists do day in and day out, conducting research, conducting inter-

views, and writing. Oh, do they write.

The challenge of putting together a thoroughly researched and attrib-

uted story for publication is so compelling for these people ... these jour-

nalists. And so often we know that the product of our endeavors is often

not read or appreciated by all that many. That doesn’t really matter.

It’s the attention to detail, the uncovering of the minutiae of the story

and relating it in a way that makes it interesting as well as informative

that fires up a true journalist. It’s what they live for and it’s what keeps

them doing what they do.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but Sunday when I was read-

ing several newspapers as I often do on Sunday, I found myself really

enjoying the reading of stories that obviously took some journalist

somewhere weeks, maybe months to pull together. One was about cor-

ruption in state government in a distant state, and another was about the

plight of foster children. These were not local stories but they held a lot

of local interest for me and I suspect, or at least I hope, several other

readers who know that while these stories might originate in a newspa-

per in a distant city or state, they are things we may be and likely are

experiencing here. It’s just that a journalist hasn’t gotten around to

telling us this particular “local” story.

My question is: who is going to tell these stories when we no longer

train journalists to do that thing they do?

We’re slowly but surely losing something that, whether we know it or

not or whether we’ll admit it or not, is truly important to us. Somebody

has to tell these stories to the public. Somebody has to be there for us to

keep us informed on things that we often are not aware of but certainly

should be.

When I look back on my career in newspapers I can recall a handful

of journalists who worked for me that I would consider quintessential.

You know these people. They’re the ones who can go out and find sto-

ries where no one else can. They can get information that nobody else

can seem to get, and they can get people to go on record when seeming-

ly nobody else can.

And they can relate a story in terms that everyone who reads it has a

much better grasp of the reality that surrounds them. Frankly, I don’t

think any of these became what they became because they were trained

at a college or university. Honestly, I think some were just born to do

this sort of thing.

Most of them I’ve known who have worked for me over the years

weren’t so concerned that they barely made a living wage because that

wasn’t what was important to them. They couldn’t imagine doing any-

thing else.

I really enjoy hanging out with these people, these journalists. They

look at things so differently than most people, and with a more jaded

eye. That’s an unfortunate side affect of this thing journalists do. It’s

easy to become jaded, and not becoming cynical is almost impossible.

I worked with one who, on more than one occasion, I had to help him

find where he’d left his car, so focused was he on what he was doing.

Once he drove to an interview a couple of miles from the newspaper,

and walked back, forgetting he had driven. Like I said, it happened more

than once.

Another often wore severely miss-matched clothing, or socks or

shoes. What he wore wasn’t a high priority for him, obviously, and the

result was often hilarious.

But the thing that drives journalists to do this thing they do and do it

for what they do it for is the quality that cannot be taught out of a book.

So often it’s learned by covering life stories and relating for readers

what’s happened in a way they’ll completely understand. It is a burning

curiosity, a sensitivity to the human condition, and an understanding of

the moving parts of our life, our times and our society.

And it’s true they are vanishing right before our eyes, and that makes

me sad.

Have a great week!

Arkansas Publisher Weekly 2 June 16, 2016

APA SuperConvention registrations near 160With the 2016 Arkansas Press Association

SuperConvention starting next week, more reg-

istrations are coming in both via traditional

forms and online registration: www.arkansas-

press.org/event/2016APASuperConvention.

So far the following 159 people are heading to

Bentonville for the annual meeting (listed

alphabetically by location):

• Arvada, Colo.: James Clarke,

Associated Press;

• Atkins: Beckie Tyson, Ginnie Tyson,

Van Tyson, The Atkins Chronicle;

• Batesville: Bob Qualls, Sandy Qualls;

• Bella Vista: Kent Marts, Laura Marts,

Natalie Marts, Northwest Arkansas

Newspapers;

• Benton: Amanda Freudensprung, Beth

Freudensprung, Kelly Freudensprung, Beth

Reed, Collin Reed, The Saline Courier;

• Bentonville: Karen Brown, Mike

Brown, Arkansas Newspaper Foundation;

• Berrien Springs, Mich.: Chris Freeman,

Interlink;

• Berryville: David Bell, Samantha

Jones, Scott Loftis, Bob Moore, Linda

Moore, Kelby Newcomb, Carroll CountyNews;

• Branson, Mo.: Tamra Corbin, Branson

Convention & Visitors Bureau;

• Camden: James Lee Silliman, Sue

Silliman, Camden News;

• Chapel Hill, N.C.: Penny Abernathy,

University of North Carolina;

• Conway: Eric Anderton, Jeanette

Anderton, Log Cabin Democrat;• Danville: David Fisher, Mary Fisher,

Yell County Record;

• Dover: Liz Leavell, Steve Leavell, TheDover Times;

• El Dorado: Greta Bell, Ronnie Bell, ElDorado News-Times;

• Fayetteville: Cody Bottoms, Devin

Bottoms, Marley Hudspeth, Staci Hudspeth,

Wil Hudspeth, Rob Qualls, Sara Qualls;

• Fayetteville: Jack Rash, Arkansas

Journalism Hall of Fame;

• Fayetteville: Jesse Holland, Bobbie

Foster, Ray McCaffrey, Christi Welter,

Center for Ethics in Journalism;

• Fayetteville: Brenda Bernet, Matt

Bernet, Ashton Eley, Melissa Gute, Greg

Harton, Monica Hooper, Todd Nelson,

Dave Perozek, Hicham Raache, April

Robinson, Christie Swanson, Chris Swindle,

Doug Thompson, Lisa Thompson, Anita

Turner, Rusty Turner, Northwest ArkansasDemocrat-Gazette;

• Greenwood: Christy Graham, Dustin

Graham, Greenwood Democrat;• Gulf Shores, Ala.: Lewis Floyd, W.B.

Grimes & Co.;

• Harrison: Jim Holland, Tammy

Holland, Jim Perry, Lisa Perry, HarrisonDaily Times;

• Harrison: Jane Christenson, Jeff

Christenson, Lee Dunlap, Karen Lair;

• Heber Springs: Will Gilbert, Sun-Times;

• Hope: Shane Allen, GateHouse Media;

• Hot Springs, Ark.: Todd Frantz, TheSentinel-Record;

• Jefferson City, Mo.: Alvin Leifeste,

Terri Leifeste, WEHCO Media;

• Jonesboro: Osa’ Amienyi, Arkansas State

University;

• Knoxville, Tenn.: Lisa Griffin,

University of Tennessee;

• Little Rock: Tim Yarbrough, ArkansasBaptist News;

• Little Rock: Steve Eddington, Arkansas

Farm Bureau;

• Little Rock: Terri Cobb, Pam Larimer,

Tom Larimer, Kathy Edwards, Ashley

Wallace, Ashley Wimberley, Arkansas Press

Association (APA);

• Little Rock: Frank Fellone, Kay

Fellone, Michael Storey, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette;

• Litle Rock: Melinda Faubel, Anita

Smith, AT&T Arkansas;

• Little Rock: Jay Edwards, The DailyRecord;

• Little Rock: Rob Roedel, Electric

Cooperatives of Arkansas;

• Little Rock: John Tull, Quattlebaum,

Grooms & Tull;

• Little Rock: Ramanda Cody, Andrea

Peel, University of Arkansas for Medical

Sciences;

• Little Rock: Jeff Jeffus, Nat Lea, Neal

Lea, WEHCO Media;

• Malvern: Gretchen Ritchey, Malvern

Daily Record;

• Mena: Clark Smith, Irina Smith, Mena

Newspapers;

• Monticello: Cameron Cason, Gavin

Cason, Jimmy Cason, Jordan Cason,

Melissa Cason, Cindy Coggins, Harold

Coggins, Tom White, AdvanceMonticellonian;

• Mountain Home: Sonny Elliott, TheBaxter Bulletin;

• Mountain View: Neal Fraser, Rusty

Fraser, Lori Freeze, Andrew Mason, Lana

Mason, Edie Sutterfield, Stone CountyLeader;

• Nashville: Louie Graves, John

Schirmer, Nashville News-Leader;

• North Little Rock, Whitney Green,

Arkansas Department of Emergency

Management;

• Paris: Harry Beshoner, Mary

Beshoner, Marvin Wiggins, Vickey Wiggins,

The Paris Express;

• Pea Ridge, Annette Beard, The Times ofNortheast Benton County;

• Pine Bluff: Byron Tate, Pat Tate, PineBluff Commercial;

• Rector: Nancy Kemp, Ron Kemp, Rust

Communications;

• Rison: Britt Talent, Karen Talent,

Cleveland County Herald;

• Rogers: Janan Foster, Jay Jackson,

Patsy Jackson, Susan Keller;

• Salem: A.K. Barnes, Kim Break,

Tammy Curtis, Areawide Media;

• Searcy: Bruce Guthrie, Dana Guthrie,

Wendy Jones, Steve Watts, The DailyCitizen;

• Siloam Springs: Michael Burchfiel,

Adriana Jessen, Emily Jessen, Isaac Jessen,

James Jessen, Janelle Jessen, Emma

Thomas, Graham Thomas, Herald-Leader;

• Topeka, Kan.: Zach Ahrens, TopekaCapitol News-Journal;

• Walnut Ridge: Anna Bland, John

Bland, Renee Bland, The Times Dispatch.

The APA is encouraging those interested in

joining them to make plans as soon as possible

and is reminding them that the deadline for reg-

istering for the SuperConvention is June 17.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly 3 June 16, 2016

WeeklyWORD

slyboots\ SLAYH-boots \ , noun

1. an engagingly sly or mischievous

person.

Source: Dictionary.com

“Explanations exist ; they haveexisted for al l t ime; there is

always a well -known solution toevery human problem — neat,

plausible, and wrong.”— H.L. Mencken

Arkansas Publisher Weekly 4 June 16, 2016

• Targus speaker and charging station;• Razorback Tailgate Kick-Off Basket;• Stamped Letter Press Metal Side Table;• Tools and tool belt ratchet #1;• Photo books and frames;• Men's Cologne set;• Hallmark Care Package;• Women's travel makeup bag and spa

items;• Pink parasol and Disney princess folding

patio chair;• Blue boys Disney mickey mouse folding

patio chair;• Seven-piece Scented Wax Warmer Set;• Cutting board and 2 knives;• Tailgate starter kit, knives, cutting board,

season shakers;• Arkansas books and bookend;• Basket of Equate items—Deadline Buster;• Basket of Equate items for Reporters;• Basket of 3M and scotch guard items;• Coffee table;• Herman’s Ribhouse Gift Card;• Arkansas Naturals’ Family Fun Pack for

four;• Hurricane Golf Certificate;• Nutters Chapel Golf Certificate;• Lost Springs Golf Certificate;• Red Apple Inn Lodging and Golf for two;• Great Passion Play tickets, cast, and buffet

for two;• Ark./Mo. Railroad First Class Tickets;• Arkansas State Parks Lodging Certificate;• Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs

Lodging Certificate;• Hilton Garden Inn, Bentonville Lodging

Certificate;• Hot Springs Embassy Suites Lodging

Certificate;• DoubleTree Hotel Little Rock Lodging

Certificate;• DoubleTree Hotel and Convention Center

Bentonville Lodging Certificate;• Marriott Courtyard Downtown Little Rock

Lodging Certificate; and• Winthrop Rockefeller Institute Lodging

Certificate.

“Literacy is in the Bag” Auction:• Dooney and Bourke Handbag;• Kate Spade Handbag;• Fossil Handbags;• Vera Bradley Handbag;• Razorback Game Day Handbag and

accessories;• Cappelli Straworld Handbag;• Coach handbags;• And more....

The 69th Annual Farm Family of the Year

Program, supported since its inception by the

Arkansas Press Asssociation (APA), is well

under way, and the eight district winners were

announced this week. The district winners will

now be judged to determine a state winner to

be announced Dec. 8 at the Farm Family of the

Year Luncheon at the Wyndham Riverfront

Hotel in North Little Rock.

The district winners are:

• Chris and

Nesha Smith of

Searcy (White

County) in the East

Central District.

The Smiths raise

r e g i s t e r e d

Braunvieh and

Angus cattle and

grow Bermuda and

Tifton 44 hay on

2,386 acres. They

have one daughter,

Jalyn.

• Fred and

Dorothy Sue

Denison of Batesville (Independence County)

in the North Central District. The Denisons

have a cow-calf operation and grow hay on 460

acres. They have two children, Fred Denison

Jr. and Bobby Denison, and three grandchil-

dren, Katie, Adam and Kori.

• Stacy Family Farms of Wynne (Cross

County) in the Northeast District. Bob and

Annette, alongside their children, farm soy-

beans and rice on 2,200 acres. Bob and Annette

have three children, Jake, Sam and Jessica,

and four grandchildren, John, Caroline,

Audrey and Henry.

• Peach Pickin’ Paradise of Clarksville

(Johnson County) in the Northwest District.

Mark and Shay Morgan raise beef cattle and

grow peaches, nectarines and hay on 423 acres.

They have one daughter, Kate.

• Jim and Dina Hubbard of Marvell

(Phillips County) in the Southeast District. Jim

and Dina farm rice, soybeans, corn and wheat

on 2,850 acres. They also have a seed business

where they sell certified rice and soybeans. Jim

and Dina have one daughter, Brittany.

• Stephen and April Allen of Lewisville

(Lafayette County) in the Southwest District.

The Allens raise poultry, cattle, timber, wheat

and hay on 660 acres. They also own a lawn

care business and construction business. They

have three children, Geordan, Josiah and

Garrett.

• Joe and Jill Brinkley of Grannis (Polk

County) in the Western District. The Brinkleys

raise broilers, cattle and hay on 645 acres.

Additionally, they have a land-clearing and

poultry litter service. They have three children,

Carrie, Brent and J.D.

• Joel and Amanda Whisenhunt of

Nashville (Howard County) in the West

Central District.

The Whisenhunts

raise poultry, cattle

and hay on 368

acres. They also

raise and train pure-

bred Border Collies

for working cattle.

They have three

children, Hayden,

Lauren and Caleb.

“What a great

reflection on the

bounty of Arkansas

agriculture,” said

Randy Veach of

Manila, president of the Arkansas Farm

Bureau. “This program is a fantastic way to

shine a spotlight on the great farm families that

are far-too-often overlooked.”

The Farm Family of the Year program

begins each year with selection of top farm

families in each county and culminates with

the selection of the state Farm Family of the

Year who will then go on to represent Arkansas

at the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo

Southeastern Farmer of the Year. All winners

are judged on their farm production, efficiency,

management, family life and rural/community

leadership.

Sponsors of the Farm Family of the Year

program are Arkansas Farm Bureau, the

Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas and the

three Farm Credit agencies that serve

Arkansas: AgHeritage Farm Credit Services,

Farm Credit of Western Arkansas and

Midsouth Farm Credit. Additionally, support

for the program is provided by the Arkansas

Department of Career Education, Arkansas

Press Association, University of Arkansas

Division of Agriculture and the USDA’s Farm

Service Agency, Natural Resources

Conservation Service and Rural Development.

The Program was established by the APA and

other organizations in 1947.

Dist. Farm Families of the Year namedAuction items—continued from page 1

Arkansas Publisher Weekly 5 June 16, 2016

Thanks to All Our Sp

Thanks to All Our Sp

Thanks to All Our Sp

onsors!Thanks to All Our Sp

onsors!

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kansas Aroleum Council