Feb. 21 Deadline! NIU Seeks Alum of The Year, Illinois Journalist of The Year

The Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University invites nominations for two of its most prestigious honors — the Donald R. Grubb Distinguished Journalism Alumnus/Alumna of the Year Award and the Illinois Journalist of the Year Award. Nominations for both awards must be submitted electronically by Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 to Jason Akst (jakst@niu.edu). Nominations …

NINA Needs Your Feedback: 9 Questions That Can Make Us Better Journalists

The news world is an ever-changing landscape, but now — perhaps with more urgency than ever in the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association's 58-year history — the NINA board needs to keep in touch with its members and friends so that it can remain relevant. NINA does so by routinely sending out surveys to gauge what …

Daily Herald’s John Lampinen Joins NINA Board

On his Twitter page, John Lampinen describes himself as "editor of the Daily Herald, Waukegan native, Illini grad, Nellie Fox collector, lover of White Sox, poetry, film and travel, and devoted grandparent." It's probably also fair to say that Lampinen is one of the most influential Chicago-area  journalists of our generation — and, as it …

NINA Board Selects First Latina President, Announces 2020 Leadership

OK, you've probably already read the "from the president" story on this NINA blog, so you know our president this year is Margarita Mendoza. But what you might not know is the rest of the board members' names — and what you might want to know is a little more about Mendoza. So here's the …

Fuller: Newspapers Need To Explain Reasons For, Value of The Paywall

Editor's Note: This article is written by Jim Fuller, senior writer with the Daily Herald newspaper, college newspaper adviser and immediate past president of the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association.  Click this link to read his blog directly and subscribe to additional posts. I feel my blood pressure rise when I see comments like this on …

From The President: How NINA Will Meet Its Challenges in 2020

“Challenge” is a word that applies to all organizations, enterprises and aspects of life — and NINA is no exception. As we begin this new year, it’s no secret that scores of newspapers across America and around the world have closed in recent years. The industry is not what it was decades ago; we all …