Young journalists shine during NINA panel

by Dan Campana Remember, the light at the end of the tunnel may be you. That line – a kicker to close out the album version of Aerosmith’s 1993 hit “Amazing” – came to mind as the NINA Virtual Awards Celebration wrapped up on Oct. 28. It’s an optimistic, introspective sentence which reminds us all…

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A sign of champions

By Pat Szpekowski, NINA first vice president When driving to a destination, I usually catch a casual glance of signs when entering a new community. Cities and Villages proudly post accomplishments. You've seen them, too. Tree City USA. Hebron, Home of 1952 State Basketball Champions. Carpentersville-Bradie Tennell U.S. Olympic Champion. Algonquin-Jacobs High School alumnus Evan…

Awards season brings NINA community together

Dan Campana by Dan Campana, NINA President Any way you talk about the last 19 months – personally and professionally – the word “challenge” likely pops up at some point.At the same time, words such as adapt, overcome and persevere are also fitting when considering how in the world we’ve collectively endured so much uncertainty…

5 COVID Stories You Might Not Already Have Thought Of — And How To Get Them

BY SHARON BOEHLEFELD, Outreach Committee Member 1. Vaccinations on the ground Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels Now that mass vaccination sites are up and running, get the view on the ground. How many people are signing up? How many doses are they getting? What do some of the newly vaccinated feel about the process?…

8 Ways Student Journalism Is Different During a Pandemic

BY SHELLEY HENDRICKS, Northern Star Adviser, NINA Board Secretary At the beginning of the pandemic, much was said about the merits of working from home. Some people could even be heard saying they’d gladly never go back to the office. I was not one of those people. I can’t wait until I can be in…

Campana: Life Isn’t Measured By Column Inches, But These 2 Stories Show Why Our Communities Need Them

BY DAN CAMPANA, NINA Board President That moment when you find a story you didn’t know you wanted, or needed, to read remains one of the beauties of flipping through the print edition of your favorite paper. Such lightning struck me twice in two days recently, each piece speaking directly to NINA’s emphasis on community…

Slonoff, Etheredge Leave Indelible Mark on Northern Illinois Newspaper Association

BY ROGER RUTHHART, NINA Board One of the advantages of being the old-timer on the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association board is that I’ve gotten to meet a lot of amazing people and seen many hard-working board members come and go. Sadly, along the way many have passed away or left the business altogether, but not…

Shaw VP Dennis Anderson Joins NINA Board of Directors

Dennis Anderson, Shaw Media's new vice president of news and content development is also the newest member of the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the Journal Star was recognized by Editor & Publisher as one of the 10 Newspapers That Do It Right, received the top award for General Excellence…

Grammar Moses: Why Print Delivery Is Going To The Dogs

BY JIM BAUMANN Like any good newshound, I dip my toe into all manner of social media channels to see what actual humans are talking about. Yes, even Nextdoor, where, it seems, one’s entire sphere of awareness is informed by what someone else in the group tells them is going on. In my Nextdoor group,…

NEW Categories, NEW Energy For 2020 NINA Better Newspaper Contest!

UPDATE: We know you’re busy, so due to popular demand, we are extending the deadline to enter our annual contest to 11:59 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31. You can consider that your “drop dead” deadline! Let me know if I can help. The association code is NINA The Northern Illinois Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest is…