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…

Power of the local press

by Pat SzpekowskiNINA 1st Vice President Community journalism is a win-win for everyone. During a recent board meeting I attended at the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce in Carpentersville, a number of matters were on the agenda for review. Past and upcoming local events always bring on a lively discussion. I happened that day…

McHenry’s Emma Snyder named 2021 scholarship recipient

By Dan Campana Emma Snyder’s newspaper adviser at McHenry High School calls her a “natural journalist” – it just took a little while for anyone to realize it. Snyder didn’t get involved with adviser Dane Erbach’s newspaper class and the school paper, the McHenry Messenger, until her junior year, but she quickly made an impression…

Phone call and ‘Thank-yous’

By Jacob BartelsonSports Reporter, Kane County Chronicle, Shaw Media NINA editor’s note: Below is Jacob Bartelson’s “View from the Sidelines” newsletter story sent via email blast to Kane County Chronicle readers. It isn’t available as a link. What follows is his explanation of why he wrote it. I felt bad for making the phone call,…

Journalists, Let’s Talk about the 90% of Republicans who Don’t Trust Us

By Joy Mayer, Founder and Director of Trusting News Originally published on Trusting News Medium Only four in 10 Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the news media. That’s according to Gallup, where they’ve been asking that question since 1972. Forty percent is bad, but it’s actually higher than…

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…

NINA Will Host Lunchtime Zoom Brainstorming on April 6 Election Coverage

How are reporters and editors approaching coverage after the long presidential election cycle? How is the likely low turnout being addressed in coverage? What are some key themes being looked at when it comes to local government, school boards, and other contests? The Northern Illinois Newspaper Association is hosting a one-hour session centered on the…