Arkansas Press Women

Salty Old Editor

arkpresswomen — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:16:35 +0000

Book cover

Charlotte Schexnayder has worn many hats in her life: reporter, editor, publisher, columnist, wife, mother and member of the state House of Representatives.

This month, she has added another one: book author. May 1 marked the release of “Salty Old Editor An Adventure in Ink” published by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

On May 20, the Desha County Museum in Dumas hosted a signing party. Terry Hawkins, who took the reins of the Dumas Clarion after it was sold by the Schexnayders, said Charlotte had initially only planned to bring a couple dozen books. He talked her into bringing more than 100 — a good move as it turned out.

The museum was packed.

A second signing is planned for June 4 at the Clinton School of Public Service.

And we look forward to seeing Charlotte at our summer meeting, where she will be our keynote speaker.

PACKED — All the seats in this room at the Desha County Museum were filled and the crowd overflowed into the vestibule to hear Charlotte relate tales from 44 years at the Dumas Clarion.

SIGNING — Charlotte visits with friends and signs copies of her book.

MEMORABILIA — A campaign button and Charlotte’s typewriter were among the memorabilia on display at the Desha County Museum.

UPDATED -In memory of Carol Griffee

arkpresswomen — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:22:51 +0000

As many of you may know, Carol Griffee spent the last weeks of her life as an advocate for hospice in Arkansas. Premier Health and Rehabilitation, where Carol was in hospice, dedicated a courtyard to her on May 18. The courtyard is a serene place where many of the patients go to enjoy the sunshine, check on raised gardens with flowers and vegetables, or watch the two resident rabbits make their rounds.

REMEMBERING CAROL — Stephen Hudgens, administrator of Premier Healthcare and Rehabilitation in North Little Rock, speaks about Carol Griffee and what hospice is at a ceremony dedicating the facility’s courtyard to Carol.

SPEAKING FOR CAROL — David Kern, who helped Carol carry out her final fight for hospice services in Arkansas,speaks at the dedication ceremony.

IN MEMORY — A plaque made for the dedication.

SPJ was also considering naming a scholarship after Carol.

2012 Awards Confab-We Can Do It!

arkpresswomen — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:07:29 +0000

We can do it!

We hope those four simple words will help keep you motivated as a professional and to keep us motivated as a professional development group.

Join us in June to celebrate our accomplishments and to get revved up for what this organization can still do.

This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, June 16, at the Witt Stephens Nature Center in downtown Little Rock. We’re still getting our full program together, but count on hearing from our Best Brains paper presenters and an uplifting lunch presentation.

Please save the date! We want to see you there. Thanks to Kristin Netterstrom for arranging our meeting location, lunch and for persuading her husband, Dusty, to create art for our event.

Stay tuned to our Facebook site and to this blog for details.

Job Opportunity-Arkansas Business

arkpresswomen — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:16:45 +0000

www.arkansasbusiness.com/aj_profile.asp?jID=6043

Assistant Editor will write copy for, edit and proof all consumer publications, which include Arkansas Bride, Arkansas Next: A Guide to Life After High School, Arkansas Green Guide, Little Rock Guest Guide, Hot Springs Guest Guide, Metro Little Rock Guide, Living in Arkansas, and the supplements of these and other ABPG publications. Assistant Editor will also assist with social media efforts per the editor and marketing department and execute a variety of administrative, marketing and editorial tasks as assigned by the consumer publications editor.

Will also assist with photo shoot duties for consumer publications as needed.Bachelor”s degree in Journalism, Communications or English preferred. Forward resume to Bill Page at bpage@abpg.com

Job opportunity-KFSM sports director

arkpresswomen — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:11:37 +0000

In the home of the Arkansas Razorbacks, there is much more to sports coverage than college athletics. The Local Sports Director must be a storyteller who can do it all: generate daily local sports story ideas, shoot, edit, produce and report. The Sports Director is a journalist who must be willing to cover all sports regardless of sex or age and tell personalized stories about local athletes year-round and motive other members of the sports team to do the same.
• The goal is to tell stories about local athletes, teams, coaches and events. Find exceptional local people and tell great stories about them and their sport. We’re going to focus on storytelling, not scores and highlights. The Sports Director must be willing to pitch sports stories in daily news meetings for placement in newscasts.
• The Sports Director will have the additional responsibility of organizing and planning special sporting events such as Friday night high school football and Razorbacks pregame and postgame shows. It will also be the responsibility of the Sports Director to make sure important sports stories are shot and edited for use on-air and online on a daily basis.
• The Sports Director must be (or become) a social media guru. The battle for breaking news is now on Twitter and online. Not only does the Sports Director have to be aggressive on-line, but he/she must also motivate other sports staff to be aggressive as well.
• The Sports Director will meet with the news management at the beginning of each week to discuss coverage and story ideas. Sports stories and coverage will be pitched in news meetings.
• The Sports Director will be based in Fayetteville.

Core Job Functions:
• The ability to turn a wide range of sports stories quickly, and on a daily basis.
• Must be able to work alone and shoot, write, produce, and prepare assigned sports stories for use on-air, online, and on social media.
• Must be able to manage special projects and other sports staff to execute the overall sports strategy.
• Develop and maintain meaningful contacts.
• Must be able to come up with new local sports story idea every day.
• Real-time web-intensive posting of stories online, with pictures and video, as well as regular blogging and tweeting.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.
• Flexible work schedule.

Minimum Knowledge Skills & Abilities:
Must be able to work under pressure and stress and must be able to meet daily deadlines. Must possess a valid State Driver’s License (or be able to get one). Must have working knowledge of digital video photography and non-linear editing. Working knowledge of Final Cut Pro is a big plus.

Education Requirements:
A four year college degree in journalism. At least two years of experience as a sports anchor/reporter/photographer at a commercial television station.

Physical Requirements:
Must be able to drive news vehicles safely and without incident. Must be able to carry camera and gear weighing 50 pounds. Must be willing to work in all weather conditions both day and night.

Statement about Other Duties:
The foregoing is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all functions essential to the job for which the employee is responsible, nor an exhaustive list of the minimum requirements and specifications necessary to perform the essential functions, including all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different functions be performed when circumstances change or exigencies require it.

Interested parties should submit resume, application, and references to Rick Bagley, News Director, KFSM-TV, 4201 North Shiloh Drive, Suite 169, Fayetteville, AR 72703 or e-mail jobs@kfsm.com or fax 479-521-6579. No phone calls.

KFSM-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Netterstrom among APME award winners

arkpresswomen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:20:50 +0000

Congrats to APW Board Member Kristin Netterstrom for her third place in the APME awards for beat reporting!

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Batesville Daily Guard and The Daily Citizen of Searcy won the sweepstakes and general excellence awards for their respective divisions in the 2011 Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors contest.

The winners were announced Saturday at the group’s annual meeting at the Red Apple Inn in Heber Springs. The contest was judged by the AP-member editors in Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota.

The state’s daily newspapers competed in 26 categories in three different circulation-based divisions. The sweepstakes awards are determined through a points system for each first-, second- and third-place finish in the other categories, with the most points awarded to the winners of the General Excellence category.

The “Jonesboro Sun” also received the Mark Twain Award, which is given to the member newspaper that has contributed the most toward the success of the Arkansas AP report in the past year.

___

SMALLER DAILY NEWSPAPERS

Sweepstakes Award Winner: The Daily Citizen, Searcy

General Excellence: 1, The Daily Citizen, Searcy; 2, Blytheville Courier News; 3, Camden News.

Service to Freedom of Information: 1, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, OEM Report; 2, Mark Brasfield, Blytheville Courier News, IRS seeking money from Harrison; 3, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, Tax helps county compete.

Spot News Photo: 1, Lori Crawford, Stuttgart Daily Leader, Jumper talked down; 2, Kendall Owens, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Bomb investigation; 3, Aaron Morris, Banner-News, Magnolia, Captured.

Feature Photo: 1, Steven Lovell, The Saline Courier, Benton, Bishop Park; 2, Aaron Morris, Banner-News, Magnolia, Fair Finale; 3, Aaron Morris, Banner-News, Magnolia, Spirit of Christmas.

Spot Sports Photo: 1, Aaron Morris, Banner-News, Magnolia, Muleriders play; 2, Stephanie Fischer, Stuttgart Daily Leader, Defense steals show; 3, Aaron Morris, Banner-News, Magnolia, Getting off the ground.

Feature Sports Photo: 1, Mary Brown, Camden News, Emotional entrance; 2, Fred Conley, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Got the look; 3, Fred Conley, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Future Mustang.

Photographer’s Portfolio: 1, Aaron Morris, Banner-News, Magnolia; 2, Lori Crawford, Stuttgart Daily Leader; 3, Molly M. Fleming, The Daily Citizen, Searcy.

Spot News Story: 1, Jamie Davis, Banner-News, Magnolia, SAU Horse Theft; 2, Alan Smith, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Bus driver leaves students; 3, Kendall Owens, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Homemade bomb explodes.

News Feature: 1, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, The ‘dream’; 2, Dixie Edington, Banner-News, Magnolia, Remembering Brittni Pater; 3, Alan Smith, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Celebrating a century of life.

Column-Hard News: 1, Stephanie Fischer, Stuttgart Daily Leader, Giving Credit; 2, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Send help, prayers to Joplin; 3, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, History, for better or for worse.

Column_Lifestyle-Human Interest: 1, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, Billing al-Qaida; 2, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, Readers theater for a Sunday; 3, Brent Davis, The Saline Courier, Benton, Everything can change.

Non-Traditional News Item: 1, Marisa Lytle, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, When I grow up; 2, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, A day on Main Street; 3, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Who will earn the V-I-C-T-O-R-Y?

Editorial Writing: 1, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Community spirit; 2, Jamie Davis, Banner-News, Magnolia, Hindsight vs. foresight; 3, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Silencing free speech.

Sports Story: 1, Kelly Blair, Camden News, Beat the heat; 2, William Korff, Banner-News, Magnolia, Thornton goes active; 3, Aaron FitzPatrick, Blytheville Courier News, Tiger cruise into semifinals.

Sports Feature: 1, Fred Conley, Times-Herald, Forrest City, PW Champions; 2, Kyle Troutman, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Author Takes in Harding Tradition; 3, Chris Gilliam, Banner-News, Magnolia, Coach knew about winning.

Sports Column: 1, Aaron FitzPatrick, Blytheville Courier News, Tournament rain; 2, Eric Moore, Malvern Daily Record, What is in a name; 3, Tony Lenahan, The Saline Courier, Benton, Walks kill Travelers.

Headline: 1, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Principal Tied Up; 2, Jim Edwards, Camden News, Heat and air code steams alderman; 3, Staff, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Ice in drink sinks illegal alien’s case.

Page Design: 1, Wendy Jones, Marisa Lytle, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy; 2, Lori Crawford, Stuttgart Daily Leader; 3, Andy Weld, Blytheville Courier News.

News Coverage: 1, Staff, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, End of an era; 2, Tammy Frazier, Camden News, Events honor King; 3, Staff, Times-Herald, Forrest City, February 10 weather coverage.

Special Project-Community Service: 1, Bill Shrum, Stuttgart Daily Leader, One woman’s story; 2, Jamie Davis, Banner-News, Magnolia, Disappearance of Mary Jimmie ‘Bobo’ Shinn; 3, Staff, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Think Pink.

Graphics: 1, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Harding enrollment; 2, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Readers rooting for Green Bay; 3, Jacob Brower, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Census shows population shift.

Health-Related Topics: 1, Kendall Owens, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Testing flood water; 2, Matt Burks, The Saline Courier, Benton, Tons of medication collected; 3, David Nichol, Times-Herald, Forrest City, 10-year-old hailed as hero.

Beat Reporting: 1, Matt Burks, Lynda Hollenbeck, The Saline Courier, Benton, Traskwood Murders; 2, Marisa Lytle, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Agriculture/outdoors reporting; 3, Mark Brasfield, Blytheville Courier News, IRS stories.

Education Reporting: 1, Sarah Morris, Stuttgart Daily Leader, Teacher mentoring; 2, Tammy Frazier, Camden News, Smoke alarm mission; 3, Molly M. Fleming, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, State seeking NCLB waiver.

Business Reporting: 1, Shannon Spears Harris, Blytheville Courier News, County has jobs; 2, Marisa Lytle, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Pecans see increase in crop, prices; 3, Tamara Johnson, Times-Herald, Forrest City, Sanyo employees losing jobs.

Political Reporting: 1, Molly M. Fleming, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Route Concerns; 2, Marisa Lytle, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, State mulls health options; 3, Molly M. Fleming, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, Governor pushes northern route.

Website: 1, Staff, The Daily Citizen, Searcy, TheDailyCitizen.com; 2, Leigh Kreimeier, Staff, Stuttgart Daily Leader, StuttgartDailyLeader.com; 3, Staff, Blytheville Courier News, BlythevilleCN.com.

___

MEDIUM-SIZED DAILY NEWSPAPERS

Sweepstakes Award Winner: Batesville Daily Guard.

General Excellence: 1, Batesville Daily Guard; 2, Log Cabin Democrat; 3, Harrison Daily Times.

Service to Freedom of Information: 1, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, QC discusses budget; 2, Lacy Mitchell, Batesville Daily Guard, Hiring prompts dispute over FOIA; 3, Rick Fahr, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Meetings.

Spot News Photo: 1, Courtney Spradlin, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Building Collapse; 2, David Holsted, Harrison Daily Times, 2 hurt; 6 vehicles damaged; 3, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, Lookin’ for hot spots.

Feature Photo: 1, Becky Harris, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Valentine Peek; 2, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, Something Sweet; 3, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Having a heat wave!

Spot Sports Photo: 1, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, Battle in the Box; 2, Brandon Cone, Harrison Daily Times, East, West split All-Star contests; 3, Paul Glover, Batesville Daily Guard, Batesville Atlas.

Feature Sports: 1, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, BROstock; 2, Michael Orrell, El Dorado News-Times, Up in the Air 3, Paul Glover, Batesville Daily Guard, No Shortage of Fun.

Photographer’s Portfolio: 1, Kevin Pieper, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home; 2, Courtney Spradlin, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway; 3, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home.

Spot News Story: 1, Linda Hicks, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Vilonia Tornado; 2, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Tornado strikes Oil Trough; 3, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Phantom Pilot becomes local hero.

News Feature: 1, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Things that go bump; 2, Wilf Schultheis, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Surviving the storm; 3, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Encounter with Bigfoot.

Column-Hard News: 1, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Hey PETA; 2, Phil Lamb, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Opposing the death penalty; 3, Rick Fahr, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, A problem too close to home.

Column-Lifestyle-Human Interest: 1, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Home for Pooch; 2, Lacy Mitchell, Batesville Daily Guard, Twisted; 3, David Holsted, Harrison Daily Times, Absolutely revere American history.

Non-Traditional News Item: 1, David Holsted, Harrison Daily Times, Haunted Hotel; 2, Staff, Batesville Daily Guard, April Fools; 3, Jeff Brasel, Harrison Daily Times, Tommy Tice – Reflections on 28 years.

Editorial Writing: 1, Phil Lamb, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, UCA misses mark; 2, Chris Qualls, El Dorado News-Times, Serving up a varied menu; 3, Thomas Garrett, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Confidence lacking in administration of ASUMH.

Sports Story: 1, Paul Glover, Batesville Daily Guard, Lions want to run; 2, Paul Glover, Batesville Daily Guard, White Hall brings 9-game win streak; 3, Paul Glover, Batesville Daily Guard, Relaxed Le-Lemon team up Classic title.

Sports Feature: 1, Jeff Brasel, Harrison Daily Times, Shipp-Northark; 2, Scott McDonald, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Hughes moving on to Cave City; 3, Brandon Cone, Harrison Daily Times, Harrison’s George makes time for golf.

Sports Column: 1, David McCullum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Team Support; 2, Jeff Brasel, Harrison Daily Times, Brasel: How much is a win worth?; 3, David McCullum, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Paterno’s inaction poisons goodwill.

Headline: 1, Christopher Willis, Batesville Daily Guard, Struggling ot erad; 2, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Meacham Packing it in; 3, David Holsted, Harrison Daily Times, Naming sons easy for Omaha family.

Page Design: 1, Greg Jelinek, Linda Masters, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Bring Home Bacon; 2, Josh Phillips, Harrison Daily Times, Snow disaster for Newton County; 3, Chris Qualls, El Dorado News-Times.

News Coverage: 1, Staff, Batesville Daily Guard, 2011 ten years after; 2, Linda Hicks, Log Cabin Democrat, Vilonia Tornado; 3, Staff, The Baxter Bulletin, Snowmageddon snarls roads.

Special Project-Community Service: 1, Staff, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Community Christmas Card Fundraiser; 2, Staff, Batesville Daily Guard, Women in Business; 3, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Two Littles, one Big difference.

Graphics: No places awarded.

Health-Related Topics: 1, Janet Nelson, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Family finds hope; 2, Donetta Sterling, Batesville Daily Guard, Harmonica Man’ comforts patients; 3, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, BRMC finances improve.

Beat Reporting: 1, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Verizon drops charge; 2, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Flood plan; 3, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Animal abuse case.

Education Reporting: 1, Lacy Mitchell, Batesville Daily Guard, Every 15 minutes …; 2, Courtney Spradlin, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, UCA president out, Courtway interim; 3, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, YS hopes to exit financial distress.

Business Reporting: 1, Becky Harris, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Justices-Shale; 2, Andrea Bruner, Batesville Daily Guard, Milk man retires; 3, Donna Braymer, Harrison Daily Times, UNFI to close doors.

Political Reporting: 1, Frank Wallis, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Sheriff-Tax; 2, Josh Dooley, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, Mayor: ‘I was wrong’; 3, James L. White, Harrison Daily Times, Crockett says recall no surprise.

Website: 1, Staff, The Baxter Bulletin, Mountain Home, BaxterBulletin.com; 2, Staff, Batesville Daily Guard, GuardOnline.com; No third place awarded.

___

LARGEST DAILY NEWSPAPERS

Sweepstakes Award Winner: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

General Excellence: 1, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 2, Texarkana Gazette; 3, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs.

Service to Freedom of Information: 1, Debra Hale-Shelton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, A kingdom for a house; 2, C.S. Murphy, Chad Day, Ferris Williams, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, One deadly night; 3, Debra Hale-Shelton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, UCA International Program problems.

Spot News Photo: 1, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Apartment Fire; 2, Rick McFarland, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Robbery suspect flees; 3, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Tornado Confirmed.

Feature Photo: 1, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Full of hot air; 2, Rick McFarland, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Unwanted attention; 3, Stephen B. Thornton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sprucing up the staircase.

Spot Sports Photo: 1, Michael Woods, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Bo Bigham argues…; 2, Saundra Sovick, The Jonesboro Sun, Eye opener; 3, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Safe at home.

Feature Sports Photo: 1, Richard Rasmussen, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Morning stroll; 2, Adam Sacasa, Texarkana Gazette, Watch your step; 3, Benjamin Krain, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville’s Calli Berna.

Photographer’s Portfolio: 1, Rick McFarland, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 2, Benjamin Krain, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 3, Saundra Sovick, The Jonesboro Sun.

Spot News Story: 1, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Tornado kills 3; 2, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Night of storms kills 7; 3, Jim Williamson, Texarkana Gazette, Woman’s body found.

News Feature: 1, George Jared, The Jonesboro Sun, Fighting for life; 2, Debra Hale-Shelton, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ‘A Semi-Normal Life’; 3, Brandy Chewning, Texarkana Gazette, Cost of dying.

Column-Hard News: 1, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The herd; 2, Roy Ockert, The Jonesboro Sun, First ASU chancellor overcame skepticism; 3, Melinda Gassaway, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, What are GOBs, GOGs up to now?

Column-Lifestyle-Human Interest: 1, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, I loved that boy; 2, Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, I was a tabloid journalist; 3, Tina Dale, Southwest Times Record, Fort Smith, Aunt Mary Lived Up to Sign’s Message.

Non-Traditional News Item: 1, Brian Smith, The Jonesboro Sun, Favorite movie; 2, Dusty Higgins, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Freeze energy waste; 3, Waylon Harris, The Jonesboro Sun, Reflections on a decade.

Editorial Writing: 1, Melinda Gassaway, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Tourism ‘joke’; 2, Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Picky, picky; 3, Ethel Channon, Texarkana Gazette, Own Up.

Sports Story: 1, Bob Wisener, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Kentucky Derby; 2, Matthew V. Roberson, The Jonesboro Sun, Red Wolves whip MTSU; 3, Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hogs hire basketball coach Anderson.

Sports Feature: 1, Matthew Harris, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ASU’s deep Freeze; 2, Bob Wisener, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, The voice rests; 3, Sean Saunders, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Meet Fountain Lake’s sporting guy.

Sports Column: 1, Wally Hall, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Clarke eyes Hollywood; 2, Bob Wisener, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Rematch? Deal with it, America; 3, Louie Avery, Texarkana Gazette, Hit-and-miss.

Headline: 1, Brandy Chewning, Texarkana Gazette, Old-time revision; 2, Melinda Gassaway, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Justice prevails at the polls; 3, Jeff Krupsaw, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Blackened Friday.

Page Design: 1, Chris Swindle, Kellie Cobb, The Jonesboro Sun, Art of the quilt; 2, Jason Hopkins, Andrea Miller, Texarkana Gazette; 3, Mark Gregory, Jennifer Shinn, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs.

News Coverage: 1, Staff, Southwest Times Record, Fort Smith, 1996 Tornado; 2, Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, West Memphis 3 coverage; 3, Staff, The Sentinel-Record, Storms tear through Garland County.

Special Project-Community Service: 1, Cathy Frye, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Boys of Fall; 2, Charlie Frago, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Holes emerge in Katrina vow; 3, Sun Staff, The Jonesboro Sun, Outlook 2011 Winds of Change.

Graphics: 1, Dusty Higgins, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The eight boat; 2, Kirk Montgomery, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Injection wells and earthquakes; 3, Dusty Higgins, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Shale.

Health-Related Topics: 1, George Jared, The Jonesboro Sun, Diabetes struggle; 2, Charlie Frago, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Dentists set to see Medicaid changes; 3, Ashley Gardner, Texarkana Gazette, Lyme disease.

Beat Reporting: 1, Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, State pensions; 2, Lynn LaRowe, Texarkana Gazette, Fuel cans dangerous; 3, Chad Day, Kristin Netterstrom, Bobby Ampezzan, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas and the Census.

Education Reporting: 1, Marie Martin, Texarkana Gazette, TC faces deficit; 2, Mary L. Crider, Southwest Times Record, Fort Smith, More Children Participate; No third place awarded.

Business Reporting: 1, Eric Nicholson, Texarkana Gazette, Peach preserves; 2, Kristie Avery, Texarkana Gazette, Coal emissions; 3, Curt Hodges, The Jonesboro Sun, Downsize upswing.

Political Reporting: 1, Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Capitol letters; 2, Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Treasurer’s election-cash data wrong; 3, Don Thomason, The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Mayor questions parade figures.

Website: 1, Online Staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ArkansasOnline.com; 2, Staff, The Jonesboro Sun, JonesboroSun.com; 3, Staff, Texarkana Gazette, TexarkanaGazette.com.

High school journalism contest winners

arkpresswomen — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:23:10 +0000

Rogers – The best student photographs, news articles and page designs from 10 Arkansas high school newspapers earned students from across the state awards Friday as part of Arkansas Press Women’s annual high school journalism competition.

The competition, which is open to all Arkansas students in grades 9-12, attracted more than 300 photographs, newspaper stories, opinions, editorials, reviews, cartoons and page-design entries. A complete list of winners is attached.

First place winners are invited to attend Arkansas Press Women’s summer luncheon and awards ceremony on June 16 in Little Rock. Their entries are also submitted into the National Federation of Press Women’s high school competition, where they compete against other first-place winners from across the country. The results from that competition won’t be known until later this spring.

High school newspapers that participated this year include: Alma High School’s Paw Print, Bryant High School’s The Prospective, Buffalo Island High School’s Hoof Prints, Cabot High School’s The Panther Tale, Fayetteville High School’s The Register, Har-Ber High School’s Har-Ber Herald, Prairie Grove High School’s PG Post, Rogers High School’s The Mountie Spectrum, Springdale High School’s The Bulldog Herald and Wynne High School’s Yellowjacket.

The awards were presented Friday at the Embassy Suites in Rogers during the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association annual gathering for high school students. ASPA presented separate awards.

Arkansas Press Women is a non-profit association of professional communicators in journalism, public information, business, education and government from across the state. Judges this year were from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Associated Press.

2012 Arkansas Press Women winners

Environment
1st – Sydney Smith – Cabot High School – “Ecology club takes recycling into its own hands”
2nd – Philip Shepherd – Prairie Grove High School – “School conserves water, saves money”
3rd – Jackson Lafargue – Prairie Grove High School – “Drought dries out farmers market”

HM – Macayla Jones – Alma High School – “Going green”
HM – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “Inside Look”
HM – Staff editorial – Springdale High School – “The 3 R’s”

Cartoon
1st – Mason Barnes – Wynne High School – “Where has Thanksgiving gone?’
2nd – Ryan Kerr – Fayetteville High School – “A freedom lost”
3rd – Lacey Burris – Springdale High School – “Everyone loves a parade”

HM – Viv Haney – Prairie Grove High School – “Boss man”
HM – Staff – Alma High School – Artist Natasha Gibson rabbit drawing
HM – Evan Goodrich – “All in the reasoning”

Graphics
1st – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “The game of cash”
2nd – Tyler Hohenstein – Har-Ber High School – “Sports Rotunda”
3rd – Sage Ellis – Wynne High School – Mugshot quote graphic

HM – Staff – Alma High School – “Once upon a mattress”
HM – Philip Shepherd – Prairie Grove High School – “Winter”

Double-Truck Layout
1st – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “What’s on your plate?”
2nd – Sage Ellis and Brooklyn Devazier – Wynne High School – “When tradition meets progression”
3rd – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “Fresh five”

HM – Erin Boss – Fayetteville High School – “Film photography becomes phantom of the past”
HM – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “Yogurt craze”
HM – Erin Boss – Fayetteville High School – “Lights of the Ozarks”

Single-Page layout
1st – Jessica Waddle – Bryant High School – “Crossing boarders”
2nd – Tyler Dianne Platt – Bryant High School – “Smart spending”
3rd – Carolin Lenmann – Fayetteville High School – “Ever-evolving lit mag at work”

HM – Tyler Hohenstein – Har-Ber High School – “Pill”
HM – Ashton Eley – Bryant High School – “Recruitment worries”
HM – Mollie Shelby – Fayetteville High School – “Crystal Bridges/ Museum brings high art to Midwest”

Feature Photo
1st – Gunnar Rathbun – Fayetteville High School – “Free running popular local activity”
2nd – Charlie Hunnicutt – Bryant High School – “Rock climber”
3rd – Amber Rulland – Buffalo Island Central High School – “Disection”

HM – Haley Shipe – Bryant High School – “Dress code”
HM – Amber Rulland – Buffalo Island Central High School – “Flu”
HM – Efrain Moreno – Springdale High School – “Tomato festival”

Sports Photo
1st – Ashley Bymers – Bryant High School – “Wrestling”
2nd – Ryan Pruitt – Springdale High School – “Swimming”
3rd – Amber Rulland – Buffalo Island Central High School – “Basketball”

HM – Charlie Hunnicutt – Bryant High School – “Cheerleaders”
HM – Ashley Dillard – Fayetteville High School – “Motorcross”
HM – Parker Pamplin – Bryant High School – “Seniors celebrate”

Columns
1st – Andrew Hutchinson – Springdale High School
“Girls sports gain my respect” “End of a chapter” “Highs and Lows”
2nd – Madeleine Rutland – Bryant High School
“Two hearts in one” “My decision: not theirs” “Moving forward”
3rd – Jessica Waddle – Bryant High School
“Empty nest syndrome” “Take a minute to breathe” “Finding my self-esteem”

HM – Jordan Martin – Bryant High School
“Senior year: no big deal” “#life is good” “Unspoken friendship”

Opinion
1st – Linda Saypharath – Har-Ber High School – “Life lessons with Linda”
2nd – Jackson Lafargue – Prairie Grove High School – “The end of the internet”
3rd – Jessica Mann – Bryant High School – “About a seven”

HM – Alex Yang – Fayetteville High School – “Youth lose sight of roots”
HM – Caitlin Green – Bryant High School – “Not your average home”
HM – Ashton Eley – Bryant High School – “Some achieve greatness”

Features
1st – Jessica Waddle – Bryant High School – “Blogger banks”
2nd – Mary Kathryn Whitaker – Springdale High School – “The traditions of Homecoming”
3rd – Sara Lachance – Har-Ber High School – “Against the odds”

HM – Amber Rulland – Buffalo Island Central High School – “Adoption teaches lesson to teachers”
HM – Madeleine Rutland – Bryant High School – “From classroom to corporation, Daly transitions to business world”
HM – Madeleine Rutland – Bryant High School – “Crossing borders, sophomore finds new home in different country”

Reviews
1st – Amanda Ayers – Rogers High School – “Harry Potter saga draws to an end”
2nd – Rebecca Cole – Prairie Grove High School – “Perks of being a wallflower” book review
3rd – Madeleine Rutland – Braynt High School – “Boomin’ buds”

HM – Ethan Wilson – Har-Ber High School – “Skyward sword gets skyward praise”

Editorial
1st – Madeleine Rutland – Bryant High School – “Positive influence”
2nd – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “Educational utopia”
3rd – Brooklyn Devazier – Wynne High School – “Student parking issues … AGAIN”

HM – Bulldog Herald Staff – Springdale High School – “Everyone loves a parade”
HM – Erin Boss – Fayetteville High School – “Battle over sex education; More balanced approach please”

News
1st – Alexiss Scott – Har-Ber High School – “Students wage bets against own school”
2nd – Clay Turner – Buffalo Island Central High School – “New computer filters function without fail”
2nd – Jake Knight – Bryant High School – “Open doors”
3rd – Madison Love – Bryant High School – “Block scheduling: changes expected with common core”

Sports
1st – Ashton Eley – Bryant High School – “Football reclassification”
2nd – Ashton Eley – Bryant High School – “Recruitment worries”
3rd – Andrew Hutchinson – Springdale High School – “A tale of two trials”

HM – Andrew Hutchinson – Springdale High School – “Mustain gets a shot in AFL”
HM – Shelby Williams – Fayetteville High School – “Slaying stereotypes/Boffers, LARPers defend beloved sport”

Job opening- University of Arkansas student media

arkpresswomen — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:25:12 +0000

Advertising Manager
Student Media
University of Arkansas

Student Media seeks an energetic, positive sales professional with a proven track record to lead our student sales team in all aspects of advertising sales and underwriting efforts on behalf of Student Media at the University of Arkansas, which includes The Arkansas Traveler (newspaper), The Razorback (yearbook), UATV (student television) and KXUA (student radio). The Advertising Manager is also the lead account executive with major clients and can expect to makes sales and underwriting presentations when appropriate. This is a 12-month full-time position offering a competitive salary and excellent UA benefit package.For a complete position announcement, please visit http://hr.uark.edu/306.aspx and view position no. Y12134.

Minimum Requirements: Bachelors degree in business/advertising/marketing or related field required. At least two years of successful advertising sales experience at a comparable university student media, professional media outlet or advertising agency. Requires strong computer skills in a Macintosh environment, including desktop publishing and database management.

The University of Arkansas is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants are subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and persons hired must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States.

Betty Magie, rest in peace

arkpresswomen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:50:14 +0000

We’re sad to report that longtime APW member Betty Magie has died at age 84. Read about Betty’s career here: http://arkansasleader.blogspot.com/2012/03/editorial-betty-magie-rip.html

Newswriting basics apply on both sides of the newsroom wall

arkpresswomen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:45:23 +0000

Imagine how you’d feel reading an 800-word press release that doesn’t even bother to give the company’s location? Gwen Moritz at Arkansas Business writes about it here: www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=130695.54928.142833&cID=e

A good reminder that newswriting basics apply on both sides of the newsroom wall.