Posts by cgordon1
First installment of INA police video investigative series available!
INA members have started publishing the series in their local newspapers The Iowa Newspaper Association launched a statewide project focused on police video rules, regulations and associated policies late last year. Since the launch of the project, over 50 different journalists from across the state have requested copies of these policies from local police departments,…
Read MoreRepeat after me: Let the public know
This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Randy Evans, executive directorIowa Freedom of Information Council The purpose was pretty simple when the Iowa Legislature wrote the state’s public meetings law many years ago: Government boards are required to announce their meetings at least one day in advance, and officials must tell the…
Read MorePresident’s report: The Foundation successfully pivots
Mark Spensley2020 Iowa newspaper foundation PRESIDENTMonticello Express The Iowa Newspaper Foundation was uniquely positioned to navigate the online world of 2020 due to the work done by INF board members, committees, and staff in previous years. When other organizations were scrambling to move business online, the INF had already provided hundreds of online training programs…
Read MorePresident’s report: C.N.A. exceeds Iowa sales goal by $1 million in 2020
Becky Maxwell2020 INA Services Company PresidentAlbia—Monroe County News The mission of the INA Services Company is to advance the economic well-being of Iowa newspaper enterprises primarily through, research, promotion, and advertising sales. INA Services Company does business under the branded name Customized Newspaper Advertising, CNA. The team at CNA, is driven to increase sales, manage…
Read MorePresident’s report: INA thrives despite challenges
Karen Spurgeon2020 Iowa Newspaper Association Board President Bloomfield Democrat This has been quite a year for all of us as newspapers and for your Association. The Iowa Newspaper Association’s mission is to “protect, promote, foster and advance the interests of the members of the Iowa newspaper industry and to provide direction to the Association’s two…
Read MoreINA to provide photos from State Wrestling Tournament
IHSAA 2021 State Wrestling Championships The Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Newspaper Association are again working together to facilitate the INA Photography Pool service for Iowa newspapers during the 2021 State Wrestling Championships. The IHSAA will be announcing changes and possible restrictions later this week for its annual state wrestling tournaments. The…
Read MoreNo justification for shutting the public out
This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Randy Evans, executive director Iowa Freedom of Information Council There are some high-minded legal principles written into Iowa laws and rulings by our state’s Supreme Court. But in recent weeks, one of those sound principles has run into a few closed-minded state officials and…
Read MoreThe governor has to follow the law, too
This article is free to use and publish in your publication. Randy Evans, executive director Iowa Freedom of Information Council When the Iowa Legislature wrote the state’s public records law 50 years ago, lawmakers wanted to guarantee that anyone could obtain copies of state and local government records that are not designated by statute to…
Read MoreDon’t let fatigue and friction keep you from covering the pandemic
Al CrossPresident, The Society of Professional Journalists Just as some people are tiring of taking precautions against the novel coronavirus, helping it spread, I’m sure some newsrooms are tiring of covering it. And that helps it spread, too, by making it seem less of a threat, and discouraging precautions. And I fear that some newsrooms…
Read MoreWhy we participate in contest – Zack Kucharski, Cedar Rapids Gazette
Few of us get into journalism to win awards. Many more of us seek to learn every day, introduce and highlight interesting people and the work done in our towns or better the places we live through connecting people economically. So why participate in the INF Better Newspaper Contest? The awards program helps us do…
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