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By Randy Evans The rationale behind Iowa’s professional licensing laws is simple: People in certain professions and skilled occupations are required to hold state licenses to work in Iowa. This is to ensure they meet the minimum standard of training and skill necessary to serve consumers safely and effectively. But a state government policy change…

By Randy EvansIowa Newspaper Foundation president It was 57 years ago when Gary Spurgeon, then the publisher of the Bloomfield Democrat, made an investment in the future of Iowa’s newspapers. I would like to think that investment has more than paid for itself. The investment was a “scholarship” Gary provided to a kid who was…

The longtime legal adviser to the Iowa Freedom of Information Council will be the featured speaker on Thursday, November 9, at the Council’s annual meeting. Iowa Newspaper Association members are welcome to attend. Michael Giudicessi, a partner in the Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath law firm in Des Moines, will give us a much-needed pep…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Oct 2, 2023Contact: Lynne Lance, executive director, lynne@nna.org Last week, community newspaper publishers, editors, and executives across the United States resoundingly reaffirmed their commitment to a free press undisturbed by unannounced police raids. Meeting in Washington, National Newspaper Association members representing community daily and weekly newspapers in 31 states took their concerns to…

We’re getting down to the wire. The deadline to submit entries for the Better Newspaper Contests is Friday, October 13. All entries must be submitted and uploaded to the betternewspapercontest.com website by 4:30 p.m.; hard-copy examples must be postmarked on or before October 13. In past years, many entries were submitted in the 1-2 hours…

The Iowa Newspaper Association is thrilled to announce that Debbie Anselm will lead the organization as executive director, effective October 24. Anselm, a visionary industry leader of 20 years, brings a wealth of experience to the INA and its 240 member newspapers, most recently serving as the association’s board president and with Lee Enterprises as…

By John FoustGreensboro, NC Gene told me about an experience he had when he was fundraising for the Boy Scouts. “I was young and completely sold on the value of scouting because some years earlier I had earned the designations of Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow,” he said. “My boss asked me to…

Newspaper professionals from 14 states participated in the 2021 Tri-State Newspaper Convention, a virtual program presented on Feb. 4-5 by the Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin newspaper associations. More than 500 people registered for the two-day, virtual event that provided insights from more than 20 speakers on subjects ranging from “Publishing Through a Pandemic” to “Covering…

The Polk County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to release records in the fatal shooting of a Wisconsin motorist by a sheriff’s deputy. The county also agreed, going forward, that it would routinely release such records whenever its officers are involved in incidents that kill or seriously injure people. The agreement is in response to a…