Members present (11) Greg Rivara (2nd VP). Pete Nenni, Pam Lannom, Roger Ruthhart, Jim Slonoff, Sharon Boehlefeld, Randy Swikle, Tom Martin (past president), Jim Killam (communications coordinator), Lonny Cain, Lois Self (executive secretary).
Members absent: (9), Joe Corrado (president), Colin O'Donnell (first VP), Jay Dickerson, Jeannine Otto, Wally Haas, Rich Rostron, Rick Nagel, John Etheredge, Penny Wiegert.
Rivara, for Corrado and O'Donnell , called the meeting to order at 10 a.m.
Minutes of the Jan. 21 board meeting were approved
Treasurer's report:
Slonoff reported Feb. 28 balances of $5,754.87 (checking) and $5.94 (savings).
Recent expenses include $600 for communication coordinator annual stipend;
$95 to Castle PrinTech for newsletter printing; and $111 to Newman Center
for fall conference parking. Revenue includes $120 in fall conference fees.
March expenses total $2,027 for fall conference fees and high-school scholarship
packet mailing. Revenue totaled $2,950 in fall conference fees. Anticipated
March 31 balance is $6,566.74.
Executive Secretary's report:
Self said all membership renewals have been received except for Lakeland
Media, News Media Corp. or Rochelle and the Evanston Roundtable.
The NIU Department of Communication has a new chair as of July 1. He is
Steve Ralston, who currently teaches business communication at the University
of Michigan at Flint. Self proposed, and the board agreed, that she be appointed
NINA executive secretary one more year in order to help with the transition.
She suggested that the board send a letter to NIU administrators emphasizing
the importance of the university's ties with NINA and the journalism community.
The board agreed to draft a letter in the next couple of weeks, and to send
an additional letter to Ralston, welcoming him to northern Illinois.
President's report:
Rivara is running today's meeting for Corrado and O'Donnell. Matters will
come up in other reports.
Program Committee report:
Nenni (for O'Donnell) said the April 29 headline writing workshop is set
to go. It will be held at NIU's Naperville campus. Teresa Schmedding of
the Daily Herald will moderate, with four to six readers serving as panelists.
Colin still needs headline submissions from NINA editors - headlines they
would like the reader panel to evaluate. Send clips to Colin O'Donnell,
Vice President/Director of Operations and Planning, Daily Herald, P.O. Box
280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006-0280.
Education Committee report:
Rivara said the summer grammar workshop is in the planning stages. Date
is June 17 at NIU. Price will be $10 for attendees from member newspapers,
$20 for nonmembers.
Membership Committee report:
Lannom has updated the buddy program. Pam will e-mail board members an updated
list, plus a survey.
Communication coordinator / Resource committee report:
Killam said the NINA promotional brochure will be updated soon. Ruthhart
and Cain both suggested the idea of a CD-ROM to include more information
and even contest winners. The committee also is working on developing a
promotional poster that would emphasize the connection between NINA, education
and the First Amendment.
Old business:
Cain asked about the status of the new contest category named after former
board member Owen Phelps. Killam and Self will work on this soon and add
the category to this year's contest.
High school scholarship applications will be judged Friday morning, April
8, at the Beacon News in Aurora. Etheredge has encouraged board members
to help. If available, members should come to the Beacon News about 9 a.m.
New business:
Swikle said the Illinois Press Foundation is doing a fundraiser for the
Student Press Law Center. The Knight Foundation has pledged to match funds
raised. Swikle hopes NINA will be willing to contribute, and will have more
information at the August board meeting. Cain wondered if a small additional
fee could be added for the fall conference, with the understanding that
the money would go to the SPLC fund.
Shop talk:
Swikle: Doing lots of traveling and speaking about First Amendment education.
Boehlefeld: As of today, the Journal Standard owns Freeport inK, an alternative free weekly in Freeport.
Martin: Advocated his e-mail focus group referenced in the spring newsletter.
Ruthhart: The Argus and Dispatch just finished court proceedings regarding
a judge who had banned several media from covering a trial because they
had identified a juvenile defendant whose name had been mentioned in open
court. The paper prevailed.
The paper also is hosting an ASNE Accuracy and Fairness Roundtable on April
27.
Nenni: The Daily Herald's Lake County office is getting ready to move in June from Vernon Hills to Libertyville.
Cain: Small Newspapers has hired a readership consultant, who currently is helping plan the merger of the Ottawa and Streator papers. The new combined paper will begin with about 20,000 circulation.
Killam: A 1999 Northern Star alumna, Christy Arnold, is part of a team that's a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for deadline reporting. She's a reporter for the Sun Herald in Port Charlotte, Fla. The recognition is for the paper's coverage of Hurricane Charley. (Note: The Sun Herald did not ultimately win the Pulitzer).
Rivara: Called attention fo a Web site called www.regrettheerror.com, which examines newspaper corrections.
Next board meeting: Friday, Aug. 5, 2005, at the Northern Star office, Campus Life Building, NIU.
Meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Jim Killam,
communications coordinator, 4-6-05.
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