NewsBeat

2 NewsBeat June 2019 NewsBeat A NEWSLETTER FOR NEW YORK'S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS Published by the New York Press Association 621 Columbia Street Ext., Suite 100, Cohoes, NY 12047 518.464.6483 • 518.464.6489 fax • www.nynewspapers.com Executive Editor — Michelle K. Rea Layout & Design — Rich Hotaling Mark your calendar Friday, June 14, 2019 NYPA/NYPS Board of Directors Meetings NYPA Foundation Board of Directors Meeting The New York Times Bldg. Seyfarth Shaw Office (33rd fl.) 620 8th Ave., New York, NY Thursday, September 19, 2019 NYPA/NYPS Boards of Directors Meetings NYPA Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Saratoga Casino Hotel Saratoga Springs, NY Friday & Saturday, September 20 & 21, 2019 NYPA Fall Conference Saratoga Casino Hotel Saratoga Springs, NY Friday, November 8, 2019 NYPA/NYPS Board of Directors Meetings NYPA Foundation Board of Directors Meeting NYPA Offices 621 Columbia St. Extension, Cohoes, NY Tuesday, January 7, 2020 NYPA Better Newspaper Contest Deadline Thursday, March 26, 2020 NYPA/NYPS Boards of Directors Meetings NYPA Foundation Board of Directors Meeting The Gideon Putnam, Saratoga Springs, NY Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28, 2020 NYPA Spring Convention and Tradeshow The Gideon Putnam, Saratoga Springs, NY C L I P & S A V E T he Relevance Project commenced October 2018. The project was a joint effort of newspaper associations throughout the US and Canada. The purpose of the Relevance Project is to corral the assets of state press association ad placement services, and the assets of community newspapers, and position them for relevance in a digitally focused world. State press associations and the newspapers they represent share a common problem: we no longer matter in the same powerful way we once did. We have lost our unique roles and relevance in the marketplace. Since our country was founded, community newspapers have functioned as the community forum, providing a dedicated space to engage members of the local community in discussions about politics, government, commerce, education, sports, and people. Community newspapers flourished until the 21st Century when the newspaper industry was disrupted by the Internet and all things digital, but unlike other industries that were also disrupted by digital, newspapers were disrupted without adequate improvement or an equivalent substitute. For the last 20 years newspapers have been bleeding revenue and subsequently press association-owned ad services have faltered. The role and mission of community newspapers has been overshadowed by the social media phenomenon that has given rise to fake news, ad fraud, bots, and the ability of extremists to move their messages from the margins to the mainstream. An important insight which helps us reframe the issue to our advantage is to recognize that when newspapers were disrupted, so was an important pillar of our democracy – the community forum. Every news organization recognizes this issue – LMA, NMA, NNA, the Local News Initiative, the Lenfest Institute and a host of others are trying to solve the community newspaper problem. This is good because it means there is already momentum swinging in the same direction asthe Relevance Project. Our society needs a locally relevant forum for concerned citizens to congregate for reasons political, social and commercial. Let's ride the wave of discontent with Facebook and Google by recognizing and emphasizing the core competencies of local newspapers. The Relevance Project's strategy can be titled by its mission: Defining the New Community Forum. The strategy notices first that society is on the cusp of shifting. There is growing backlash against social media, fake news, and digital advertising. We see this in the declining margins experienced by digital advertising firms, the rise of philanthropic journalism, and the increasingly negative perception of Facebook and Google. Defining the New Community Forum means we are defining the parameters of the problem while establishing our leadership in advocating for its solution. Success for the Relevance Project means that the market demand for reactivating the community forum grows along with market awareness and demand for newspaper advertising placement services provided by NYPS and other state press associations. Relevance Project Executive Summary Repositioning state press associations and the newspapers they represent By MICHELLE REA, executive director, NYPA

• Cover