Snyder’s Block by Laura Snyder I have seen the future, people, and the future is the iPad. The iPad is an understated piece of technology that will derail any thoughts you may have had that newspapers will continue in dead tree form. I know all the arguments. Some of them I made myself. The one [...]

The Future Just Showed Up: Like By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President September 2010 Last year I asked my Facebook friends on my “Wall,” where conversations are texted (Is this English?), “Why are people so upbeat on Facebook?” I’d been on Facebook a few months, having been sold on it by NSNC veteran Dave Lieber [...]

NSNC’s monthly newsletter is written by, for and about columnists. In the September edition of the e-Columnist, distributed to members by email on the first of the month: – President Ben Pollock describes a Facebook experience which points up sharp divisions of opinion about the emerging role of social media in modern journalism … – [...]

you, the columnist Social media was built for YOU So why aren’t you doing a better job?   By Dave Lieber NSNC Education Foundation Secretary    I heard somebody say the other day that the only thing social media does for you is make you less social.    Knew you’d like that.    You’re a [...]

By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President Thank you for electing me president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Didn’t you hear? I have not published a running column since Sept. 16, 2001. Instead I’ve written at benpollock.com/brick for nearly seven years. After the first year, the water warms up. Blogging is how I’ve coped [...]

By Laura Snyder Nationally Syndicated Columnist    Over the years, many young people have e-mailed me a number of questions that boiled down to one burning, all-encompassing query:  How do you become a columnist?    They may think they are asking me how to get a job in the industry, but they would be asking [...]

you, the columnist By Dave Lieber NSNC Education Foundation Secretary      I was cleaning out the office the other day and came across my notes from my very first NSNC conference in Portland, Oregon in 1993. I remember it like yesterday. (Cliché alert!)    I wasn’t a columnist when I arrived, but was one [...]

By Robert L. Haught Haughtline Dweethly magazine   Some outrageous insinuations are being made about Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan by a nationally syndicated columnist with a reputation for smearing reputations of public figures.    Kagan has been the target of some harsh political attacks since President Obama selected the former U.S. Solicitor General to [...]

By Laura Snyder Nationally Syndicated Columnist         Our new Vice President, Ben Pollock, was the brains and momentum behind our membership poll this winter.  The results that came in from 183 respondents were actually very surprising to the board and served as a wake-up call.  As it turns out, we had been operating on [...]

You, the columnist By Dave Lieber davelieber.org A little disgusted is how I feel when I read these words from Time magazine book reviewer Lev Grossman about how writers are going to have to write differently for people who read their work on cell phones or who can’t focus too long on one subject:   [...]

Snyder’s Block By Laura Snyder Nationally Syndicated Columnist   I was sitting in my rolling adjustable chair with my bare feet propped up on a plastic stool, peering at my computer and tweaking my column. Looking out my window, I saw that it was a beautiful day after a month of frigid weather. Why am [...]

President’s Message By Samantha Bennett NSNC President   Just a quick update this month, and an opportunity to connect and make a difference. Future of NSNC Task Force member Russ Lemmon represented NSNC at the CNJO (Conference of National Journalism Organizations) winter meeting in Florida, and he has come back to the board with a [...]

You, the Columnist By Dave Lieber www.WatchdogNation.com Dear Ann Kolson, I read the obituary of your husband, Steve, in The New York Times the other day, and my heart sank(“Steven Lovelady, 66, Acclaimed Editor”). You see, I have always tried to thank those who helped me learn the craft of journalism. Years afterward, I would [...]

By Samantha Bennett NSNC President Happy New Year! I’ve said before that what you get out of NSNC depends on what you put into it. What do you get from your NSNC membership? I’d love to hear from you, at sambennett1@verizon.net . I’d like to hear why you joined, what you enjoy about being a [...]