Selected articles from the NSNC newsletter; only members get the entire contents of the monthly newsletter
This is the 13th in a series of articles about recipients of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor Archivist National Society of Newspaper Columnists Two things columnists should avoid: “You can’t hurt anybody who can’t hurt you back, and you can’t make people dumber.” That’s one of the comments Pete…
by Dave Lieber Dallas Morning News columnist Like you, I have many books on my shelf about writing. One that I loved when I was starting out 40 years ago is about the art of the interview. It’s a dying art. These days, I don’t get to do many interviews. My sources usually don’t want…
By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists In the months leading up to the November 8th general election, there has been a lot of finger-pointing going on. But one particular finger has been pointing at us long before our current political candidates were using theirs to place blame. We all know…
This is the 12th in a series of articles about recipients of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor Archivist National Society of Newspaper Columnists Twelve years before columnist Steve Lopez gave a memorably seriocomic speech at our 2016 conference in Los Angeles, he was at our 2004 conference in New…
by Bonnie Jean Feldkamp NSNC Director of Media There’s a reason Erma Bombeck and Art Buchwald columns were under 500 words and Ernie Pyle kept his to 700. It works. Not only is that what many editors want, it’s also what most people are willing to read. Humor columnists and opinion bloggers, in particular, must…
This is the 11th in a series of articles about recipients of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor Archivist National Society of Newspaper Columnists I was fortunate to attend every NSNC conference from 1993 to 2002, so I got to see the first ten presentations of the Ernie Pyle…
By Dave Lieber Dallas Morning News columnist Reminders came my way that people are always watching you, the columnist. We’re always on stage. Even when we think we’re not. The world is big, but the community is so small. Last week, a man wrote me the following: “Mr. Lieber, you most likely do not remember me,…
By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists I was just outside Mrs. Rowley’s kindergarten class, giggling uncontrollably. Dancing in the coat room was all Marshall’s idea. He was just a little guy, with a skin condition and an odd personal aroma. But having been his table mate for months, I knew he…
One of the highlights of the June conference in Los Angeles was the presentation of our Legacy Award to Robert L. (Bob) Haught. The prize honors NSNC members for extraordinary service to the organization — and Bob was a richly deserving recipient. He served 11 years on our board (eight as newsletter editor and three…
This is the 10th in a series of articles about recipients of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor Archivist National Society of Newspaper Columnists When Chuck Stone received our Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, he said he had worked as a reporter, editorial writer, and editor, but “being…
By Suzette Martinez Standring 2004-06 NSNC president One picture is worth a thousand words. Or think of it this way: one editorial cartoon is worth a thousand-word column. At the Hotel Angeleno in June, Michael P. Ramirez said, “A reporter is a purveyor of fact. Editorial cartoonists just go back and shoot the wounded.” The two-time…
By Lisa Smith Molinari President National Society of Newspaper Columnists Ever had one of those days when everything just falls into place? Yeah, me neither. The ever-increasing demands of the 21st Century have made time management more difficult for everyone, including columnists. Columnists no longer sit quietly in the air-conditioned comfort of their newspaper offices,…
By Lisa Smith Molinari NSNC President The steamy scent of freshly cut grass. The rat-a-tat of a distant parade drummer. The squeal of barefoot children. The mouthwatering sizzle of hot dogs on a charcoal grill. The fizz of nearby sparklers. The THUNK! that signals an explosion of color in the night sky. Every July 4th,…
President’s Message By Jerry Zezima President National Society of Newspaper Columnists During his 30-year reign as the king of late-night TV, “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson assumed the role of many characters in skits performed with sidekick Ed McMahon. One of his most popular was Carnac the Magnificent, the turbaned wise guy who would divine…
By Suzette Martinez Standring 2004-06 NSNC president Thousands (more likely, hundreds) of “friends” and “likes” on social media do impress, but personal connection still reigns. Nothing beats conversations, shared laughs, and the give-and-take of new ideas. That chance returns with the NSNC’s annual meeting in Los Angeles on June 23-26, 2016. Back in 2000, I was…
This is the seventh in a series of articles about recipients of the NSNC’s annual Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. By Dave Astor Archivist National Society of Newspaper Columnists The awarding of the 1999 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award to Celestine Sibley was memorable for several reasons. She was the oldest recipient (age 85), the second…
President’s Message By Jerry Zezima President National Society of Newspaper Columnists I knew I wanted to be a writer in high school. My decision could be encapsulated in one word: algebra. I was never very good in subjects that required me to know the answers. Algebra was the worst. I was always better in subjects…
