Contest submissions now open! We are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists for our 2026 Annual Columnist Contest (for work published in 2025). We will accept entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists published in 2025. Everyone is welcome to submit. You don’t have to be an NSNC member.
We’re counting down to #SunshineWeek 2026, March 15-21. Together, we champion #OpenRecords and #OpenGovernment nationwide March 15-21. #FOIA #transparency. Free resources: sunshineweek.org
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists Education Foundation is a tax-exempt charitable organization [501(c)3] devoted to the education and training of new and experienced columnists everywhere. Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/NSNCEdFnd
We are excited for What’s in-store for NSNC members this year. We are gearing up to launch the NSNC Annual Columnist Contest on January 15, so you’ll want to be sure your membership is up-to-date. Also, if you have ideas, suggestions, etc., please share them with our President Meredith Cummings at meredithcummings@gmail.com or Executive Director Ginny McCabe at nsncdirector@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of NSNC!
Courtesy of www.heraldtimesonline.com By Mike Leonard mleonard@heraldt.com 11/8/2011 Amid the many well-deserved tributes to the late Andy Rooney, it looks as though one of the things of which he was most proud is being greatly overlooked — his friendship with the famous columnist and war correspondent Ernie Pyle. Rooney was by his own account a…
Some observations about journalism as an occupation were recently published by the Wall Street Journal. The statistics were based on 2010 U.S. Census statistics. The median annual salary for journalism majors is $50,000, per the latest data. This is about the same as majors in English, history, or communications. However, journalists have a 7 percent…
By Suzette Martinez Standring NSNC Past President The best storytellers are like keen-nosed truffle dogs, looking for riches below the surface. It’s what columnists do most days under deadline, usually in 750 words or less. Other writers have a lot more space. Recently, I went to see The New York Times best-selling…
UPDATE: Andy Rooney died Friday night, according to CBS, only a month after delivering his 1,097th and final televised commentary. He died of complications from surgery. The article below was published about Andy Rooney Sept 28th after his retirement was announced. Rooney received the NSNC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and is a member of our Hall of…
Philadelphia member James Smart was interviewed by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Dan Rubin for a 1,000-word column about his career and his book, Adonijah Hill’s Journal. “It’s a young columnist (55) interviewing a less young columnist (81),” said Smart. The author also discussed his book as a speaker at a dinner meeting of the Phi Beta…
Where’s the Sin in Synchronicity? By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President “How can there be any sin in sincere? “Where is the good in goodbye?” — “Sincere” by Meredith Willson in The Music Man It may be yet another way of stalling the labor of writing, but I’m inspired when I chance upon quotes from…
NSNC member Paul Lander’s new video, “54321: Five Rejected Peanuts Specials,” is a fast, funny parody poking fun at those classic Peanuts holiday specials. It’s one installment in a growing humor series ‘54321,’ Paul co-wrote, executive produced, co-created with filmmaker Matthew Clark. Watch here Lander’s new video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn5vf2M8Ls0
We’re counting down to #SunshineWeek 2026, March 15-21. Together, we champion #OpenRecords and #OpenGovernment nationwide March 15-21. #FOIA #transparency. Free resources: sunshineweek.org
NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest Read the Rules, Select Your Category, and Enter HERE Beginning on January 15, 2026, we are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists for our Annual Columnist Contest (for work published in 2025). Enter here. We are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists published in 2025. Everyone is welcome to…
The National Society of Newspaper Columnists 2026 Annual Columnist Contest is open and accepting entries through April 17. “We are accepting entries from columnists, bloggers, and serial essayists for work published in 2025. Everyone is welcome to submit. You don’t have to be an NSNC member to enter. However, you can save on entry fees by…
Join NSNC and Google at 7 p.m. EST on Jan. 21 for an “AI Tools for News” webinar. Topic: AI Tools for News Description: Whether it’s helping reporters sort through thousands of documents, or enabling people to access information in their own language, AI opens up new opportunities that could significantly improve billions of lives. Google’s mission…
