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!
A prospective member asked, “What do I get for my $50 if I join NSNC?” NSNC President Ben Pollock tackled the question and his spontaneous, off-the-cuff answer was so sensible that we decided to share it for the benefit of others who might wonder. President Pollock said: This is an old, hard-to-explain deal, and we consider…
Ernie Pyle’s Distinguished Alumni Award was awarded last weekend by the Indiana University School of Journalism, which was celebrating its centennial. The university created a Hall of Fame with 15 inductees, 10 posthumous and five living. Since Ernie has no living relatives, they asked Mike Leonard to accept on behalf of the National Society of Newspaper…
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Herb Caen will be showcased in multimedia presentations for Apple iPad users, according to MarketWire. Caen’s classic stories will be narrated by some of his closest friends and video will include vintage photos and film footage of San Francisco and the Bay Area notables that Caen wrote about…
The Room in the Elephant By Ben S. Pollock President National Society of Newspaper Columnists The board of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists has been cleaning up after the party in Detroit. While washing glasses and emptying the trash, we share the usual mix of gleeful recollection of anecdotes and recriminations about disasters that…
Milton (MA) – Writer Suzette Martinez Standring is published in a book of stories about those embarrassing “comedy-of-error” moments that make us all human. “Mug of Woe: Tales to Make You Realize Your Life is Awesome” (Amazon Digital Services, $5.99 on Kindle, 223 pages, July 2011) features essays from over forty humorists and stand-up comedians…
Overheard on the NSNC Discussions list was this humorous donut discussion: “I deny that I’ve ever been in a doughnut shop. I deny that I’ve ever seen a doughnut. I deny that I ate it. I deny that it was delicious,” ventured Bruce Cameron. Bob Haught confessed, “I admit that I’ve been in a doughnut shop, Britt’s…
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…
