NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

NSNC 2026 Columnist Contest - Now Open

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.

Sunshine Week March 15-21, 2026

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

Consider a Gift to the NSNC Education Foundation

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

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

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!

FREE Conference – Learn to Sell More Books

NSNC members have a special invitation from Dave Lieber to attend a FREE telephone conference that he is hosting for British authors who want to “sell more books at the back of the room”. Dave Lieber is a long-time NSNC member, Secretary of the NSNC Education Foundation, and watchdog columnist for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.…

Some roots of Egypt’s turmoil

As the rage and fury of angry people too long living under supression continues to errupt in Egypt, we wonder what took place that led to the violent events of today. Years ago, Bill Tammeus, NSNC past president, visited Egypt on assignment by The Kansas City Star. His column written then and first published by The…

The Power of Words

If you ever wondered about the power of a few words, consider this item by columnist Al Kamen, who writes “In the Loop” for The Fed Page of the Washington Post: “The spectacular political collapse of Japan’s Yukio Hatoyama was already well in motion in mid-April when we added a tiny push by writing, after…

My-picture-on-top-of-the-column-syndrome

you, the columnist My-picture-on-top-of-the-column-syndrome   By Dave Lieber Columnists.com The other day I was insecure about something. I got zero comments beneath my column on my newspaper’s website for what I thought was a pretty good column. Then I clicked on the comments for my columnist colleague at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bob Ray Sanders.…

American Journalists Attacked in Egypt

Journalists covering Egypt’s turmoil have been shouted at, threatened, attacked and beaten while trying to cover the story in Egypt. Correspondents have been sprayed with pepper spray, hit in the head and subjected to various other acts of violence by those supporting President Hosni Mubarak. The protests became increasingly violent Wednesday when supporter of the…

Stances with Wolves

Mexican Wolf

Ben S. Pollock NSNC President Columnists get labeled as opinionated. This was brought home again after the Tucson shooting. Americans saw on the air and online — come on, paper? — as many pundits as politicians (and rarely people with facts, like FBI spokesmen). The funny thing is, few NSNC members are op-eddies. The society…