Heartfelt Sympathy from NSNC

Call for Entries - 2024 NSNC Annual Columnist Contest

Registration Now Open - NSNC 2024 Virtual Conference - July 19 and 20

National Columnists Day & Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day April 18

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

Heartfelt Sympathy from NSNC

NSNC would like to express its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Robert Lawrence "Larry" Maddry. He passed away on March 29, and he had been in a long-term care facility for the last few years in gradual decline. Maddry was 90 years old, just one week shy of his next birthday. His son, Larry, remembers the excitement he had in organizing the first NSNC Conference in Virginia Beach. Read Larry's obituary in The Virginian-Pilot: https://www.pilotonline.com/obituaries/robert-lawrence-larry-maddry-virginia-beach/

Call for Entries - 2024 NSNC Annual Columnist Contest

Submissions Now Open - NSNC Annual Columnist Contest - Enter Today! National Society of Newspaper Columnists Annual Column Contest Open: January 15, 2024 8:00 a.m. (EST) Contest Extended to May 3, 2024 11:59 p.m. (EST) For Registration & General Guidelines visit: nsnc.submittable.com/submit Email Adam Earnheardt, contest chair, with any questions at acearnheardt@ysu.edu. Submit your best work! You could be one of this year's winners!

Registration Now Open - NSNC 2024 Virtual Conference - July 19 and 20

Registration Now Open - The NSNC Virtual Conference 2024 will be held on Fri., July 19 and Sat., July 20. If you have any program ideas, email nsncdirector@gmail.com. Thanks in advance. Registration now open at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-society-of-newspaper-columnists-2024-annual-conference-tickets-890231003897

National Columnists Day & Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day April 18

Join Us in Celebrating National Columnists Day & Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day - This April 18th, we're paying tribute to the legendary Ernie Pyle, a symbol of the courage, integrity, and human touch that define the best in journalism. But this isn't just about looking back—it's about sparking conversation on the enduring relevance of columnists in our lives today. For more details, go to https://www.columnists.com/2024/04/celebrate-with-us-on-april-18/

Join NSNC and Reap the Benefits!

Hope your New Year is off to an amazing start. We are excited for What’s in-store for NSNC members this year. We will also be launching our annual contest in January, so you’ll want to be sure your membership is up-to-date. Also, if you have ideas, suggestions, etc., please share with our president, Lori Duff, at lori@loriduffwrites.com or myself at nsncdirector@gmail.com Blessings to all!

Government Funding of Public News Services

Should U.S. government funds continue to help fund NPR, a non-profit radio service? An October 2010 Poll Position nationwide survey found that 45 percent of Americans favor continuing government funding for NPR while 39 percent called for a halt to funding. Partisan differences were found among those who favor the funding versus those who did…

Milking the Writing Cow

Suzette Martinez Standring

From the November 2010 issue of the e-Columnist newsletter By Suzette Martinez Standring 2004-05 NSNC Past President As a long time freelance columnist, I used to envy the steady paycheck and job security of my salaried colleagues as I chased after writing gigs and venues. Today, newspapers have decimated their ranks of columnists and reporters,…

Certifiably

Ben Pollock

President’s Message First published in the November 2010 issue of the e-Columnist By Ben S. Pollock NSNC President “Politics make strange bedfellows” goes the quote by 19th-century newspaperman Charles Dudley Warner, and this fall it’s been columnists getting renown for jumping on the mattress. Columnists, commentators, news analysts, bloggers, interest-group hacks, cable yaks — aren’t…

In the November Newsletter

President Ben Pollock explores the various aspects of certification and the values of being a member in good standing of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Past President Suzette Martinez Standring writes about “Milking the Writing Cow.” You’ll also see what some of your colleagues are writing about and what others are doing to advance…

Bennett Leads Ghost Tours

Former President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Samantha Bennett, is one of several tour guides who will be telling scary ghost stories during walking tours of Pittsburgh this October. Sponsors believe it is a nice way to tell Pittsburgh history and ghost stories at the same time. After taking a buyout at the…

Standring Piece Takes First Place

Suzette Martinez Standring

Suzette Martinez Standring won First Place in the Unpublished Essay category in the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Awards competition sponsored by the Florida Writers Association. “The Height of Power: Petite Women Speak of Stature,” shares the experiences and challenges of women, 5-foot-3 and under, who successfully navigate the world at armpit level. The essay encapsulated the concept for Standring’s current…