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Ben Pollock named NSNC Vice President
 Ben S. Pollock of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is the new vice president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. On a unanimous vote, he was appointed by the Board of Directors to fill out the remainder of the term vacated by Phil Reisman, columnist for the White Plains, N.Y. Journal News, who resigned.
"I couldn't be happier," said NSNC president Samantha Bennett, adding that Pollock will be a "great" vice president.
Pollock was in his second term as NSNC secretary, having served previously as archivist. The longtime NSNC member from Fayetteville, Ark. is a news copy editor/page designer for the Northwest Arkansas edition of the Democrat-Gazette. He was a winner in last year's NSNC column writing contest for the blog he runs off his website, Brick. www.benpollock.com .
"Like many members, my column writing has been a sideline," says Pollock. "Mainly as a side to being a copy, metro, editorial page and wire editor. I prefer humor and general interest."
A newspaperman for about three decades, Pollock has worked at newspapers in Arkansas and Texas and did radio work in North Dakota. Writing a weekly newspaper column was part of that experience.
He has done scholarly research on the newspaper column at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received a master's degree. His findings were published as a master's thesis in 2003.
Pollock is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Toastmasters International.
He and his wife, Christy, are regular attendees at NSNC conferences.
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Caillouet to fill secretary slot
 The board appointed Linda Caillouet, columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, to serve as secretary until the annual election of officers in July. The office became vacant with appointment of Ben Pollock to Vice President. A former board member, she held the office of archivist from 2007-2009. Her "Paper Trails" column is published three times a week in the Little Rock newspaper and on Arkansas Online.
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Dave Lieber's "you, the columnist"
This month in "you, the columnist" Dave Lieber laments the death of a favorite editor, Steve Lovelady of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
"...I never got to thank Steve.
I know why.
I was terrified of the guy.
Darn, I should have written Steve a note to let him know how that one little encounter gave me the confidence boost I needed.
...I'm sharing this note with my colleagues at the National Society of Newspaper Columnists for one reason. See, each of them has their own pivotal memories about the Steve Lovelady editors in their life.
Maybe this little note, one too late, could generate a few more thank you notes from them to their old editors who made a difference. We're nothing without the editors who improve us, who teach us, who save us from ourselves."
READ THE STORY
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It's Win, Place or Show Time
By Cynthia Borris
NSNC Contest Chair
 As we usher in the new decade with renewed enthusiasm, energy and forward-motion, now is the time to step back and reflect on what once was and what will be.
The "once was" is your stable of 2009 columns. The "to be" may be the NSNC winning entry in the 2010 annual National Society of Newspaper Columnists column writing contest.
As Contest Chair I'm excited and pleased to welcome seven fresh faces to the panel of judges. All new to the contest, the judges are as diverse in experience and personality as the columns they will review.
East Coast, West Coast, Midwest and the South, judges were chosen from different venues from across the United States to provide a realistic view to our country's journalist voice. And Canada, too.
The seven individuals all share a vested interest in the written word. All appreciate deadlines, research, road blocks, inspiration, frustration, hard work - all the components of a great article.
And they are thrilled to be part of this wonderful contest.
So toast that glass of champagne and then dust off your prized articles and submit your entry form. Whether you write for the Wall Street Journal, Sacramento Bee or on two-ply toilet tissue for a backwoods edition, you just might be the columnist with the winning article. But you can't win if you don't play.
Entry fees for NSNC members is $25/entry; non-members $45/entry.
The top three columns selected in each category receive a monetary prize: First place $300, second place $200 and third place $100.
Participants are limited to one entry per category. An entry is up to three columns. You are welcome and encouraged to enter additional categories.
The contest categories are listed below. Please review the contest guidelines carefully, prepare your entries properly and submit, submit and submit.
The seven categories are:
More than 100,000 circulation:
General Interest
Humor
Less than 100,000 circulation:
General Interest
Humor
All circulations:
Online
Blog-Column
Herb Caen Memorial Award:
All circulations
Notes/items
The contest deadline is March 15, 2010. Winners will be announced at the 2010 NSNC Conference in Bloomington, Indiana July 8-11.
Welcome the day with a bright smile, package your entry and now start shopping for that cocktail dress or sleek sport coat to wear at the award presentation ceremony. Practice your winning smile, too. We take pictures.
Good luck and may our mailbox burst with a record-number of 2010 NSNC contest entries.
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Student scholarship contest is OPEN
Undergraduates (including seniors) who write bylined general interest or editorial page columns that appear in the print or on-line editions of college newspapers. A college newspaper is one whose main circulation is on a college campus. Specialized columnists, such as movie reviewers and sports commentators, are not eligible. Columns carrying dual by-lines are eligible but only one prize will be awarded.
Instructions and the entry form are located here. No entry fee is required.
The first-prize winner, determined by judges chosen by the NSNC, will receive a scholarship of $1,000 and will be the guest of the NSNC at its 2010 convention in Bloomington, Ind., July 8-11, 2010. Second-prize winner will receive $500. Third-prize winner will receive $250.
APPLICATION MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN MARCH 31, 2010. PLEASE SEND YOUR ENTRY TO: Russell Frank, College of Communications, Carnegie Building, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802.
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 Nominations open for Will Rogers Humanitarian Award
Nominations are being accepted for the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, presented annually to a columnist whose work has positively affected readers' lives and produced tangible benefits for the community served by the columnist's newspaper.
2010 Nomination Form & Rules
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SEX! Any More Conference Questions?
By Mike Leonard
2010 Conference Chair
There won't be any drugs and I'm not sure about rock and roll. I am pleased, however, to assure everyone that sex is on the program when NSNC meets in Bloomington July 8-11.
We've always been proud around here that ol' Alfred Kinsey fought the prudes and the puritans and elevated the study of sex and sexuality to a subject matter worthy of academic research. So I believe it will be fun and informative to have a session with Kinsey Institute researcher Debby Herbenick, who will talk a bit about the world-famous institute's history, and answer questions submitted by conference attendees.
We think we have a strong writing component coming together --- back to back sessions focusing on words and ideas --- two elements of column-writing that matter to everyone.
Elsewhere in this newsletter you'll read that the State of Indiana recently closed down the Ernie Pyle Historical Site in Dana, Ind. The more I learn about the way it went down, the more unhappy I am with the decision. Column fodder there.
We will seize the opportunity to examine Ernie's life and times at our conference, though, given that there's no better place to talk about Ernie Pyle than at Indiana University, where he got his formal education (and the School of Journalism occupies Ernie Pyle Hall). We'll also look at Ernie's style of writing, and why it worked so well. Panelists will include journalism professor (and Pyle expert) Owen Johnson and our own Mike Harden, who, while laboring full-time at the Columbus (Ohio) Disptach, co-edited a collection of Ernie's pre-war aviation columns.
And then, of course, we will be honoring our Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award winner, columnist and novelist Carl Hiaasen, at our Saturday night banquet in the Indiana Memorial Union's Tudor Room. It will be a thrill to hear from the charming and witty Florida-based writer. And the setting --- well, imagine a big, castle-like room, with stained glass windows and a harpist playing during our pre-banquet reception. (There's also an international harp competition going on here at the same time as our conference.)
Mardi and I were just talking about the Tudor Room, the Indiana Memorial Union (location of our hotel and meeting space), the campus and this city. We're so used to it we don't notice it like we once did, but this place is Limestone USA, with so much of campus and the city built of limestone or adorned with limestone accents and carvings. We hope to showcase that heritage as we put the final touches on the program we hope to roll out very soon.
Hospitality events are coming together well. We'll be having a loose Thursday night function that will accommodate everyone who wants to take advantage of it, no matter when they arrive in town. We have an impressive winery outside of town --- Oliver Winery --- where we plan to have an event on Friday night. Always good to get off-site and see a little of the host city and the surrounding area.
Watch the www.columnists.com site for the roll-out on conference and hotel reservations information. Because the hotel is in a university-owned building, the IMU, it operates a bit differently than purely commercial hotels. But there are several types of rooms that will run from $99 to $129 plus tax (and if you really want a cool suite you can pay more). We'll have a residence hall option where you can save money if you don't mind single beds and sharing a bathroom. (No panty raids. Please.)
One answer to a question I've already been asked many times -- - fly into Indianapolis International Airport. It's less than an hour away and there's a shuttle service to Bloomington that goes directly to the IMU. If you want to come early or stay late, I can guarantee you there are plenty of interesting things to see and do in Bloomington and locations an hour away to the north and the south.
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NSNC Board met Jan. 31st
The primary business of the board was to appoint Ben Pollock as vice president to
fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Phil Reisman and to discuss finding an interim secretary to suceed Pollock until the annual membership meeting in July.
A discussion of the annual writing contest centered on generating more entrants, modifying categories and promoting the contest. Few entries have been submitted to date, but historically most come in closer to the deadline. New members and renewals tend to follow the same pattern.
Mike Leonard reported on finances, events (firm and tentative) and speakers for the unpcomming conference in Bloomington.
Pollock reported about a third of the membership had responded to the membership survey since Friday, Jan. 29. The survey site is to be open to Feb. 5 with result compiled after the survey closes.
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Back in Business: 'E&P' Sold, Resumes Operations
By E&P Staff
Published: January 14, 2010
NEW YORK Editor & Publisher, the only independent news organization reporting on all aspects of the transforming newspaper business, has resumed publication in print and online following its sale Thursday to Duncan McIntosh Co. Inc., the Irvine, Calif.-based magazine and newspaper publisher.
The announcement came exactly two weeks after the closing of E&P, the acknowledged "bible of the newspaper industry," which can trace its roots back 126 years.
Read the full article
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Read the columns written about the Ventura Conference.
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The National Society of Newspaper Columnists was founded in 1977 and exists to promote professionalism and camaraderie among North American newspaper columnists. Membership is open to general interest, humor, op-ed, online, or other newspaper columnists. Academics and student columnists also are eligible to join. The annual conference is NSNC's primary event. The group also publishes a monthly newsletter, maintains this website and advocates for columnists and free-press issues. New members are welcome - please join us!
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