Category: Annual Conference

News about our annual conference – check back for updates!

Columnists Tap Ebert for Lifetime Achievement Award

Roger Ebert, 2011

DETROIT, Mich., Feb. 7, 2011 – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times movie columnist, author, television host and blogger, has been selected to receive the 2011 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. “As a small boy I read my aunt’s book of Ernie Pyle’s reporting, which makes his award even more…

New York Times Reviews 2011 Conference Hotel

The Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, site of the upcoming NSNC 2011 Conference, June 23-26, was recently the subject of a hotel review in the New York Times : When the Westin Book Cadillac opened in 1924, it was said to be the tallest hotel in the world. It flourished for decades before succumbed to…

Detroit Conference – June 23-26, 2011

Final touches have been put on the contract for the 2011 Columnists Conference in Detroit, scheduled for June 23-26 at the Westin Book-Cadillac. Make your reservation now. Room rate is $124 per night plus tax. Amenities will include discounted valet parking and free in-room Internet access. The discounted rate – the current charge to book…

Georgia’s Macon Site of 2012 Conference

Macon, Georgia

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists board is looking ahead. While it actively is helping Conference Chair Brian O’Connor plan the 2011 conference in Detroit, on Oct. 13, 2010, it chose Macon, Ga., as the site of its 2012 conference. Columnist Ed Grisamore of the Macon Telegraph will be conference coordinator. The reasons are given gracefully…

Money, Distance, Conflicts affect Conference

Results for the recent Conference Survey have been released by Brian O’Connor, Conference Chair for the 2011 Conference in Detroit. Online questionaires were sent to all members and about 120 members responded. Among the highlights: Most folks favor a May or June conference that runs Thursday through Sunday Money is the biggest factor in deciding…

Detroit 2011: Some of Its Greatest Hits

By Brian O’Connor 2011 Conference Chair   Now that we’ve selected Detroit to host the 2011 conference*, Motown is preparing a selection of its greatest hits.   While dates haven’t been set and all plans are subject to change (your mileage may vary, as the Big Three say), the city that put the world on…

NSNC & Members in the News

The July 2010 Columnists Conference at Indiana University, Bloomington. Reports on speakers, contests, field trips etc. are on this page. We welcome more, via the contact form. How Newspaper Columnists Learn About Sex Laurence Cohen & Gina Barreca | Courant.com …when you see all the little kids tweeting and texting and Internet-involved, they’re keeping detailed…

Destination Detroit

Before columns are written and published, before suitcases are unpacked, before the adrenalin  quits pumping from the fabulous Bloomington Conference, Brian O’Connor, newly elected Conference Chair, is already beginning to make plans for us to visit his exciting city in 2011. He has big shoes to fill after Mike Leonard, but appears to be up to the challenge.…

Dr. Debra Herbenick, Kinsey Institute

  On This Soft Anvil By Terry Marotta, NSNC Member Exit Only Blog I was saying yesterday how organizations change when there get to be more women than men in them and at first I thought that’s why my fellow columnists behaved so well when Dr. Debra Herbenick came to speak at our annual conference.…

Hole in the Bottom of the Sea

Political satirist Rick Horowitz leads NSNC members in a bit of fun and frivolity at the Bloomington Conference. You could bet that this was going to show up on YouTube…  Participants: Samantha Bennett, Bonnie Squires, Laura Snyder, Suzette Standring, Stu Bykofsky,  Sheila Stroup, Bill Tammeus, Mike Leonard and song leader, Mike Horowitz. YouTube Video Terry Marotta…

Mike Leonard Welcome to Bloomington

UPDATE:  See comments on the article and Audio of Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly slamming Mike Leonard and IU researchers at a past conference. As Dave Lieber was overheard saying at the Conference, “How often do we get welcomed to a city on the front page of the local?” Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind., Mike Leonard column: My…

Awards, Ernie Pyle, and Tibetan Center highlight day

Ernie Pyle was an alumnus of Indiana University.  Columnists heard authorities on Pyle’s work speak on appreciating the work of the famous correspondant.  . . . . . Conference attendees visited the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington where they ate traditional Tibetan food and met Arjia Rinpoche, Director of the Center and author. .…

34th Annual Conference Opens

NSNC President Samantha Bennett opens the conference. “Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks…with enough treats.” says Sam. (left photo) . . . . . Derek Wilson, a senior at Ball State University who took First Place in the NSNC Student Scholarship Contest, is presented with the college scholarship and first prize of $1000…

Indiana Governor proclaims Columnists Days

Indiana Gov. Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. has officially proclaimed “Columnists Days” in Indiana in recognition of the 34th annual conference of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.  The proclamation reads:    WHEREAS, columnists are a vital part of the news media, and they also make significant contributions to their communities and to the journalism profession…

“Kick Ass” Author at Columnists Conference

Thanks to President Obama, the expression “kick ass” (or variations thereof) has come off the street and into mainstream news coverage.  Headline writers and TV news readers were freed from restraint after the president told Matt Lauer of the Today show he was talking to experts to find answers about the Gulf oil spill “so…

West Baden Springs Hotel setting of new novel

So sweet the success: www.heraldtimesonline.com (Used by Permission) Local author leaps from writing successful mystery novels to the supernatural By Mike Leonard 331-4368 | mleonard@heraldt.com 6/6/2010 By Mike Leonard 331-4368 | mleonard@heraldt.com 6/6/2010 WEST BADEN — Michael Koryta’s sixth published novel, “So Cold the River,” represents a bold and dramatic departure for the Bloomington author.…

Hiaasen Lifetime Achievement Winner

Carl Hiaasen to receive 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award By Mike Leonard 2010 Conference Chair   Carl Hiaasen of The Miami Herald has been named the recipient of the 2010 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Hiaasen will receive his award at the annual NSNC conference to be staged this…