The National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 Annual Columnist Contest. The contest will officially kick off on January 15 and run through April 15, 2025. To enter the contest, click go to https://nsnc.submittable.com/submit
Sunshine Week, March 16-22 is an annual event in March that highlights the importance of public records and open government. NSNC supports and celebrates Sunshine Week Here's a list of upcoming events: https://sunshineweek.org/events-calendar/.
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 just launched the 2025 NSNC Annual Columnist Contest, 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!
Samantha Bennett NSNC President I’m taking the buyout. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, for which I’ve worked for 14 years and written my column for a decade, offered buyouts to the entire staff in late December, with a get-out-if-you’re-going deadline of New Year’s Eve. Happy holidays. I weighed my joblessness in a vile economy…
By Dave Lieber Fort Worth Star-Telegram www.yankeecowboy.com There’s a recession in the U.S. economy, but a depression in the newspaper business. Not a financial depression, but a mental one. Everybody in the newsroom and in the executive suites is giving up. Worse, nobody in the business is standing up on a chair…
By Dave Lieber, Fort Worth Star Telegram I am insecure about my life as columnist. I worry about my next column, my next error. I worry about repeating myself. I fear the next time my boss gets irritated with me. My hate mail adds fuel to the fire, as does my lack…
The Story of the G.I. Joe Action Figure By Tom Henderson, Columnist You might have noticed a minor journalistic controversy a few years back after the great columnist Ernie Pyle was turned into a G.I. Joe doll (excuse me, action figure). Purists were peeved. Ernie was rolling about his grave, they said. A humble man…
The 32nd annual conference of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists “New Orleans, We Haven’t Forgotten.” Mike Argento, NSNC President, opens the 32nd Annual Conference in New Orleans. Lt. Governor of Louisiana, Mitch Landrieu, says Katrina was a life changing event for the people of New Orleans. Things are spoken of now in terms of pre-Katrina…
By Mike Argento, NSNC President I was reading a New York Times story about a $7 million libel verdict in a case filed by a judge and former Chicago Bear kicker against a newspaper columnist in Illinois when I stumbled upon a stunning passage. The story said, “The newspaper’s lawyers said they were handicapped because…
Suzette Standring is now the Chief Correspondent for Firefighters Vs Cancer, http://www.firefightersvscancer.org, a website that promotes early cancer detection for firefighters, who have a significantly higher risk of occupational cancer. Suzette will share their stories, and the website also has a purchase link for OneTest early cancer screening kits available to the public. She also…
Sunshine Week occurs each year in mid-March, coinciding with James Madison’s birthday, March 16 (1751). Madison was a driving force behind the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and presented the first version of the Bill of Rights to Congress. He also was the fourth president of the United States. Coordinated by the nonpartisan Joseph L. Brechner Freedom…
Jerry Zezima Celebrates 40 Years of His Syndicated Humor Column! This marks the 40th anniversary of my syndicated humor column, which is distributed to 600 newspapers nationwide and abroad by Tribune News Service. I began writing my column in 1985 at my hometown paper, the Stamford (Conn.) Advocate, which still runs it. I write humor…
Enter your best work in the NSNC 2025 Annual Columnist Contest – Entries accepted through April 15. Enter here: https://nsnc.submittable.com/submit. Best of luck to all!
The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop is bringing writers together for a special daylong virtual event, “The Virtual Erma: Stories of Our Lives Featuring Anne Lamott,” on Saturday, April 5. The day includes five live, interactive writing workshops, plus an exclusive, pre-recorded keynote from the legendary Anne Lamott. Early bird rate: $109 until March 15. For more information and to…
