SPJ/WNA to hold panel discussion “Being Your Own Best Advocate: Standing up for Newspapers&#82

MADISON – The Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association invites the public to attend a discussion about the importance of newspapers.

“Being Your Own Best Advocate: Standing Up for the Work of Newspapers in a Blogger-Partisan-Critics World” will take place Feb. 28 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Madison Marriott West, 1313 John Q Hammonds Drive, Middleton. It will help launch the 2013 Wisconsin Newspaper Association annual conference in Madison.

The discussion will feature Dan Flannery, regional executive editor, Gannett Wisconsin Media; Chris Hardie, executive editor, River Valley Newspaper Group; and Tim Lyke, publisher, Ripon Community Press.

The session is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend the WNA conference. More information on the conference can be found at https://wna2013.sched.org/.

WNA represents 222 member newspapers and is among the oldest newspaper associations in the country.

Based in Indianapolis, SPJ is a national membership organization that promotes high professional and ethical standards among journalists, First Amendment principles and the belief that a free and vigorous press is vital in a representative democracy. The Madison professional chapter was formed around 1990. Membership costs $75 annually, and it is open to journalists who spend at least half of their professional life writing or editing work for publication.