October 3-9, 2021
Thank you for visiting the home page of National Newspaper Week. This year’s observance will be held Oct. 3-9, 2021.
This 81st annual National Newspaper Week is a recognition of the service of newspapers and their employees across North America and is sponsored by Newspaper Association Managers.
“Community Forum” is this year’s theme. We want to thank the The Relevance Project and the Newspaper Association Managers for with the concept of this year’s theme. Click here to learn more about The Relevance Project.
The content kit below is a little different than in years past. The kit will contain promotional ads, editorials and the like, all suitable for you to publish in celebration of National Newspaper Week.
Additionally, we are also including resources to help each Newspaper become the Community Forum in their community. Additional resources are available at no cost to all newspapers at www.relevanceproject.net.
All of this available for download at no charge to daily and non-daily newspapers across North America. We will continue to update the kit with additional materials including editorials and editorial cartoons.
Additional materials for use by newspapers promoting NNW will be posted below as they become available.
PLAN TO CELEBRATE
Plan to Celebrate National Newspaper Week by downloading these materials and devoting as many column inches as possible to reinforce the importance of Newspaper to your communities.
MAKE IT LOCAL
Make it local by editorializing about your newspaper’s unique relevance. This can be about your duties as government watchdog, your role as a community forum and coverage of community events, publication of timely public notices, etc.
Since the principle is timeless, the materials, new and archived, remain on the website and accessible year-round as a continuing resource.
Thank you for supporting National Newspaper Week. You already know there is power in association. And the same principle holds when associations like ours band together to provide even greater impact — both directly to newspaper members locally and collectively to the overall industry nationwide.
Chair:
Brian Allfrey
Executive Director
Utah Press Association
Download the National Newspaper Week logo
HOW TO MAKE YOUR NEWSPAPER THE COMMUNITY FORUM
Step # 1 – How To Plan A Community Forum
by Tom Silvestri, Executive Director of The Relevance Project
» Download the Step # 1 of Creating a Community Forum
Step # 2 – Use National Newspaper Week To Launch A Community Forum
by Tom Silvestri, Executive Director of The Relevance Project
» Download the Step # 2 of Creating a Community Forum
Step # 3 – Community Forum Tips
by Tom Silvestri, Executive Director of The Relevance Project
» Download the Step # 3 of Creating a Community Forum
Tom Silvestri is Executive Director of the Relevance Project, an initiative of a coalition of regional, state, provincial and national newspaper trade associations. When he was a longtime publisher in Virginia, he conducted 78 community discussions on issues of importance to the state’s capital region. The Public Square was nationally recognized as a model for how newspapers could foster civil, civic discourse. For additional information about orchestrating a Community Forum, read his Relevant Points blog on www.relevanceproject.net
Execute the strategy in three parts, using Forum or town-hall formats:
Part 1: Explain the mission of your news organization and its reporting. Collect suggestions and advice on how to strengthen community connections. Elaborate. Ask. Listen.
Part 2: Deepen the news literacy of your community. Confront misinformation. By fostering more knowledgeable consumers, attract a growing audience with trusted journalism. Expose. Correct. Encourage.
Part 3: Examine community problems and explore game-changing solutions. Enlighten democracy by demonstrating the importance of the local news media as a moderator of civil, civic discourse. Welcome. Preside. Respect.
*Community Forum = Relevance.
Editorial for National Newspaper Week
The Relevance Project – and what it means for Newspapers
by Michelle K. Rea, Executive Director of New York Press Association/New York Press Service
Michelle K. Rea serves as Executive Director of the New York Press Association/New York Press Service. Rea has built a career spanning 40 years in the Newspaper Industry and almost 30 years in her current, Executive Director role.
Why We Need a Community Forum
by Brian J. Allfrey, Executive Director of Utah Press Association
Brian J. Allfrey serves as Executive Director of the Utah Press Association/New York Press Service. He has over 20 years in the Newspaper Industry and almost 11 years in her current, Executive Director role.
Download the 2021 National Newspaper Week Ad campaign
Newspapers are encouraged to use one or all of the ads from this year’s “Community Forum” ad campaign in their newspaper. Feel free to start running the ads during National Newspaper Week and continue them in the days and weeks that follow.
NEWSPAPERS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED to replace the “National Newspaper Week” line in the ad with their own flags or logos.
Download the 2020 Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association NNW ad campaign
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association designed a series of print and digital ads for you to run during National Newspaper Week – October 3-9, 2021.
Editorial cartoons
Public notice ads library
PNRC is building a library of public notice advertisements and campaigns. Below, are some recent ads. If you would like advertisements created and used by your association or newspaper to be available for use by other associations and newspapers, please let us know and we will add them to our database.
» Public Notice Resource Center
Download the 2021 International Newspaper Carrier Day ads
The News Media Alliance has produced two 2021 International Newspaper Carrier Day ads for use during National Newspaper Week and on International Newspaper Carrier Day. We encourage members to run the ads in your publications to show support.