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Feb. 24: Google AI Tools for News — Previewing GNI at the 2026 Convention

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future-facing concept in journalism — it’s becoming a practical tool in today’s newsroom. On February 24 from 1–2 p.m. EST, the New England Newspaper & Press Association will host Google AI Tools for News, a free live NENPA University session presented by Colleen Kimmett of the Google News Initiative. Designed for reporters, editors, publishers, freelancers, and students, this online training will offer a practical overview of how three powerful, free tools — Pinpoint, NotebookLM, and Gemini — can streamline investigative research and daily reporting workflows.

Participants will learn how Pinpoint can search thousands of PDFs, handwritten notes, and audio files in seconds to surface patterns and key entities; how NotebookLM can be used to build a “grounded” AI assistant from trusted sources to generate summaries, brainstorm angles, and create briefings; and how Gemini can assist with SEO headlines, social media copy, and organizing unstructured information. In a moment when deadlines are tight and information is abundant, these tools offer real-world solutions for managing beats more effectively and finding stories faster. All tools are free with a Google account, though Pinpoint requires advance access approval. Click here to request access. Please note that this session will not be recorded, so attendees should plan to participate live.

Register Now

Colleen Kimmett brings 15 years of experience in independent media to her role at Google News Initiative. She began her career at The Tyee, helped found The Discourse, and played a role in launching the Institute for Investigative Journalism at Concordia University. Her work focuses on supporting journalists and strengthening sustainable newsroom practices.

This February webinar is just the beginning. The Google News Initiative will also present two in-depth sessions at the 2026 New England Newspaper Convention, March 13–14 in Portsmouth, NH: Turning Data into Headlines using Google Gemini + Pinpoint and Accelerating Research & Ensuring Trust with Google NotebookLM and SynthID. Together, these sessions will expand on how newsrooms of all sizes can responsibly integrate AI tools into editorial and business workflows.

Join us online February 24 to get started — and continue the learning in Portsmouth this March.

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College Award Winners: Attend the 2026 NENPA Convention & Awards Banquet

Congratulations to all of the winners in the College Division of the New England Better Newspaper Competition! We look forward to welcoming you to the 2026 New England Newspaper Convention & Trade Show, taking place March 13–14, 2026, in Portsmouth, NH, which culminates in the Journalism Awards Banquet on Saturday evening, March 14, where this year’s award winners will be announced and honored.

Below are all attendance and registration options for colleges and universities, including packages designed for groups and individual students or faculty.

Academic Partnership (Best Value for Colleges)

Offered jointly by NENPA and the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC), the Academic Partnership, gives students and faculty full access to professional journalism training plus direct exposure to First Amendment advocacy.

Includes:

  • Unlimited convention access for students, faculty, and staff
    (all workshops, sessions, coffee breaks, receptions, and trade show – March 13–14)

  • Two tickets to the Journalism Awards Banquet (Saturday, March 14)

  • Student résumé and professional photography reviews

  • Two tickets to NEFAC’s New England First Amendment Awards, including a private dinner in Boston (date TBD)

  • Opportunity to meet NEFAC’s Hamblett Award recipient, honoring leadership in free speech and transparency

  • Institutional recognition as an Academic Partner across NENPA and NEFAC materials

Cost: $1,500

Learn more about the Academic Package

Journalism Awards Banquet

Saturday, March 14

Celebrate the winners of the New England Better Newspaper Competition at our signature evening event.

  • Cocktail/networking reception and awards banquet

Cost: $95 per person
(registration for workshops and sessions must be purchased separately)

Convention Registration Page

Individual Student / Faculty Registration

For individual attendees.

  • Full access to all convention programming on March 13–14

Cost: $49 per person
(awards banquet tickets must be purchased separately)

Convention Registration Page

Group Convention Registration

(Colleges & Universities only)

Register ten or more students, faculty, or staff at one flat rate.

  • Full access to all convention programming on March 13–14

Cost: $550
(awards banquet tickets must be purchased separately)

Convention Registration Page

Questions or need help selecting the best option?
Contact Tara Cleary at t.cleary@nenpa.com.

We look forward to welcoming you and celebrating outstanding college journalism — while connecting students to the professional and constitutional foundations of a free press.

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2026 NENPA and NEFAC Academic Partnership

In an evolving media landscape, preparing the next generation of journalists has never been more important. The New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA) and the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC) are proud to offer a joint Academic Partnership designed to engage, inspire, and elevate students, faculty, and staff across New England’s colleges and universities.

At a time when press freedom, accountability, and public trust are under increasing pressure, the 2026 NENPA–NEFAC Academic Partnership provides meaningful, real-world exposure to the professional and ethical foundations of journalism.

The partnership includes access to two cornerstone events:

NENPA’s 2026 New England Newspaper Convention
March 13–14, 2026 | Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Held at The Venue at Portwalk Place, the convention offers a dynamic learning environment featuring workshops, panels, and networking opportunities with working journalists, editors, and media leaders. Students and faculty will gain insight into emerging trends, newsroom innovation, and the future of local journalism.

NEFAC’s 16th Annual New England First Amendment Awards
Boston | Date to be announced
This prestigious evening honors individuals and organizations who defend free speech, transparency, and the public’s right to know. Attendees will experience a powerful celebration of First Amendment values, including dinner and the opportunity to engage with leaders in press freedom advocacy.

Academic Partnership Benefits Include:

  • Unlimited access for students, faculty, and staff to all NENPA Convention workshops and sessions

  • Two tickets to NENPA’s Journalism Awards Banquet

  • Professional résumé and photography reviews for students at the NENPA Convention

  • Admission for two to NEFAC’s New England First Amendment Awards, including a private dinner

  • Exclusive meet-and-greet opportunity with NEFAC’s Hamblett Award recipient

  • Ongoing sponsorship recognition before, during, and after the NENPA Convention

  • Inclusion in NEFAC’s Awards Ceremony program and dedicated event webpage

  • Prominent branding across NENPA and NEFAC promotional materials

The Academic Partnership is available for $1,500, with a response deadline of Friday, February 27, 2026.

Join us in strengthening journalism education, supporting press freedom, and empowering the voices shaping the future of our democracy.

For more information or to secure participation, please contact Tara Cleary at t.cleary@nenpa.com

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Convention Registration Open and Better Newspaper Award Notifications Going Out!

Registration is now open for the 2026 New England Newspaper Convention & Trade Show, taking place March 13–14 at a new location, The Venue at Portwalk Place in Portsmouth, NH. The annual gathering brings together publishers, editors, and newsroom leaders from across New England for two days of practical programming, networking, and celebration of journalistic excellence.

Better Newspaper Competition Award notifications will begin going out this weekend, with winners formally recognized during the Better Newspaper Competition Awards Banquet on Saturday evening, March 14, the largest gathering of the convention.

Register Now

Hotel Rooms Available — Time to Book Your Stay

Planning to attend the convention? Now is the time to book your hotel accommodations. The official NENPA room block is open at the Hampton Inn & Suites Portsmouth Downtown.

Discounted convention rates include:

  • Two queen beds: $169 per night
  • King room: $209 per night
    (plus standard taxes and fees; hot breakfast included)

Rooms are limited, and attendees are encouraged to book early to secure their preferred room type.

NENPA Room Block March 13-14, 2026

Program Highlights

This year’s convention will feature a forward-looking, practical program focused on the ideas and skills newsrooms need to thrive in a changing media landscape.

Sessions will include:

  • Immigration and ICE Reporting Now
  • Collaboration & Newsroom Tools Panel
  • Turning Data into Headlines using Google Gemini + Pinpoint
  • Accelerating Research & Ensuring Trust with Google NotebookLM and SynthID
  • Nonprofit newsroom sustainability
  • Social Media Strategies for Newsrooms of Every Size
  • 10 Ways to Use AI for Sales Prospecting
  • The Power of the Obituary
  • FOIA that Works
  • How You Learn the Court Beat
  • Strategies for Engaging Younger Audiences
  • Column Writing in 2026
  • News Without a Newsroom (film screening)

Additional sessions are still being finalized. Stay tuned for program updates and register today!

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One way to get better information from advertisers

John Foust Advertising
John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training DVDs to save time and get quick results from in-house training. Email for information: john@johnfoust.com

You may have heard the old computer saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” It means that the quality of input that goes into a system will determine the quality of the output. Good input equals good output and bad input equals bad output. 

This is certainly true in the advertising business. What you learn in researching information for an ad campaign will influence the quality of the advertising you produce. That’s why I’ve found it helpful to use the “Five Ws,” a technique commonly used in journalism – Who, What, When, Where and Why. For our purposes, we’ll add an “H” for How. 

Not all of this information should appear in a campaign. This approach is simply intended to dig a foundation for the end result of the advertising itself. Of course, the questions can be customized as needed. Let’s take a closer look: 

  • A logical WHO question is, “Who is your target audience?” Don’t accept “everyone” for an answer. Ads that try to appeal to everyone actually appeal to no one. Narrow it to a specific and relevant group of people – business owners, first-time homebuyers, weekend gardeners, etc.
  • A couple of WHAT questions come to mind. First, “What are the features and benefits of the product or service your client is advertising?” Draw a vertical line down the center of a page in your notepad and label the left side “Features” and the right side “Benefits.” Make sure the benefits are relevant to the target audience. Reduce the list later to the most meaningful points. Another question is, “What special offer can be made?” A buy-one-get-one sale? A discount coupon? A free sample? Maybe even a free consultation?
  • WHEN is a question to sharpen the focus. For example, “When will the special offer be available?” An offer should create urgency with a reasonable start and end date. “When can the target audience use the product or service?” If it’s seasonal, advertising at certain times of the year is obviously better than in the off season.
  • “WHERE is the competition coming from?” Local merchants, big box stores, online sellers? The answer doesn’t mean those places should be mentioned by name in the ads. It’s simply another piece of information that can help you understand your advertiser’s marketing objectives. A natural follow-up question is “Where is the competition advertising?”
  • “WHY should the target audience buy from your client, instead of the competition?” This should open a conversation about ways to differentiate your client from competitors. In order to be effective, they have to stand out. It could be special pricing, business philosophy, selection, track record of success, or something else.
  • If price is a factor to the target audience – and it usually is – an important HOW question is, “How much does the product or service cost” If it’s not appropriate to quote specific prices, consider quoting ranges or “starting from” prices.

It’s all about research. The right questions control the information coming in, so you can control the advertising product on the page. 

(c) Copyright 2026 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

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Business coverage vital to your product and community

Jim Pumarlo is former editor of the Red Wing (Minn.) Republican Eagle. He writes, speaks and provides training on community newsroom success strategies. He is the author of “Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage,” “Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Coverage” and “Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in Small-Town Newspapers.” He can be reached and welcomes comments and questions at jim@pumarlo.com.

Editors are regularly solicited to publish news that puts merchants in good standing. In small communities, grip-and-grin photos of check presentations often dominate the requests. The topic generated a healthy conversation in an editors’ hotline during the holiday season of charitable giving.

To no surprise, approaches covered the landscape. Editors know their communities best and incorporate policies accordingly.

The thread extended into other business coverage. One comment made me especially cringe and should give all editors and publishers food for thought. The remark: “I’m also this passionate about doing stories about businesses – nope. If you want me to write a story about your new business to bring customers through the door, it’s advertising, not news.”

The opinion was not universal.

I welcomed one publisher’s response that a new business, especially in small communities, is news: “Writing a story about a new business will create business. It shows a new business owner how many people are reading your paper!”

There’s no single standard for recognizing business donations to nonprofits and civic endeavors; policies should be flexible and open to re-evaluation depending on circumstances. Among the considerations, does a donation satisfy criteria for a photo and/or story, front or inside page?

Some suggestions to consider:

  • Focus on recipients and not donors, especially for photos contributed month after month. Two cases in point.

A newspaper regularly carried a full page of Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors decked out in red coats visiting new businesses. All eight ambassadors were in each photo; the only new face was the particular business owner. That is material for chamber newsletters. Instead, why not carry a photo of each owner with brief text including a distinctive element of the business.

Or consider the mayor who gets his or her photo in each community donation. Sorry, they have ample other opportunities to be in the news.

  • Focus on results. Recognize donors but elaborate on the value to the recipients and their contributions to community.
  • Avoid check presentations, if possible. If a donation is made to a playground, take a photo of a kid on new equipment.
  • Set appropriate monetary levels to recognize. Remember, however, that a $50 donation from a small company might be as equally noteworthy as a $500 donation from a large corporation.
  • Devote a page or section periodically to acknowledge donations.

Bottom line, business donations contribute to the social fabric of communities. There’s ample reason to acknowledge the philanthropy in some fashion.

Then there’s the realm of PR pitches beyond donations. 

Some can be dismissed immediately. A merchant submits a photo celebrating its 90th year of operation for the annual Progress Edition, a reasonable benchmark – but it proceeds to seek coverage for its 91st, 92nd, 93rd anniversaries. An appliance store carries a new brand and style of refrigerator, submits a photo of the owner wheeling the model on a dolly into the showroom.

Other stories are legitimate and newsworthy. I put new businesses in that category with a caveat. Timeliness and relevancy are essential. A new retailer merits a report when it opens. Its grand opening three months later is an ad.

A plethora of business stories can be pursued beyond the standard fare of openings, anniversaries, expansions and employee promotions. What happens in the workplace can often have greater impact than votes at a city council meeting. Consider the hours that employees – your readers – spend on the job.

Incorporating stories about employers and employees – the local economy – is a great topic to brainstorm. It’s imperative that news and advertising departments are on the same page regarding policies and guidelines. Consistency and fairness are especially important; the largest advertisers or friends of the publisher should not warrant special treatment.

Business dynamics were center stage during the extraordinary times of COVID-19. Recording the pulse for readers is equally vital during ordinary times. Expanding coverage into an everyday beat can be a win-win proposition. Stories generate great content and plant the seed for more advertising dollars.

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Convention Congratulatory Ads

Congratulate your staff and promote the extraordinary work and achievements of your organization by placing an ad in the New England Newspaper Convention Program Book! Your support increases staff morale and also supports our efforts at the convention.

You can also honor and congratulate colleagues being inducted into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame and the Academy of New England Journalists.

The reduced rate for these ads, $125 for an inside page, is only available to member publications, colleagues and family members. We can design your ad for a total of $175. (Industry partners and vendors can click here for information on promotional ads.)

Please complete the form below to reserve space in the Convention Program, the Hall of Fame Dinner, or the Yankee Quill Awards Luncheon book. If you have questions, please contact Tara Cleary at t.cleary@nenpa.com.

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Subscribe to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance notification system

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance recently developed a notification system that alerts subscribers in real time when certain information is posted to their website.

Currently, the information includes when a selected candidate or political committee files a campaign finance report, a committee such as a ballot question committee or SuperPAC files a report, a new candidate or committee organizes with OCPF, and when OCPF’s legal department posts a document resolving an issue with a candidate or committee. The agency plans to broaden the service to include educational materials, memoranda, and general press releases.

Users can subscribe to the system by going to the E-Notify icon on the front page of www.ocpf.us or by clicking here to register for OCPF’s e-notify system. Once registered, you will be able to subscribe to the notifications of your choice.

For additional information, contact OCPF at ocpf@mass.gov or by telephone at (617) 979-8300.

For information concerning this release, contact OCPF Director of Communications and Public Education Jason Tait at jason.tait@mass.gov

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Sponsorship Opportunities Added for the 2026 Convention

Looking to expand your business, strengthen your brand, and connect directly with decision-makers in the newspaper industry? Join us as a sponsor or exhibitor at the 2026 New England Newspaper Convention & Trade Show, taking place March 13–14 in a new location at The Venue at Portwalk Place in Portsmouth, NH.

As a Convention partner, you’ll gain direct access to publishers, editors, and senior leaders from daily, weekly, specialty, and digital news organizations across Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Sponsorship offers meaningful opportunities to engage with current and prospective clients during two days of live programming, networking, and industry celebrations.

Sponsor one of our three award events and celebrate excellence in New England journalism. The New England Newspaper Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will take place on Friday, March 13, honoring individuals whose careers have made a lasting impact on journalism in the region. The Yankee Quill Awards Luncheon, held on Saturday, March 14, will recognize distinguished service to journalism, civic life, and community leadership. The Better Newspaper Competition Awards Banquet on the evening of Saturday, March 14, recognizing outstanding work from newsrooms across the region, caps off the convention, and is our largest gathering of the year.

We welcome creative partnership ideas and are happy to work with you on custom sponsorship packages.

Explore Sponsorship Options

Contact:

Tara Cleary at t.cleary@nenpa.com or (617) 520-4585 to reserve your sponsorship and answer any questions.

Schedule a meeting to discuss our sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities.

Planning to attend the 2026 New England Newspaper Convention in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, March 13–14? Now is the time to book your hotel accommodations. The official convention hotel room block is open, and rooms are currently available.

Attendees can reserve rooms at the Hampton Inn & Suites Portsmouth Downtown through the convention booking link at discounted rates: rooms with two queen beds are available for $169 per night, and king rooms are available for $209 per night, plus standard hotel taxes and fees. All room rates include a hot breakfast each day. Participants are encouraged to book early to secure their preferred room type.

NENPA Room Block March 13-14, 2026

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Free legal training for journalists offered March 26-27 in South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is accepting applications from print, broadcast and internet journalists for its Media Law School program, which provides the opportunity to develop a basic understanding of the law and legal system so that participants can report accurately on the many important legal issues in the news. 

The program will be held March 26-27, 2026, on the University of South Carolina campus in Columbia, S.C. Applications for the program are due Feb. 13. 

There is no registration fee for the program, and fellows receive a travel allowance of up to $500, three nights hotel lodging and selected meals during the conference. The program is funded by the American Board of Trial Advocates and the American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation. 

Find out more and apply here.

For more information, contact Eric Robinson at medialawschool@sc.edu.

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