The 2025 New England Newspaper Convention is happening next week in historic Portland, Maine! Join us March 28-29 in Portland, Maine, for two days of expert-led sessions, networking, and celebrations of the best journalism in New England. We are excited to announce additional sessions and the times for our program lineup below!
Registration for sessions and some special events will remain open through Monday, March 24 at 5:00 pm.
A limited number of rooms are still available at the Hyatt Place Portland-Old Port (just a 3-minute walk to the Convention and Awards Banquet) at $199 per night—to book these rooms please email t.cleary@nenpa.com and let her know you are interested.
Don’t Miss Our Special Events:
Hall of Fame Dinner (Friday, March 28 beginning at 6:00 PM) – The 2025 honorees are Stephen Kurkjian, The Boston Globe, Paul Pronovost, Cape Cod Times and Naomi Schalit and John Christie, Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.
Yankee Quill Awards Luncheon (Saturday, March 29 beginning at noon) – The recipients are Jacqueline Smith, Hearst Connecticut Media, Mike Bello, The Boston Globe, Gloria Negri, The Boston Globe, Randy Capitani, The Deerfield Valley News and historical figures Henry and Benjamin Lindsey, Whalemen’s Shipping List and Merchants’ Transcript.
SOLD OUT – Journalism Awards Banquet (Saturday, March 29 beginning at 6:00 PM) – Our largest celebratory gathering of the year where we reveal the results of the annual New England Better Newspaper Competition!
For more details visit https://www.nenpa.com/newspaper-convention/ for any questions, email info@nenpa.com. We look forward to learning and celebrating with you in Portland!
Schedule for 2025 New England Newspaper Convention:
Friday, March 28
Sessions – 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Increasing Your Digital Sales & Closing Ratios – Shannon Kinney, CEO of Dream Local Digital, will share practical strategies to boost your sales success.
30 Tips for Interviewing Techniques – Mike Donoghue of Vermont News First shares practical advice for strengthening your interview skills.
Philanthropy as the Third Leg of the Stool – Discover how grants, donor support, and community partnerships can sustain impactful journalism.
Sessions – 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Using AI in Sales and Marketing – Learn how AI can enhance your advertising sales efforts with tips from Kevin Berrier.
Unlocking Data for Local Journalism – Cheryl Phillips from Big Local News will introduce tools to elevate your data-driven reporting.
How Maine Trust For Local News Grew Sponsored Content Revenue 3X – The team from Maine Trust for Local News will discuss their successful branded content initiatives, and their strategic approach that focuses on structure, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Keynote – 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
NENPA Urgent Town Hall: The Fight for the First Amendment – Chaired by NENPA president Aaron Julien and Rob Bertsche. Don’t miss this. In a lively Town Hall-style session, journalists across New England will share what their organizations are doing—and what yours can do, and what we can all do together—to reinforce, at a local and regional level, the vitality of a free press. Come prepared to join the discussion.
Hall of Fame Dinner and Cocktail Reception beginning at 6:00 PM
The Hall of Fame honors newspaper industry heroes whose talent, hard work, and exceptional accomplishments inspire all New England journalists. Join us in congratulating, honoring, and celebrating this year’s four new inductees.
Saturday, March 29
Keynote – 9:00 am – 10:15 am
Counternarratives: Repositioning the News to Examine Editorial Veracity and Fairness – Join artist Alexandra Bell for an insightful session on rethinking and revising news coverage to promote fairness and accuracy. Through her powerful visual works that critique media bias, Bell challenges journalists to examine editorial choices, language, and framing. This session will inspire fresh perspectives on how newsrooms can identify and address bias, ensuring their coverage better reflects truth and equity.
Sessions – 10:30 am – 11:45 am
Sex, Gender, and Local News – Meg Heckman shares tips for providing responsible coverage in polarizing times.
Opening Up the Government: A Reporter’s Toolbox – Learn how to uncover public records and government secrets with First Amendment attorney Sig Schutz.
Double Session – 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
AI Tools for Your Newsroom – Mike Reilley will guide you through free AI tools to enhance reporting and editing.
Fact-Checking Tools and Best Practices – Mike Reilley will provide tools to combat misinformation in post-election coverage.
Yankee Quill Luncheon 12:00 pm – 1:45 pm
This celebration honors six extraordinary individuals for their lifetime of achievement and distinction in New England Journalism. The Academy of New England Journalists will present the prestigious Yankee Quill Award to this year’s inductees.
Sessions – 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm
DEIB + journalism are under attack: how to navigate the current state of play – Emma Carew Grovum, will lead a discussion and brainstorm around best practices in this rapidly evolving and emerging space. Participants will walk away with a co-created list of tips and techniques to bring back to their newsrooms and try immediately.
What Makes a Good Story: Ideas to Help the Writer – Hear from award-winning journalists on crafting compelling stories that readers can’t put down.
Podcasting for Publishers – Learn podcasting strategies from experts Monica Brady-Myerov and Elaine Appleton Grant.
Sessions – 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm
Repositioning the News Workshop – Alexandra Bell will also present an interactive workshop where participants will learn to rethink, revise, redact, and modify news pages and how to deconstruct language and imagery to explore the tension between marginal experiences and dominant histories.
Media Law Refresher (2025 Update) – A fast-paced primer on how your local newsroom, print or online, can stay enterprising while avoiding legal trouble.
Publick Occurrences Winners Panel – Every fall, NENPA honors reporters who produced the past year’s best journalism in New England with Publick Occurrences awards. For our 2025 conference, we bring four of them together on a panel to talk shop. Join this engaging discussion with committed investigative journalists about the high-wire act of getting big projects out the door.
Journalism Awards Banquet and Cocktail Reception beginning at 6:00 PM
Our largest celebratory gathering of the year where we reveal the results of the annual New England Better Newspaper Competition!