Much of APME's work occurs throughout the year in the association's committees.
While individual goals change every year as new issues and opportunities arise, the priority remains the same: help APME assist busy editors and directors to become better managers leading trained, professional staffs who put out interesting, relevant newspapers, websites and broadcast reports.
The committees are a great way to get involved with the association and to move into an important, visible role in the news industry.
If you'd like to get involved in the good work of APME or have questions about the committees, e-mail the committee chairs below.
■ Marketing, Branding & Communications: This committee helps to get the word out about the group’s activities and conference and those of NewsTrain and other initiatives through the website, social media and other marketing tools. It interacts with all the other committees and is vital to the success of the organization. This committee works to grow and improve both the annual live and silent auctions at the conference and the online auctions throughout the year.
Co-chair: Dennis Anderson, The (Peoria, Ill.) Journal Star
Co-chair: Laura Sellers Earl, EO Media Group, Salem, Ore.
Vice-chair: Elections & Membership: Carol Hanner, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal. This committee is responsible for vetting candidates to fill expiring or empty positions on the APME Board of Directors. Candidates are chosen based on participation in APME, circulation size, geography and other factors to ensure a diverse governing body.
Vice-chairs: Professors & Student Journalists: Mark Baldwin, Rockford (Ill.) Register Star and Jim St. Clair, Indiana University Southeast. With the addition of educators and student news leaders to the membership, this committee will help engage and involve those involved with our next generation of news leaders.
Vice-chair: APME Magazine: Andrew Oppman, Middle Tennessee State University. One of our most valued and important communication tools, APME News is mailed several times a year magazine to the AP membership.
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Fundraising: This committee seeks funding through sponsorships and grants for the annual conference and NewsTrain.
Co-Chair:
Jack Lail, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel.
■ First Amendment: This committee champions the First Amendment through programs and initiatives.
Chair: Teri Hayt, The (Canton, Ohio) Repository
The (Canton, Ohio) Repository
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NewsTrain:
NewsTrain is a national touring workshop serving journalists in their own cities. Programs are designed to provide training in the skills, knowledge, and information newsroom leaders need in a rapidly changing media setting.
Co-Chair: Aminda Marques Gonzalez, Miami Herald
Co-Chair: Kurt Franck, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
■ APME Awards: This committee organizes the annual APME awards: Innovator of the Year, The Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism, Public Service, First Amendment, International Perspective, Digital Storytelling and Reporting and the AP staff awards. They will work with the marketing and other committees to publicize the awards, entry criteria and deadlines. Then the group coordinates the judging each summer and presentations at the conference.
Co-chair: David Arkin, GateHouse Media
Co-chair: Joe Hight, Colorado Springs Gazette
■ Diversity Today: This committee organizes the Robert G. McGruder Diversity Leadership awards and will focus throughout the year on diminished diversity priorities.
Co-Chair: Debra Adams Simmons, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
Co-Chair: Michael Days, Philadelphia Daily News
■ APME 50 (state reachout): APME 50 is a plan to reach out to active editors and news directors in each state.
Co-Chair: Bob Heisse, State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.
Co-Chair: Leon Tucker, The Courier Post, Cherry Hill, N.J.
■ National Reporting/Sounding Board: The National Reporting Committee helps coordinate joint efforts between AP and its members, usually centered on specific topics. The Sounding Board panel solicits feedback from editors about AP’s filing of the wires, news content and other aspects of the news cooperative’s report. It also deals with issues of import to the newsroom leaders who comprise the membership.
Co-Chair: Gary Graham, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Co-Chair: Jim Simon, The Seattle Times
■ Broadcast: This panel will look at ways to honor and inolve APME's newest members from the broadcast stations.
Co-Chair: Elbert Tucker, WBNS-10TV, Columbus, Ohio
Co-Chair: Eric Ludgood, WGCL/CBS, Atlanta News
■ Indianapolis Convention 2013: One of the busiest committees, this one plans the annual conference in Indianapolis, attends to the details and runs the show each year.
Co-Chair: Bill Church, Salem (Ore.) Statesman-Journal
Co-Chair: Mark Baldwin, Rockford (Ill.) Register Star
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