Lawsuit against paper tossed
Ex-Easton official sued paper, reporter over story about alleged misconduct. 
A Northampton County judge ruled Dec. 28 in favor of The Express-Times and one of its reporters in a 2002 lawsuit brought by a former city health official who claimed the newspaper defamed him. 

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Ted Serrill, former PNA executive director, dies at 93.
THEODORE ANDREW 'TED', 93 of Palm Harbor, FL, died on Sat., Jan. 1, 2005 at Mease Hospital Dunedin. He worked for the Easton Express in Easton, PA and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Assoc. where he became the Executive Director and served for 13 years. 

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Newspaper veteran, Adrian Pratt, to be publisher and president of Centre Daily Times.
On Jan. 5, Adrian Pratt was publisher of Knight Ridder's American News in Aberdeen, S.D., facing a winter of negative temperatures and wind chills.

Less than 24 hours later, he was standing in the Centre Daily Times newsroom being introduced as the newspaper's new publisher and president. He starts Jan. 24. 

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Allan Block named chairman of Block Communications, owner of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Allan Block has been named chairman of Block Communications Inc., which owns The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Tsunami Roundup
In the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association will be collecting and publishing the following items from member papers:

Tsunami coverage. Send your front pages!

Special relief efforts. We're interested in what your paper has done to support tsunami victims. 

These items will be published on the PNA Web site so that members can be recognized.

To ensure that the PNA includes your coverage and/or relief efforts, send items to ericas@pa-news.org with the subject line "Tsunami Roundup."

Winning the battle with your 5-Star Ads...
Display Advertising Managers and Staff!
See where you rank. Enter the 2005 PNA/IAMA Display Advertising Contest. Deadline is Feb. 7, 2005. 

Don't miss this opportunity to find out how your display ads compare to other entries. For rules and information: [CLICK HERE]

Last chance to get your Web site noticed!
Calling all last minute entries for the Newspaper Excellence in Cyberspace competition! Here's your chance to get your paper's Web site the recognition it deserves. No site is too small. Awards will be presented at New Media World in Hershey, Pa.
Deadline is right around the corner: Jan. 15, 2005.

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Islamic roundtable discussion Feb. 11
The PNA Foundation is offering a free roundtable discussion with reporters, editors, editorial writers and a Fulbright scholar with expertise in Islamic issues and the Middle East. This is the perfect chance to get some background on covering the Islamic community in your circulation area.

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Clear your schedules for Feb. 1-2
PNA’s 18th Annual Government Affairs Conference will be held Feb. 1-2, 2005 at The Harrisburg Hilton and Towers. The full schedule is now posted, along with details on hotel reservations and directions.

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2005 PNA press identification cards and stickers have been mailed!
The 2005 Pennsylvania Newspaper Association press identification cards and stickers for distribution to your reporters, editors and photographers have already been mailed. If you require additional cards or stickers, please contact Luann Smith at 717-703-3075 or luanns@pa-news.org.

Less than one month left to enter.
Now accepting entries for the 2005 Keystone Press Awards Contest. Rules and information regarding the contest are being mailed but can also be downloaded at http://www.pa-newspaper.org/foundation/Contest/keystone/keystones.htm. 

Don't miss your chance to enter! Deadline is Jan. 28, 2005.

ISWNE Golden Quill contest
The deadline to enter the Golden Quill editorial writing contest sponsored by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE) is Feb. 1. 

Entries should reflect the purpose of the ISWNE: Encouraging the writing of editorials that identify issues that are or should be of concern to the community, offer an opinion, and support a course of action.

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From the Hotline: 
Can we use the term “students” in a housing or employment classified advertisement?

Teri Henning, PNA's media law counsel, discusses whether or not this is an appropriate term for advertisements.

Use this link to visit the Headlines & Deadlines page which groups and archives Teri Henning's weekly 'From the Hotline' columns. 

Go Figure: Making Numbers Count  
Matt Baron, freelance writer for the Chicago Tribune, offers a column to help improve your mathematical literacy.  Baron advises, "sassy stats can beguile, so tackle numbers with strong context."

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