Pennsylvania News Media Association

09/10/2026

National Newspaper Week returns Oct. 4-10, offering an opportunity to celebrate the essential role newspapers and local journalism play in informing and strengthening communities. 💪 📰

Newspaper Association Managers has released its 2026 collection of resources, including columns, editorial cartoons and marketing materials, which are available for news organizations to download and use as they plan their own National Newspaper Week observances.

Learn more here: https://www.nationalnewspaperweek.com/

09/10/2026

There's still time to register for the Monday, Sept. 14 PNA webinar themed "Data Journalism in Election Integrity." 🇺🇸🗳

In an era of distrust, transparency backed by verifiable data is one of the strongest tools for public confidence.

Learn how to acquire, clean and verify election data, analyze information effectively, and investigate election integrity without amplifying misinformation.

The free webinar is presented by the Center for Journalism Excellence and PNA Foundation. Register today: https://panewsmedia.org/event/data-journalism-in-election-integrity/

09/09/2026

AI is changing journalism and the legal landscape. Are you prepared? Join PNA on Oct. 8 for a timely AI legal doubleheader at the 2026 Journalism Excellence Convention in Harrisburg.

📰 “Data Centers and Defamation Risk” will explore Pennsylvania defamation law, anti-SLAPP protections and the reporting risks journalists need to understand.

©️ “Protecting Intellectual Property” will examine AI’s impact on news content, federal efforts and the evolving challenges surrounding copyright.

Hear from Ballard Spahr partners Michael Berry and Kaitlin M. Gurney, along with Holly Lubart, vice president of government affairs for the News Media Alliance.

Don’t miss these essential sessions addressing the intersection of AI, journalism and the law.

Register for PNA’s 2026 Journalism Excellence Convention, Oct. 7-9 in Harrisburg: https://panewsmedia.org/event/2026-pna-convention/

09/08/2026

Help make the PNA Journalism Excellence Convention Evening of Excellence even more special by recognizing one of this year’s distinguished honorees with a congratulatory ad in the dinner program! ⭐🌃

Whether it’s a simple “Congratulations!” or a more personalized tribute, your message is a meaningful way to recognize their achievements and contributions to Pennsylvania journalism.

Dinner program advertising opportunities include:

➡️ Full page — $595

➡️ Half page — $395

➡️ Quarter page — $195

➡️ Eighth page — $125

Ready to celebrate an honoree? Contact William Cotter at [email protected] to reserve your ad.

📸 Dick Tabbachino, White Birch Paper Company regional sales manager; Teresa Shaak, PNA and PNA Foundation services senior manager; and Gary Owen, Muller Martini North America director of strategic accounts and member of the PNA Foundation Board of Trustees, shown at the PNA 100th Anniversary Gala.

09/05/2026

Millersville University will host its 6th Annual Sustainable Development Goals Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, focusing on "Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions".

This one-day conference will take place at The Ware Center in downtown Lancaster, bringing together policymakers, community leaders and advocates, agency heads and staff, and educators to address today's most pressing social challenges.

The conference aims to facilitate meaningful dialogue on innovative solutions, best practices, and resource sharing to promote peace, justice, and community safety.

PNA’s Director of Government Affairs Jan Murphy will participate on the “Covering Democracy: How Local Journalists Keep Communities Informed” panel.

On site, same-day registration will be available. Registration is also available on the conference website: https://www.millersville.edu/ceged/events/

09/04/2026

Planning to attend PNA’s 2026 Journalism Excellence Convention in Harrisburg? Don’t wait to book your room! 🚨 The hotel reservation deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 8. 🚨 The deadline is firm and will NOT be extended!

A limited block of discounted rooms is available. Reserve yours through the PNA hotel block or call 717-561-2800 and ask for the “Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association” block.

📅 Oct. 7–9, 2026

📍 The Central Hotel & Conference Center, Harrisburg

‼️ Book by Sept. 8 before the deadline passes!

Details and reservation information: https://panewsmedia.org/event/2026-pna-convention/

09/03/2026

After more than two decades of dedicated service to the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and its members, PNA Media Law Counsel Melissa Bevan Melewsky will leave the association next month to begin a new chapter in her career.

Melewsky has accepted a position as national director of legal services for the Student Press Law Center, where she will continue her work supporting and protecting journalists and press freedom.

PNA members are invited to join us at noon on Thursday, Sept. 24 at our office in Harrisburg as we celebrate Melissa’s incredible two decades of legal service to PNA, our industry and our journalists. Please RSVP to Bill Cotter via email. 📩

Her last day with PNA will be Sept. 25. Read more from the Student Press Law Center here: https://splc.org/2026/09/melewsky-to-join-student-press-law-center-as-legal-director/

Throughout her more than 20 years with PNA, Melewsky has been an invaluable resource and advocate for Pennsylvania’s news media organizations and journalists. Through PNA’s Legal Hotline, educational programs and direct assistance to members, she has provided guidance on a wide range of media law issues, including Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act, First Amendment and newsgathering issues, defamation and privacy, advertising compliance and other legal matters affecting news organizations.

“Melissa has made an extraordinary contribution to PNA and to journalism across Pennsylvania,” PNA President and CEO Bill Cotter said. “For more than two decades, our members have benefited from her knowledge, commitment and steadfast dedication to protecting the work of journalists. We are enormously grateful for her service and congratulate her on this exciting new opportunity.”

PNA members will continue to have access to Legal Hotline services. PNA leadership is developing a transition plan to ensure members continue to receive the media law guidance and support they rely on. Melewsky will work with PNA to help maintain continuity of service throughout the change. Additional information about PNA’s media law counsel and Legal Hotline services will be shared with members as details are finalized.

Please join us in thanking Melissa for her tremendous service to PNA and Pennsylvania’s news media community and in wishing her every success in her new role. 📰💙

The Student Press Law Center is proud to announce that longtime media lawyer Melissa Bevan Melewsky will join the organization on Sept. 28 as its first legal director.

09/03/2026

Join fellow media and advertising professionals Sept. 16-18 at the 2026 PNA Advertising Conference, featuring interactive, hands-on learning and seminars designed to sharpen your sales strategy and strengthen client relationships.

⚾📈 Featured session “Field of Dreams: Build Relationships...and the Business Will Come” brings a baseball-themed approach to purposeful prospecting, authentic relationship-building and consistent follow-up, with David Wells sharing practical, real-world strategies you can put to work immediately.

Download the conference brochure and register today.

https://panewsmedia.org/2026-pna-advertising-conference/

09/02/2026

Show your support for Pennsylvania journalism by becoming a sponsor of the Journalism Excellence Convention Evening of Excellence. 🌙✨

Sponsorship opportunities offer organizations meaningful visibility while helping PNA recognize the people and news organizations whose work strengthens journalism and the communities it serves. Opportunities are available at several levels, including exclusive sponsorships.

Learn more here.https://panewsmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/Events/PNA_Convention/PNAEveningOfExcellence-Sponsorships-revTS.pdf

09/02/2026

There are less than two weeks until the Sept. 14 webinar, “Data Journalism in Election Integrity.” Join Carter Walker of Votebeat and Mike Wereschagin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a free webinar from the Center for Journalism Excellence and the PNA Foundation.

Learn how journalists can use data acquisition, verification and analysis to investigate election integrity, identify misinformation and strengthen public confidence in election coverage.

Register today: https://panewsmedia.org/event/data-journalism-in-election-integrity/