News Leaders Association

In 1922, the American Society of Newspaper Editors was formed by top editors to elevate the professionalism and ethics of the journalism business.{{Cite web |last=Leib |first=Howard |date=2009 |title=American Society of News Editors |url=https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1173/american-society-of-news-editors |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Middle Tennessee State University}} In 1931, managing editors felt they needed their own organization, forming the Associated Press Managing Editors.{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2020 |title=The Associated Press History |url=https://www.zippia.com/associated-press-careers-40854/history/ |website=Zippia}} Both organizations would later change their names to reflect the changing industry: ASNE became the American Society of News Editors in 2009{{Cite web |last=Calderone |first=Michael |date=December 16, 2008 |title=ASNE proposes name change; remove 'newspaper' |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/1208/ASNE_proposes_name_change_remove_newspapers.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217033751/https://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/1208/ASNE_proposes_name_change_remove_newspapers.html |archive-date=December 17, 2008 |website=Politico}} and APME became the Associated Press Media Editors in 2011.{{Cite web |last=Romenesko |first=Jim |date=September 14, 2011 |title=Associated Press Managing Editors changes name to Associated Press Media Editors |url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2011/associated-press-managing-editors-changes-name-to-associated-press-media-editors/ |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Poynter}} In 2016, the Association of Opinion Journalists was merged with ASNE.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 10, 2016 |title=AOJ to join forces with ASNE, turn over writing seminar to The Poynter Institute |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aoj-to-join-forces-with-asne-turn-over-writing-seminar-to-the-poynter-institute-300265245.html |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=PR Newswire}}

By 2018, the need for two separate organizations was not needed and hence they were merged to form the American Society of News Editors and the Associated Press Media Editors.” At the 2019 annual conference of APME and ASNE, the merger was approved.

In 2020, the NLA canceled its annual conference, postponing it to spring 2021.{{Cite web |last=Edmonds |first=Rick |date=2020-03-06 |title=Merged news editors group is canceling its 2020 conference |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2020/merged-news-editors-group-is-canceling-its-2020-conference/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Poynter |language=en-US}}

On December 8, 2023, the NLA's board of directors unanimously approved the NLA membership’s November vote to dissolve organization and distribute its remaining assets to other nonprofits by June 30, 2024.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-12-12 |title=NLA board approves membership’s vote to dissolve by June 2024 |url=https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/nla-board-approves-memberships-vote-to-dissolve-by-june-2024,247154 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Editor & Publisher |language=en}}

In 1978, ASNE launched an annual diversity survey of America's newsrooms.{{Cite web |last=Chideya |first=Farai |date=May 22, 2018 |title='This deepening division is not inevitable': The failing diversity efforts of newsrooms |url=https://www.cjr.org/analysis/newsroom-diversity-failing-efforts.php |website=Columbia Journalism Review}} NLA continued this work, under the name "Transformative Transparency Project".{{Cite web |title=Transformative Transparency Project |url=https://www.newsleaders.org/transformative-transparency-project |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309200725/https://www.newsleaders.org/transformative-transparency-project |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |website=News Leaders Association}}

In a 2021 interview with Open the Government, NLA executive director Fran Reilly explained, "We have created an expanded program that is designed to meet the urgency of the lack of DEI in journalism—we will soon be rolling out the Transformative Transparency Project, which still uses a data collection framework to gain insights to understand the full scope of the problem, but is expanded to include tools, resources and programs to help newsrooms improve their DEI culture, and set and reach diversity goals."{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2021 |title=Q & A with an Accountability Expert |url=https://www.openthegovernment.org/q-a-with-an-accountability-expert-9/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416143757/https://www.openthegovernment.org/q-a-with-an-accountability-expert-9/ |archive-date=April 16, 2021 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Open the Government}}

NLA paused the survey in 2020 to rework it after years of lackluster participation. In 2021, NLA choose not to release the results of that year's diversity survey, citing problems with the collected demographic information. Those issues included discrepancies in how certain racial and ethnic categories were counted and percentages that did not add up to 100.{{Cite web |last=Fu |first=Angela |date=2022-08-18 |title=NLA scraps 2021 diversity survey results after finding ‘data integrity’ issues |url=https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/nla-scraps-2021-diversity-survey-results-after-finding-data-integrity-issues/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Poynter |language=en-US}}

In 2022, while NLA had planned for 2,500 print and online organizations to participate in the survey, only 303 news organizations responded that year, down from 429 orgs that responded in 2019, but up from the 293 that responded in 2018, which was the historic low-water mark for participation.{{Cite web |last=Scrie |first=Sarah |date=April 12, 2022 |title=Yet again, newsrooms aren’t showing up to the industry’s largest diversity survey |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/04/crushing-resistance-yet-again-newsrooms-arent-showing-up-to-the-industrys-largest-diversity-survey/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Nieman Lab}}

Sunshine Week is a national initiative spearheaded by the News Leaders Association to educate the public about the importance of open government and freedom of information.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rcfp.org/sunshine-week-2021/|title=Celebrate Sunshine Week 2021 March 14-20|date=March 11, 2021}} It was established in March 2005 and is celebrated annually during the week containing March 16, which is National Freedom of Information Day.{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/opinion/editorial/the-editorial-board-as-sunshine-week-dawns-officeholders-continue-to-keep-secrets-from-citizens/article_27b4d28a-7d16-11eb-8d00-839b0087e7d5.html|title=The Editorial Board: As Sunshine Week dawns, officeholders continue to keep secrets from citizens|first=News Editorial|last=Board|website=The Buffalo News}}

In December 2023, NLA transferred stewardship of Sunshine Week to the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information (FOI) Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.{{Cite web |last=Bennett |first=Randy |date=2023-12-11 |title=Brechner Freedom of Information Project to Lead National Sunshine Week |url=https://www.jou.ufl.edu/2023/12/11/brechner-freedom-of-information-project-to-lead-national-sunshine-week/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=UF College of Journalism and Communications |language=en-US}}

NLA recognized excellence in journalism and leadership with their annual awards. The NLA Awards continued the long traditions of the previous ASNE and APME Awards, and are among the most prestigious in journalism.{{Cite web |last=Andersen |first=Travis |date=March 5, 2021 |title=Boston Globe columnist wins News Leaders Association opinion prize |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/05/metro/boston-globe-columnist-wins-news-leaders-association-opinion-prize/ |website=The Boston Globe}}

In 2021, a new award was created to recognize an editor or team of editors who have displayed strong leadership in matching the extraordinary moment of an unprecedented year through great journalism and vital decision making on all fronts. Ron Nixon, Associated Press global investigations editor, was named the inaugural News Leader of the Year.{{Cite web |date=April 5, 2021 |title=AP's Nixon wins News Leader of the Year award from NLA |url=https://apnews.com/article/martin-shkreli-health-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-19-pandemic-stephanie-clifford-8e518781522c1590ff3503f01516bb5c |website=Associated Press}}

On November 30, 2023, it was announced the NLA transitioned stewardship of the NLA Awards to the Poynter Institute, who will administer the contest from 2024 onward. The awards were renamed to The Poynter Journalism Prizes.{{Cite web |last=Orsi |first=Jennifer |date=2023-11-30 |title=Poynter Institute to run respected 45-year-old journalism contest, now renamed The Poynter Journalism Prizes |url=https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2023/poynter-institute-to-run-respected-45-year-old-journalism-contest-now-renamed-the-poynter-journalism-prizes-nla-asne/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Poynter |language=en-US}}

{{reflist}}

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Columbia, Missouri

Category:Journalism organizations