LititzDailyNews.com was welcomed in October 2014 as an online member of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA), the official trade organization for news media companies in the Commonwealth. The association announced the new membership in its electronic member publication, Headlines and Deadlines, on October 23, 2014.
“It is an honor for LititzDailyNews.com to be admitted into membership with this distinguished organization,” said Lynn Rebuck, then editor and publisher of the site. “The resources that membership in PNA provides to our publication have already been of direct and immediate benefit to our readers and to the community of Lititz.”
A rigorous review
The site was accepted after a review of its published online content and its traffic. At the time, more than 13,000 unique readers had visited LititzDailyNews.com for breaking news, sports and special event coverage, though the publication had launched less than two months earlier.
“The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association continues to affirm the value of online-only publications to our local communities throughout the Commonwealth through increasing acceptance of online-only news sites into membership,” Rebuck said.
About the PNA
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, based in Harrisburg, describes its mission as advancing the business interests of Pennsylvania news media companies and promoting a free and independent press. Its membership includes daily and weekly newspapers across the state, and in the 2010s it increasingly opened its doors to digital-only outlets.
The association offers members legal hotline services on open-records and open-meetings questions, training, advocacy in the state legislature and annual journalism contests. For a small local publication, access to guidance on Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act can make a real difference when covering local government and school boards.
Built for readers
Rebuck said readers had been quick to respond to the new outlet. “It has been wonderful to receive emails from readers expressing their gratitude for LititzDailyNews.com and how it provides them with an alternate source of news in the community,” she said.
From its start, the site emphasized articles with multiple high-resolution photos and video, and said it aimed to present issues of local interest in a fair and balanced manner. Membership would also allow the publication to take part in PNA conferences and professional contests for online newspapers. Rebuck had previously been recognized for excellence in journalism by the association.
Recognition that followed
Membership paid off quickly. In the months that followed, LititzDailyNews.com entered the association’s digital media contests and was recognized with multiple awards, and in 2015 it was named a finalist for a national EPPY award. Those honors are covered in separate articles on this site.
What membership means for readers
For readers, the practical benefits of membership are often invisible but important. Trade association support helps small newsrooms request public records, understand their rights at public meetings, verify the rules on publishing legal notices and keep up with best practices in ethics and accuracy. Contests and conferences give reporters and photographers feedback from experienced judges and colleagues at other publications, which in turn raises the quality of coverage that reaches local readers.
Local news in a changing industry
The acceptance came at a time when many communities were losing local news coverage as print newspapers cut staff or closed. Online-only publications like LititzDailyNews.com aimed to fill the gap by covering school board meetings, borough council, high school sports and community events in depth.
For Lititz, a borough of about 9,000 residents in northern Lancaster County, the site offered another source for daily coverage of local happenings, from the Fourth of July celebration in Lititz Springs Park to Warwick School District decisions.
This article was originally published in October 2014.