KPA boot-camp counseling
One-week session considered a success

By DAVID GREER
Member Services Director

Photo by John Whitlock/KPA Kentucky Press Association MemberServices Director David Greer, front, leads a discussion on ethics with attendees at July’s week-long journalism boot camp held in Frankfort.

“I’m really glad I took this class,” said Nancy Fisher. “I’ve learned a lot today.” Fisher and 10 other people completed the KPA One-Week Journalism Boot Camp held July 10-14 in Frankfort. Boot campers learned about feature and hard-news writing, Kentucky’s Open Meetings and Open Records laws, AP style, covering a public meeting, the importance of taking accurate notes and a myriad of other topics. This writer served as boot camp instructor. In addition, boot campers heard from four guest speakers ­ retired Anderson News publisher and award-winning writer Don White, media attorney and KPA legal counsel Ashley Pack, Lexington Herald-Leader communities editor and former business writer Risa Brim and Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Bob Hill.

Classes were held in Frankfort’s historic Berry Hill Mansion, now a state-owned office and meeting space facility.

Four members of the boot camp already work at Kentucky newspapers. The Paintsville Herald, Central Record in Garrard County, Kentucky New Era in Hopkinsville and Hoy en Las Americas, Landmark Community Newspapers’ Spanish-language weekly published by the Sentinel-News of Shelbyville, all sent a representative. Two other boot campers had also been community columnists for two papers.

The rest of the boot campers were individuals interested in writing and newspaper work. They ranged in age from retirees to a high- school senior. Participants said they enjoyed boot camp and learned a great deal from it. Those who completed two writing assignments within a two-week deadline after the boot camp received a plaque.

This marked the debut of the one-week format. Previous boot camps, started in 2001, ran for three weeks. The concept behind the boot camp is to provide training to those individuals who already work at papers but have no formal journalism schooling or those persons interested in writing and newspapering as a new or second career.

It’s hoped the shorter format will make it more affordable and more feasible for community papers to send representatives.

Class size had been limited to 15 people. All slots were filled and paid in advance but four people didn’t attend ­ with reasons ranging from illness to a family emergency to car trouble.

Interest was high during the sign-up period with all 15 slots filled a week before the deadline.

More than a dozen people inquired about signing up after the slots were filled.

A second one-week boot camp in the fall is under consideration.

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