Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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A year ago, I wrote about why the July 4 holiday is one of my favorite times of the year. A week later, a reader told me I obviously didn't believe in freedom and America and democracy because of an immigration column printed on the same editorial page as my Fourth favorites. Opinions on the editorial page vary, as they should, representing individuals from all walks of life. The person questioning my choices didn't bother to ask if I agreed with the column. Instead, I was labeled a liberal...
A complete surprise. That's how SAM co-publisher Scott Schindler described the moment his name was announced as the winner of the Feature Photo of the Year from the Nebraska Press Association. "You entered my picture?" He asked wife and co-publisher LuAnn, before making his way to the podium to accept the award during the Nebraska Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest awards banquet, Saturday, at The Cornhusker in Lincoln. "He sent me two photos that made the paper throughout the year,"...
To borrow a line from “Seasons of Love” from Rent, “How do measure, measure a year?” The next verse of the song seems pretty accurate for a journalist: “In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee (or tea in my case), in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life.” In the case of SAM, how do you measure which story or articles written throughout the year were simply the best? Should website page views be the determining...
Arthur Miller wrote, “A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself.” I like the idea of conversation generating from the newspaper, especially from items on this page. In college, my journalism prof, Sharon Behl Brooks, stressed how editorial (or commentary or opinion ... whatever label you pin on it) presents a point of view, sparks discussion and, at its core, prompts critical thinking. The editorial page of the Advocate-Messenger does that and presents a wide range of thoughts. On the com...
How often do you spend $2.50 on a 20-ounce pop or $2.59 to satisfy a sweet tooth? So why hesitate to pay just over $1 for quality local news? It costs about $2 to produce a single copy of SAM each week-a true bargain in today's economy. Since the Advocate-Messenger launched in July 2019, printing and mailing costs have soared. That doesn't include time spent covering events, writing articles, designing ads, or meeting with advertisers. On average, each issue includes 10 pages, with four in full...
The Advocate-Messenger earned 31 awards in the 2025 Better Newspaper Competition and ended in second place for the Allen & Linda Beerman Community Newspaper Sweepstakes Award, which includes weekly newspapers from all classes. The Stanton Register took top honors and the Aurora News-Register ended in third. SAM finished second in Division A, based on circulation and, in the digital sweepstakes division, SAM placed third. The paper picked nine first-place awards in categories, including building...
Summerland Advocate-Messenger personnel brought home 23 awards from the 2023 Better Newspaper Contest for the Nebraska Press Association. Awards were presented Saturday evening, at the awards banquet held at the Cornhusker Marriot Hotel in Lincoln. SAM finished second in Class A, which includes weekly newspapers with a circulation up to 699 subscriptions. The Stanton Register won the division. In advertising categories, publisher LuAnn Schindler won seven awards. An ad featuring financial services at Brunswick State Bank, promoting FFA Week,...
The "Summerland Advocate-Messenger" brought home 17 awards from the Nebraska Better Newspaper Contest. Recipients were announced Saturday, during the Nebraska Press Association awards banquet at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln. SAM competed in Class A, which features weekly newspapers with circulation up to 699. Entries were published in 2022. The paper took top honors in five categories, including agriculture advertisement, featuring Automated Dairy Specialists; signature page,...
Interesting question our office has received on more than one occasion: Why does SAM sometimes run articles from other areas of Nebraska? The answer is relatively simple. We are Nebraska. I like to think our readers want to learn more about this place we call home. When we share articles from Flatwater Free Press or Nebraska Examiner or Nebraska News Service, our goal is to offer coverage that is not only interesting, but may have an impact on our lives. For example, on Page 3 in this week’s edi...
NFPW Communicator of Achievement director Karen Stensrud and NPW COA director Ruth Brown contributed to this article. LuAnn Schindler of Clearwater received the 2022 Communicator of Achievement Award from the National Federation of Press Women. This prestigious award has been given for 65 years. Schindler received the honor during a celebration at the organization's annual conference, held June 23 to 25, in Fargo, North Dakota. Now in its 85th year, NFPW is a nationwide organization of... Full story
The Summerland Advocate-Messenger finished third in the Class A digital sweepstakes of the Nebraska Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest. Awards were announced June 17, via video presentation. SAM staff members submitted entires in 58 categories focusing on writing, photography, advertising, digital, design and creativity. According to the Nebraska Press Association, which sponsors the contest, more than 3,100 separate entries, representing nine dailies and 66 weeklies, were judged by...
What is the difference between news and opinion? This, friends, is the question of the week. In last week's issue, I explained how SAM began a partnership with Trusting News, a project of the Reynolds Journalism Institute and American Press Institute. We worked to devise strategies that promote responsible and ethical journalism. One goal I established, through the project, is to provide a breakdown of what makes a news article, an editorial and a column. In the Advocate-Messenger, opinion and...
A common conversation at our house focuses on the difference between fact and opinion. I’m positive Scott knows the first words I’ll say when we discuss news or politics: Have you fact-checked it? Recently, during discussions with friends and other families, I’ve noticed similar trends. I know, I say fact check a lot. At a time when so many options exist for your news listening or reading habit, and considering how the fast-paced nature of news bombards consumers, fact versus opinion findi...
We, at the Advocate-Messenger, are gearing up for National Newspaper Week, which is celebrated Oct. 4 through 10. This year’s theme - America Needs Journalists - has never been more timely. In a time when we hear “fake news” uttered on a daily basis, it’s time to clear the air and face the truth. Ethical journalists do not file fake news stories. We fact check (a term Scott has learned a lot about in the last year because I use it all the time), fact check again and fact check one final time be...
Since we opened the Advocate-Messenger, Scott and I have fielded several questions about the inner workings of the newspaper, so after discussion, we decided to take this opportunity to respond. One of the first questions we were asked is if the Advocate Messenger is a legal newspaper. The answer is yes and no. We formed a limited liability company when we created ColdType Publishing and trademarked our name, so the business, itself, is a legally-operated business according to the State of Nebra...
If you are reading this on July 25, today’s a special day. I am celebrating another trip around the sun, for which I am grateful. It’s a tale old as time: sometimes, you think you have life mapped out and believe you know where you’re headed. Then, God sets up a roadblock, noting something different is about to play out in your life. Take a right turn and you’ll head down the beaten path. Venture left and discover the proverbial road less traveled. I suspect he knew what direction I would c...
