The California News Publishers Association (CNPA) is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...

founded in 1888 that represents the daily, weekly, monthly, and campus

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

s of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Its diverse membership consists of over 700 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

. CNPA's mission statement reads:

To champion the ideals of a free press in our democratic society, and to promote the quality and economic health of California newspapers.

The association influences

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

on behalf of

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, sponsors an annual newspaper contest and convention, and offers seminars on media law, production, writing and editing,

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

, and circulation.

Better Newspapers Contest

CNPA sponsors an annual Better Newspapers Contest (BNC) to recognize the most outstanding journalistic achievements published by California newspapers. Daily and weekly publications compete in separate divisions based on circulation. CNPA also sponsors an annual Campus Excellence in Journalism offering separate divisions of competition for high schools, 2-year colleges, and 4-year universities. The Campus newspapers compete in many categories involving writing, photography and general excellence.

Freedom of Information

In July 2007, the CNPA intervened in litigation on the side of requiring

Vista, California Vista (; Spanish for "view") is a city in San Diego County, California. Vista is a medium-sized city within the San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metropolitan Area and has a population of 101,638. Vista's sphere of influence also includes portions of un ...

to release the names of 111 employers who use day-laborers. Vista passed an ordinance in June 2006 requiring that employers who use day-laborers register with the city. In June 2007, a member of the Vista Citizens Brigade, said to be an offshoot of the anti-illegal immigration Minutemen Project, filed an open records request with the city of Vista asking for the list of name

The

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

filed a request with the court asking that the names be withheld, and a judge granted a

temporary restraining order An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in par ...

. Subsequently, the CNPA intervened, asking that the names be released.

Sister organizations

*CNPA Services, Inc. was established in July 1992 to accommodate entrepreneurial ventures. *CNPA Foundation is a

nonprofit corporation A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation may ...

organized in October 1993 to raise funds through tax deductible contributions for

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

s and other educational activities for

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

External links

CNPA Online

CNPA at JournalismTraining.org
{{authority control Non-profit organizations based in California Freedom of the press Freedom of expression organizations Newspaper associations Trade associations based in the United States Lobbying organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1888 1888 establishments in California