It takes a great team

The Washington Newspaper Publishers Association holds its annual convention later this month where the Key Peninsula News will receive at least nine awards for excellence in writing, photography and design. Placings will be announced at the formal awards banquet Oct. 11 in Olympia.

The WNPA represents more than 100 community newspapers across the state, advocating for local news and “a high standard of publication quality and community leadership.” Its judges evaluated over 1,500 entries for its 2019 Better Newspaper Contest.

Associate Editor and writer Ted Olinger and writer-historian Joseph Pentheroudakis are in line for writing awards, as are columnists Phyllis Henry and Carolyn Wiley. Awards are in store as well for production designer Tim Heitzman, and awards for photography will come home for Jim Bellamy, Richard Hildahl, Ed Johnson and Richard Miller.

These awards are confirmation of what you already know — KP News is well worth reading and supporting. We believe that strong, healthy and vibrant communities benefit from the results of well-informed citizens. Your participation and engagement in civic affairs are essential to the life we enjoy today and want to leave for future generations.

What does it take to produce and deliver the independent nonprofit newspaper you hold in your hands? It takes dedication and commitment. It takes a large team of people who enjoy discovering the richness of life all around us by being involved in it.

How it Works

Fresh editions of the Key Peninsula News arrive at the KP Civic Center in the early morning once a month, stacked in bundles atop wooden pallets.

Half a dozen volunteers on the distribution team count, bag and sort bundles for carrier-route delivery through one of our three local post offices. The team schleps bags outside to an improvised loading dock where an aging pick-up and cargo van await. Papers delivered to local post offices arrive the next day in every mailbox on the KP. Paid subscriptions are stamped, labeled and mailed first class to readers living outside our free distribution area.

In total the crew handles 10,000 newspapers each month. Those that aren't mailed directly to roughly 8,500 households on the KP are distributed by team members to select establishments on the KP and in Gig Harbor and surrounding areas.

The Stories

A volunteer-powered team of reporters and photographers meets with editorial and production staff for a monthly strategy session that defines the course of planned coverage for the next edition while seeking out breaking stories in time to meet the next deadline.

We share ideas, resources and criticisms. We compare notes, coordinate calendars and synchronize watches. We are forever curious, asking questions, researching and looking for answers from elected officials, county government, and experts covering the spectrum of life here.

We enjoy a growing stable of talented and award-winning journalists who abide by the time-honored practices and ethics demanded by the profession.

We continue to expand with the help of award-winning columnists too, each sharing their experience to provide thought-provoking and entertaining commentary on wide-ranging topics. In this edition, you’ll find thoughts on social media and politics, a haunting tale from encounters with ghosts, the empirical voice of reason from new columnist Richard Gelinas, and a lesson on why shared experiences make life better.

The Results

The greatest honor in doing this work is the opportunity to meet and talk with readers from all walks of life up and down the Key Peninsula. The support, appreciation and critical feedback we receive month after month carries us forward with renewed enthusiasm.

We dig deep into Key Peninsula life both past and present. None of this would be possible without the support and generosity of everyone involved in reporting, delivering and reading this vital community newspaper come to life through your passions and your stories.