What Member Resources and Services Does PNA Offer to Pennsylvania News Media?

Updated

The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA) is the official trade association for print and digital news outlets in Pennsylvania, and its member services are organized around six practical areas: legislative advocacy, a free legal hotline, training and events, advertising and marketing support, editorial resources, and contests and awards. If you work in management, editorial, advertising, production, or circulation at a Pennsylvania news media organization, these services are designed to support your specific role. The sections below explain what each one provides so you can decide which to use first.

Legislative Affairs

PNA advocates for public policy that serves the business interests of local news media and champions legislation intended to foster essential, robust, and compelling journalism. This is the association-level function: rather than each outlet tracking bills and regulatory changes alone, PNA represents the industry's position to policymakers.

Use this when a proposed state policy could affect your operations — for example, public notice requirements, press access, or advertising rules.

Legal Hotline

PNA members receive free, unlimited counseling from the PNA Legal Hotline, available 365 days a year. The key conditions here are membership and scope: the service is described as counseling for members, and it operates year-round rather than on business days only.

This is the resource to reach for on deadline questions — for example, whether a specific document or recording can be published, or how to handle a sensitive request from a source or advertiser.

Training & Events

PNA runs virtual and in-person educational sessions and events to expand members' knowledge. The site's current calendar illustrates the format:

Event Date / Detail
Journalism Excellence Convention Opening training session Thursday, Oct. 8, arrive by 10:30 a.m.
Keystones & Evening of Excellence Oct. 8
National Newspaper Week Oct. 4–10
PNA General Membership Meeting Oct. 9 — register by Friday, Oct. 2 to attend in person in Harrisburg or via Zoom

The registration deadline is the practical takeaway: for the General Membership Meeting, you must register by Oct. 2, and you choose between attending in person in Harrisburg or via Zoom.

Advertising & Marketing

This category is aimed at revenue generation and industry awareness, delivered through sales flyers, research information, and statewide advertising campaigns. If your role is on the business side, this is where PNA pools resources you would otherwise have to build in-house — for example, participating in a statewide ad campaign rather than selling only against your own audience.

Editorial Resources

Editorial resources are targeted to newsroom staff and include:

  • Press passes / hang tags
  • Complimentary articles
  • A subscription-based editorial cartoon service

Note the mixed access model: some items are member resources, while the editorial cartoon service is described as subscription-based. Check with PNA on which apply to your membership tier before planning around them.

Contests & Awards

PNA's contests and awards programs recognize outstanding achievements by news media personnel, student journalists, and company leaders. Beyond recognition, these programs are a way to benchmark your newsroom's work against peers across the state.

Headlines & Deadlines and Student Resources

  • Headlines & Deadlines is PNA's member e-newsletter, carrying association and industry news along with legal and legislative topics. It functions as the ongoing channel for updates between events.
  • For Students: the PNA Foundation offers a variety of resources for high school and college students, teachers, and advisers — relevant if you run an internship pipeline or work with student journalists.

How to Choose Where to Start

  • Facing a legal or ethical question on deadline → Legal Hotline (members, unlimited, 365 days a year).
  • Tracking policy that affects your business → Legislative Affairs.
  • Building staff skills or networking → Training & Events; watch registration deadlines such as Oct. 2 for the General Membership Meeting.
  • Growing revenue → Advertising & Marketing.
  • Equipping your newsroom → Editorial Resources (note the subscription-based cartoon service).
  • Getting recognized or benchmarking → Contests & Awards.
  • Staying current between events → Headlines & Deadlines newsletter.

Most of these services are framed as member benefits, so the first step is confirming your organization's PNA membership status and which resources your tier includes.