"National Newspaper Publishers Association"

National trade association founded in 1940 under the name National Negro Publishers Associations.Established in Washington, D.C., the NNPA sought to unify, strengthen,and improved the African American press.The association initiates programs,disseminates information,and supports the Civil Rights movement in the United States.In 1995 Steve Davis served as the organization's executive editor;its president and treasurer was C.C.Dejoie, Jr.The NNPA has two components to serve its members and communities:an association and foundation. Both operate from the same location as nonprofit coporate entities.The association offers its members many services,including media liaison and dissemination of news and editorial material. The foundation, formed in 1976,engages in fund raising, administration of scholarships and internship programs, and on-site training projects for inner-city junior high school students.Realizing that newspapers owned and managed by African Americans are vital tributes to African American business management, ninety-nine of these newspapers were grouped into the NNPA in 1978.The association works to unite the active members of the African American press.It also gathers  support for NNPA Journalism Scholarships to encourage African Americans to pursue careers in the mass media. Underlying this effort is the belief that African Americans are in a better position than any other group to write stories about themselves and their  community.Because differences in cultural heritage affect journalists' perception of important news  stories, the NNPA has concluded that there are questions about the African American community that can be answered only by those with experiences from that community.