You can find additional resources here.

We received more than 1,900 entries from more than 260 news outlets and journalists representing Daily Newspapers (small, mid-sized and large dailies), Non-Daily Newspapers, Alternative Newsweeklies, Magazines, TV (two market sizes), Radio and Online.

Those entries were submitted to judges across the United States – Cincinnati, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Kansas City and Missouri – to choose our finalists in almost 185 categories. Those winners were honored on Saturday, May 18 in ceremonies in Portland and Seattle. The William O. Douglas chapter will be presenting its awards on May 22.

Please join us in congratulating our winners!

–> 2012 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest Winners <–

Ian Marquand, Regional Director
Dana Neuts, National SPJ Secretary/Treasurer

P. S.   For those who want to order duplicate awards or request corrections, we’ll post that info. next week.

-Ian Marquand

Regional Conference … More than 130 of you gathered in St. Louis for the annual spring regional meeting, a lot of learning and networking. Huge hopes everyone there got a lot to take home. And huge thanks to all who helped make the conference a success, including my regional director predecessor, Liz Hansen, and my associate regional director, Deborah Givens. Our region hosted with Region 7 this year, so the site was centrally located. I had the privilege of announcing 95 Mark of Excellence awards to students. Congratulations to all of you fine young journalists! Thanks, Deborah, for handling all of the reciprocal judging. Next year’s regional conference is probably going to be in Chicago in late March. If you have programming ideas, please share them with me.

Vets’ coverage … An outstanding program at the regional conference as a two-part presentation by the Poynter Institute on covering the veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of them have trouble finding jobs, recovering from health problems and other issues we need to understand. Former SPJ President Al Cross, a long-time politican reporter, offers his take in his blog: http://irjci.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-story-of-returning-veterans-is-big.html. See a small part of what you missed! And in Chicago, a discussion of mental health coverage brought out presidential adviser David Axelrod, syndicated columnist Clarence Page and others for a discussion moderated by columnist Laura Washington. Here is her report: http://www.suntimes.com/news/washington/20024479-452/jackson-jrs-ailment-is-real.html

Leadership Conference … About 20 of us gathered for the first Scripps Leadership Conference this year, in March in Indianapolis. If you missed it, you have a second chance in Memphis in July. See www.spj.org for deails. This is a great way to learn how to better serve an SPJ chapter, and become a better leader in general. The conferences are being organized geographically, and ours was for Region 5 – but people from several other states attended because they had time then. So, we can do the same. Memphis sounds like a good place to visit, too.

University of Indianapolis … Welcome to our region’s newest chapter! The SPJ board approved the Indy campus chapter this spring. Please let me – or someone else – know if we can provide help.

DePauw University … Could someone step forward to be the adviser to this chapter? It was the first-ever in SPJ (then known as Sigma Delta Chi) 100+ years ago. It reactivated last year, but needs help. Volunteers, please!

Indiana Pro … I can’t say enough good things about that chapter’s awards dinner in April. The Hoosier contest is statewide, and it gets about 600 entries. About 150 chapter members and guests were at the banquet in Indianapolis, including some from the northern part of the state who traveled almost 200 miles. The Friday night event was a $50 buffet, the best banquet meal I ever had! Thanks, Tom Davies and colleagues!

Chicago Headline Club … We get about the same number of entries for our Lisagor contest as Indiana does for its – about 600. Ours, however, is limited to the nine-county Chicago area. And the smaller territory makes it easier for entrants to get to the awards banquet. We had about 360 this year. Aimee DeBat, our executive director, loses a lot of sleep preparing for the banquet – from programs to RSVPs. She puts on a great show. It’s the cheapest awards banquet in the Chicago area: $80 for our members.

Your chapter? … A lot of you are doing lots of things. Send an email to susanstevens@aol.com, and I’ll put you in the next eletter!

$$$$$$$$$ … The SPJ Legal Defense Fund is willing to provide grants of up to $5,000 for journalists in need. The SPJ board increased the maximum this spring. Also, keep in mind that SPJ once a month offers a $500 programming grant to one chapter somewhere in the nation. And your region offers $100 grants any time you need them for good programs. Email me with details, get my OK, save your receipts, and send them to me.

Recruit your colleagues … Would each of you make a point of recruiting at least one new member? And make sure you and your colleagues don’t let your memberships lapse. This is always an uphill battle because we are journalists – not salespeople. But you know ours is a worthy cause. I always cite Freedom of Information, ethics and professional development. There’s a lot more, of course. Take a look at www.spj.org on a regular basis.

Best wishes for good summers,

Susan S. Stevens

Region 5 director

Chicago Headline Club and CHC Foundation secretary

We were also thrilled when the First Lady specifically mentiioned the Society of Professional Journalists student chapter for service work done by our students for taking the money they had raised to help pay expenses to the regional conference and instead giving it to an Eastern Kentucky newspaper whose office had been destroyed by a tornado.

– Dr. Deborah T. Givens
Department of Communication
Eastern Kentucky University
SPJ Region 5 associate director

Here’s the White House blog:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/05/12/first-lady-michelle-obama-delivers-commencement-address-eastern-kentucky-university

Besides journalism, name a profession that respects college graduates who piss off their colleges.

I can’t think of one. But I know two recent grads who got jobs because administrators got mad at them.

Chelsea Boozer is a reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and she was hired partly because she was a pain in the ass at the University of Memphis.

Just last semester, Boozer won the College Press Freedom Award for battling her Student Government and administration. After she wrote an award-winning investigation into SG’s questionable spending, she was publicly berated by SG leaders, whose insults earned a standing ovation from the audience – which included a college administrator.

But that didn’t bother Boozer as much as campus cops accusing her of criminal misconduct after she demanded public records of a campus rape. Cops actually filed two reports against her. But Boozer didn’t back down. Instead, she got the backing of journalism organizations like the Student Press Law Center and the Society of Professional Journalists.

“I wasn’t intimidated by those administrators,” Boozer says. “The more questionable comments they made, the more fueled up I was to expose their (in my opinion) corrupt actions.”

When intimidation didn’t work, “Several administrators attempted to hint to me that I was hurting my job prospects.” Of course, it was just the opposite.

“I can’t tell you how many journalists encouraged me – and told me that every newspaper would want to hire me after they heard my story.” And that was true.

“The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette — being the statewide newspaper in my home state and No. 30-something in the nation’s Top 100 newspapers based on circulation — was my first choice of a job and the only place I applied to.”

She didn’t need a second choice. When she graduated last semester, the paper’s projects editor Sonny Albarado (coincidentally the national SPJ president) immediately hired her – even though “we rarely hire fresh college graduates.” While she certainly had the clips, Albarado says Boozer had something else…

I admired her tenacity in taking on college administrators and petty student government politicos because it showed me someone who wouldn’t be easily cowed by bureaucrats and petty local government honchos. Unlike a lot of recent graduates, she wasn’t intimidated by editors and senior reporters in the interview process. She wasn’t disrespectful or self-centered. She was self-assured, comfortable under questioning, and seemingly wise beyond her years.

Meet the other pain in the ass.

Karla Bowsher started last week as government reporter at the Chronicle-Tribune in tiny Grant County, Indiana. It’s the job she wanted, even though she had plenty of opportunities for more money in bustling South Florida – which is where I met her four years ago.

Bowsher was a Spanish studies major who rose to editor-in-chief of the Florida Atlantic University student newspaper. She was EIC when I was fired after 12 years as the paper’s adviser. Since we both believed I was canned for encouraging journalism that made FAU look bad – see the Sun Sentinel’s half-page story, complete with WAR ENDS-sized headline – we came up with the clever idea of me not leaving. I’d stick around and volunteer as adviser.

Administrators vaguely threatened Bowsher with student conduct charges if she persisted. They even banned her from meeting me in a bar off campus. Like Boozer, Bowsher enlisted the aid of an alphabet soup of journalism organizations. And because this is the United States and not Cuba, she won. She even won first place in SPJ’s Mark of Excellence contest for covering her own debacle. And she won work.

Since she was still in school after her term as EIC expired, Bowsher landed lots of freelance. Some came from the Broward Bulldog, one of those groovy new investigative journalism nonprofits. (Motto: “News you can sink your teeth into.”)

“I didn’t pursue the Broward Bulldog,” she says. “They came to me.”

She also landed an internship at the Sun Sentinel. “My Bulldog Broward references and clips were what secured my summer internship at a Top 50 newspaper – and my first post-graduation job.”

I was one of Bowsher’s references for the job she wanted. When I regaled the editor with her tale, the guy was impressed as hell. Bowsher was hired days later.

Here are the ABCs from Boozer and Bowsher.

1. Never fear. If you always fight, you’ll always win. “I knew for a fact that admin’s threats were bluffs,” Bowsher says. “And even if they tried to act on them, they’d invite a lawsuit or national bad press. Either way, I’d play the leading role of First Amendment underdog. And everyone loves an underdog – especially one fighting bullshit bureaucracy in the name of a constitutional right.”

2. Never doubt. “You have the power of the press on your side, and the power of truth,” Boozer says. “As long as you know that you’re handling those powers responsibly and you’re telling the truth ethically, what do you have to be scared of?”

3. Never shut up. When you’re getting screwed, Boozer urges, “Don’t be quiet about it.” Both Bowsher and Boozer launched their own websites. Boozer’s team had FreeTheHelmsman.com while Bowsher blogged at Owl Management. Local and even national media mentioned those sites.

4. Never go it alone. “Without Frank LoMonte at the Student Press Law Center, we could not have fought as hard as we did,” Boozer says. “He stayed countless hours on the phone and just reassuring us that we were doing what was right.” Bowsher adds that in her case, both SPJ and SPLC sent letters to FAU’s president – which helped defuse the crisis. (The president told her administrators to get this story out of the headlines so she could return to raising money.)

5. Never stop. “Remember what you stand for,” Boozer says. “Hold your administrators accountable. Give your readers important, valuable and interesting information that they wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for you. You can make a difference, and not many people can say that about their jobs.”

Here’s why you should hire these two.

Now we come to this year’s no-fear pair of college journalists. They graduated this month, and they’re looking for work.

Karl Etters has been all over this blog. Type his name into the search box at the top of the page to see what I mean. But here’s the bullet…

Etters was the duly elected editor of the Famuan, the student newspaper at Florida A&M in Tallahassee. But the j-school dean forced Etters to run for his job again. She insisted it had nothing to do with Etters’ investigative stories that embarrassed the university.

Meanwhile, the dean fired the adviser and hired a new one with no journalism experience – but lots of PR experience. In fact, the new adviser had written a glowing story about the dean for a school-related website.

The new adviser replaced Etters with a student who had almost no journalism experience. So he and a few of his pals started their own news site, InkandFangs. But Etters told me some of those students dropped out because the dean and other administrators warned them, “It’ll cost you.”

In the end, it cost Etters nothing. He was already freelancing for his local paper, the Tallahassee Democrat, and while he was getting insulted by the j-school dean, the paper sent him on assignment to the Everglades with a U.S. Senator, for a story that ran in USA Today. Now he’s looking for a full-time reporting job.

So is Emily Beatty.

As editor of the Racquette, the student newspaper at SUNY Potsdam in northern New York near the Canadian border, Beatty spent most of the spring semester fighting her Student Government. But unlike Etters, she wasn’t removed from office.

She just stopped getting paid.

The SUNY Potsdam SG insisted that, if Beatty and her staff wanted to keep earning a pittance, they had to rotate jobs every issue – out of “fairness” to all the staffers. So one week, you’d be the copydesk chief. The next, the sports editor.

If that doesn’t make sense to you, that’s OK. I’ve spoken with Beatty several times over the past few months, and I still don’t quite understand it myself.

“I guess the main issue is they think that we are playing favorites and people are getting money that they don’t deserve,” Beatty told the Student Press Law Center, which gallantly tried explaining the complicated stupidity. “I asked them what the purpose of that rule was and they said fairness…but they themselves are exempt.”

That’s right, this rule doesn’t apply to the people who wrote it.

Alas, the Recquette stopped publishing before the end of the semester, and who knows if it’ll return in the fall. Beatty says many on her staff needed the little bit they earned so they could pay their bills.

I hope the staff Beatty leaves behind will continue to fight, and I hope the staff Etters leaves behind will do the same. Because if they fight, they’ll win.

Facing a righteous fight? Who do you call?

Email me, and I’ll put you on the proper path. You’ll get more help than you’ll know what to do with.

Seriously. I offered Etters free copyediting for his rebellious website – by recruiting college journalists from around the country to pitch in an hour a week. I offered Beatty free printing should she desire to publish an unofficial issue of the Racquette. But both graduated before those plans could happen.

If you’re facing a righteous fight next semester, you have weapons. I know it might look like you’re outgunned. But you’re not. Listen to sixth century Chinese writer Lao Tzu…

There is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong, nothing can surpass it.

…be like water. And make your censors sweat.

This photo? Shot in Kalamazoo. Won first place in Miami.

The SPJ chapter at Florida International University hosted a photo contest this spring. Even though the chapter didn’t exist a year ago – like most student chapters, it blinks in and out of existence – this new crew decided to think big.

So they covered Obama’s second inauguration, and they launched a nationwide student photo contest. Their judges just now chose two winners – one national, one from South Florida. The national winner is Adam Randall. Here’s his cutline…

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – At least 3,986 zombies staggered into the Arcadia Festival Place downtown failing to break a Guinness World Record currently held by Asbury Park, N.J. for 4,093 zombies.

Below is the South Florida winner, Sana Ullah…

On Feb. 2, 2013, hundreds of people gathered in and around the Sunlife Stadium in Miami Gardens for the national Color Me Rad 5K. Originally founded in Utah and inspired by the Hare Krishna festival of colors, CMR is famous for its colored powder bombs. At every checkpoint, runners are swallowed in colors of blue, green, pink, purple and yellow. After the final checkpoint, participants may take photos of their new body of art or stand by a lift for one last explosion of colors.

Not content with running its own photo contest, the chapter’s secretary wrote a story about it. Read on for that. And if you’re a student chapter vying for Chapter of the Year, FIU should be making you real nervous right about now.

By Brittny C. Valdes

When seven students and one professor chose to revive Florida International University’s chapter of Society of Professional Journalists last fall, photojournalism became their topic of interest.

Photos are critical companions to stories, but FIU didn’t offer any photojournalism classes. So SPJ-FIU made it a priority to fill that gap.

It began in November, when Miami Herald photographer Dan Bock and Barbara Corbellini Duarte, current SPJ-FIU president, held a photojournalism presentation at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. There, they shared photo and caption examples, touched on technique and dove into the discussion about the difference one image can make in news.
By the spring semester, the idea to hold a photojournalism competition almost seemed natural. So they did. The contest: “Capturing Generation Y.”

“Photos are a great way to bring in a reader,” said Michae Baisden, SPJ-FIU vice president. “But a lot of students don’t know that this is really important. We wanted to put a focus on photography in journalism, and we wanted it to be interactive.”

For the contest, SPJ-FIU invited college and high school students around the country to submit one photo that harnessed the essence of their generation in any real moment. Photos had to be accompanied by a caption, and each was judged for content, quality, originality and grammar.

The contest received 22 entries and presented to an esteemed panel of judges, including: Jason Parsley, president of SPJ South Florida Chapter; Roman Lyskowski, photo editor at The Miami Herald; Chris Cutro, photographer at the Miami Herald; Chris Delboni, news director at the South Florida News Service; and Barbara Corbellini Duarte, president of SPJ-FIU.

A national and a South Florida winner emerged, and on the evening of April 25, at Yuca Restaurant in South Beach, about 30 people came together over mojitos, salsa music and Cuban tapas to award the South Florida winner.

Sana Ullah, a digital media studies student at FIU, won for her “Color Me Rad” photo featuring young runners in a 5K getting bombed with neon-colored powder.

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” said Ullah, whose her first reaction to winning was, “why me?”
“There are so many incredible photographers,” she said. “There’s no way this is for me. However, after being shocked, I felt honored and excited to have my work framed and appreciated by others.”

Adam Randall, a journalism student at Western Michigan University, won nationally for his “Kalamazoo Zombie Festival” photo, which highlighted a crowd of young people painted as zombies behind yellow caution tape.

Both winners will have their photos published in SPJ’s Quill Magazine and will be featured in the SPJ South Florida, SPJ Region 3 and South Florida News Service websites.

Ullah will also spend a day with a Miami Herald photographer out on the field as well as in the newsroom.

“I’m a little nervous,” said Ullah. “Photojournalists are professionals, and I consider myself an amateur.”

Sergy Odiduro, an SPJ South Florida chapter board member and reporter for the Forum Publishing Group, attended the event.

“This is a very enthusiastic group,” said Odiduro. “What you’re doing, keep on doing, and all the doors will open out of nowhere.”

All of the entries in the 2012 SPJ NW Excellence in Journalism Contest have been judged and the winners are in. Winners will be notified this week if they have won an award for their work. However, specific information – category and place – will not be given. That information will be announced on May 18 at awards galas in Seattle and Portland. If you are not attending one of the awards events, a complete list of winners will be posted here by 11:59 p.m. on Sat., May 18.

For more information about the events, please contact your local chapter:

Portland:

Sat., May 18, 6 p.m.
Hotel Lucia, catered by Imperial
Registration $55
Contact Christian Gaston for more info.

Seattle:

Sat., May 18, 5 – 7 p.m.
Seattle Renaissance Hotel
Contact SPJ W Washington Pro Chapter for more info.

We also want to congratulate the Mark of Excellence Award winners. You can view a list of winners here —>2012 MOE Winners.

The 2014 Region 10 SPJ Spring Conference will be hosted by the Greater Oregon/SW Washington Pro Chapter. Stay tuned for details!

Want to learn more about SPJ training opportunities? Visit SPJ.org or join now to get training opps delivered to your inbox!

Reporting on veterans, social media from top to bottom, and much more!

April 26-28 in St. Louis

SPJ Regions 5 & 7 Spring Conference

Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky) and Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) are bringing you the best of the brightest topics and also collegiate journalism awards beneath the Gateway Arch.

Everything about the conference is at http://www.spjinstl2013.com/#

Details in brief:

The schedule includes an informal welcome gathering in the hotel lobby from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 26. The Mark of Excellence Awards luncheons are at noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday; the pro development sessions will start at 8 a.m. Saturday (register starting 7 a.m.) and run to 5 p.m. Saturday. A regional strategy meeting will be on Sunday morning. To speed things along, we’ll have two luncheon banquets, one for each region’s Mark of Excellence awards. Lunch is covered in your registration fee. Otherwise, it is $25 – reserve and pay ahead of time. Contact Region 5 director Susan Stevens at susanstevens@aol.com or Region 7 director David Sheets at dksheetsSPJ@gmail.com.

Here are our professional development programs:

Veterans Affairs
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan created a new kind of reporting challenge: battle-scarred veterans trying to re-enter civilian society. A two-part program by veterans advocates and military staff will explain the issues many reporters face, and how to approach them. Discussions will be led by Col. David Sutherland, with the Center for Military and Veterans Community Services, Erica J. Borggren, of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, Amy Terpstra, associate director of the SocialIMPACTResearchCenter at Heartland Alliance, and Steve Wahle, a Marine Corps veteran of Afghanistan and a fellowship program associate with the The Mission Continues. Thanks to the Poynter Institute and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
The law & ignorance
Journalists may not need a law degree, but they need a broad understanding of legal precedent and case law as it pertains to their beats. Attorney Mary Schultz of Schultz & Associates LLP of St. Louis explains what every journalist should know about the law and probably doesn’t.

Social media 101
You cannot ignore this increasingly important part of journalism. Your tutors: Ray Long, Chicago Tribune statehouse reporter, and Alissa Groeninger, a former statehouse reporter and now a features writer and Voice Editor for the State Journal-Register.

Social media in journalism
Aggregation. Live curation. Storytelling. Promotion. Learn how to make social media work for you. Erica Smith of Infuz shows how to do that whether you’re a journalist with a large news organization or a freelancer trying to make it independently.

Using Twitter in political reporting
Covering the political beat with Twitter sounds confining. After all, who can flesh out the nuances of government 140 characters at a time? Christopher   Ave, political editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLToday.com, explains how you can do it – and do it well.

Using drones in journalism
Look up! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the latest tool for journalists to gather information. Drone aircraft are swooping into media coverage of danger spots and secret locations –and sometimes they catch flak. Bill Allen from the University of Missouri explains.

Quick & dirty investigations
Think you don’t have time to do great investigative journalism on a tight schedule and meager budget? Think again. Mark Horvit, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, demonstrates short, simple tasks that can turn digital data into great stories.

Digital teamwork
Television and online journalists have the same goals but distinct ways to convey information. Now, as the digital marketplace becomes dominant, the two must find ways to combine knowledge and resources. A panel discussion offers solutions.

 Hyperlocal future
Neighborhood-level news appears to be entering a rough patch in its evolution. Cincinnati broadcaster and former St. Louis hyperlocal journalist and editor Holly Edgell explains how it’s too soon to give up on bringing neighborhood news to the masses.

 Ethics and media
Good journalism requires good behavior on the journalist’s part. But how is that possible when the line between good and bad seems to change all the time? Elizabeth Donald of SPJ’s Ethics Committee explains how to keep pace in the fast-moving realm of digital news gathering.

Be your own best editor
Writing and editing are distinct skills few journalists master at once. Freelancers have little choice. Veteran newspaper journalist-turned freelancer David Sheets explains how independent journalists can become their own best editors.

Sign Up Soon!
Go to this link at Eventbrite to make your conference reservation: http://spjregions5and7.eventbrite.com

Conference fees:
Professional member — $75
Student member — $30
Non-member — $100
Student non-member — $50
No refunds will be made after April 26.

Special hotel rates
The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch is the setting for this year’s joint regional convention. A block of rooms has been set aside for our group. If the Drury is full, ask the hotel to find you alternative lodgings. Or do it on your own. Both Illinois and Missouri have scores of hotels and motels!

Our sincere thanks
The McCormick Foundation, the Poynter Institute, and Thompson Coburn LLP are major contributors to this conference. They are helping keep costs down for those attending the conference and providing top speakers. We cannot thank them enough!

If you’re in charge of a pro or student SPJ chapter, you might be wondering…

How the hell do we win a National Chapter of the Year award?

As one of SPJ’s 23 national board members, I can tell you: I have no friggin’ idea. All I know for sure is that there’s a byzantine system for choosing…
 

The byzantine system

• Each chapter uploads an annual report to SPJ headquarters in Indianapolis (and those suckers are due May 1 for campus chapters and May 6 for pro chapters).

• HQ forwards those reports to the corresponding regional directors – there are 12 of us – who read them and fill out their own reports.

• The regional directors send everything back to HQ.

• HQ dumps all of the pro stuff on the board’s pair of at-large directors, who choose the best large (75 or more members) and small (less than 75) chapters of the year based on…I dunno. Whatever they want, I guess.

• The student packages go to the vice president for campus affairs, who told me last weekend that he chooses one winner only from those the regional directors touted in their reports.
 

The nonexistent rules

Of course, this just tells you how the information circulates. It doesn’t describe what qualities a chapter must possess to impress.

You’d think for such a high honor, there’d be some rules or guidelines or even hints. But this is the only mention of the topic I could find on SPJ’s website, halfway down the page summing up the myriad of SPJ awards…

Outstanding Professional and Campus Chapter Awards
The awards salute chapters for overall excellence in supporting the Society’s missions, members and the profession. Up to three large and three small professional chapters will be selected each year for recognition, with one in each category being chosen as the chapter of the year. On the campus level, one will be selected from each of SPJ’s 12 regions, with one being chosen as the overall campus chapter of the year.

Weirdly, there are lesser chapter awards called the Circle of Excellence, and they get their own page. But it doesn’t tell you who does the choosing.
 

My criteria

The SPJ board meets again at the Excellence in Journalism convention in Anaheim this summer, and I’ll agitate for some clearer standards.

For discussion purposes, here are mine…

• Programming (30 percent) – Nothing else matters if you don’t do something. You can host lectures and panel discussions, but you get extra credit for hands-on creativity. I’m partial to my home chapter, SPJ South Florida, which gets serious (an obit-writing workshop in a funeral home) and humorous (a Speed Team Scrabble tournament) with its participatory programs.

• Membership (15 percent) – Good programs means more members. So if you do the former, you’re halfway home on the latter.

• Outreach (15 percent) – The next SPJ president, Dave Cuillier, blew my mind over the weekend when he told me, “We should be the Society for Professional Journalists.” He’s right. SPJ shouldn’t just train journalists, it should educate their customers – who are, basically, everyone who can read. Does your chapter visit high school classes? Speak about our craft to local business groups and charities? Defend free speech even when it’s not journalists doing the speechifying?

• Scholarships (10 percent) – Some chapters, like Western Washington, award a couple of $2,000 scholarships each year. But even if it’s just one for $200, you’re helping the next generation of journalists.

• National volunteering (10 percent) – SPJ needs judges for its annual Mark of Excellence and high school essay contests. It has committees that need members and regional directors who need assistant RDs (mine is Lindsey Cook). You can run for national office yourself – then help me fix these damn Chapter of the Year awards.

• Convention and conference attendance (10 percent) – Woody Allen once said, “80 percent of success is showing up.” Here it’s only 10 percent, because it costs money to attend SPJ’s national convention and even its regional conferences. Some chapters have more passion than cash, and they shouldn’t be punished for that.

• Reporting on time (10 percent) – If you turn in your annual report late, it costs you. Harsh? Hell, no. We’re journalists. We’re supposed to make deadlines.
 

Now what?

I suppose I could say, “Tell SPJ leaders what you think!” But when editorial page writers and op-ed columnists do that, not much usually happens. So I plan to announce my own SPJ Awards this summer. And unlike the official SPJ awards, mine will come with prizes. Weird prizes.
 

Best Affiliated Web Site (Medium)
Southern Utah University, SUUNews.com

Best All-Around Television Newscast

3rd Place: KRWG News22

2nd Place: The Met Report

1st Place: ElevenNEWS at Noon

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Large)

The Hard News Cafe, Utah State University

Breaking News Photography (Large)

3rd Place: Melanie J. Rice

2nd Place: Ryan Borthick

1st Place: Dylan Langille

Breaking News Photography (Small)

1st Place: Alicia Hurley

Breaking News Reporting (Large)

3rd Place: Crystal Myler, Sara Michael & Shawn ielding

2nd Place: Andrew Carrera

1st Place: Universe staff

Breaking News Reporting (Small)

1st Place: Jessica Keller

Editorial Cartooning (Large)

1st Place: Jorge Perez Garcia

Editorial Writing (Small)

1st Place: Katie Blaser

Feature Photography (Large)

3rd Place: Melanie J. Rice

2nd Place: Jessica Cuneo & Melanie J. Rice

1st Place: Melanie J. Rice

Feature Photography (Small)

3rd Place: Russell James

2nd Place: Will Hebert & Josh Kimmel

1st Place: Nikayla Cooper

Feature Writing (Large)

3rd Place: Austin Briggs

2nd Place: Colleen Canty

1st Place: Mackenzie Hamilton

Feature Writing (Small)

2nd Place: Cheyenne Wiley

1st Place: Matthew Rooney

General Column Writing (Large)

3rd Place: Quinn Scahill

2nd Place: Kory Wood

1st Place: Jesse Benn

General Column Writing (Small)

3rd Place: Shawn Havel

2nd Place: Susann Robbins,

1st Place: Will Hebert

General News Photography (Large)

3rd Place: Brian T. McGinn

2nd Place: Erin Burns

1st Place: Jonathan Royce

General News Reporting (Large)

3rd Place: Charles Beacham

2nd Place: Caitlin Moffitt

1st Place: Krista Roy

General News Reporting (Small)

1st Place: Jennifer Stogsdill

Best Student Magazine

3rd Place: The Claw Magazine

2nd Place: CSU – Pueblo TODAY Magazine

1st Place: Horizon Magazine

In-Depth Reporting (Large)

3rd Place: David Lake & Robin Rodgers

2nd Place: Meredith Francom & Megan Stauffer

1st Place: Kristian Ekenes, Stacie Carnley, Rebecca Lane & Kari Merrill

Non-Fiction Magazine Article

2nd and 1st Place: Jake Bullinger

Online Feature Reporting (Large)

3rd Place: Lis Stewart

2nd Place: Rhett Wilkinson

1st Place: Ryan Cunningham & April Ashland

Online In-Depth Reporting (Large)

3rd Place: Rhett Wilkinson

2nd Place: Allie Jeppson

1st Place: Kristi Ottley

Online In-Depth Reporting (Small)

2nd Place: Susann Robbins

1st Place: Susann Robbins, Katie Blaser, Aaron Boyd, & Cassie Kelley

Online News Reporting (Large)

1st Place: Steve Kent

Online News Reporting (Medium)

1st Place: Whitney Baum

Online Opinion & Commentary (Large)

1st Place: Joe Deras

Online Sports Reporting (Large)

2nd and 1st Place: Rhett Wilkinson

Online Sports Reporting (Medium)

2nd & 1st Place: Carter Williams

Photo Illustration (Large)

3rd Place: Hunter Thompson

2nd Place: Sarah Hill

1st Place: Brad Davis

Photo Illustration (Small)

3rd Place: Russell James, Tim Bahr, & Dylan Miller,

2nd Place: Will Hebert & Bruce Enever

1st Place: Tim Bahr & Dylan Miller

Radio Feature

3rd and 2nd Place:

Mackenzie Hamilton

1st Place: Ryan Cunningham

Radio In-Depth Reporting

1st Place: Hannah Leigh Myers

Radio News Reporting

2nd and 1st Place: Brianna Bodily

Radio Sports Reporting

1st Place: Justin Taylor

Sports Column Writing (Large)

3rd Place: Jake Bullinger

2nd Place: Tavin Stucki

1st Place: Nick Ohlig, Angelita Foster, & Paul J. Marcely

Sports Photography (Large)

3rd Place: Jessica Cuneo

2nd Place: Christopher Reeves

1st Place: Chad Zavala

Sports Photography (Small)

3rd Place: Russell James

2nd Place: Shawn Havel

1st Place: Shaelie Palmer

Sports Writing (Large)

3rd Place: Bubba Brown

2nd Place: Danielle Manley

1st Place: Stephen Kasica

Sports Writing (Small)

1st Place: Cheyenne Wiley

Television Feature Photography

2nd Place: Staff at Metropolitan State University of Denver, “Zombies Invade Downtown” on The Met Report

1st Place: Brenna Donnelly, Brigham Young University for “QR-Code Headstones” on ElevenNEWS/KBYU

Television Feature Reporting

3rd Place: Julianne Horsley

“Real-life Friending” on ElevenNEWS/KBYU

2nd Place: Matt Rascon

1st Place: Alexis Flake

Brigham Young University, for “Sushi Challenge” on ElevenNEWS/KBYU

Television General News Reporting

2nd Place: Kelton Wells, Utah State University “USU Eastern Enrollment”

A-TV News

1st Place: Alexis Flake

Brigham Young University

“Trampoline Park Dangers”

ElevenNEWS/KBYU

Television In-Depth Reporting

2nd Place: Katie Bieri

New Mexico State University

“A Parent’s Hard Choice”

News22

1st Place: Staff of Metropolitan State University of Denver

“The Needle Exchange: Helpful or Harmful?” The Met Report

Television Sports Photography

1st Place: Kevin Hall & Kellan Stone

Metropolitan State University of Denver, “MSU Denver Soccer Team Buries Colorado Mines,” The Met Report

Television Sports Reporting

3rd Place: Jake Edmonds

Brigham Young University, for “Mom On and Off the Court” for CoogTube/KBYU

2nd Place: Stephanie Flores New Mexico State University “Minor Threat Roller Derby” for KRWG News22

1st Place: Britanni Good, Brigham Young University

“Ultimate Thrill” on CoogTube/KBYU

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper

The Daily Utah Chronicle, University of Utah

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (Small)

1st Place: Wingspan

Laramie County Community College

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper (Large)

2nd Place: The Universe

Brigham Young University

1st Place: The Metropolitan

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Meet two young student journalists whose schools are aging them quickly by acting slowly. And illegally.

For months, Florida’s Dylan Bouscher and Georgia’s David Schick have been trying to acquire some plain-vanilla public records from their public institutions. What should’ve been a mundane administrative task that took a week has mushroomed into a thermonuclear winter.

The result…

Two determined reporters – from a generation accused of technology-induced short attention spans – have been working with attorneys and refuse to give up. If anything, their schools’ slow-down tactics and silly excuses have taught them the value of fighting a long war…

When Dylan Bouscher first heard about the Clery Act, he was feeling good about his profession and his nation. Here’s a law that requires schools to reveal details about campus crime. But what keeps campus cops from lying in their so-called Annual Campus Security Report?

Bouscher decided to check into his school, Florida Atlantic University, after he learned this: “There was only one rape and one robbery reported on campus in 2011.” That’s among 28,000 students. Suspicious, no?

So Bouscher sought three years of campus police reports, which he planned to compare against the annual reviews. But FAU said those would cost him $17,000.

That’s because FAU insisted its lawyers must review every report. So upon advice of pro bono attorney Ana-Klara Anderson, Bouscher requested one lone, random report. He also asked an FAU alum to do the same. Both were delivered free of charge, with no attorney review. Busted. FAU lowered the price to $10,000. And so it went, excuses punctured by reporting, followed by new excuses.

“It’s been an agonizing four months of legal back-and-forth,” Bouscher says. “It’s down to a slightly-less-absurd $900 now.”

Bouscher is undaunted and even amused. “I can reflect on it now and laugh at myself for ever having expected less from this administration,” says the jaded 19-year-old, who has big plans for his summer break…

“Instead of wasting away in a lawn chair somewhere in the sands at Palmetto Park Beach, hopefully I’ll be holed up in the windowless newsroom on campus, making sure FAU police are following guidelines and keeping the university safe enough for other students – who will most likely be partying at the beach.”

If all politics are local, then all journalism is personal. That’s how David Schick decided to investigate a $16 million budget shortfall at Georgia Perimeter College.

“I was appointed editor-in-chief before the summer semester started, and I was taking summer classes when the news of the budget crisis hit,” Schick recalls. “When my adviser and mentor, David Simpson, became one of the casualities of the reduction in force, my motivation to find out what happened increased tenfold.”

But when he requested records to delve into the topic, weird stuff happened.

First, the school charged him $2,963 to forward him emails. When he got a volunteer lawyer who threatened to sue, the price tag was knocked down to $291. But then administrators printed out each email and then re-scanned them – which meant Schick couldn’t search them for keywords. Oh, and administrators alternately claimed they didn’t have the records he sought, then told him they were being used in an investigation.

“Obviously, this whole situation brings me great frustration,” Schick says. But it’s also given him great determination…

“I hope to be a lawyer once I finish my education. And due to this situation, I’d like to start a nonprofit organization to hold organizations accountable for adhering to their own open-records laws. I definitely enjoy being a reporter, and hope to have a solid career as a journalist before completing law school. But I think I’d enjoy going to court to fight for a truly free press more than anything.”

He’ll need to keep fighting: “I put a new open records request to Georgia Perimeter College this past Monday and got a response of $1,300 – for a list of positions.”

This attorney is unhappy.

Frank LoMonte is executive director of the Student Press Law Center just outside of Washington, D.C. He’s worked closely with both Bouscher and Schick. Unlike most attorneys, LoMonte speaks in plain English. So here’s him, talking crap about FAU…

It’s astonishing that in the year 2013, a police department can’t put its hands on incident reports — basic, foundational documents that are a staple of police work — without endless hours of searching. That’s a pretty remarkable commentary on the competence of this university and its police.

We’ve worked with colleges elsewhere that were able to compile the same information for a fraction of what FAU eventually arrived at — and that’s after our attorney volunteer, Ana-Klara Anderson, engaged in multiple back-and-forth haggling sessions to get the initial inflated price down to a fraction of the “sticker price.”

Police incident reports should be sitting in a binder on a bookshelf with a total retrieval cost of whatever time is required to walk across the room. This isn’t the LAPD — it’s not like the FAU police department is responding to hundreds of felonies a day. If the agency is so disorganized that it literally can’t find its own incident reports, the public shouldn’t be paying the price of that incompetence (or deliberate opaqueness).

And here’s LoMonte on Schick and Georgia Perimeter College…

David Schick has shown amazing creativity and tenacity in pursuing records about a story that is really the story for the entire Georgia Perimeter community — how did the college get itself deeply into debt, who knew about it, and why wasn’t it stopped sooner?

The University System of Georgia literally cannot keep its own lies straight anymore, having at various times told David both that the documents were secret because they were being used in an ongoing investigation and also that they didn’t have them.

First, the state tried to make him go away with a laughably inflated bill that, after help from a terrific volunteer lawyer, Dan Levitas, we were able to negotiate down to pennies on the dollar. Having failed in that strategy, the state is just going into the stall and hoping David will graduate, or maybe die of old age. But to his credit, David has his jaws clamped down on this one and he’s not letting go.

These advisers are proud.

David Simpson is still Schick’s “mentor,” even if he’s no longer his official adviser. Simpson was either laid off for budget reasons or fired for journalistic reasons, depending who you ask. (And if you ask me, it was for the aggressive journalism he taught.) Here’s what he says about Schick…

David Schick turned into an open-records bulldog during his time at The Collegian. He also believed in shoe leather, so he would make inconvenient trips downtown to the Board of Regents office to press his requests in person and build relationships. I don’t have the analytics, but his reporting last summer in the aftermath of 200-plus layoffs got heavy readership and buzz among faculty and staff.

David was among quite a few students I met at GPC who caught fire and did great work after being exposed to real-world journalism at the student newspaper. Not incidentally, those students served their audience by reporting on serious issues at their college. 

Dan Sweeney advises FAU’s newspaper. Before that, he spent most of his career in alternative journalism, most notably at Village Voice-owned weeklies. So Bouscher’s surreal investigation really appeals to him…

This swiftly metastasized into a new story about student journalists’ access to public records – especially once the newspaper received an estimated cost in the low five figures, after a very long wait. Through it all, and through the subsequent negotiations between the university’s lawyer and a lawyer working pro bono, Dylan kept one eye on the final prize – the Clery Act story – but also followed the records requests through all their twists and turns, realizing that he had a second story on access to public records.

When the university finally agreed to drop its $17,000-plus price for three years of police records down to $900, Dylan was practically salivating at the mouth. He never lost hope or focus, and I expect the paper to have a great story come fall semester because of it.

So what happens now? Stay tuned.

We have not yet begun to fight.

We have a SOLD OUT awards luncheon and a lineup of amazing speakers. We just added two more to the list:

-Nyier Abdou, an Emmy-awarding winning reporter and videographer for the Star-Ledger, will lead a session on how to shoot and edit a news video. This session will be at 1 p.m. Friday, April 12.

-Adam Glenn, a former ABCnews.com producer who now teaches a bootcamp digital journalism class at CUNY, will lead a talk on useful journalism web tools, at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12.

For students, we’ve added “Pizza with the Pros” an informal hour-long conversation between student journalists and 3-4 professionals at 6 p.m. Friday, April 12 in the faculty lounge in room 323 on the third floor of the SCI building. Seating is limited, so you MUST RSVP to conference organizer John Ensslin at damon_runyon@hotmail.com by April 9.

To see the latest schedule, check out www.spjr1c.org.

Know thy neighbors … Regional Conference details … Both professionals and students are invited – encouraged – to attend. We will have a lot of educational sessions and we will pass out a lot of Mark of Excellence awards. Our Region 5 is joining with Region 7 to produce a bigger and better conference than either could produce alone. Mark your calendars: April 26-28. The sooner you register, the lower the cost. More details are at http://www.spjinstl2013.com/#. Go to this link at Eventbrite to make your conference reservation: http://spjregions5and7.eventbrite.com. Click here to make reservations.  The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. Or go to https://wwws.druryhotels.com/Reservations.aspx?groupno=2163724 Great rates! Four students sharing a room will pay about $30 each a night. Breakfast is included. And so is a cocktail hour, if you are old enough.

 Scripps Leadership Conference … Hope those of you who attended learned a lot that you have taken home to your chapters. It was good to meet more of you Region 5 members – and I hope to see all of you and many of your colleagues April 26-28 at the spring conference in St. Louis. (I learned some things too. For example, don’t rely on email. Pick up the phone and make those calls. Better yet, see those people in person.)

NKU shows smarts … Only one college chapter in two years has applied for a program grant from their region. And that’s NorthernKentuckyUniversity, which has collected about $100 each of these two years. All college chapters are eligible. Just send a description of a great program to susanstevens@aol.com to get initial approval. Then save your receipts and send them on to get a check.

Thanks, DePaul … The student chapter has great T-shirts. The back reads “We do it AP style” above a sketch of a newspaper. The SPJ logo and DePaulUniversity are on the front. Sorry, DePaul says they are not for sale. Maybe your chapter would like to do something similar.

Susan S. Stevens
SPJ Region 5 director
Chicago Headline Club and CHC Foundation secretary

The SPJ student chapter and its j-school have, for three decades, hosted something called the Freedom of Information Congress. Past speakers have included Carl Bernstein, Nina Totenberg, and Anderson Cooper.

And now me.

When I told friends and colleagues I was invited and I didn’t exactly know why, the younger ones accused me of humblebrag. (The older ones already know I’m an arrogant asshole.) But it was an objectively curious decision for a j-school to pay travel expenses for someone who’s been expelled as a student and fired as a newspaper adviser.

(Maybe this is also humblebrag, but I declined an honorarium. I’m not charging when my predecessors included Helen Thomas, Daniel Schorr, and David Broder.)

It turns out the University of Memphis is a quirky and contradictory place. It both depressed and impressed me. Here’s why.

The unkindest cuts and cops

If the University of Memphis is known to journalists outside the city, it’s for tormenting its student newspaper, The Daily Helmsman.

Last year, editor Chelsea Boozer and her staff won the Student Press Law Center’s College Press Freedom Award for fighting “a retaliatory budget cut while enduring a campaign of harassment by campus police.”

It’s a long story, but one worth reading. Or watching. I met Boozer at SPJ’s annual Will Write For Food program only days before she won this award. Her managing editor (and now SPJ chapter president) Christopher Whitten had also been accepted into what I believe is the toughest journalism weekend in the country. Both shined.

So I knew something about Memphis students when I flew up there last Tuesday. But I didn’t know squat about the faculty.

Burying the news

If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s this: Just like big newspapers, big j-schools aren’t always the best. Both can be too massive to steer nimbly, too nervous to try anything new, and too arrogant for self-analysis.

The Memphis j-school lives in the shadow of its bigger (and richer) brother at the University of Tennessee, but it doesn’t seem to suffer from an inferiority complex. Maybe that’s because it’s a short drive to the famous Beale Street barbecue and bar scene, and after one night there myself, I was feeling rather mellow.

Whatever the reason, the Memphis j-school is small in all the right ways. Example: One student told me he had been arrested for stealing textbooks because he was too broke to buy them, and he got so depressed he stopped going to class. He only went back when journalism department chairman David Arant called him – and with kind but firm words, told him not to sacrifice his career over a mistake.

How many department chairs call a student in trouble? Or call a student ever?

This incident reveals something else about the University of Memphis: Many of its students are older and broker than in other places.

I spoke to three j-school classes and the Daily Helmsman staff before my keynote Wednesday evening. In each encounter, I met weary but earnest students in their late 20 or early 30s, many with one child and some with two and even three. A father told me the average student is 26 with a small kid and huge loans.

By the book

Under these circumstances, you’d think the professors would flee as soon as they got a whiff of another job offer. But all three who invited me to speak to their classes were pleased with their surroundings, and two are recently published.

Joe Hayden is the author of The Little Grammar Book, which he told me he wrote precisely because his students – who often work one or even two jobs to pay the bills –  were too frazzled to wade through musty grammar tomes. He wanted a slender, cheap paperback that would impart the crucial basics. And he succeeded.

He gave me a copy, and I read it on the plane back to Fort Lauderdale. I finished it somewhere over the Gulf without knowing I was more than halfway home. How often does a grammar book cause you to lose track of time?

Pam Denney‘s Food Lover’s Guide to Memphisis entirely different.

The veteran food critic published a gastronomic tour of her city last year, covering everything from barbecue joints to organic markets to local recipes to the city’s “food politics.”

(Memphis is, according to one study, the nation’s fattest city. Weirdly, Denney is a wisp of a woman. And few of the students were anywhere near obese – but one wryly told me that’s because they can’t afford food.)

SOL with the FOI

Unfortunately, my keynote didn’t offend, despite the photos of genital tattoos and a full-body cavity search.

(I thought it would be amusing for an FOI event to censor my slides – all of which were, of course, educational. I’m not an anarchist.)

The Memphis Flyer, the local alt-weekly, posted a mostly softball summary of what I said. I believe journalists go flaccid when they cover their own kind, out of some twisted professional courtesy.

And in fact, that was my theme for the night – “There’s nothing more hypocritical than a thin-skinned journalist.”

That led to the only Flyer flak…

I believe there are hypocrites in every profession. I don’t think one profession boasts a larger amount of hypocrites than another. … I expected that Koretzky would make some statements that were debatable, and this indeed was one of them.

Soft.

Conference pricing is $80 for non-SPJ members, $65 for SPJ members, and $40 for all students on or before MARCH 29. After tonight, conference pricing will go up significantly. Visit the conference website at http://spjregion11.eventbrite.com/ to register.

Note: The Mark of Excellence (MOE) awards luncheon is ticketed separately at $35 for students and $40 for guests. MOE ticket prices will remain the same.

If you haven’t reserved your hotel room yet, there may still be a few available at the group rate of $95 per night. Call the hotel directly at 866-791-7626 (toll free) and use the booking code SPJ 0412, or visit http://www.southpointcasino.com and use the same booking code, if still available.

If you’ve already registered, THANKS, and I look forward to seeing you in just a couple of weeks!

Best,

Teri Carnicelli

SPJ Region 11 Director

602-410-1267

Learn from the experts: SPJ in St. Louis April 26-28

By Susan Stevens

Management at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch agreed this week to extend the conference rate after seeing a spike in registrations through March. The conference is scheduled for April 26-28 at the hotel.

Besides several programs, there will be Mark of Excellence awards handed out during dual luncheons at the conference.

But the hotel says just a few rooms remain in the block reserved for conference attendees, so anyone interested in an overnight stay needs to book reservations right away.

A happy-hour mixer with free drinks for hotel patrons is Friday, April 26, and a meeting of region leaders is slated for Sunday, April 28, starting at 9 a.m. The conference events take place from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. that Saturday.

Drury management also urges those attendees who drive to the conference to arrive early for parking, as the baseball Cardinals will host the Pittsburgh Pirates a couple blocks away on Saturday and the hotel shares parking space with Busch Stadium.

This year, Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky) and Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) are working together beneath the Gateway Arch to bring you a conference to remember. Sessions include:

Veterans Affairs
 Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan created a new kind of reporting challenge: battle-scarred veterans trying to re-enter civil society. A two-part program by veterans advocates and military staff explains the issues many media increasingly face, and how to approach them. Col. David Sutherland with the Center for Military and Veterans Community Services, and Erica J. Borggren of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs lead the discussions. Thanks to the Poynter Institute and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Quick investigations
Think you don’t have time to do great investigative journalism on a tight schedule and meager budget? Think again. Mark Horvit, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, demonstrates short, simple tasks that can turn digital data into great stories.

Journalism aloft
Look up there, in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the latest tool for journalists to gather information. Drone aircraft are swooping into media coverage of danger spots and secret locations — and sometimes they catch flak. Bill Allen from the University of Missouri explains.

Edit yourself
Writing and editing are distinct skills few journalists master at once. Freelancers have little choice. Veteran newspaper journalist-turned-freelancer David Sheets explains how independent journalists can become their own best editors.

Hyperlocal future
Neighborhood-level news appears to be entering a rough patch in its evolution. Cincinnati broadcaster and former St. Louis hyperlocal journalist and editor Holly Edgell explains how it’s too soon to give up on bringing neighborhood news to the masses.

Ethical behavior
Good journalism requires good behavior on the journalist’s part. But how is that possible when the line between good and bad seems to change all the time? Elizabeth Donald of SPJ’s Ethics Committee explains how to keep pace in the fast-moving realm of digital news gathering.

Digital teamwork
Television and online journalists have the same goals but distinct ways to convey information. Now, as the digital marketplace becomes dominant, the two must find ways to combine knowledge and resources. A panel discussion offers solutions.​

Sign Up Soon

Register now to get the early rates for SPJ members and non-members. Go to this link at Eventbrite to make your conference reservation: http://spjregions5and7.eventbrite.com Full refunds will be granted through that date. Refunds of 50 percent will be granted up to one week before the event. No refunds will be granted after April 20.
Conference reservation rates through April 1 are as follows:
Early bird professional member — $75
Early bird student member — $30
Early bird professional non-member — $100
Early bird student non-member — $50
Conference reservation rates after April 1:
Professional member — $120
Student member — $60
Non-member — $150
Student non-member — $75

Special hotel rates

The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch is the setting for this year’s joint regional convention. A large block of rooms has been set aside for attendees, and there will be two luncheon banquets for each region’s Mark of Excellence awards. Breakfasts are free for everyone and Saturday lunch is too. The schedule includes an informal welcome gathering on Friday, April 26, Mark of Excellence Awards luncheons mid-day Saturday, pro development sessions Saturday morning and afternoon, and a regional strategy meeting Sunday morning.
Individual or group reservations can be made at a reduced rate of $129 for SPJ attendees. Click here to make reservations. This special rate and availability are guaranteed up to March 26.

The location not only has fine amenities and fabulous views, but also is close to downtown historic sites, sports venues, shopping, and nightlife.

Sponsorships available

What’s the next best thing to attending this year’s regional conference? Sponsoring it. The Society of Professional Journalists encourages anyone who supports responsible, ethical journalism to help cover the costs of sessions and attendees. Sponsors will be recognized at the conference and have their logos posted on our website.

More information on the conference and on becoming a sponsor is available through Region 5 director Susan Stevens at susanstevens@aol.com or Region 7 director David Sheets at dksheetsSPJ@gmail.com.

Today is the last day for discount rates for “Journalism 2013: Working It Out.” Visit our web site at www.spjr42013.wordpress.com for all the details.

Lots of great panels — including one featuring staff of the Steubenville, Ohio, newspaper, on coverage of the just-concluded rape case there.

Hope to see you in Dayton April 5-6!

SPJ has very few edicts – mandatory rules that national board members like myself must abide by. One of them is hosting an annual journalism conference within my region. Ever obedient, I organized last weekend’s MediAtlanta and recruited staffers from The Red and Black to tell the tale.

Careful readers of this blog will note I’ve written about The Red and Black before, and it wasn’t exactly flattering. But my beef was with the professionals, not the students. (In fact, my beefs are almost always with the old farts who should know better.)

So here’s what three journalists at the award-winning Red and Black – it fared quite well in the regional Mark of Excellence contest – learned at MediAtlanta…
 

4 Lies Your College Will Tell You

By Shannon Adams

Picking four lies colleges tell student journalists was tricky for Frank LoMonte, the executive director of the Student Press Law Center. But he was able to narrow it down to just four.

Lie 1: You’re defaming the school!

“Well, the fact of the matter is, it’s really freaking hard to defame a college,” LoMonte said. While the Supreme Court has ruled that it’s possible to libel someone even in an opinion piece, what most colleges call defamation isn’t.

“Libel is a false statement of fact that is made with some degree of negligence or recklessness,” LoMonte said. Colleges may claim that journalists are libeling or about to libel them, but usually it’s just an intimidation tactic.

“We hear colleges say to their student journalists, trying to intimidate them, ‘You’re about to libel our college’ – and what they really mean is, ‘You’re about to hurt our reputation by publishing something about us that is harmful but true,’” LoMonte said. “And if it is harmful but true, it doesn’t matter how harmful it is.”

This concept stems from the idea that student journalists are there to make the school look good. Instead, students should look at their relationship to their college as a consumer relationship.

“The schools want you to think of it as, ‘You are a representative of the school, and you have to make us proud,’” LoMonte said, “But the fact is, you’re paying these people a lot of money to provide you a service in a consumer transaction.”

Lie 2: Everything we have is a FERPA record

FERPA – the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – was intended to protect students from snooping of other government agencies. But reports of employee misconduct, court documents and teachers’ emails in their “in” box are not protected by FERPA.

“Just because it has a student’s name on it doesn’t mean it’s protected by FERPA,” LoMonte said. Records must be directly related to the student and be maintained by the school in order to be protected by FERPA. For example, “Police records – records created for law enforcement purposes – are never ever ever ever FERPA records,” LoMonte said.

Lie 3: This is a HIPAA violation

“FERPA’s uglier cousin is HIPAA,” LoMonte said. HIPAA is the federal healthcare privacy law.

“HIPAA does say that people who are covered by HIPAA can’t give out information about people’s individual confidential medical information,” LoMonte said. “But HIPAA only covers two types of people: It covers your health care provider – your doctor – and your health insurance.”

Taking pictures and writing about injured people and accidents are not HIPAA violations, although some officials might tell you it is.

“If somebody says ‘HIPAA,’ what you should hear is ‘I’m lying to you right now,’” LoMonte said, “because it’s always wrong. The law is largely misunderstood and misquoted, but journalists would be hard-pressed to violate it. There is no such thing as invasion of privacy of something that you do in a public space.”

Lie 4: if you take pictures where you shouldn’t we get to delete them

Once you take pictures, they’re your property. No one can seize them. “The reality is that’s stealing,” LoMonte said.

“If you wouldn’t let somebody rip up your $20 bill, don’t let them delete your pictures either,” LoMonte said, “There is not ever a time when the law says that the right answer is for the police or somebody acting like a cop to delete your photos or make you delete them or to otherwise take them away.”
 

Journalism in the Middle East

By Sarah Anne Perry

Former Cleveland Plain Dealer managing editor Tom O’Hara looked forward to adventure in the Middle East — and he found it.

The United Arab Emirates is ranked 114th out of 179 in the Press Freedom Index and labeled “not free” by Freedom House. it’s not an obvious hotspot for journalists on the job hunt.

But for O’Hara and Georgia State University profesor Matt Duffy, it was. Between 2010 and 2012, O’Hara worked as a desk editor at The National, an English-language paper praised as the best and freest in the Arab world. Duffy taught journalism as a professor at Zayed University. Saturday, both men spoke about their experiences at MediAtlanta.

O’Hara said although he couldn’t find a reporting job in the United States, he found two in the Middle East within two days of searching. A recruiter from The National lauded Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s intentions to create “The New York Times of the Middle East.”

That wasn’t quite what O’Hara encountered. Working at The National meant battles not just between writers and editors, but between news staff and the constant threat of censorship.

Censors were only concerned with certain topics, O’Hara said — namely, those that might reflect badly on the government or threaten its stability. In the midst of the Arab Spring, any writing that might portray the U.A.E. government negatively was deemed a potential cause of civil unrest, and thus unprintable.

Fortunately for him, O’Hara was safe behind the foreign news desk, where few stories seemed to possess the potential for political catastrophe.

Self-censorship was the norm at The National, O’Hara said. Paranoia kept the paper’s editors worried about offending not just Sheik Khalifa but also the Bahraini rulers, to whom he’s related. Even the president’s own words were edited for Shia references so as not to upset the paper’s Sunni Muslim readers.

O’Hara said the top editors at The National spent much of their time proofing copy rather than performing the administrative duties often expected of the highest-ranking members of the newsroom.

In the U.A.E., libel was a criminal offense, Duffy said. Arab publications even used initials in crime reports instead of names to protect suspects’ pride — truth wasn’t necessarily a viable defense when a reporter was brought to court for defamation of character.

Arab readers could circumvent censorship by getting their news from the Internet, Duffy said. Still, he said he was surprised by how little his colleagues knew about current events in their own country.

“I was surprised by how few people were paying attention,” he said.

Duffy described the U.A.E. as a lovely place to live, with many people prospering from oil money and therefore content with life as they knew it — and often unconcerned with the news. He said Arab culture and Islamic tradition created a welcoming atmosphere for him.

O’Hara also said he felt welcome, and that he rarely encountered anti-American or xenophobic sentiments from sources and others.

“You kept hearing this: ‘I love Americans. I don’t like America,’” he said.

O’Hara said Arabs’ dislike for America had more to do with its support for Israel than for its culture. He added that not knowing Arabic is no deterrent to reporting in a country whose population consists mostly of expatriates. Neither is gender, he said, although he advised female reporters to enter the Middle East with a tough skin.

“Arab men are not subtle,” he said.

O’Hara and Duffy agreed that their experiences, though challenging, were invaluable. O’Hara recommended that reporters work abroad early in their careers so they can apply the lessons they learn there to the careers they build in the United States.

Both men also expressed hope for the future of free speech in the Middle East. Social media isn’t going away, Duffy said, and neither is the freedom of expression it provides.
 

Weird Careers in the Media

By Chelsey Abercrombie

In the rapidly evolving world of media, careers can be found where you least expect them. Nobody I know grew up with dreams of being a “social media editor” — how could they? Five years ago, it didn’t even exist as a profession.

While some doomsayers may preach that the advent of technology will herald the extinction of journalism, Michael Koretzky, the leader of MediAtlanta’s “Weird Careers in the Media” session, begs to differ. He offered several pieces of advice to help aspiring journalists get the ball rolling.

Don’t get an internship when you can get a part-time freelance gig.

While internships are practically guaranteed to involve their fair share of coffee runs, copy-making and fun-filled trips to restock the printer, freelance gigs guarantee the one thing an internship can’t: actual experience.

And in addition to grabbing you a few real-world bylines, most freelance jobs are also paid and can bring you into contact with some great names for the reference section of your resume.

Dailies are still hiring writers, photographers, and designers…so long as they’re all the same person.

In our technology-saturated world, everything is about multimedia, and staff writers are no longer expected solely to be able to write.

Proficiency in HTML, Photoshop, Flash and InDesign can skyrocket your chances of landing an interview and ultimately a career.

Newspapers will run like magazines. Magazines will run like radio stations.

Now that anyone with a GoDaddy account can run their own quote-unquote news service, publications’ best bet for survival lies in finding their niche readership.

Koretzky ran through several examples of magazines devoted to everything from lawn croquet to yachting crews. While it may not be your dream job, when it comes hiring time, the randomness of your resume may just be what lands you an interview.

Writers also don’t need to specifically share their publication’s interest.In two different cases, writers for a gay magazine and a Native American magazine weren’t even gay or Native American.

Journalists will have at least one job in their career they never expected.

And here comes the “weird” part: Your best bet at a career in journalism might not be in publications at all.

Many businesses are now hiring writers to blog about their products, events and services. Advocacy groups have also begun to hire their own freelance investigative journalists to pursue causes that might not be at the top of a mainstream news service’s priority list.

Some companies want journalists instead of public relations specialists.

In the same vein of unexpected career opportunities, many companies and businesses are overlooking the typical public relations grads to run their PR in favor of journalists, who know how to spice up a would-be boring post and are no strangers to thinking on their feet.

Ultimately, while first jobs can be daunting in the fast-paced world of journalism, the key to success isn’t always sticking to your guns.

Sometimes you have to get creative – and maybe a little weird – to find the right first step towards the career of your dreams.

“It’s funny that the most interesting thing about our convention,” MediAtlanta speaker Karla Bowsher mused Saturday night, “is someone else’s convention.”

Bowsher was strolling through the Westin hotel in downtown Atlanta, just a few blocks from the SPJ regional conference we hosted earlier that day. She, me, and five other MediAtlanta speakers were lured inside by intense journalistic curiosity.

The Westin was hosting Furry Weekend Atlanta, a gathering of 2,000 “furries” and their fans. If you don’t know what a furry is, you can read the ponderous Wikipedia description. But here’s my own simplistic, journalistic version…

Furries are perhaps the most laughed-at legal subculture in America. In varying degrees, they enjoy dressing as anthropomorphic animals – think of a cross between college football mascots and the suited characters who lumber through DisneyWorld, but with an anime and sci-fi edge.

Some furries get sexually aroused wearing these suits, which can cost thousands of dollars. Others just enjoy the camaraderie that comes from being around a critical mass of fellow outsiders – who, for that one weekend, are suddenly the insiders.

Like everything else journalists are forced to describe in only a few words, these are just the broad strokes, not the subtle shadings. Since it’s so hard to define them, you can imagine how misunderstood many furries feel. Popular culture tends to malign what it can’t define, and it’s worse for furries because of their cute suits.

But the more we spoke with the Furry Weekend attendees, the more the MediAtlanta crew – which included Michele Boyet, Gideon Grudo, Cassie Morien, Tom O’Hara, and Chris Persaud – admired them. That was partly because they were so willing to speak to us.

I’ve covered other subcultures as a journalist, from Jewish gun-lovers to Nazi submariner re-enactors. But I’ve never met a group more willing to talk freely about their scene, even as I heard catcalls from the public walking by the Westin. O’Hara chatted with one furry for 15 minutes, delving into the topic of the sexual practices and sexual orientations of both furries and their fans.

Furries embody everything I value as a journalist: Thick skins (quite literally) and an outsider’s view of the rest of the world, but with its own tight-knit community that won’t exclude anyone with an open mind.

Grudo, who helped coordinate last year’s annual Will Write For Food weekend, suggested a similar event called Will Write For Fur: “We should publish a furry convention newspaper the next time they do this.”

I agree. The journalistic value is plain…

If reporters and photographers can sensitively cover this subculture, capturing its essence in a way that enlightens the public while still informing the furries themselves, that’s the pinnacle of our craft.

If you’re interested in joining us, email me. We’ll need all the help we can get. I predict this SPJ grant application is gonna be a hard sell.

Tomorrow: Read about MediAtlanta itself, as reported by the staff at The Red and Black, the independent student newspaper at the University of Georgia.

Below are the Region 3 winners in SPJ’s college journalism contest, called the Mark of Excellence. The first-place winners compete nationally against their peers in 11 other regions. SPJ will announce those results May 2.

But even the second- and third-place winners who aren’t competing nationally have nothing to complain about. They’re still some of the best college journalists in the southeast United States – which covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Oh, and if you don’t see a second or third place listed, it’s not a mistake. It just means SPJ’s hard-ass judges don’t dole out awards like a T-ball league or a Student Government banquet. The MoEs matter because they’re friggin’ hard to win.

So anyway…

PHOTOGRAPHY

Breaking News Photography (Large)

First Place
Kristy L. Densmore
Trayvon Martin protest
University of Georgia

Second Place
Charles Pratt
Barrackin’ the Burrow
Florida Atlantic University

Feature Photography (Large)

First Place
Kelly Smith
State of solitude
University of Miami

Second Place
Kelly Smith
Swimming with pride
University of Miami

Third Place
Rachel Steinhauser
Love at first bite
University of Miami

Feature Photography (Medium)

First Place
Joseph Jacob
Mangue Banzima doesn’t think, he just shoots
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Joseph Jacob
A pirate’s life for the weekend
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Feature Photography (Small)

First Place
Sarah Williamson
Together again
Flagler College

Second Place
Brittany Mullins
The specter of the countess
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Atlanta

Third Place
Cait Duffy
2012 Republican National Convention
Eckerd College

General News Photography (Large)

First Place
Dana Edwards
Willy Dickey picks peas from Orchard Pond Organic Farm
University of Florida

Second Place
Christine Capozziello
FAU’s faculty rip President Saunders and higher-ups in annual survey
Florida Atlantic University

General News Photography (Medium)

First Place
Joseph Jacob
Operation New Hope gives dogs and inmates a second chance
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
AJ Gonzalez
Walkers continue their journey to end domestic violence
Barry University

Sports Photography (Large)

First Place
Caitlin Trotter
Sidelined
University of Alabama

Second Place
C.B. Schmelter
Football celebration
University of Georgia

Third Place
Ryan Murphy
FAU football
Florida Atlantic University

Sports Photography (Small)

First Place
Dom Cuppetilli
Wakeboarding competition
Eckerd College

Second Place
Lincoln Andres-Beck
Women’s rugby win
Eckerd College

Third Place
Pablo Serrano-Otero
Savannah Derby Devils
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Photo Illustration (Large)

First Place
Randy Schafer
Honey Funk records
University of Georgia

Second Place
Kelly Smith, Ivana Cruz, Sophianna Bishop
Political issue cover
University of Miami

Third Place
Pablo Serrano-Otero
Honey Funk records
University of Miami

Photo Illustration (Medium)

First Place
Kayla Sloan
Can you disconnect
University of North Alabama

WEB

Best Affiliated Web Site (Large)

First Place
Staff
The Red and Black
University of Georgia

Second Place
Staff
The Miami Hurricane
University of Miami

Third Place
Staff
The Crimson White
University of Alabama

Best Affiliated Web Site (Small)

First Place
Staff
The Online Current
Eckerd College

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Large)

First Place
Staff
South Florida News Service
Florida International University

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Medium)

First Place
Staff
District
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Best Independent Online Student Publication (Small)

First Place
Staff
The Connector
Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta

Second Place
Staff
Flagler College Gargoyle
Flagler College

Online Feature Reporting (Large)

First Place
Christina Miller
Twice read: a story about letters
University of South Florida

Second Place
Emily Bloch
FAU’s Bonfire Bands
Florida Atlantic University

Third Place
Randy Schafer
Photographer poses perfection, almost
University of Georgia

Online Feature Reporting (Medium)

First Place
Danielle Austin and Joseph Jacob
Operation New Hope gives dogs and inmates a second chance
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Susan Kemp
A-Town Get Down remembers student through music, art
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Third Place
Brandon Buchanan
The Ultimate Reconciler, Robby Waddell
Full Sail University

Online Feature Reporting (Small)

First Place
Lauren Ely
A Difference Between Faiths: Politically Irrelevant
Flagler College

Second Place
Tiffanie Reynolds
Bible study group bridges religion and sexual orientation
Flagler College

Third Place
Adam Hunt
A Look Into the World of Local TV News
Flagler College

Online In-Depth Reporting (Large)

First Place
Karla Bowsher and James Shackelford
Public Distrust
Florida Atlantic University

Second Place
Lindsey Cook
The problems with Study Abroad
University of Georgia

Third Place
Jacob Sadowsky
Man Filing Hazing Charges Against UCF ATO
University of Central Florida

Online In-Depth Reporting (Medium)

First Place
Staff
2012 Savannah Film Festival
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Shannon Craig
T-SPLOST
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Online In-Depth Reporting (Small)

First Place
Ryan Buffa
Preacher or protester?
Flagler College

Second Place
Michael Newberger
Is your house making you sick?
Flagler College

Online News Reporting (Large)

First Place
Luis Giraldo
Tale of Two Marines
University of Florida

Second Place
UP Staff
Lowdown on the lockdown
Florida Atlantic University

Third Place
Jacob Sadowsky
Entry Fee
University of Central Florida

Online News Reporting (Medium)

First Place
Shannon Craig
Free HIV test: excuses need not apply
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Daniel Alvarez
Student finds footing in lawsuit against school
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Online News Reporting (Small)

First Place
Sarah Williamson
Muslim student responds to ignorance
Flagler College

Second Place
Ryan Buffa and Joshua Santos
Mitt Romney visits Flagler College
Flagler College

Online Sports Reporting (Large)

First Place
Christina Miller
Bowling in the 21st century
University of South Florida

Second Place
Ryan Black
Celebrity’s glare transforms Georgia athletics
University of Georgia

Third Place
Jake Rakoci and Eric Py
UCF Hopes to Grow From Tough Loss
University of Central Florida

Online Sports Reporting (Medium)

First Place
Allen Duncan
Money reallocations disband three student teams
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Online Sports Reporting (Small)

First Place
Eric Albury
Athlete endures religious fast
Flagler College

Second Place
Jaycob Ammerman
Jillian Unitas won’t mind seeing Brees break record
Flagler College

Third Place
Eric Albury
Minor leagues hold dreams for Flagler men’s baseball
Flagler College

Online Opinion & Commentary (Medium)

First Place
Susan Kemp
Columns
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Staff
Columns
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Online Opinion & Commentary (Small)

First Place
Phil Grech
Columns
Flagler College

Second Place
Nikki Igbo
Columns
Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta

Third Place
Erin White
Columns
Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta

BROADCAST

Best All-Around Radio Newscast

First Place
Staff
WUFT Front Page
University of Florida

Second Place
Staff
District
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Best All-Around TV Newscast

First Place
Staff
Carolina Magazine
University of South Carolina

Second Place
Staff
WUFT NEWS First at Five
University of Florida

Third Place
Staff
NewsVision
University of Miami

Radio Feature

First Place
Jenny Williamson
Smart meters electrify debate
Florida Gulf Coast University

Second Place
Nathalie Boyd
memorials
Troy University

Third Place
Nathalie Boyd and Paul Boger
Funds for football
Troy University

Radio In-Depth Reporting

First Place
Nicholas Lawrence
This collegiate life: generations
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Luis Giraldo
Venezuelan voters: the personal journey
University of Florida

Third Place
Nathalie Boyd and Paul Boger 
Funds for football
Troy University

Radio News Reporting

First Place
Cameron Taylor
Cedar Key oyster industry in trouble
University of Florida

Second Place
Rebecca Farmer
Mayport ferry
University of Alabama

Third Place
Susan Kemp and Danielle Austin
Newt Gingrich holds rally in Savannah
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Radio Sports Reporting

First Place
Taylor Crosby
Student rec center expansion
University of Alabama

TV Breaking News Reporting

First Place
Cameron Taylor
Growing Evidence suggests missing UF student likely murdered
University of Florida

Second Place
Joshua Santos and Ryan Buffa
Mitt Romney visits Flagler College
Flagler College

Third Place
Tommy Townsend
Snow fell on Alabama
University of Alabama

TV Feature Photography

First Place
Luis Giraldo
Art education
University of Florida

Second Place
Jacob Fisher
Radioiodine therapy
University of South Carolina

Third Place
Chelsea Parler
Celtic festival
University of South Carolina

TV Feature Reporting

First Place
Kyara Massenburg
The three little bears
University of South Carolina

Second Place
Hannah Moseley
Spina bifida: Thomas Clark’s story
University of South Carolina

Third Place
Mary Beth Harrison
Pomping process
University of Alabama

TV General News Reporting

First Place
Tommy Townsend
Championship gear
University of Alabama

Second Place
Mamie Shepherd
Voting from behind bars
University of Georgia

Third Place
Krista Bagley
Fake IDs
University of South Carolina

TV In-Depth Reporting

First Place
Kierra King and Aaron Tillman
The need to belong
Florida A&M University

Second Place
Shannon Sommerville
Tommy John surgery
University of Miami

Third Place
Douglas Scarpa, Nicholas Lawrence, Shannon Craig, Kenneth Rosen
The final stitch
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

TV News Photography

First Place
Brandon McMullen and Kristen Swilley
The promise
Florida A&M University

Second Place
Valeria Sistrunk
Obama and welfare
Florida A&M University

Third Place
Laura Christmas
Herding Gator
University of Florida

TV Sports Photography

First Place
Victor Makali and Danielle Austin
Get to Know: SCAD longboarding club
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

TV Sports Reporting

First Place
Jen Somach
Quarterback
University of Miami

Second Place
Mike Wadsworth
Lakeisha Sutton
University of South Carolina

Third Place
Tori Petry
Gemma Spofforth
University of Florida

PRINT

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper

First Place
Staff
The Crimson White
University of Alabama

Second Place
Staff
The Oracle
University of South Florida

Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper (Large)

First Place
Staff
The Red & Black
University of Georgia

Second Place
Staff
The Miami Hurricane
University of Miami

Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper (Medium)

First Place
Staff
The Flor-Ala
University of North Alabama

Second Place
Staff
The Minaret
University of Tampa

Third Place
Staff
The Chanticleer
Jacksonville State University

Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper (Small)

First Place
Staff
The Current
Eckerd College

Best Student Magazine

First Place
Staff
Distraction Magazine
University of Miami

Second Place
Staff
Centric Magazine
University of Central Florida

Third Place
Staff
The Fine Print
University of Florida

Breaking News Reporting (Large)

First Place
Will Tucker, Ashley Chaffin, Katherine Owen, Mary Kathryn Patterson
Police arrest Temerson Square gunman
University of Alabama

Second Place
University Press
Lowdown on the lockdown
Florida Atlantic University

Editorial Cartooning (Large)

First Place
Phillip Henry
Cartoons
University of Georgia

Editorial Cartooning (Medium)

First Place
Jeffrey Vossler
Cartoons
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Second Place
Michael Beckom
Cartoons
Savannah College of Art and Design

Third Place
Brandon Murray
Cartoons
Troy University

Editorial Writing (Large)

First Place
Staff
Editorials
University of Alabama

Second Place
Elizabeth De Armas
Editorials
University of Miami

Third Place
Julia Carpenter, Nicholas Fouriezos, Polina Marinova
Editorials
University of Georgia

Editorial Writing (Medium)

First Place
The Flor-Ala Staff and Josh Skaggs
Editorials
University of North Alabama

Editorial Writing (Small)

First Place
Ely Grinfeld
Editorials
Eckerd College

Feature Writing (Large)

First Place
Jonathan Reed
Harder than we thought
University of Alabama

Second Place
Tiffany Stevens
A full life. A fatal fall
University of Georgia

Third Place
Tyler Jett
Silenced voices
University of Florida

Feature Writing (Medium)

First Place
Jackisha FanFan
Back, hip and knee problems caused by heels
Barry University

Feature Writing (Small)

First Place
Malena Carollo
EC student travels home to Venezuela
Eckerd College

Second Place
Emily Hoover
Farm cultivates new life for disabled veterans
Flagler College

Third Place
Tiffanie Reynolds
Vets find strength in numbers at college
Flagler College

General Column Writing (Large)

First Place
Blake Seitz
Three columns
University of Georgia

Second Place
Jake Howell
Making Life mean more than just class
University of South Alabama

General Column Writing (Medium)

First Place
Zach Tyler
Columns
Jacksonville State University

Second Place
Alex Lindley
Columns
University of North Alabama

Third Place
Alex Caraballo
Columns
University of Tampa

General Column Writing (Small)

First Place
Max Martinez
Columns
Eckerd College

General News Reporting (Large)

First Place
Cassie Fambro
USAPD officer kills student
University of South Alabama

Second Place
Jordan Friedman
Emory Intentionally misreported admission numbers
Emory University

Third Place
Karla Bowsher and James Shackelford
Who’s In charge here?
Florida Atlantic University

General News Reporting (Medium)

First Place
Alex Lindley and Matt Wilson
Campus responds to delayed police reporting of rape
University of North Alabama

General News Reporting (Small)

First Place
Ryan Buffa
Preacher or protester?
Flagler College

Second Place
Megan Thompson
Live @ the Librar
Samford University

Third Place
Malena Carollo
Professor’s cousin and well-known journalist killed in Syria
Eckerd College

In-Depth Reporting (Large)

First Place
Karla Bowsher and James Shackelford
Secret pasts
Florida Atlantic University

Second Place
Randy Schafer
Rhythm and race
University of Georgia

Third Place
Evan Mah
Emory shuts down departments, programs
Emory University

In-Depth Reporting (Medium)

First Place
Edward Bailey
Tuition, fees up 50.8 percent in 4 years
Troy University

In-Depth Reporting (Small)

First Place
Seth Ravid
Judicial fines fund student life projects
Eckerd College

Second Place
Elizabeth Tomaselli
On patrol with campus safety
Eckerd College

Third Place
Malena Carollo
College makes headway in acquiring Arabic minor
Eckerd College

Non-Fiction Magazine Article

First Place
Patrick Riley
The Basketball diaries
University of Miami

Second Place
Laura Monroe
Will tweet For food
University of Alabama

Third Place
Caroline Huftalen
Unmatched.com
Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta

Sports Column Writing (Large)

First Place
Ryan Cortes
Sports Columns
Florida Atlantic University

Second Place
Ryan Black
Sports Columns
University of Georgia

Third Place
Andrew Clay
sports columns
Troy University

Sports Writing (Large)

First Place
Ryan Cortes
Schnellenberger unhinged
Florida Atlantic University

Second Place
Marc Torrence
Fight on, fight on
University of Alabama

Third Place
Erica A. Hernandez
AmpSurf offers locals a new lease on life
University of Florida

Sports Writing (Small)

First Place
Kelly Coston
Senior Gibson thrills with speed on the field
Eckerd College

Second Place
Malena Carollo
Jenks serving up English
Eckerd College

We anticipate high attendance from writers, editors, photographers, columnists and broadcasters, as well as college students studying in the field of journalism, who will spend their time learning about the best techniques for improving their news gathering, writing, and editing skills, as well as discuss important ethical issues that continue to arise in this era of 24/7 global news. They’ll hear from media thought leaders from around the region who will help them prepare for producing news in the 21^st century – and they’ll come away sharper and better prepared for the realities of today’s news production.

We were able to get the hotel registration deadline extended to Thursday, MARCH 21, for the So if you haven’t booked your room yet, do it now before the ultra-low block price of $95 is gone. Call the hotel directly at 866-791-7626 (toll free) and use the booking code SPJ 0412, or visit http://www.southpointcasino.com and use the same booking code.

Conference pricing is $80 for non-SPJ members, $65 for SPJ members, and $40 for all students. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MARCH 29! Visit the conference website at http://spjregion11.eventbrite.com/ to register.

The Mark of Excellence (MOE) awards luncheon is ticketed separately at $35 for students and $40 for guests.

The hotel will be providing free in-room Wi-Fi and there will be inexpensive shuttles available to and from the Strip, for those of you who are flying in.

In addition, we’ve secured a FREE TOUR of the Springs Preserve for 10 a.m. Sunday, April 14. Note the tour is limited to 20 people. Located 3 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, the Springs Preserve is the best place to explore the Las Vegas Valley’s vibrant history through interactive science and nature exhibits, botanical gardens, hiking trails and animal shows. For more information about the Springs Preserve, visit the conference website.

This is going to be a great and affordable conference in one of Region 11’s most exciting and fun cities: VEGAS, BABY!! Hope to see you there!

Cheers,

Teri Carnicelli

SPJ Region 11 Director

spjteri@gmail.com

602-410-1267

Because today, we throw open the curtains for Sunshine Week, an annual initiative begun in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, joined by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in 2011, and devised to promote dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The initiative includes civic groups, libraries, news media, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know, and from Washington, D.C., to Washington state, an assortment of these organizations plan special events this week to help put that precious right into perspective.

The timing of the week is by design, as it honors the birth date March 16 of James Madison, coauthor of the Federalist Papers, father of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and fourth president of the United States.

“Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty,” Madison once wrote, “but also by the abuse of power.”

This notion transcends press freedom to encompass the right of all our republic’s citizens to question government and hold it accountable for its actions. Sunshine Week tries to remind everyone of that.

So, step up these seven days and lend your voice to the wake-up call. Write stories, editorials and news columns about this special week; organize essay contests and local forums; explain government transparency to students and educators; or spread the word though social media. The Sunshine Week website has a list of ways to make celebrations happen.

Elected officials meanwhile are urged to pass resolutions and introduce legislation supporting public access, as well as ensure compliance with existing laws that call for open records and meetings.

Everyone can make a difference. Start this week to make a difference daily.

David Sheets is a freelance editor, adjunct professor of journalism at Lindenwood University, Region 7 director, and past-president of SPJ’s St. Louis Pro chapter. Reach him by e-mail at dksheets@gmail.com, on Twitter at @DKSheets, on Facebook and LinkedIn.

FANTASTIC CONTEST RESPONSE: We had a great response to this year’s Best in Indiana Journalism contest, with entries jumping 25 percent from a year ago. Thank you to all who entered! Proceeds from the contest make the chapter’s scholarship program possible. Members of SPJ chapters from around the country are working to judge the entries now. Winners will be notified in the weeks ahead of the awards banquet April 19 at the Indianapolis Marriott North. So mark your calendars to join in celebrating the Best in Indiana Journalism.

CONFONTING FOI ROADBLOCKS: The Indiana Pro Chapter and the Indiana Coalition for Open Government are sponsoring a program on how to overcome obstacles from government officials in dealing with Freedom of Information requests. The program for journalists and the public will feature two past winners of the chapter’s Indiana Journalist of the Year award and two experts on Indiana’s public access laws. ICOG President Gerry Lanosga will outline a report he prepared on Indiana’s FOI laws (http://www.stateintegrity.org/indiana ). He’ll join panelists Tim Evans of The Indianapolis Star, Kara Kenney of WRTV and attorney Dan Byron, an ICOG board member who has represented WISH, for discussion and Q&A. The program marking national Sunshine Week is 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Nora branch library at 86th Street and Guilford Avenue in Indianapolis.

KEEP UP WITH THE CHAPTER AND JOIN: For the latest updates on Indiana Pro Chapter activities and other journalism happenings, join the chapter’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/indyprospj?ref=hl. If you aren’t an SPJ member, please consider joining by going to http://www.spj.org/whyjoin.asp. If you have more questions, email the chapter at indyprospj@gmail.com

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS: The chapter is now accepting applications for a $2,000 scholarship that will be awarded to an Indiana college journalism student. The winner must be active in student media or an SPJ chapter. Deadline to enter is March 29. All the details and the application form are at: http://indyprospj.org/?page_id=281. Please spread the word to any good candidates you know.

GREAT CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITY: SPJ’s regional conference will be April 27 in St. Louis. The program includes sessions such as improving digital teamwork between online and TV journalists, experts from Poynter discussing issues on reporting about Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and about how drone aircraft are swooping into media coverage of danger spots and secret locations. All the program and registration details are available http://www.spjinstl2013.com/#

Thanks for all your support Indiana Pro Chapter of SPJ!

Check out all our great programs at www.spjr42013.wordpress.com.

(Just added to the line-up: AP South Africa correspondent Jon Gambrell, a Miami University grad, who will talk about covering the Oscar Pistorius case and other big stories from the region.)

Register today at our Event Brite site: http://2013region4-es2005.eventbrite.com.

Hurry!! Best rate for conference registration end March 22. Best rates on hotels ends March 12!

Questions? Write me at newberpg@miamioh.edu.

Hope to see you in Dayton!

What’s better than one regional conference?
How about two regionals at the same time.

This year, Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky) and Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska) are working together beneath the Gateway Arch to bring you a conference to remember. Sessions include:

Reporting on returning veterans
Your brother, son, sister, daughter and other people across your community are veterans. Afghanistan. Iraq. Previous wars. How many of them have problems readjusting to civilian life? Finding jobs. Finding solutions to mental and physical health problems. Very special programs at this convention will consider how we should report on our vets. They’ll be brought to you by experts from the Poynter Institute. Thanks to the Robert McCormick Foundation.

Digital teamwork
Television and online journalists have the same goals but distinct ways to convey information. Now, as the digital marketplace becomes dominant, the two must find ways to combine knowledge and resources.

High planes drifters
Look up there, in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s the latest tool for journalists to gather information. Drone aircraft are swooping into media coverage of danger spots and secret locations — and sometimes they catch flak.

Copy editing for freelancers
Writing and editing are distinct skills few journalists master at once. Freelancers have little choice. A veteran newspaper journalist-turned-freelancer explains how independent journalists can become their own best editors.

Sign Up Soon

Register now to get the early rates for SPJ members and non-members. Go to this link at Eventbrite to make your conference reservation: http://spjregions5and7.eventbrite.com Full refunds will be granted through that date. Refunds of 50 percent will be granted up to one week before the event. No refunds will be granted after April 20.

Conference reservation rates through April 1 are as follows:
Early bird professional member — $75
Early bird student member — $30
Early bird professional non-member — $100
Early bird student non-member — $50

Conference reservation rates after April 1:
Professional member — $120
Student member — $60
Non-member — $150
Student non-member — $75

Special hotel rates

The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch is the setting for this year’s joint regional convention. A large block of rooms has been set aside for attendees, and there will be two luncheon banquets for each region’s Mark of Excellence awards. The tentative conference schedule includes an informal welcome gathering on Friday, April 26, sessions the following Saturday, and a regional strategy meeting Sunday morning.

Individual or group reservations can be made at a reduced rate of $129 for SPJ attendees. Click here to make reservations. This special rate and availability are guaranteed up to March 26.

The location not only has fine amenities and fabulous views, but also is close to downtown historic sites, sports venues, shopping, and nightlife.

This is the first time St. Louis has hosted a regional conference in three years. At the suggestion of Region 5′s leadership, the GatewayCity’s proximity to Southern Illinois, south and central Indiana, and western Kentucky also proved an optimum location for that region’s burgeoning membership in those areas.

Sponsorships available

What’s the next best thing to attending this year’s regional conference? Sponsoring it. The Society of Professional Journalists encourages anyone who supports responsible, ethical journalism to help cover the costs of sessions and attendees. Sponsors will be recognized at the conference and have their logos posted on our website.

More information on becoming a sponsor is available through Region 5 director Susan Stevens at susanstevens@aol.com, or Region 7 director David Sheets at dksheetsSPJ@gmail.com.

The conference will be at the offices of the Santa Fe New Mexican. Click here to register.

The deadline is March 3. The first entry into the contest is free, with subsequent entries costing $10 for SPJ members and $15 for nonmembers.

This contest has become a great showcase for the fine journalism that we’re doing in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.

For more information, go to Colorado Pro’s website.

It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride in Laramie for open-government advocates.

First, in January a district court judge ruled in favor of media organizations that the names for the finalists for the University of Wyoming’s presidency should be public record. The university was planning a secret selection process, using the shop-worn argument that good candidates wouldn’t bother applying if their current employers knew they were looking for a job.

But the ink on the court ruling was barely dry when Wyoming House Majority Leader Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, introduced legislation that would make the finalists information secret. At a committee hearing, university officials testified that four of the eight semi-finalists for the job withdrew after the court decision. The fact that the bill went through the Minerals Committee instead of either a higher-education or judiciary committee raises questions about intent.

SPJ’s FOI Committee weighed in, with Chairwoman Linda Petersen and National President Sonny Alborado writing a letter urging the bill’s veto.

The bill passed through the legislature quickly, and Gov. Matt Mead allowed the bill to become law without his signature, on Feb. 8 due to the veto-proof majorities in the Legislature that passed the bill. There was a glimmer of hope in Mead’s warning that the Legislature should not further erode the state’s open-records law.

But it looked like the presidential search would be shrouded in secrecy. Then, as the Student Press Law Center reported Feb. 22, the university decided that it would make the finalists public.

But the law is still on the books, which means the Wyoming media may have to fight this battle again. But at least it can rely on this presidential search to show that sunlight did not scare off qualified candidates.

Region 10 Contest Info.

Submit Entries Now

Have questions? Let us know. Our support team is ready to help:  Ruth Pettis, Dana Neuts and Ian Marquand.*

*We know that journalists are well known for procrastination. We can appreciate that, but please keep in mind that we will receive hundreds of inquiries the last few days of the contest. To be sure we have time to answer your questions, please contact us sooner rather than later. Do not wait until Friday afternoon to ask your questions; we may not be able to address your concerns before the deadline. Thanks for your understanding!*

This is how I spent my Monday night.

Yesterday, SPJ’s Generation J committee started soliciting logos that, you know, capture its essence. Here are the details.

So what’s the essence of Gen J?

Not a clue. It’s a committee of under-30 pro journalists who struggle mightily to represent that schizophrenic demographic – too old to care about college, not old enough to care about 401(k)s.

I’ve attended Gen J committee meetings before.

All I’ve really learned is that they call themselves Gen J, instead of Generation J. The rest of the meetings involve cultural references I can’t grasp. But they’re ambitious.

They’ve hosted some of the edgier sessions at SPJ conventions, and they update their SPJ blog several times a month – which is the most out of all 24 (yup, count ’em) blogs that SPJ keeps alive, although not exactly kicking.

Think you can design a better logo than me?

If so, you win a free year of SPJ membership. But I like my chances. Especially with this last one – I hear the ’70s are in again, and spanking never goes out of style. Or am I wrong about that last part?

The contest ends March 1. Here are those contest details one more time.

Two weeks ago, I played my first – and last – game of Words With Friends against a fellow journalist.

Gideon Grudo is a former editor at the student newspaper I advise at Florida Atlantic University. He’s now managing editor of Florida’s largest gay publication, which is only a few miles away.

So I know him well. And I know he doesn’t know words like anta, which he plunked down early in our game.

I texted him, “Anta? Seriously?”

“Anta is an architectural term defining posts, or some such,” he texted me back. “Learn something new everyday.”

(But not, apparently, that everyday should be every day in this usage.)

Gideon quickly followed up with khat (a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa) and jee (a variant of gee, for the letter g).

Obviously, Gideon just dragged those letters onto the board to see what Words With Friends would accept.

Of course, he could’ve simply typed those letters into one of the many websites that’ll spit out obscure words for you. But I don’t believe Gideon is that ambitious.

Either way, playing Words With Friends is like playing chess against your computer and tapping “undo” whenever you make a stupid move. To wit…

You can tell yourself you’re learning something new “everyday,” but those lessons aren’t seared into your brain as if you made the same stupid move in front of a human being who immediately burns you for it – and perhaps gloats afterward.

Words With Friends is bad enough for average folks. But for journalists, it’s worse.

Making enemies of Words With Friends

This is my 15th year advising college journalists, and I’ve seen many fail because they had skill but no spine. You can’t succeed in this field if you fear having to issue a correction every now and again.

Words With Friends teaches journalists nothing. Scrabble, on the other hand, teaches them nerve.

Like poker, you can bluff in Scrabble: Lay down a bunch of letters that don’t spell a real word, and your opponent can challenge you. If he’s right, you lose a turn. But if he’s wrong, he loses a turn. And you can’t use a dictionary or a smartphone until the challenge is issued. Till that moment, you’re on your own.

I’m not the only journalist who values Scrabble over its diluted and distorted impersonator. Next weekend, SPJ South Florida hosts a free event called FWWF – short for F@%# Words With Friends.

If you’re in South Florida on Saturday afternoon, join them for Speed Team Scrabble, which pits two people at one tray, with a tight deadline of 30 seconds to lay down each word. SPJ will provide the Scrabble boards, referees, dictionaries, pizza, and craft beer. The winning duo receives a pair of $10 Amazon gift certificates.

Changing the world, one tile at a time

If you share SPJ South Florida’s outrage over the dumbing down of America’s word games, I implore you to sign our online petition demanding that Zygna, the creator of Words With Friends, allows players to butch up and…

    • set a time limit of 60 seconds to make a move.
    • disable the sissy function that reveals if you’re placing a real or fake word.
    • issue Scrabble-like challenges of real consequence.

We just want the option to play like thinking adults. Let the mindless masses keep their computer-assisted amusement that requires all the brain calories of tic-tac-toe. But give us something that truly embraces the can-do spirit that made this country great.

George Washington didn’t have GPS when he crossed the Delaware. Lincoln didn’t have spell-check when he wrote the Gettysburg Address. Is it too much to ask for a little personal responsibility in our word games?

According to the chapter’s blog — http://wuspj.wordpress.com/ — the WU chapter won HQ approval on Dec. 21 of last year and is already up and running with 15 members.

Congrats to President Sarah Bell and all the WU crew!

Registration starts VERY SOON at www.spjr42013.wordpress.com.

Check out our progress today!

*************************************

ATHENS, Ohio—Ohio University’s annual Schuneman Symposium will feature award-winning journalists sharing stories of how and why journalism excellence still matters despite public confidence that ranks the profession below Congress.

“With all the challenges facing journalism organizations these days, excellence as a goal may seem more and more elusive,” said Robert Stewart, director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. “But given what surveys say about the public’s views on journalism, striving for excellence needs to remain a goal for all of us.”

The fifth Schuneman Symposium on Photojournalism and New Media is made possible through a gift from R. Smith and Patricia Schuneman, both graduates of Ohio University and now residents of Okoboji, Iowa.

“What we hope conferees take away from this symposium is a deeper understanding of the future of mass communication in these revolutionary times of change,” said R. Smith Schuneman.

The symposium begins Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Baker Center Ballroom and continues Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. in the Baker Center Theater. All sessions are free and open to the public.

Leading the charge for excellence in her keynote speech is Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of “Washington Week” and senior correspondent for the “PBS NewsHour.” Ifill and the staff of “Washington Week” shared in a George Foster Peabody Award for their coverage of the 2008 presidential election.

Investigative journalist Abrahm Lustgarten from the nonprofit news organization ProPublica will start Tuesday’s sessions at 9 a.m. by discussing myths about the energy extraction process of hydraulic fracturing. Lustgarten is the recipient of a George Polk Award for environmental reporting.

Keith Jenkins from NPR will explain how to develop a visual identity with audio. He is the supervising senior producer for multimedia and received an Emmy for NPR Music’s Project Song: Moby.

The symposium welcomes OU alum Michel du Cille, associate editor for photography at The Washington Post. A three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he will show how photojournalists are embracing change in digital media.

Alum Meghan Louttit returns as an Emmy Award-winning multimedia producer at The New York Times where she develops Web content for the investigations desk.

Kainaz Amaria, a former student and graduate teaching assistant in OU’s School of Visual Communication, rounds out the team of presenters. She is a multimedia producer and trainer at NPR and received a Fulbright Scholarship to photographically document her hometown in India.

“Visual storytelling is about going straight to the emotional essence of the story,” she said. “Our responsibilities as photographers are to inform and move, to connect with the viewer cerebrally and — more important — viscerally.”

For more information and a complete schedule, visit the symposium’s Web page athttp://scrippsjschool.org/ 2013.php.

And there’s more in store, but if you want to see any of it, sign up soon, so you can get the early bird registration rate and special hotel room discount.

Among the distinguished speakers:

Bill Allen, assistant professor of science journalism at the University of Missouri, who will explain the potential and peril of using civilian drones to gather news and information.

Holly Edgell, a former regional editor for Patch.com, who explains why it’s way too early to write an obituary for hyperlocal journalism.

Mark Horvit, executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, who will show time-challenged reporters how to do quick-and-dirty enterprise stories using data records.

This year’s conference is a joint production by Regions 5 and 7, covering a broad swath of the nation from Nebraska to Kentucky. There will be two banquets, one each for the regions to hand out their Mark of Excellence awards. There will be free breakfasts, courtesy of the host Drury Plaza Hotel, for conference attendees.

And there will be plenty of activity in downtown St. Louis away from the hotel, in the shadow of the Gateway Arch.

So, visit www.spjinstl2013.com now to land a great deal on a great date with top journalists and educators. You’re bound to have fun, and you’re certain to learn something.

We are putting the final touches on this year’s SPJ regional conference at Rutgers University this year. We have nationally renowned speakers and timely panels. Learn how basic math can reveal powerful narratives and what lessons reporters learned covering Hurricane Sandy and the Newtown school shootings. Check out our all-star lineup at www.spjr1c.org and register for early bird rates. Reduced early rates expire March 17, so sign up before St. Patrick’s Day!

I confess to having a severe case of writer’s block in recent days (weeks?) when it’s come to SPJ. Don’t know why; maybe it’s because I’m self-conscious about writing things for writers, maybe I’ve been hesitant about perhaps saying the wrong thing. Or maybe the things I want to say seem so obvious as to be unnecessary:
Enter the regional contest!
Be a contest judge for another chapter that’s judging our entries!
Help with the regional conference!
Be active in your chapter and the national organization!

But apparently they need to be said–and said often. So I’ll try to shake off the blockage and write more. Specifically:

*We’re two weeks away from the deadline of the Region 10 contest. We need to make sure everyone who can/should enter it knows about it and has access to it. So help spread the word in your chapter. Chapter leaders–make sure all the news outlets and media associations know about it.
Let’s not forget that the contest is not only our way of recognizing excellence in journalism during the past year, but a major fund-raiser for all our chapters in Region 10. If it doesn’t succeed, we will have a harder path ahead.

*For our contest to work, we have to swap entries with other chapters. They judge our entries and we judge theirs. That means we need judges! I can promise you that every chapter in our region will participate in judging, meaning that, sooner or later, your chapter is going to receive a large batch of entries to judge. I suggest that it’s better to line up those judges now than try to beg people later. So talk it up among your chapter members and get names to me at marquand.im@gmail.com.

*Pia Hallenberg Christensen and her fellow SPJers in Spokane are shouldering the bulk of the early planning work for the April 12-13 regional conference. They need help with programming and event planning. They also will need volunteers to make the event flow smoothly. Pia’s in this Facebook group–tell her what you can do, who you can recruit, and what you can contribute in terms of resources–including financial support! Time is going to fly by and I don’t want the conference to be put together at the last minute.

More to come.
-ian

The SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest is officially accepting entries today through 4:59 pm (PST) on Fri., Feb. 15, 2013. SPJ Regional Director Ian Marquand, a freelance journalist in Helena, Mont., highlights several changes to this year’s contest:

- In Alternative Weeklies, the Criticism category was renamed Critiques and Reviews.
- In the Non-Daily Newspaper category, Portrait Photography was added.
- In Magazines, News Photography was eliminated.
- In the Online category, descriptions were added for clarification. In addition, Best Site, Commentary was eliminated.
- In Radio and Television, the General Excellence category was eliminated.
- In Television, for the purpose of clarification, Spot News Reporting is now Live Breaking News Coverage and Photojournalism is now Video Photography.

In the 2011 contest, approximately 2,000 entries in 200 categories were received from around the region. A similar number is anticipated this year. In late February, entries will be submitted to out-of-state journalists for judging, due back at the end of March. Winners’ notifications will be made in mid to late April.

The Western Washington Pro and Southwestern Washington/Oregon Pro SPJ chapters will present awards to those in their respective chapters at awards banquets in Seattle and Portland on Sat., May 18. The remaining awards will be announced online that evening and presented by their respective chapter leaders.

For more information about the contest or to begin submitting entries through Omni Solutions, please visit the contest entry portal at http://reg10spjcontest.com.

For questions, please contact contest administrator Ruth Pettis at ruthpettis10@gmail.com or 206-781-8097, or SPJ Secretary/Treasurer Dana Neuts at spjdana@gmail.com or 360-920-1737, or regional director Ian Marquand at marquand.im@gmail.com or 406-529-6494.

Rod Jetton

Leading the company is a man who drew attention to himself inside and outside the General Assembly.

The Missouri Times, a free online publication still taking shape, intends to “get real answers on the serious issues of the day” and do it devoid of partisan slant, said Rod Jetton, former Missouri House speaker and president of the Times, in a news release.

Jetton served in the House from 2001 to 2009, the last four as speaker. But blowback from a 2009 assault charge scuttled his legislative career and the campaign consultancy he ran concurrent to his speakership. He says he’s no longer involved in either politics or consulting.

Jetton believes the souring economics of major media, resulting in staff cuts and diminished resources, make it harder for traditional news operations to achieve journalistic objectivity, and that a project such as the Times can accomplish what other media can’t.

“I feel my campaign experience as well as my legislative background has prepared me to know what questions to ask and who to ask them to,” he said.

And he insists the result won’t be tinted red or blue, or lean left or right.

“This publication will be nonpartisan and solely focused on providing objective reporting on the politics and the public policy process,” Jetton said. “Our overriding goal will be to report on all sides of each issue so that our readers have a clear and honest picture of what happened, who made it happen, why it happened and how it will affect them.”

Scott Faughn

Joining Jetton to shape the Times’ editorial content is Scott Faughn, a former mayor of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and publisher of the SEMO Times, an alternative weekly in that town. For the record, Faughn also has crossed paths with the law; he was convicted and fined $1,500 in 2007 for forging checks related to a highway construction project in southeastern Missouri.

“I believe there are readers who want more in-depth coverage of state issues,” Faughn said in the same news release. “Our staff of professional journalists will be in the state capitol every day to serve those readers.”

According to marketing material about the Times, the publication will contain advertising, and subscriptions will be offered at $325 annually for a companion print version that’s scheduled for weekly distribution.

Ideally, the Times will launch Jan. 9, the same day as the new legislative session, and have two reporters on staff. Faughn, the publisher, said the Times hopes to fill one of those staff positions before then.

Faughn said in an email that the reporters are expected to have experience with social media as a news-gathering tool, an understanding of video blogging, and knowledge of the content management system WordPress. He asks interested candidates to email him their resumes and at least two examples of their work to publisher@themissouritimes.com. Hard copy submissions should go to Post Office Box 416, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.

__________

Jan. 7, 2013: Entry forms and instructions posted. Entries can be submitted. All entries will be submitted electronically except General Excellence awards.

Feb. 15, 2013:  Entry deadline. All entries must be submitted by 4:59 pm.  (firm deadline)

Feb. 25, 2013:  Entries to be sent electronically to our out-of-state judges.  (All judging will be done online.) Ruth to mail General Excellence hard copy entries to judges.

Mar. 25, 2013:  Judging deadline. All entries should be judged online by this date.

Apr. 22, 2013:  Winners announced via email  (names and organizations only; no places or categories will be given)

May 6, 2013:  Verbal whisper campaign, if desired, by chapters hosting banquets.

May 18, 2013: Local chapters host awards events (contact your chapter for details)

Thank you and Happy Holidays from Region 10!

Ian Marquand & Dana Neuts

The grants help fund unique, diverse and creative programming, and can total up to $500. Past grants have gone to programs on copy editing, diversity, ethics, the First Amendment, freelancing, and reporting techniques, among others.

Programs designed for the spring regional conference, however, are exempt.

All fully chartered chapters that have filed an annual report for 2011-12 are eligible, as well as new and reactivated chapters that are up to date on their paperwork with the national office.

Keep in mind though, grants are awarded only after chapters submit summary reports about their program, including receipts. Those reports and receipts are due within 15 days following the program.

So, apply now online. The deadline is midnight Eastern time on the due date.

__________

• Finance Chair — This person will oversee fundraising efforts, assemble the conference budget, pay the bills, distribute the proceeds, etc. Kevin Smith already has a lead on possible underwriters, but more are needed. If you are at ease with numbers and good at detail work, consider this position. (And if you know where to get money, let me know!!!)
• Programming Chair — This person will help determine the theme of the conference, the panel topics and the panel members. I’ve already got ideas for a couple of possible key-noters. Nerissa Young (OU adviser and longtime R4 foot soldier) sent along a great list of possible topics to start the conversation.
• Publicity/Marketing Chair — This chair will devise a “get-the-word out” strategy, using this blog, email blasts, snail mail, etc., with the help of the national staff.
• Registration chair — This person will set up an Event Brite site for registration and push out info, working with the publicity committee, to get folks to sign up.
• Contest chair — This person will handle the MOE presentation. My colleague, Sacha Bellman, very kindly agreed to coordinate the contest. (If she asks you to judge, say yes!!) So the contest chair will work with her on presenting the awards at the April 6 MOE lunch.

Committee members are needed for each chair too.

Let me know how you can help at newberpg@muohio.edu or 513.529.5893.

BTW, once we’ve got a committee in place, I’d like to schedule one in-person meeting in December or January at UD.  We’ll coordinate efforts via email otherwise.

Thanks for considering this…. and be sure to save the date and spread the word so we can lots and lots of R4 members to Dayton in April.

The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch has graciously agreed to host the conference on the weekend of April 26-28, setting aside a large block of rooms reserved for conference attendees and preparing two luncheon banquets for each region’s Mark of Excellence awards. The tentative conference schedule includes an informal welcome gathering on Friday, sessions on Saturday, and a regional strategy meeting Sunday morning.

The location not only has fine amenities and fabulous views, but also is close to downtown historic sites, sports venues, shopping, and nightlife.

This is the first time St. Louis has hosted a regional conference in three years. At the suggestion of Region 5 leadership, the Gateway City’s proximity to south central Indiana and western Kentucky also proved an optimum location for that region’s burgeoning membership in those areas.

Details about the conference sessions are pending, but anyone interested in making individual or group reservations now can do so at this link at a reduced rate for SPJ attendees. This special rate and availability are guaranteed up to March 26.

__________

Region 4 director Patti Newberry, MU-SPJ president Amanda Schumaker and MU Journalism Program Director Richard Campbell participated in Bill Keller’s public lecture on campus. (Photo by Samantha Kermode)

Bill Keller, the Op-Ed columnist at The New York Times who served as executive editor from 2003-2011, spent part of his Oct. 29-31 trip to campus reporting for a column. Among his interviewees: Profs of Miami grad and veep hopeful Paul Ryan. No telling what he’ll write up for his next column — due to appear Monday, a day before the Big Election — but it’s sure to be political. Students and faculty are both eager to see the fruits of his Oxford reporting.

When he wasn’t off working for The Times, Keller was working for the Miami Journalism Program. He gave a public talk on Monday, fielding questions about Judy Miller, WMDs, Jayson Blair, NSA, Wikileaks and more. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he talked to three classes. In between the visits and the interviews, he dined on shrimp (dinner at the Miami president’s house), noshed pizza (lunch with JRN students) and drank coffee (Starbucks was among his interview venues).

He also posed for LOTS of photos, including a series of grip-n-grins at the presidents’ dinner.

Good sport. Good guest. Gracious, generous — with thoughtful, reflective responses to every question we put to him.

Next big names on campus: First Lady Michelle Obama on Saturday; traveler writer Rick Steves, Nov. 12.

[A Post-Script: Keller's column, with the headline "Republican id," focused on the conservative bent of Miami students with an extended interview with Rich Hart, an econ prof and mentor to Ryan. ]

Besides that though, yours truly will help carry the flag for Region 7 when I give a presentation on copy editing for freelance journalists at the convention. Though I’m not sure yet what I’ll say on the subject at this point, expect the presentation to elaborate on themes I wrote about for the new SPJ digital freelancing guide.

Members of the ACES executive committee were in St. Louis recently to scope out the convention venue, as well as host a daylong copy editing “boot camp” at the DoubleTree hotel in Westport. There, ACES president Teresa Schmedding and I discussed the need for a session on freelancer copy editing at the conference. (Full disclosure: I am a longtime member of ACES.)

Other details of the ACES program schedule are coming together, but anyone interested in attending can find out about hotel reservation information now at the conference website.

Key among the projected events is a plagiarism summit that includes SPJ and several professional and educational groups. The summit was inspired by ACES and spurred by a Poynter blog post about the raft of ethical issues confronting journalism this summer.

ACES planned to hold its 2013 convention elsewhere and the 2014 gathering in St. Louis, but moved up the Gateway City on the agenda when logistical problems at the original location arose. The society has about 800 members spread among a handful of chapters, including a college affiliate at the University of Missouri.

This past April, just over 350 members attended ACES national convention in New Orleans — at the same venue SPJ teamed with the Radio Television Digital News Association for Excellence in Journalism 2011.

__________

In a nutshell, this is exciting development. Bringing together these journalism groups allows us to address common issues and expose our members to each other’s institutional cultures. It should also make for a more interesting conference as there will be a diversity of programs and ideas.

As I settle in as Region 4 director, I’d like to clean up our roster. Can you help by sending corrections to the list below? (Many of you are getting an email on this, too, but I thought I’d back it up here with a posting that I’ll revise with  your additions/deletions.) I especially need help gathering the names and email addresses of student chapter presidents.

Pro chapters

Detroit: Walter Middlebrook, president, wmiddlebrook@detnews.com.

Mid-Michigan: Melissa Anders, president, melissa.d.anders@gmail.com.

Central Ohio: Eric Lyttle, president, elyttle@theotherpaper.com.

Cleveland: Cheryl d’Mello, president, cheryldmello@hotmail.com.

Cincinnati: Alex Coolidge, president, acoolidge@enquirer.com.

Pittsburgh: Louis Florian, president, lfflorian@yahoo.com.

Student chapters:

Eastern Michigan University: Jim Pinson, adviser, james.pinson@emich.edu.

Michigan State University: Joe Grimm, adviser, joe.grimm@gmail.com.

Bowling Green State University: Mike Horning, adviser, mhornin@bgsu.edu.

Cleveland State University: Anup Kumar, adviser, akakumar@gmail.com.

John Carroll University: Carrie Buchanan, adviser, cbuchanan@jcu.com.

Miami University: Patricia Gallagher Newberry, adviser, newberpg@muohio.edu; Amanda Schumaker, president, schumaam@muohio.edu.

Ohio State University: Dan Caterinicchia, adviser, dan.cat@gmail.com; Alexis Preskar, president, preskar1@osu.edu.

Ohio University: Nerissa Young, adviser, youngn2@ohio.edu.

University of Cincinnati: Jenny Wohlfarth, adviser, jenny.wohlfarth@uc.edu.

University of Toledo: Paulette Kilmer, adviser, pkilmer@pop3.utoledo.edu.

California State University of Pennsylvania: Todd Carlisle, co-adviser, carlisle@cup.edu; Margo Wilson, co-adviser, wilson_m@cup.edu.

Duquesne University: Michael Dillon, adviser, email to come; Sarah Blaisdell, president, blaisdell@duq.edu.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania: David Loomis, adviser, iupspj@yahoo.com.

Point Park College: Helen Fallon, adviser, hfallon@ppc.edu.

Waynesburg University: Sarah Bell, president, bel7461@waynesburg.edu.

Marshall University: Hilary Groutage-Weible, adviser, weible5@marshall.edu.

West Virginia University: Tom Stewart, adviser, tom.stewart@mail.wvu.edu.

OK, journalists: Edit me!

The society finally is gaining traction again in the Cornhusker State, a place where it once was prominent, as the fledgling Omaha-Lincoln chapter reintroduced the society by hosting last month in Omaha a get-to-know-you happy hour for media types, resplendent with swag bags and complementary chili con queso.

Nebraska does not have either a pro or student chapter, and is the only state in the region without them.

Though attendance at the event was modest, co-organizer Rob McLean said “it was a good beginning step to restart the chapter. People are interested, they see we’re here, and that’s the first step.”

“There’s professional interest” in SPJ “in Omaha, and we’ve got students from (the University of) Nebraska who are working with us, too,” Rob said.

To keep it going, Rob, of Hearst Television, and Katie Knapp Schubert, of Omaha Public Radio, are hosting an “election prep” study session at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, at NuVibe Juice and Java in Lincoln. Besides refreshments, SPJ will provide election “cheat sheets” with contact information for candidates, as well as other election information and resources.

(Editor’s note: I campaigned for region director in part on the promise to bring SPJ back to Nebraska, and Rob is a former member of the award-winning St. Louis Pro chapter.)

Meanwhile, another fledgling chapter debuts next week at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., with its first function: an Ethics Hold ‘em card tournament, led off by a presentation on professional ethics by Rob Schneider, a Truman State alumnus and presentation director for the Dallas Morning News.

The card tournament features poker matches with cards incorporating ethical ideas and situations, and pits students against each other on their knowledge and understanding of both. Ashley Jost, who’s organizing the tournament and leading the drive for a new chapter, says local businesses are donating prizes to the event.

The tournament goes from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, in the Barnett Hall Atrium. Anyone interested in playing a hand or two for a very good cause can contact Ashley for more details.

__________

Recently back in Cincinnati after a brief foray into Chicago journalism, I was juggling some minor freelance assignments and child-rearing. A teaching gig for the fall of 1997 — albeit with no job security — sounded pretty good.

Sixteen years into the teaching biz — I’m now a senior lecturer in the Miami Journalism Program — I’m not sure I’ve ever properly thanked Kevin for that call. So here it is: Thanks.

Kevin, a long and faithful member of SPJ’s Ethics Committee, will do me another big favor Thursday when he lectures at my Ethics in Journalism class.  Students spent part of class on the excellent SPJ Ethics Web pages today working up questions. We’re ready for your visit, Mr. Smith.

But time ticks down faster than you think, and soon you’ll have to consider making travel plans for the annual Region 7 conference.

In fact, the foundation is being laid for that conference right now, with help from the leaders of neighboring Region 5 (Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana). Because St. Louis is central to both regions, we decided to convene there, and very soon we expect to announce a venue.

After that, we’ll hammer out the smaller details, such as sponsors and costs.

But the whole show isn’t up to just us: Your input is important, too. Tell us now what kinds of programs you’d like to see included at the dual regional, and maybe also mention the speakers you’d like to see present them.

Last spring, the conference in Ames, Iowa, included sessions on multimedia and mobility, social media and document searches, and helpful tips for freelancers as well as news staffs. The one-day, all-day conference even helped lay the foundations for stronger chapters in Iowa, and a new chapter in Nebraska.

Next spring, journalists from Region 7 are sure to face a host of new issues and challenges, some of which already may be taking shape. What better place then to discuss them and get valuable advice from learned SPJ colleagues and other professionals than the annual conference?

So, take a few moments to let us know now your ideas for program sessions at next spring’s conference. Send those ideas to me, David Sheets, Region 7 director, at dsheets@spj.org. If you want to discuss ideas directly, include a contact number.

Springtime may seem a long way off, but it’s really just around the corner. Help the regional conference’s planners get a jump on the calendar by adding your input to our efforts today.

__________

It belongs to me, David Sheets, the new director of Region 7 and immediate past-president of the St. Louis Pro chapter.

If the face itself doesn’t turn up here regularly, at least words will over the next two years of my term, because there’s a lot going on in the Heartland region of SPJ that deserves notice. In just the past few months, Region 7 hosted an excellent convention at Iowa State in Ames, St. Louis Pro won top honors in the small-chapter category, yours truly received the Howard S. Dubin award for service to SPJ, and the seeds of a new chapter have begun taking root in the Omaha-Lincoln area of Nebraska — a state that, as of now, has no SPJ chapter of any kind.

That last item is particularly heartening for the Heartland; it demonstrates that the energy and wisdom of SPJ still motivate the region’s journalists and give the society new hope for expansion at a time when costs and constriction make quality journalism increasingly difficult to pursue. Leaders Rob McLean, of Hearst Television, and Katie Knapp Schubert, of Omaha Public Radio, are working hard to put the Cornhusker State back on our map, and hope to have their chapter formally on SPJ’s books by January.

I urge every established and aspiring journalist in Region 7 to reach out to Rob and Katie and lend a hand with the heavy lifting. Nebraska has too great a journalism tradition to not have SPJ there fighting for it.

And I urge everyone to help bolster our efforts across the region by signing up now and getting familiar with video chat — whether it’s through Google Hangout, Skype, GoToMeeting, or a host of others — the tool I consider essential for closing the wide distances between chapters. Region 7’s sprawling size no doubt has created difficulty  for SPJ members to interact, but with practice and application of video chat I hope to minimize that sprawl by encouraging regular virtual meetings between members.

In the coming months, I’ll lay out plans for those virtual meetings and ask many of you to take part, as well as implore for patience. Surely, there will be bugs and glitches at the beginning. Over time though, those should diminish, and the distances between each of us should shrink as well.

I’ll also announce details regarding the next regional convention in spring, tentatively scheduled for St. Louis and, in a unique twist, held in partnership with Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky).

In the meantime, I ask Region 7 members to please convey their thanks to outgoing director Kelsey Volkmann for her two years of extraordinary service; to follow Region 7’s Facebook page for regular planning updates; to follow the region’s new Twitter feed, @SPJRegion7, for up-to-the-minute information on regional events and interaction; and to put Region 7’s new email, SPJRegion7@mail.com, in your address book.

A journalist’s work never ends, and neither will our efforts in Region 7 to spread SPJ’s message and bring its members closer together.

_______

Like other SPJ conventions, it was a great time to meet with folks from other parts of the country, build up the network and renew friendships. But we also got a lot of work done as well.

One great piece of news that came up during the convention was Rio Grande Pro’s decision to host the 2013 regional convention. As those of you who have hosted a regional conference know, this is not a light undertaking. I’ve been there.  I’ve pledged my support to help in any way I can, and I want to urge everyone in the region to pitch in, whether it is expertise, planning assistance or even money. While the folks in New Mexico are gracious enough to host the chapter, let’s remember it is a regional conference and work together to again demonstrate why this is one of SPJ’s greatest regions. If you are interested in helping, contact Julie Ann Grimm in New Mexico or me. And our good friend and now immediate past-president John Ensslin said he would try to adjust his schedule to come to the regional to represent SPJ’s executive committee.

Here’s a recap of what happened at the national board meeting.

The board voted to create a traveling Ted Scripps Leadership Institute. SPJ used to conduct this great training program at IUPUI’s hotel/conference center in Indianapolis, but the university is closing it to use the space for classrooms and dorms. To replace it, the board voted to give staff the go-ahead to launch a traveling program. The goal is to visit four regions a year, at a place that will be no more than eight hours’ drive for any SPJ member in the region. The program will allow for more people from chapters to get the leadership training and bring it home to strengthen the chapters. Those of you who have been through the training know what a valuable resource this is, so it is exciting to see that it will continue in a way that will make it accessible to more SPJ members than before.

Starting in January, you’ll be able to pay for your SPJ membership with a credit card. Joe Skeel, our national director, told us the office finally has the software package in place to make this possible. This will allow people to set up an automatic renewal on their membership, as well as to pay their dues on a monthly basis rather than yearly. That should make membership a bit affordable. However, you’ll have to opt in to the program, and it will cost an extra $5 a year to cover the cost of processing credit cards. But it has the potential to reduce dues to a $6.67 monthly payment. I’ll post more details as they become available.

The board also voted to roll out an institutional membership program. This will allow a news outlet to join SPJ and get its employees a $15 discount on annual dues. The program will have three tiers  — bronze, silver and gold — with additional benefits for the higher levels. For example, a gold member would pay $1,250 a year and get a free national convention registration for one person and an in-person in-house training program for all employees. Other benefits include a free regional conference registration, free job postings and customized webinar, which would be available to gold and silver institutional members. If you weigh the costs of sending one employee to Poynter, SPJ National or other training programs, the gold membership can be a bargain when you figure you can bring in a high-quality training program for your entire staff each year. Joe Skeel said the program came about after interviewing newsroom managers about what they wanted out of SPJ. One of the goals is to get the SPJ culture into more newsrooms.

SPJ also prepared guidelines for the best practices in chapter finances in the wake of the embezzlement scandal that rocked Region 8 this year. I will send out copies to the chapter leaders, but essentially it calls for additional oversight of chapter accounts and recommends such things as having second signers on checks and regular reviews of the finances.

The board also adopted procedures for creating chapters overseas. This is a response to journalists overseas who see what SPJ stands for and want to see it in their countries.

During our Sunday meeting, the SPJ national board voted to give each of the national committees that meet during the national convention one free convention registration. This is a measure I fought hard for. At points, I felt like Benjamin Franklin working the salons of Paris trying to convince the French to support American independence. But I believe that the national committee chairs are some of the hardest-working people at SPJ’s national level. And for many of them, it is a serious sacrifice to take time away from jobs and families to come to the convention to conduct committee meetings and other tasks at the convention. While a free convention registration doesn’t fully make up for that, it is a way to thank these people for their service. We’re going to do it for one year, with the option to review it at next year’s convention, which will be at the Anaheim Marriott, next door to DisneyLand.

Utah Headliners and Colorado Pro were both recognized in SPJ’s Circle of Excellence for work in FOI and campus relations respectively. Congratulations to those chapters.

I also want to thank you all for your support. You all are the people who truly make SPJ a worthwhile organization. You are the ones in the trenches fighting the battles for open government, encouraging students that journalism is a worthy profession at a time when others are writing its epitath and carrying SPJ’s standards into newsrooms around the region. You are the folks who make SPJ great, and I consider it a privilege to serve as your representative and voice on the national board.

When you see that ballot pop into your inbox this week, please take a few moments and fill it out. Voting will open Thursday afternoon when SPJ delegates convene in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the Excellence in Journalism convention. At that time, candidates will give their final speeches to members. Voting closes Saturday afternoon around 3 p.m. and the vote totals will be totaled shortly afterwards.

If you have any questions regarding the SPJ voting process, please visit the SPJ Election Center: https://www.spj.org/elections. asp .

September is also SPJ’s National Membership month. One of our big goals is to get each SPJ member to reach out to at least one journalist currently not involved in the organization and encourage them to join. So take a moment to invite a co-worker to an upcoming SPJ event in your region, encourage a fellow student to join the campus chapter, or find out how to get a chapter started or revived in your region. Whatever you can do to spread the mission and purpose of SPJ will only make our organization stronger in the long run.

If you have any questions regarding SPJ or your local chapter, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to working with your chapter this year and making your experience in SPJ great!

Christian Probasco, a reporter with the Messenger, was seeking information on an accident where a teenage boy who wandered away from a group home was hit and injured by a car on a rural highway at night. The UHP provided the information, but redacted the information on the boy. Probasco said he was told that the patrol had a policy to not release minors’ names, despite state laws saying that the media had access to accident reports.

Probasco wasn’t willing to let it go, especially with the possibility that the denial was politically motivated; he and his publisher said the investigating officer might be the co-owner — with a local mayor —of the group home the boy was living at.

Probasco appealed this denial through the Department of Public Safety and was denied, all claiming that releasing the boy’s name would constitute an “unwarranted invasion of privacy.” The next level of recourse was the Utah State Records Committee, a body that hears appeals under the state Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). Appearing before the committee can be intimidating for the average person. Those who speak have to swear to tell the truth under pain of perjury charges. They have to present their cases in about a half-hour. And they have to face the people withholding the records and their attorneys.

In this case, Probasco and his publisher, Suzanne Dean, were facing an assistant Utah Attorney General. And, they had to take off an entire day to make the trip to Salt Lake City.

Adding to the potential stress level were the consequences if they lost. If the board agreed with the highway patrol, it would set a precedent for withholding minors’ names, and embolden bureaucrats to further shroud records in secrecy.

Fortunately, Dean and Probasco didn’t go in alone. SPJ was at their side.

SPJ National FOI Chairwoman Linda Petersen was there, testifying that the state’s arguments for privacy were a ridiculous twisting of GRAMA. “It is a very dangerous thing when law enforcers become interpreters of the law,” Petersen said.

Sheryl Worsley, president of the Utah Headliners Chapter was there as well. She told the committee that having information like Probasco sought is what helps journalists tell the stories that make a difference, that put human faces on problems and motivate people to right wrongs.

Joel Campbell, a former National FOI chairman, also reminded the committee that the state Legislature said journalists could have all names listed in a motor-vehicle accident report, giving them the historical background on the legislation.

I was there as part of the contingent of reporters covering the hearing, many of whom were alerted by Campbell, Petersen and Worsley to the significance of the hearing.

The good news is that Probasco won. The committee ruled that the state, which even went as far as to suggest the teen should not be named because there was a possibility he might be criminally charged for walking in the road at night, failed to prove the request was a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. I can’t say if SPJ’s presence tipped the scales, but it showed that someone was watching and willing to stand up for the public’s right to know.

The case is not over just yet; the state is mulling a possible appeal to district court. But Dean and Probasco know if that should happen, they have friends in SPJ who will stand beside them at the barricades.

And that is why I’m an SPJ member.

As regional director for the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, I fully support adopting Rule 04-0401.01, which would allow electronic media coverage of court proceedings.
The rule would allow the public to see and hear more accurately what actually takes place in Utah’s courtrooms. For many Utahns,this might provide their first look into the judicial system. This rule change will place Utah’s courts at the forefront of transparency, which benefits the courts, those who appear before its bar and the public it serves.
An open court has been one of the hallmarks of American society. Our nation’s founders understood the abuses of England’s Star Chamber and secret tribunals, and made sure that trials would be for the most part open to the public. Indeed, the U.S. Supreme has recognized the First Amendment right of the public and press to attend court proceedings. Increasing accessibility is a logical extension of the right.
Today, the judicial branch is one of the more powerful branches of government. It not only defines and enforces the laws, but it also has the power to deny people of property, liberty and — in some cases — life. But it is one branch that is partly shrouded in mystery. Most people usually do not have occasion to go to a courtroom. And past rules on media coverage have helped further obscure the court’s operation from the public eye. Permitting journalists’ video cameras and audio recorders into courtrooms will allow people to see better how the courts operate, giving them a better perspective than they would otherwise have.
The court is currently engaged in a campaign to encourage more Utahns to perform their civic duty as jurors. Opening up the courts to digital media would help advance that effort as people would have a better understanding of what happens at a trial, rather than having to rely on what they see in entertainment media.
Openness would also further ensure a defendant’s right to a fair trial. With more people being able to watch or hear a trial, it would allow the public to see whether a defendant truly had his day in court and that the justice that was being administered in their name was done without fear or favor.
This rule, and 04-0401.02, recognize the realities of our modern digital age. It makes sense to allow journalists to use the modern tools of their profession to provide the public with an accurate account of the court’s proceedings. Utah’s journalists have demonstrated their professionalism in following the rules governing still photography, and they will do so with electronic technology as well.
I respectfully urge the judicial council to adopt these rules and allow Utah to serve as an example of transparency.

Here are the details:

1.  Please join my meeting, Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time.
https://www4.gotomeeting.com/join/635108231

2.  Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) – a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1 (805) 309-0011
Access Code: 635-108-231
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 635-108-231

Contacts:
Lauren Rochester, SPJ Awards Coordinator, 317-927-8000 ext. 210, lrochester@spj.org
Abby Henkel, SPJ Communications Manager, 317-927-8000 ext. 215, ahenkel@spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS – The Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 9 Mark of Excellence Award winners for the 2011 calendar year. The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best collegiate journalism in the U.S.

SPJ Region 9 includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This year, the contest received more than 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions.

The honorees were awarded certificates on April 14 during the Region 9 SPJ Spring Conference held at the Tivoli Student Union in Denver, Colo. First-place regional winners will advance to the national round of judging. National winners will be announced in late April.

The winners are listed below. For additional information on the Mark of Excellence awards, please contact Awards Coordinator Lauren Rochester at lrochester@spj.org.

Four-year colleges

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: Bash gone bad – by Hunter Thompson, Colorado State University
• Second Place: Denver under occupation – by Jessica Wacker, Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Third Place: End of the standoff – by Hunter Thompson, Colorado State University

Feature Photography
• First Place: Games fuse athletics, services – by Richard Payson, University of Utah
• Second Place: Inversion models could help predict formations – by Richard Payson, University of Utah
• Third Place: Inside Ramadan – by Mike Fabricuis, Rachel Fuenzalida and Brian T. McGinn, Metropolitan State College of Denver

General News Photography
• First Place: Denver shows its pride in style – by Rachel Fuenzalida, Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Second Place: High on the hill – by Michael Bettis, Colorado State University
• Third Place: A closer look at Ramadan – by Rachel Fuenzalida, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Caitlan Stem – by Hunter Thompson, Colorado State University
• Second Place: From notebook to playbook – by Hunter Thompson, Colorado State University
• Third Place: Shelter from the storm – by Chris Bunker, Brigham Young University

Sports Photography
• First Place: Apo scores touchdown!! – by Luke Hansen, Brigham Young University
• Second Place: Football: The slump continues as a depleted offense strains Ute defense – by Nathan Sweet, University of Utah
• Third Place: Softball sweeps away Regis – by Ryan Borthick, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Best Student Magazine
• First Place: Horizon Magazine, Colorado Mesa University
• Second Place: CSU-Pueblo TODAY, Colorado State University-Pueblo
• Third Place: College Avenue Magazine, Colorado State University

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University
• Second Place: The Daily Utah Chronicle, University of Utah
• Third Place: No award*

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: The Metropolitan, Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Blown Over – by Spencer Garn, Weber State University
• Second Place: Millner to pledge raise – by Spencer Garn, Weber State University
• Third Place: Two women groped Friday – by Lindsey Wilbur, University of Utah

Editorial Writing
• First Place: The University Journal Editorial Board, Southern Utah University
• Second Place: Jade McDowell, Brigham Young University
• Third Place: The Signpost staff, Weber State University

Feature Writing
• First Place: Graffiti: Acts of art or of vandalism – by David Knight, University of Wyoming
• Second Place: On the Rebound: Cougar student and basketball player Kaufusi fighting strong against her cancer – by Brooke Ward, Brigham Young University
• Third Place: Day Trippin’: Leave holiday stress, catch North Pole Express in Heber – by Allie Jeppson, Utah State University

Editorial Writing
• First Place: The University Journal editorial board, Southern Utah University
• Second Place: Jade McDowell, Brigham Young University
• Third Place: The Signpost staff, Weber State University

General Column Writing
• First Place: Kory Wood, Weber State University
• Second Place: Matt Miller, Colorado State University
• Third Place: Daniel Whitney Smith, Utah State University

General News Reporting
• First Place: U student organizes protest at Chick-fil-A – by Nic Dunn, University of Utah
• Second Place: Bash gone bad at Ram’s Pointe – by Erin Udell, Colorado State University
• Third Place: No award*

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Center: Policy or politics? – by Jordyn Dahl, Colorado State University
• Second Place: Utah’s wage gap between men and women largest in nation – by Daniel Whitney Smith, Utah State University
• Third Place: Grim future for higher ed – by Allison Sylte, Colorado State University

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Daniel Laverty, Thomas Belinski and Matt Hollinshead, Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Second Place: Jake Hibbard, University of Utah
• Third Place: Cris Tiller, Colorado State University

Sports Writing
• First Place: Across the pond, Aggie legends together once again – by Rhett Wilkinson, Utah State University
• Second Place: UW football player saddles up for first time – by Mike Morris, University of Wyoming
• Third Place: Football: Utes’ loss breaks hearts – by Matthew (Bubba) Brown, University of Utah

Nonfiction Magazine Article
• First Place: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – by Jaime Pritchard, Colorado State University
• Second Place: Leading lady – by Jaime Pritchard, Colorado State University
• Third Place: No award*

Best Affiliated Web Site
• First Place: SUU News (www.suunews.com), Southern Utah University
• Second Place: The Metrosphere (www.mscd.edu/~msphere), Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Third Place: The Signpost (www.wsusignpost.com), Weber State University

Best Independent Online Student Publication
• First Place: Hard News Café (hardnewscafe.usu.edu), Utah State University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Online Feature Reporting
• First Place: JCOM prof is no-nonsense, respected, loved, sometimes ‘dreaded’ – by Shirrel Cooper, Utah State University
• Second Place: From Africa to the WNBA, Logan couple works to help Senegal – by Daniel Smith, Utah State University
• Third Place: Ten years later: Everyone remembers where they were on 9/11 – by Heidi Hansen, Utah State University

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Notebook to playbook – by Cris Tiller, Kevin Lytle and Hunter Thompson, Colorado State University
• Second Place: USU Gay-Lesbian Center regroups as longtime director departs – by Daniel Whitney Smith, Utah State University
• Third Place: College grads seek other options with fewer jobs in struggling economy – by Mandy Morgan, Utah State University

Online News Reporting
• First Place: “The Dream of Helen” dance drama – by Sarah Webber and Matthew Montgomery, Southern Utah University
• Second Place: ‘Mingi’: Lournalists bring the story of Ethiopian infanticide to USU – by Heidi Hansen, Utah State University
• Third Place: Half-naked, accepting and proud: Undie Run Utahans are not uptight – by Heidi Hansen and Cathy Morgan, Utah State University

Online Opinion and Commentary
• First Place: Stephen Worthington, Max Parker Dahl and Jakob Asplund, Utah State University
• Second Place: Ben Zaritsky, Utah State University
• Third Place:

Online Sports Reporting
• First Place: Injured seniors provide leadership to SUU gymnastics team – by Carter Williams, Southern Utah University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Radio In-depth Reporting
• First Place: Forgotten by technology, again – by Brian Grimmett, Brigham Young University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Radio News Reporting
• First Place: Hunting for poachers – by Brian Grimmett, Brigham Young University
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Radio Sports Reporting
• First Place: Inside ‘NFL Blitz’ – by Colton Denning, Ryan Garbarino and Jon Lander, Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Best All-Around Television Newscast
• First Place: Weber State News, Weber State University
• Second Place: KRWG News22, New Mexico State University
• Third Place: The Met Report, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Television Feature Reporting
• First Place: Mock disaster make-up – by Jenne Anderson, Brigham Young University
• Second Place: Dig this – by Anna Hayes, Brigham Young University
• Third Place: High school quarterback reaches beyond his limits – by Simone VonRivenburgh, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Television General News Reporting
• First Place: Fishing vs. fashion – by Anna Hayes, Brigham Young University
• Second Place: Dump truck accident – by Britta Anderson, Utah State University
• Third Place: Obama talks student debt at Auraria – by staff, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Television Sports Reporting
• First Place: What’s a Libero? – by Christine Assily, Brigham Young University
• Second Place: An oft overlooked trio – by Kevin Hall, Metropolitan State College of Denver
• Third Place: Little League Flag Football – by Stephanie Flores, New Mexico State University

Two-year and community colleges

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
• First Place: Wingspan, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Breaking News Photography
• First Place: The walking dead – by William Hebert, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Breaking News Reporting
• First Place: Senate: Armed service does not count as community service – by Jessica Keller, Northwest College
• Second Place: Proposed public records rule postponed – by William Hebert, Laramie County Community College
• Third Place: No award*

Editorial Writing
• First Place: Wingspan staff, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: Mark Keierleber, Gigi Hoagland and Danny Menig, Northwest College
• Third Place: No award*

Feature Photography
• First Place: Runaway train – by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Feature Writing
• First Place: Leaving Las Vegas – by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: A mother’s love for sons and agriculture benefits NWC club – by Reed T. Tobol, Northwest College
• Third Place: ‘Shamrock’ing in the USA – by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College

General Column Writing
• First Place: William Hebert, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: Shawn Havel, Laramie County Community College
• Third Place: No award*

General News Photography
• First Place: ‘Empty Bowls’ help feed the hungry – by Neal Hines, Northwest College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

General News Reporting
• First Place: Pulpit of propaganda – by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: B.O.T. hears concerns on policy adherence – by Jessica Keller, Northwest College
• Third Place: College’s low graduation rate misleading – by William Hebert, Laramie County Community College

In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: Student mothers embrace heavy load – by Deborah Cobb, Northwest College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Online In-Depth Reporting
• First Place: LCCC’s master plan – by Will Hebert, Jeffrey Pallak, Susann Robbins and Katie Blaser, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Online News Reporting
• First Place: Schaffer named as next college president – by Will Hebert, Jeffrey Pallak, Courtney Tray and Amy Walker, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: Follow-up morale discussion sheds more light on campus issues – by William Hebert, Laramie County Community College
• Third Place: Trustees postpone public records rule approval – by William Hebert, Laramie County Community College

Photo Illustration
• First Place: Zombies: Brains on the plains – by William Hebert, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: Lucky number seven – by Neal Hines, Northwest College
• Third Place: Veterans’ Day flag – by Jeffrey Pallak, Laramie County Community College

Sports Column Writing
• First Place: Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: No award*
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Photography
• First Place: Takin’ it to the mat – by Neal Hines, Northwest College
• Second Place: Blast off – by Jessie Jo Witte, Laramie County Community College
• Third Place: No award*

Sports Writing
• First Place: Runaway train – by Cody Tucker, Laramie County Community College
• Second Place: Men’s soccer continues work in the off-season – by Danny Menig, Northwest College
• Third Place: No award*

* Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. Judges are not required to select first, second or third place winners.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

The conference, organized by the Press Club of Long Island chapter of SPJ, will bring together professional and student journalists from Maine to Pennsylvania for a day and a half of programming March 23-24 at Stony Brook University. It is guaranteed to be exciting and informative event — not to mention an investment in your future.

The event will include programs on social media, mobile journalism, your rights at crime scenes and news events, freelancing in a down economy, useful web tools for journalistsand much more. An opening night reception will be held in Stony Brook at the Long Island Museum’s beautiful carriage galleries.

Ellis Henican, a Fox News analyst, Newsday columnist, radio host and New York Times best-selling author, will deliver the keynote address at the student Mark of Excellence awards ceremony on Saturday, March 24.

To sweeten the deal, Hotel Chocolat is donating chocolate for a Friday afternoon break, while Megabus.com is offering free rides from their locations to New York City stops for those coming from long distances. You can then take the Long Island Rail Road to Stony Brook University. Register for the conference and reserve your seat before they’re all out.

There are also discounted rates at several local hotels.

For details on the SPJ Region 1 Spring Conference and to register, visit spjr1c.org.

Visit the conference website at http://spjla-bestofthewest.org/ to register for the conference and Mark of Excellence luncheon, and to book a hotel room at the Hilton Universal.

The event will kick-off on Friday, March 30 at 4:30 p.m. with registration and an opening night reception, followed by a fun-filled day of professional development sessions on Saturday.

The annual conference will bring together professional journalists and students from throughout the region – California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. The conference will include sessions on digital journalism, ethics, stress in the workplace and mentoring between professionals and journalists. A separate room will be set aside for networking opportunities throughout the Saturday of the conference.

Register before March 1 to receive the early bird registration rates of:

• $100 early bird registration for professional members
• $125 early bird registration for professional non-members
• $50 early bird registration for students

After that date, registration prices will increase to:

• $125 standard registration for professional members
• $150 standard registration for professional non-members
• $75 standard registration for students

The Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon is a separate ticket at $40.

The Hilton Universal is offering conference participants a special rate of $149 per night, if booked by March 2.

Additional details on speakers, programming sessions and the opening night reception will be released in the coming weeks.

When:  Friday evening, March 30 to Saturday, March 31, 2012

Where:  Hilton Universal City, 555 Universal Hollywood Drive in Universal City, CA

Cost:  By March 1:  $100 for professional members, $125 for professional non-members, $50 for students. After March 1:  $125 for professional members, $150 for professional non-members, $75 for students. Registration includes all programs and Opening Night Reception. Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon tickets are sold separately for $40 per person.

Register online:  http://spjla-bestofthewest.org/

Questions:  SPJLosAngeles@gmail.com

The conference, hosted by SPJ’s Greater Los Angeles Pro Chapter, will be at the Universal Hilton at Universal City in southern California. Friday features an opening night reception at the hotel, followed by a full day of programming on Saturday and the Mark of Excellence student awards luncheon.

Programs and speakers are being finalized, and registration will open shortly. For more details, check back here, visit www.spjla.org or e-mail Conference Committee Chairman Jeff Wald at JeffWaldSPJ@aol.com.

SPJ NorCal issued a letter to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Chief Jordan condemning the arrest of Cagle during Occupy Oakland protests on Nov. 3. Cagle was arrested and held in custody for 15 hours despite displaying a press badge and  identifying herself as a journalist and despite the fact that an officer at the scene acknowledged his familiarity with her published work.

The officers are leading a 15-member board, five of whom were elected in December, to serve the chapter, which spans from Ventura through Orange counties.

Alice Walton, publisher and editor of TheCityMaven.com, who was the chapter’s vice president in 2011, began her presidential term on Jan. 1. Freelance journalist and contributing writer to Tehran magazine, Navid Nonahal, will serve as vice president. City News Service reporter Richie Duchon, who is a new associate board member, will be secretary, while Sarah Baisley, the chapter treasurer for more than 20 years who freelances in the wine industry as a journalist and marketing specialist, continues to serve in that role. Frank Mottek, business news anchor for KNX 1070 Newsradio, is immediate past president.

SPJ/LA also elected five members to three-year terms. They are Mottek, Jeff Wald, partner at RealNews Collective LLC, and freelance writer Roberta Wax, who were incumbents. The two new board members are former FOX 11 reporter John Schwada and Wall Street Journal reporter Tammy Audi.

In addition to Duchon, Zach Behrens who is editor-in-chief of blogs at KCET joins the board as an associate board member. Full-time board members Lauren Bartlett and Dan Evans will remain with SPJ/LA as associate board members.

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to promoting high standards of ethical behavior and encouraging the free practice of journalism. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

The Greater Los Angeles professional chapter was chartered 25 years later in 1934. For more information about this chapter, visit http://spjla.org.

The awards cover online, print, radio and television journalism. To be eligible, work must have been published or broadcast in 2011. Both contests are open to non-members, although SPJ members receive a discount on the entry fee.

Please visit our awards site for more information, and enter online here.

Please direct questions about the contests to Lauren Rochester by emailing lrochester@spj.org.

Hear from five journalism professionals about what made them look to mystery writing and the type of  skills serve you well in both professions. The panelists for the event are:

• Mary Jane Clark, a former CBS news producer who is the New York Times bestselling author of the “Wedding Cake” series of mystery novels.

• Don Dahler, who currently anchors the weekend morning and evening CBS 2 newscasts and wrote the novels “A Tight Lie” and “Water Hazard.”

• Bruce DeSilva, a former editor at the Associated Press editor and winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 2010 for his mystery “Rogue Island.”

• Wallace Stroby, a former Newark Star-Ledger reporter and author of “The Barbed-Wire Kiss,” which was a finalist for the 2004 Barry Award for Best First Novel. 

Larry Light, the executive vice president of Mysry Writers of America, a veteran editor at BusinessWeek, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal whose many published books include the “Karen Glick” mystery series, will moderate.

The event starts at 7 p.m. and will be preceded by a  half hour reception. After the event, the panelists will be available to sign copies of their work.

The event is free, but RSVPs are recommended. Click here to let event organizers now if you plan to attend.

Get the downloadable app via Guidebook through any app store (guidebookapp.com/getit).  Or if you prefer, go straight to sked.spjr1c.org and save the page to your device’s home screen.

This year’s schedule will allow you to explore the detailed agenda using multiple visual formats and filters, create a personalized itinerary and discover other attendees, speakers, & exhibitors.

Getting started is easy, simply connect your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account and we’ll show your friends & contacts also attending. Or create a private account to keep your plans to yourself.

Print out your plans to keep them handy or get the most up to date data by using your mobile device or subscribing to the schedule and synchronizing with Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar.

The 2012 Region 1 Spring Conference is March 23rd and 24th at Stony Brook University. For more information or to register, go to the web site for this year’s conference.

If you haven’t had a chance to see the video or the coverage of Fillinger’s arrest, click here on the WITI Fox6Now website.

I knew SPJ had to stand up for Mr. Fillinger’s free press rights.  I consulted with our president, Hagit Limor (now immediate past-president) and Region 12 Director Sonny Alborado (now president-elect) about sending a letter to Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn, expressing SPJ’s concern and dissatisfaction with the treatment the two sergeants lauded upon Mr. Fillinger.  I also spoke with FOX6 news director Jim Lemon and told him he could count on SPJ’s support as the station fought for the citation to be dropped.

You can read the letter I wrote, on behalf of SPJ, by clicking here.

FOX6 Management, the National Press Photographers Association, and the Radio Television Digital News Association also sent letters to Chief Flynn, asking for the citation to be dropped and an investigation to be opened into the matter.

I’ll keep you posted on any new developments in the case.  I see this as a united stand against unjust treatment of a veteran photojournalist.  Hopefully, it will be enough for Milwaukee’s police chief to realize the actions of his sergeants violated Mr. Fillinger’s free press and First Amendment rights.  I also applaud Clint for standing up for his rights, even though he got arrested in the process.

We also held our fall SPJ board and business meetings at the EIJ convention.  We installed several new officers, including John Ensslin, who will serve as SPJ president in 2011-2012.  He is an excellent guy and I trust he will lead SPJ to the best of his ability.

Several big developments came out of the SPJ board and business meetings.  Here are some of the big ones:

These first two changes are directed towards all members of SPJ:

1. The SPJ board approved a nominal membership dues increase, effective January 1, 2012.

Here are the new prices:

-Pro Members: $75/year ($3 increase)
-Retired: $37.50/year ($1.50 increase)
-Household: $37.50/year ($1.50 increase)
-Post-Graduate: $37.50/year ($1.50 increase)
-Student: $37.50/year ($1.50 increase)
-Associate: $94/year ($4 increase)

This is the first time SPJ has increased dues in nearly a decade.  SPJ board members felt it was necessary to maintain the overall financial health of the organization and so it can continue to provide the programs and services you come to expect as an SPJ member.  Membership dues are the only stable source of income for SPJ and this modest increase will help prevent a more drastic increase in the future.

Read more about the dues increase on the SPJ website.

2. Every member of SPJ will now be able to vote for national board officers.

At the convention, the SPJ delegates approved a “one member, one vote” system to elect national board officers.  In the past, officers were elected by the delegates, which are sent to the convention by chapters in good standing with SPJ.  Chapters are awarded delegates based on the number of members they have.  Typically, the number of delegates that attended the convention and voted for officers was a very small percentage of the overall SPJ membership.  Supporters of the “one member, one vote” change say the new system will enfranchise members who normally wouldn’t have a say in voting for officers, such as members who don’t belong to a chapter or members whose chapter can’t afford to send delegates to the convention.

So how will the new system work?  That is still being worked on, but it looks like it will be an online voting system that will be open during the national convention.  There will also likely be changes to when candidates must file to run and how those candidates will get their message across to SPJ members.  Watch for more details over the course of the year.

The next change affects leaders of SPJ chapters, both professional and student:

3. Chapters will no longer be evaluated on a star-ranking system.

For the past several years, SPJ used a star-ranking system to evaluate which chapters were doing well, which chapters needed help, and which ones should be eliminated.  The stars went from one star (weakest chapters) to four stars (strongest chapters) and were based on criteria such as number of programs held, attendance at regional and national conventions, efforts to increase membership and communicate effectively with chapter members, and filing the annual report on time.  Chapters that were in good standing were awarded with delegates, discounts on national convention registration, and the chance to apply for awards and grants from SPJ.  Those ranking were handed out as directors at-large evaluated chapter reports, done in spring.

This past year exposed several weaknesses with the system.  Several chapters that were small in membership but still did several programs throughout the year were punished with a lower star ranking.  In some instances, chapters that re-started after the national SPJ board meetings in fall 2010 were awarded fewer stars because they didn’t attend that national convention.  And it didn’t help that computer glitches caused some chapter reports to arrive incomplete to headquarters.  In the past year, several regional directors and chapter leaders expressed frustration with the system, saying it did more to punish chapters than help and/or reward them.

So the national board voted in New Orleans to get rid of the star system and replace with a simplified pass/fail system.  The new system will work as follows, for both professional and student chapters:

-Chapters must file an annual report and complete a review of the chapter’s finances by the deadline (60 days out from the start of the SPJ national convention).

-Chapters must complete at least three programs that support the mission of SPJ (diversity, FOI, ethics, professional development) in the reporting year.  The programs must involve a number of chapter members and engage the broader journalism community in the chapter’s geographic territory.  A board meeting does not qualify as one of the three programs.

-Chapters must send representatives to the regional conference or the national convention.  A chapter must seek a waiver from the regional director if it cannot send a representative to either the regional conference or the national convention.

A chapter will be considered in good standing if it meets and/or exceeds these requirements.  The board encourages chapters to go above and beyond the minimum requirements in order to keep its members engaged in SPJ.

If a chapter does not file an annual report for three consecutive years, the board may decide to revoke the chapter’s charter and declare it inactive.

Hopefully, this will simplify the requirements for chapters to be in good standing with the national organization.  As we go throughout the year, please let me know if you have any questions about the new evaluation system.

The final change affects the process of creating a new chapter:

4. The “provisional status” period for starting a new professional or campus chapter has been eliminated.

In the past, chapters that were just starting out were granted “provisional” status for one year.  They operated like active chapters but were not granted a charter for one year in order for them to prove they could meet the requirements necessary to be a chapter.  Some felt like this acted as “red tape” on the way to becoming an active chapter.

Now, if there is interest in starting a student, professional, or satellite chapter, the board can approve them for “active” status right away.  The board will still review new chapter requests at the spring and fall board meetings.  But the goal is to make this whole process of starting a chapter easier.

There’s a lot to digest here, so if you have any questions about the decision of the SPJ board or delegates, feel free to email me at spjregion6@gmail.com, send me a Tweet (@spjregion6), or post on the SPJ Region 6 Facebook page.

PCLI’s Bill Bleyer has secured $5,000 in sponsorship funds for the event: $2,500 each from News 12 Long Island and Newsday. And newly elected chapter president Dominick Miserandino has brought in a $300 goody-bag sponsor.

“We are honored to have the support of News 12 and Newsday,” Miserandino said. ” It’s comforting to know that their support this far in advance will help us put on an exceptional conference. We hope their contributions will inspire other media organizations to participate and support the advancement of journalism throughout the region.”

The opening night reception for the event will be held  at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook on March 23. Some of the panels and professional development workshops will include:

- How to get a job in journalism
- Mobile journalism
- Music journalism
- Video storytelling
- First Amendment legal issues
- Turning journalism assignments into books
- Celebrity journalism
- Newspaper redesign

Register now for one of the year’s premier journalism events. And for more information on what’s in store for attendees, visit the conference web site.

Journalist Phil Datz will be showing the widely viewed video of his arrest as well as video of previous confrontations with police at crime scenes.

The program will feature a panel discussion on journalists’ rights and responsibilities at crime scenes as well the policies that police have and

the training they receive on managing the media at scenes. Panelists will include Newsday Associate Editor Cliff Schechtman and representatives from the Suffolk and Nassau Police Departments. Carolyn James – a former SPJ Region 1 director and the editor of the Babylon Beacon, Amityville Record and Massapequa Post – will serve as the panel’s moderator.

The department determined Monday afternoon that news cameraman Phil Datz was improperly arrested for filming the aftermath of a police chase on Friday.  Police Commissioner Richard Dormer urged the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office should dismiss all charges against Datz.

PCLI, the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the nation’s largest journalism organization, had called earlier Monday for the Department to drop all charges against the freelance video journalist.  PCLI had also demanded that the department investigate the sergeant involved for what video taken at the scene indicates is a clear case of police abuse of authority and infringement of the journalist’s First Amendment rights.

The video shows Datz, who was working for Stringer News Service at the time and had been charged with misdemeanor obstruction of governmental administration, was filming across the street on public property. He had not crossed a police line and was in no way interfering with officers.

When confronted by the Fifth Precinct sergeant, he politely asked where he could film and suggested contacting the Public Information Office but was only threatened. After he moved further away, he was then arrested without cause.

Meanwhile, pedestrians and motorists freely moved around the scene without interference by police.

Dormer said, “The department is conducting an internal review of the incident between a Suffolk County Police Department supervisor and a photographer that resulted in the photographer’s arrest. I am working with the Suffolk County District Attorney to have the arrest nullified.

“The police department believes in keeping an open line of communication with the media and we will be reviewing the department’s policy concerning involvement with the news media. The department will also provide refresher training to all officers regarding the interaction between the news media and department personnel.

PCLI also demands that the department investigate the sergeant involved for what video taken at the scene indicates is a clear case of police abuse of authority and infringement of the journalist’s First Amendment rights.

The video shows Datz, who was working for Stringer News Service at the time and was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of governmental administration, was filming across the street on public property. He had not crossed a police line and was in no way interfering with officers. When confronted by the Fifth Precinct sergeant, he politely asked where he could film and suggested contacting the Public Information Office but was only threatened.

After he moved further away, he was then arrested without cause. Meanwhile, pedestrians and motorists freely moved around the scene without interference by police.

We hope the department will correct this matter and work to avoid this kind of incident in the future.

Baker, along with Utah Pro Chapter member Linda Petersen, will receive the award during the President’s Installation Banquet at the Excellence in Journalism 2011 conference in New Orleans, hosted by SPJ and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

The award is named for Howard S. Dubin, a longtime SPJ member who remains active with the national organization, local chapters and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the educational arm of SPJ.  Each year, an honoree is selected from a chapter with fewer than 75 members as well as one from a chapter with more than 75 members.

As your regional director, I’m pleased that Rebecca has received this honor since I have had the pleasure of knowing her for more than a decade.

Baker covers Westchester County courts and the criminal justice system for the Journal News in New York’s northern suburbs. But those of us in Connecticut remember her as a loyal and highly motivated SPJ member while work at the New Haven Register before she left to go to work for the Journal News.

She has helped expand the membership of the Deadline Club, which is already one of the nation’s largest SPJ pro chapters with  more than 300 members.  She put together a Freedom of Information panel, an annual event that won an SPJ award in 2010 and has become a staple of the Deadline Club’s annual programming.

Here in Region 1, she also chaired the sold-out 2010 spring conference. Rebecca showed great leadership, working with members of the Connecticut and New Jersey chapters to put on one of the most successful Region 1 conferences in recent memory.

Fellow Deadline Club member John Long said that, “regardless of the challenge,  Rebecca is always her cheerful, enthusiastic, optimistic, upbeat self, leading the charge that the rest of us just can’t resist following.”

Baker said that receiving the award is a tremendous honor for her.

“Howard Dubin has given selflessly of himself to the Society for manyears, and to be in the same company as him is a privilege,” she said.

For more information:
Sarah Prickett, GES Contest Administrator, gesawards@spj.org
Sonny Albarado, SPJ Region 12 Director, (901) 529-2703 or salbarado@spj.org

The Society of Professional Journalists announces the finalists for the 61st annual Green Eyeshade Awards. This regional journalism competition recognizes outstanding journalism in 11 southeastern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

The winners will be announced at the Green Eyeshade Awards banquet Friday, June 24, in Atlanta.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Hank Klibanoff, James M. Cox Jr. professor of journalism at Emory University and 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner in history as co-author of The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation.

The dinner will start at 7 p.m. at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway, 2020 Convention Center Concourse.

Banquet tickets are $45 per person and can be purchased at www.greeneyeshade.org.

The Green Eyeshade Awards were started by the Atlanta Professional Chapter of SPJ and are now administered by regional directors for the Society. The Society of Professional Journalists works to improve and protect journalism. The organization is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

For more information contact contest co-director Sonny Albarado, 501-344-4321, or contest administrator Sarah Prickett, 501-399-3686.

FINALISTS (in random order)

PRINT—Dailies
1. Deadline Reporting—All Dailies
“Bleak day in Tampa” by Staff, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Under Fire 2 officers dead, 2 wounded” by Jody Callahan, Cindy Wolff, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

2. Nondeadline Reporting—Large Dailies
“Swept Away: The Albert Pike flood” by Cathy Frye, Amy Upshaw, Rick McFarland, Kirk Montgomery, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“The War Widow” by Elizabeth Leland, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC)
“Herald Watchdog – County Hall” by Matthew Haggman, Martha Brannigan, Jennifer Lebovich, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)

4. Feature Writing—Large Dailies
“Portfolio by Bobby Ampezzan” by Bobby Ampezzan, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Coming Clean” by Joan Garrett, Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga, TN)
“Sacrifice is all relative” by Dan Grech, Alicia Zuckerman, Kenny Malone, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)

6. Nondeadline Reporting—Small Dailies
“Caught Between Lenders” by Jose Pagliery, Daily Business Review (Miami, FL)
“Year of Resilience: Hospitals, health care companies and biotech firms post strong 2010” by Aisling Maki, The Daily News (Memphis, TN)
“Flight Plan: Pinnacle prepares for challenging move” by Sarah Baker, The Daily News (Memphis, TN)

7. Investigative Reporting—Small Dailies
“Trustee Trouble” by John Pacenti, Polyana da Costa, Daily Business Review (Miami, FL)
“Agencies do little to ensure motorists escape sinking cars” by Matt Clark, Naples Daily News (Naples, FL)
“50 Years of Secrets” by Bill Dries, The Daily News (Memphis, TN)

8. Feature Writing—Small Dailies
“Le Bonheur Moves Patients Into New Facility” by Aisling Maki, The Daily News (Memphis, TN)
“XX Factor: Single women buying homes at increasing rate” by Sarah Baker, The Daily News (Memphis, TN)
“Escape to freedom” by Michelle Rupe Eubanks, Times Daily (Florence, AL)

9. Sports Reporting—All Dailies
“Masters Tournament coverage” by Scott Michaux, Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, GA)
“Jockey safety no sure bet” by Jennie Rees, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
“Linda Robertson – Winter Olympics” by Linda Robertson, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)

10. Sports Commentary—All Dailies
“A selection” by John Romano, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Dan Le Batard – In My Opinion” by Dan Le Batard, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)
“Columns by David Climer” by David Climer, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

11. Business Reporting—All Dailies
“Risk to Ruin” by Robert J. Smith, Laurie Whalen, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Unrefined Rarity” by Josh Flory, Bob Fowler, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
“Business coverage by G. Chambers Williams III” by G. Chambers Williams III, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

12. Technology Reporting—All Dailies
“Melissa Jones’ Tech Columns” by Melissa Jones, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Journalism’s digital flight” by Bartholomew Sullivan, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“Bridget Carey’s Technology Coverage” by Bridget Carey, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)

13. Public Affairs Reporting—All Dailies
“Florida’s Insurance Nightmare” by Paige St. John, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL)
“PolitiFact Florida” by Staff, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“1)Slick deal no savings to city 2)Trucks fall ill to X factor 3)Vehicle repair pacts under review by FBI 4)Liquor store is banker for firm 5)Police cars pulled over” by Marc Perrusquia, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

14. Politics Reporting—All Dailies
“GOP inroads in Arkansas” by Charlie Frago, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Florida politics” by Adam C. Smith, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“The fall of Charlie Crist” by Steve Bousquet, Alex Leary, Adam Smith, Marc Caputo, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)

15. Courts & The Law Reporting—All Dailies
“Clerks clean up on foreclosures” by Robert J. Smith, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Church Secrets – Moment of Truth – Troubled Traveler” by Lawrence Buser, Lawrence Buser, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“The Gangs of Middle Tennessee” by Brad Schrade, Chris Echegaray, John Partipilo, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

16. Disaster Coverage—All Dailies
“Gulf Oil Spill” by Staff, The Associated Press- Florida (Miami, FL)
“Helping Haiti 1) Painful Progress 2) Suffer the children 3)Death everywhere in shattered Haiti 4)Wost yet to come” by Tom Charlier, Alan Spearman, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“Haiti – Another Cruel Blow” by Staffs of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)

17. Consumer Reporting—All Dailies
“The Federal Failure on Drywall” by Aaron Kessler, Joaquin Sapien, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL)
“Baby Boomers” by Ana Veciana-Suarez, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)
“Examining Hospital Bills, Diagnosis: Mess” by Dan Warner, The News-Press (Ft. Meyers, FL)

18. Travel Writing—All Dailies
“Our National Parks” by Janet K. Keeler, Scott Keeler, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Misc. travel stories” by Tamara Lush, The Associated Press- Florida (Miami, FL)
“Shelby Farms Urban Oasis” by Tom Charlier, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

19. Criticism—All Dailies
“A selection” by Lennie Bennett, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Heart of Soul” by Bob Mehr, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“1)memphis music loses big star 2)Saying goodbuy: Festival salutes Chilton 3)Big sendoff for the music man 4)Big Star sings swan song in fitting tribute” by Bob Mehr, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

20. Serious Commentary—All Dailies
“Paul Greenberg portfolio” by Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Philip Martin Columns” by Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Leonard Pitts – In My Opinion” by Leonard Pitts, The Miami Herald (Miami, FL)

21. Humorous Commentary—All Dailies
“Quite a senior moment” by Sam Venable, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
“Kelly Kazek’s Columns” by Kelly Kazek, The News Courier (Athens) (Athens, AL)

22. Editorials—All Dailies
“Paul Greenberg Editorials” by Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Shameful delay imperils Ferschke residency” by News Sentinel, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
“Carol McPhail Oil Spill Editorials” by Carol McPhail, The Press-Register (Mobile, AL)

23. Public Service in Daily Journalism—All Dailies
“Going for Broke” by Northwest Arkansas staff, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“A Builder’s Secret: Defective Drywall” by Aaron Kessler, Joaquin Sapien, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL)
“Double exposure & In the shadows” by Marc Perrusquia, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

PRINT—Nondailies
24. General News Reporting—Nondailies
“”The Most Dangerous Neighborhood in Memphis?” (April 19, 2010)” by Bianca Phillips, Associate Editor, Memphis Flyer (Memphis, TN)
“Three of Hearts” by Melanie Stawicki Azam, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)
“On the Mend” by Aisling Maki, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

25. Investigative Reporting—Nondailies
“Disorderly Conduct” by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“CDDs at a crossroads” by Bill Orben, Richard Bilbao, Anjali Fluker, Melanie Stawicki Azam, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)
“Inside the Priest Files: Documents reveal 50 years of abuse, cover-ups in Memphis diocese” by Bill Dries, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

26. Feature Writing—Nondailies
“Kids Having Kids” by Lacey McLaughlin, Jackson Free Press (Jackson, MS)
“Blow Hard” by Gus Garcia-Roberts, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“Dirty jobs” by Anjali Fluker, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)

27. Sports Reporting—Nondailies
“Ghetto to Gridiron” by Michael Miller, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“A reputation in shambles” by Richard Bilbao, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)

29. Business Reporting—Nondailies
“Hurricane Nevin” by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“Jobs, jobs, jobs” by Staff, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)
“Bankruptcy Winners & Losers” by Paul Brinkmann, South Florida Business Journal (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

30. Technology Reporting—Nondailies
“Hack Pack” by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“Social Media Icons: How some Memphians are taking to Twitter to promote themselves – and the community” by Bill Dries, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

31. Public Affairs Reporting—Nondailies
“Restoring Justice” by Charles W. Cherry II, Jenise Griffin Morgan, Starla Vaughns Cherin, Florida Courier (Tampa, FL)
“Disorderly Conduct” by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“Public Affairs Reporting (Group – 5 articles)” by Lee Molloy, Terence Cantarella, The Lead Miami Beach (Miami, FL)

32. Politics Reporting—Nondailies
“Are Judges Up For Sale in Mississippi?” by Adam Lynch, Jackson Free Press (Jackson, MS)
“Tea Party Pretty Boy” by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“The Next Election Gambit: Your guide to the 2010 Shelby County primaries” by Bill Dries, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

33. Courts & The Law Reporting—Nondailies
“Rush To Judgement: Trying Kids As Adults” by Donna Ladd, Valerie Wells, Jackson Free Press (Jackson, MS)
“”Blunt Assessment” (May 20, 2010)” by Bianca Phillips, Associate Editor, Memphis Flyer (Memphis, TN)
“Disorderly Conduct” by Tim Elfrink, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)

37. Criticism—Nondailies
“”Refuge in the Blues” (1-28-10), “Many Voices, Many Rooms” (2-25-10), and “From Mystery Train to Memphis Beat” (6-24-10) (3 sample columns)” by Chris Herrington, Music Editor, Memphis Flyer (Memphis, TN)
“Style Over Steak; Flapjack Flip-Off X; Gigi Ingenuity” by Lee Klein, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)

38. Serious Commentary—Nondailies
“Editor’s Note(s) by Donna Ladd” by Donna Ladd, Jackson Free Press (Jackson, MS)
“”City Beat” column (4 examples: “How We Got There,” “Worst Foot Forward,” “Electioned to Death,” and “Game On.) ” by John Branston, Senior Editor, Memphis Flyer (Memphis, TN)
“Terrorist with Friends; School of Hard Knocks; Forgotten War Hero, parts 1 – 3” by Chuck Strouse, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)

40. Editorials—Nondailies
“”Accepting Change” (5-20-10), “Scapegoating” (7-2-10), and “Connecting the Dots” (8-28-10) – 3 sample editorials” by Jackson Baker, Senior Editor, Memphis Flyer (Memphis, TN)
“Don’t kick elderly to the curb” by Cindy Barth, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)
“Social Media’s One Thing, But Reality is Another; Too Many Elections ‚Äì Or Not Enough Voters?; Memphis Needs Whitehaven; Any Election Review Should Benefit Voters; Zoo Just One Part of Overton Park ” by Staff, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

41. Public Service in Nondaily Journalism—Nondailies
“Death Row” by Francisco Alvarado, Miami New Times (Miami, FL)
“Amendment 4” by Orlando Business Journal, Tampa Bay Business Journal, South Florida Business Journal, Jacksonville Business Journal, Orlando Business Journal (Orlando, FL)

PRINT—Magazines
42. General News Reporting—Magazines
“Medical Makeover” by Mark Howard, Amy Keller, Mike Vogel, Art Levy, Florida Trend (St. Petersburg, FL)
“”‘Sovereign’ Citizen Kane” by J.J. MacNab, Intelligence Report Staff, Intelligence Report (Montgomery, AL)
“”Full Moon Over West Memphis: The West Memphis Three have spent 17 years behind bars, but the evidence (or lack thereof) is shocking.” (May 2010) ” by Mara Leveritt, Contributing Writer, Memphis Magazine (Memphis, TN)

43. Investigative Reporting—Magazines
“Whose Standards?” by Amy Keller, Florida Trend (St. Petersburg, FL)
“”Under Attack”” by Mark Potok, Evelyn Schlatter, Robert Steinback, Leah Nelson, Intelligence Report (Montgomery, AL)
“”Absence of Motive: Local police saw it as a clear-cut case of murder, with confession letters and a suicide? But questions linger.” (June 2010)” by Marilyn Sadler, Senior Editor, Memphis Magazine (Memphis, TN)

44. Feature Writing—Magazines
“Game Day” by Jeremy Markovich, Charlotte Magazine (Charlotte, NC)
“Cal Walker: The Last DJ” by Jonathan Singer, Charlotte Magazine (Charlotte, NC)
“”The Immigration Dilemma,” “Widespread Panic and the Business of Making Music,” and “Pushing For Reform”” by Jerry Grillo, Senior Editor, Susan Percy, Editor, Georgia Trend (Norcross, GA)

45. Serious Commentary—Magazines
“Welcome to Gun Land” by Richard Thurmond, Charlotte Magazine (Charlotte, NC)
“Ballad of a Dirtbag” by Mike Giglio, Charlotte Magazine (Charlotte, NC)
“”At A Loss: A Friend’s Passing Leave Its Own Unique Anguish” (January 2010)” by Marilyn Sadler, Senior Editor, Memphis Magazine (Memphis, TN)

46. Humorous Column—Magazines
“Travails of Travel (Sept.); The New Wine Snob (Oct.)” by Sarah Crosland, Charlotte Magazine (Charlotte, NC)
“”How did I live without you?”” by Mark Wallace Maguire, Cobb Life (Marietta, GA)
“”Ask Vance” (3 sample columns: January, June, and October 2010)” by Vance Lauderdale, Memphis Magazine (Memphis, TN)

47. Public Service in Magazine Journalism—Magazines
“Stop the Presses” by Walker Lundy, Charlotte Magazine (Charlotte, NC)
“Homeless with Cancer” by Cynthia Ryan, writer, Sylvia Plachy, photographer, Jessica Gorman, editor, Cynthia Ryan (Birmingham, AL)

ALL PRINT
48. Newspaper Spot News Photography—All Print
“Pulled from the railing” by Rick McFarland, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Alan Spearman/The Commercial Appeal” by Alan Spearman, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“Spot News-Shelley Mays” by Shelley Mays, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

49. Newspaper Feature Photography- Single—All Print
“Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal” by Jim Weber, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“President Obama by Bill Luster” by Bill Luster, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
“No Room at the Inn” by Lance Murphey, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

50. Newspaper Sports Photography—All Print
“A selection” by James Borchuck, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“”Cam Newton races jubilantly off the field,” “Craig Loston and Patrick Peterson celebrate,” “Josh Jasper hugs Joe Robinson,” “Hebert, Jasper and Bailey celebrate,” “Patrick Peterson returns a kick” ” by Travis Spradling, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
“”Jonathan Vilma celebrates,” “Devery Henderson pulls in a touchdown,” “Garrett Hartley celebrates,” “Tracy Porter scores on an interception,” “Drew Brees holds up the trophy”” by Bill Feig, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

51. Newspaper Graphics—All Print
“A fan’s guide to the Golden Gloves National Tournament” by Ferris Williams, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
“Why all the weird weather?” by Steve Reed, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
“Pension Bomb” by Emily Morrow, The Memphis News (Memphis, TN)

52. Newspaper Editorial Cartoon—All Print
“Editorial Cartoons by Clay Bennett” by Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga, TN)
“Body of Work, 2011” by Jeff Parker, Florida Today (Brevard, FL)
“2010 Editorial Cartoons” by Robert Ariail, Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC)

53. Magazine Feature Photography- Single—All Print
“Bay magazine” by Edmund D. Fountain, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Her Scene photo by Matt Stone” by Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

54. Magazine Feature Photography- Multiple—All Print
“My Fair Lady” by Sara Brennan-Hall, Whitebox Weddings, Chris Edwards, Charlotte Wedding, Charlotte Wedding (Charlotte, NC)
“Power Surge” by Edmund D. Fountain, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Dali’” by John Pendygraft, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)

57. Magazine Best Cover—All Print
“”The City Guide 2010″ (Memphis Magazine – August 2010)” by Brian Groppe, Art Director, Rick Bostick, Photographer, Memphis Magazine (Memphis, TN)
“”The Man Who Built Modern Memphis: The World of Roy Harrover” (November 2010)” by Briane Groppe, Art Director, Photographer – unknown (archival), Memphis Magazine (Memphis, TN)
“Indulgence” by Edmund D. Fountain, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)

TELEVISION
59. Best Newscast—Television
“News 13 12/14/10 4:00pm” by staff, Central Florida News 13 (Orlando, FL)
“WFTS STEINBRENNER NEWSCAST ” by Kristin Moore, Staff , Doug Culver , WFTS-TV ABC Action News (Tampa, FL)

60. Breaking News Coverage—Television
“Palm Bay Hospital Gunman” by staff, Central Florida News 13 (Orlando, FL)
“WFTS- TPD OFFICERS KILLED” by Staff, Doug Culver, WFTS-TV ABC Action News (Tampa, FL)

61. Investigative Reporting—Television
“Untested Justice” by Keli Rabon, Jim O’Donnell, WREG-TV (Memphis, TN)
“Left To Die” by Scott Noll, Dan Patton, WREG-TV (Memphis, TN)
“Missing from the Bench” by Lee Zurik, Donny Pearce, Greg Phillips, Mikel Schaefer, WVUE-TV (New Orleans, LA)

62. Feature Reporting—Television
“Florida on a Tankful” by Scott Fais, Central Florida News 13 (Orlando, FL)
“Police Tragedy: A Mayor & Chief” by Scott Wilson , Sarina Fazan , WFTS-TV ABC Action News (Tampa, FL)
“”Poppa Daddy Drummer”” by Meredith Anderson, Keith Rush, Chris Parrish, WRDW-TV (North Augusta, SC)

63. Documentaries—Television
“Men and Women of Distinction: Miller Williams” by Mark Wilcken, Gabe Mayhan, Carole Adornetto, Arkansas Educational Television Network (Conway, AR)
“Home From Haiti” by Christine Webb, John Handiboe, Central Florida News 13 (Orlando, FL)
“WFTS – TAKING ACTION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PRIMETIME” by Jennifer McVan , Jason Mooradian, John Fulton, Lissette Campos, WFTS-TV ABC Action News (Tampa, FL)

64. Public Service in Television Journalism—Television
“WFTS- PUBLIC SERVICE TAADV 2010 CAMPAIGN” by Rich Pegram , Lissette Campos, Jennifer McVan, WFTS-TV ABC Action News (Tampa, FL)
“Untested Justice” by Keli Rabon, Jim O’Donnell, WREG-TV (Memphis, TN)
“Save From the Wrecking Ball” by Mike Deeson, Paul Thorson, Tim Burquest, WTSP TV (St. Petersburg, FL)

RADIO
65. Best Newscast—Radio
“WUNC Newscast” by Eric Hodge, North Carolina Public Radio- WUNC (Chapel Hill, NC)
“Election Night Newscast” by Phil Latzman, WLRN (Miami, FL)

66. Breaking News Coverage—Radio
“Twister” by Jeff Tiberii, 88.5 WFDD (Wake Forest, NC)
“The Troy Davis Case” by Orlando Montoya, GPB News (Atlanta, GA)
“Devastation in Haiti” by Joshua Johnson, Leah Fleming, WLRN (Miami, FL)

67. Investigative Reporting—Radio
“AIDS in Alabama” by Alisa Beckwith-Ayilliath, Pat Duggins, Alabama Public Radio (Tuscaloosa, AL)
“Jefferson County Attorney Salary” by Tanya Ott, WBHM (Birmingham, AL)
“State Airplanes — WBT News” by Jeff Sonier, WBT Radio (Charlotte, NC)

68. Feature Reporting—Radio
“Elkin” by Kathryn Mobley, 88.5 WFDD (Wake Forest, NC)
“Faust Fest Marks the End of an Era” by Philip L. Graitcer, Gary Waleik (editor), Phil Graitcer (Atlanta, GA)
“Patients and Healers” by Dan Grech, Kenny Malone, Alicia Zuckerman, WLRN (Miami, FL)

69. Documentaries—Radio
“Still Singing the Blues” by Richard Ziglar, Writer/Producer, Barry Yeoman, Writer/Producer, Fifth Creek Media LLC (Durham, NC)
“Under the Sun Haiti Episode” by Dan Grech, Alicia Zuckerman, Kenny Malone, WLRN (Miami, FL)

70. Public Service in Radio Journalism—Radio
“Homeless Series ” by Josephine Bennett, Susanna Capelouto, Noel Brown, Kathleen Quillian , GPB News (Atlanta, GA)
“North Carolina Voices: Tomorrow’s Energy” by Staff, North Carolina Public Radio- WUNC (Chapel Hill, NC)
“Price of Poverty ” by Tanya Ott, Andrew Yeager, Bradley George, Sushma Boppana , WBHM (Birmingham, AL)

ONLINE
71. Digital Media Presentation—Online
“Life on the Edge” by Staff, The News-Press (Fort Meyers, FL)
“Broken Bucs: ’79 Players From Fame To Pain ” by Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and News Channel 8 Staff, The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, FL)
“The Gangs of Middle Tennessee” by Brad Schrade, Chris Echegaray, John Partipilo, Heather Fritz-Aronin, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

72. Deadline Reporting—Online
“Tampa Officers Killed” by Staff of The Tampa Tribune, TBO.com and WFLA, News Channel 8, The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, FL)
“Flood of 2010” by Tennessean Staff, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

73. Nondeadline Writing—Online
“Hyperlocal Haiti Coverage” by Matt Clark, David Albers, Naples Daily News (Naples, FL)
“Inside Scientology” by Joe Childs, Thomas C. Tobin, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“Terrell Starks” by Laura Ungar, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

76. Best Blog—Online
“Property Scope” by Josh Flory, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
“Stuck in the ’80s” by Steve Spears, Sean Daly, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)
“The Lowe Down by Chan Lowe” by Chan Lowe, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

77. Sports Reporting—Online
“”Beyond the Bronze”; “Harry Gilmer”; “Eyewitness News”; “Johnny Musso on Mark Ingram”; “Dennis Homan”; “The Kick;” “The Boot”; “Sweet Redemption”; “Time Capsule: Unveiling the Wishbone”; “In the Huddle: Johnny Musso”” by Keith Dunnavant, CrimsonReplay.com (Newnan, GA)
“Home Team” by Staff, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)

80. Politics Reporting—Online
“A collection of political stories” by Mary C. Curtis, Mary C. Curtis (Charlotte, NC)
“Bob Norman/The Daily Pulp” by Bob Norman, New Times Broward/Palm Beach (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
“PolitiFact Florida” by Staff, St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL)

81. Specialized Site—Online
“Crimson Replay” by Keith Dunnavant, CrimsonReplay.com (Newnan, GA)
“www.Tennessean.com/music” by Tennessean music team, The Tennessean (Nashville, TN)

82. Public Service in Online Journalism—Online
“Double Exposure & In the Shadows” by Marc Perrusquia, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
“I am al qaeda” by Kristina Goetz, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

83. Videography—Online
“The Tea Party: Brewing up a movement” by Lauren Spuhler, Talid Magdy, Erin Chapin, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
“Bill Haslam: A journey to governor” by Lauren Spuhler, Knoxville News Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
“WFTS- The Town of Bealsville” by Eugene Perry , Lissette Campos , Doug Culver, WFTS-TV ABC Action News (Tampa, FL)

61st Green Eyeshade Awards
Winners to be honored at June 24 banquet

The best journalism in the Southeast will be honored Friday, June 24, at the Green Eyeshade Awards banquet in Atlanta.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Hank Klibanoff, James M. Cox Jr. professor of journalism at Emory University and 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner in history as co-author of The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation.

The festivities start at 7 p.m. at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway, 2020 Convention Center Concourse.

Finalists in the 61st Green Eyeshade Awards competition will be announced June 6 and the winners named the night of the banquet.

Banquet tickets are $45 per person and can be purchased via PayPal at www.greeneyeshade.org or by check by emailing administrator Sarah Prickett.

For more information contact contest co-director Sonny Albarado, 501-344-4321, or contest administrator Sarah Prickett, 501-399-3686.

At their annual spring session, at headquarters in Indianpolis, your SPJ leaders and national representatives rejected a Bylaws Committee recommendation regarding the “one member, one vote” option.

The committee had asked the board to let delegates at this fall’s national convention decide whether SPJ should start electing national officers by direct vote.

The board voted 15-8 against sending the committee proposal on to the delegates.

I voted with the majority. I explained during the discussion that, as a delegate, I had supported a similar proposal at the 2006 national convention in Chicago, which the delegates defeated. I added that I no longer supported the bylaws change.

In 2002, the convention delegates amended the bylaws to apportion delegate votes by chapter size. Since then, national officers have been elected by proportional representation. Chapters receive one vote for every 50 members or fraction of 50. A chapter with up to 50 members gets 1 vote; a chapter with 51-100 members gets 2 votes.

In its recommendation, the Bylaws Committee contended that the proportional system disenfranchises members who are not affiliated with a chapter. The committee also noted that a majority of SPJ members don’t go to the convention, cannot vote and have little incentive to engage with the society’s governance.

Several arguments put forward by the proposal’s opponents influenced my decision to vote against the Bylaw Committee’s recommendation.

Paraphrased, the arguments amount to this: Delegates to two national conventions have rejected the one-member, one-vote proposal twice. There has been no groundswell among members of fresh support for the idea, so there’s no reason to believe the proposal would be greeted differently this year. We believe that’s because most members are content to let their chapters’ delegates to the convention, their regional directors and other board members represent them.

At our April 16 meeting, board members debated the proposal for most of an hour, the longest and most passionately discussed item on a daylong agenda.

THE OTHER SHOE

If you haven’t heard by now, President-Elect Darcie Lunsford announced at the April board meeting that she will not assume the SPJ presidency at the national convention in New Orleans.

Darcie has taken a job outside of journalism and felt it would be best if SPJ’s president be a working journalist. She will serve out the remainder of her term, but her decision means that not only will delegates at the convention choose a secretary-treasurer and a president-elect, they will also elect a president.

Longtime SPJ’ers tell us this is a first. We’ve had presidents leave before their term expired and presidents-elect fill out the term, then serve their own. But this is the first time anyone can remember all three officer positions being open.

In any case, John Ensslin, the current secretary-treasurer, has announced his intention to run for president. And I have told colleagues that I will run for president-elect.

That means Region 12 will need a new director. Chapter representatives at the national convention will vote for the new director at the regional meeting tentatively set for the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 25.

If you are interested in running for any open positions, please contact Kevin Smith, nominations chair, or Joe Skeel, executive director.

SPJ’s national board met last weekend, April 16, and approved the charters of six previously provisional chapters — one of which was Harding University — pending receipt of the chapters’ annual reports. Way to go, Harding!

The board also approved provisional status for eight chapters — one of which was McNeese State University. Those eight chapters must be active for a year, meeting all requirements of chapters in good standing (two-star chapters) before they can be officially chartered. The year’s wait is designed to prove the level of commitment of members to making their chapter a success.

Based on what I’ve seen of McNeese’s chapter, I think they’ll sail smoothly into full-charter status.

SPJ membership coordinator Linda Hall also told the board that seven chapters have taken firm steps toward reactivating. These are chapters that have not lost their charters and have found new life with a core group of committed volunteers and/or advisers, in the case of campus chapters. The University of Memphis chapter is one of those in reactivation mode. Go, Memphis!

Here’s a list of the other chapters that received charters or provisional status or are reactivating:

CHARTERED
The College at Brockport, Massachusetts (Region 1); DePaul University, Chicago (Region 5); IUPUI, Indianapolis (Region 5); Kennesaw State University, Georgia (Region 3); Northern Kentucky University, Newport (Region 5).

PROVISIONAL
Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI (Region 1); Campbellsville University, Kentucky (Region 5), Langston University, Oklahoma (Region 8); Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania (Region 1); Curry College, Milton, MA (Region 1); Georgetown University, D.C. (Region 2); Greater Charlotte Pro, North Carolina (Region 2).

REACTIVATING
Texas Woman’s University, University of Memphis, Stephen F. Austin State University, San Diego State University, UCLA, Madison (WI) Pro and Maryland Pro.

Here are some tips from Regions 4 & 5 on finding sponsors for a regional conference. They could also apply for major events where you’re trying to attract a broader audience.

To: Members of SPJ National board
From: Robyn Davis Sekula, fundraising chair, Regions 4&5 conference
Re: Funding for the Regions 4&5 conference
Date: April 12, 2011

The SPJ 4&5 Super Regional Conference is behind us, and we’re delighted to report that the conference had 230 attendees and netted a healthy profit of nearly $10,000, which will be split among three chapters (Cincinnati, Louisville and Bluegrass Pro). We thought it would be helpful to provide an outline of how we did it that could be used by other regions and also possibly be of help in planning the national conference.

Below you’ll find an outline of the steps we took, a listing of the sponsorship levels, a list of sponsors, a list of (nearly) everyone we asked and also a copy of the letter we used to ask for the funding. I hope all of this is helpful.

If you have questions about this, feel free to ask Region 4 Director James Pilcher, or Region 5 Director Liz Hansen. You can also contact me at robynsekula@sbcglobal.net or (502) 608-6125.

Here are the steps of how we did it:
1. We determined the cost for the conference at roughly $15,000.
2. We put someone in charge of securing sponsorship funding (me).
3. We created a list of who we wanted to ask for sponsorships. Those who had the closest relationships with the organization/principals within it made the ask. James Pilcher approached Scripps, Patti Newberry approached Miami University (her employer) and I did most of the rest of the asks.
4. We crafted a letter that outlined WHY the organization should sponsor the conference, emphasizing that it was a great marketing opportunity to pitch their products/services to professionals who were also consumers. We did not (of course) promise any sort of positive coverage as a result of the conference. The pitch has to be made in marketing way – not in a non-profit way. This is a marketing opportunity, not really a chance to do good. That approach seemed to resonate with our sponsors, and it allows those who are marketing-oriented to dip into marketing budgets to pay for it, rather than charitable budgets. Marketing budgets are usually more robust and there is less oversight of the funding. Charitable budgets (for larger companies anyway) are usually designated for specific causes, such as pet shelters, etc. Rarely will you find journalism as anyone’s charitable cause unless they are a journalism-related organization.
5. We created an outline of sponsorship funding levels, also adding in some sponsorship opportunities that fell outside of that but would meet a specific need. For example, we wanted an opening reception sponsor and an organization to buy the tote bags, both of which we secured.
6. We made asks. I contacted roughly 30 to 40 organizations/businesses/universities and asked them to sponsor us, and followed up as often as I could. In nearly every case, the pitch was made by e-mail, then followed up with a phone call. This method seemed to work, but if you want 10 or so sponsors, expect to contact somewhere around 40 organizations/people. Make the asks at least four months ahead of the conference. Also, consider hitting businesses/organizations before the end of a calendar year, as they may have leftover funding from the previous year they can spend.
7. For top-tier sponsors, we promised exclusivity. We promised Frost Brown Todd we would not take on any other law firms as sponsors. That’s part of the benefit of top-tier sponsorship, and something we didn’t offer at lower levels to encourage the sponsors to “level up.” That was really valuable to FBT.
8. I used Facebook and Twitter to advertise the fact that we were soliciting sponsors, and actually got one sponsor that way – Verizon. Their regional PR rep had rejected the idea, but a friend here in Louisville who works in PR and represents Verizon approached them again and got the funding.
9. We decided not to accept donations of less than $1,000. With the amount of work that has to be done to keep a sponsor happy, it’s not worth it. We discouraged organizations from giving us less than $1,000 unless they had a give-away item for us to put in the tote bags.
10. We offered the sponsors spots at the conference if they wished to attend. Some did, but some did not.
11. We are mailing our sponsors hand-written thank you notes as well as formal letters thanking them for attending and for their participation.

12. We ruled out anyone who was in the news in a negative way (for example, Duke Energy has huge ethics issues in Indiana, which is part of our region, so we skipped an ask there).

Our final sponsors were:

Title sponsors: Scripps and Frost Brown Todd (law firm)
Presenting sponsor: Toyota (they have a large manufacturing base in Erlanger, Ky., where the conference was held)
Corporate sponsors: Macy’s and Miami University of Ohio
Opening reception: Verizon and Maker’s Mark
Tote bag sponsor: Ivy Tech Community College

This raised a total of $16,800, plus $212.21 that Maker’s Mark will reimburse us for the “tasting” we had at the opening reception.

SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
Here are new funding levels and what the funders would receive in exchange:

TITLE SPONSORS
COST: $5,000
LARGEST logo on tote bags, top of tote bags (logo must be provided)
Announced from podium at start of each session as a sponsor
Opportunity for full-page ad in program (but must be submitted camera-ready)
Listed in program as sponsor

PRESENTING SPONSORS
COST: $3,000
MEDIUM logo on tote bags, middle of bags (logo must be provided)
Announced from podium at start of two at-large sessions as a sponsor
Opportunity for half-page ad in program (but must be submitted camera-ready)
Listed in program as Presenting Sponsor

CORPORATE SPONSORS
COST: $1,000
SMALLEST logo on tote bags, bottom of bags (logo must be provided)
Listed in program as Friend sponsor

TOTE BAG SPONSOR
COST: Provide tote bags for free
Can add their own logo onto the bag, will be thanked briefly in printed program

OPENING RECEPTION SPONSOR
COST: $1800
EXPECTED: Heavy h’ordeuvres, open bar
LOCATION: Could be provided by sponsor if they have a nice location suitable for 200 people and wish to host. Seeking nice location in downtown Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky
BENEFITS: Opportunity to host journalists, short speech from podium, we thank them from podium and in program

Who we asked:
Scripps (James): successful
Frost Brown Todd: successful
Toyota: successful
Ivy Tech (Robyn): successful
Cision (Robyn): no
Kentucky Farm Bureau (Robyn): no
Frost Brown Todd (Robyn): successful
Gannett (James): no
Miami University (Robyn through Patti): successful
Google – Jake (Robyn): no
UC (Elissa): no
Bellarmine University (Robyn): no
PNC (Robyn): no
Humana (Robyn): no
Knight-Wallace Fellows: no
Asher and clients (Robyn’s client): no
Maker’s Mark (Robyn): successful
Guthrie Mays (Robyn): not the firm, but got Verizon this way
Cox (Robyn): no
Verizon (Robyn): successful
F+W Media (Robyn): no
The Eisen Agency (Robyn): no
Nielsen (Robyn): no
Macys (Robyn): successful
Cincy Tech (Robyn): no
Cincy Bell (Robyn): no
NKU (Robyn): no
Haile Foundation (robyn): no
Jewish Hospital (Robyn): no
AT&T (Robyn): no
Twitter (Robyn): no
UPS (Robyn): no
Stoll, Keenon, Ogden (Robyn): no
Western Southern (Robyn): No

OUR LETTER

October 25, 2010

Susan J. Porter
Vice President, Programs
Scripps Howard Foundation
P.O. Box 5380
Cincinnati, OH 45201-5380

Dear Sue,
In April 2011, journalists from seven states will gather in Northern Kentucky to hone their skills as part of the Society of Professional Journalists Regions 4 and 5 Conference. We anticipate attendance from several hundred writers, editors, bloggers, producers, photographers and broadcasters who will spend their time learning about the best techniques for improving their news gathering and distribution. They’ll hear from media thought leaders from around the Midwest who will help them continue their education and preparation for producing news in the 21st century.

For SPJ to provide this important educational opportunity, we are asking media companies and related foundations that serve our regions to sponsor the conference. We estimate expenses at about $15,000, which includes an opening reception on Friday night, a full day of sessions and Mark of Excellence awards lunch on Saturday and a Sunday half-day session on one in-depth reporting topic. We are discussing a partnership with the Radio Television Digital News Association that could increase our attendance and bring a more diverse audience.

Title sponsorship of the conference is set at $5,000. With three title sponsors, we can pay for the conference entirely and offer scholarships for more journalists to be able to attend, and allow some of the struggling Society of Professional Journalists chapters within our region to save their own funds for programs in their cities. Title sponsorship will entitle the Scripps Howard Foundation to be listed on all printed material as the Title Sponsor, and will include a thank you message from the podium of various events throughout the conference. Any other sponsors that give at the same level will be listed along with the Foundation; sponsorships of a lesser amount will be tiered accordingly.

As SPJ sees it, in times of staff cuts and new media, it’s critically important for journalists to take the time to improve their skills and refresh their energy for news gathering, and there’s no better place to do it than at an SPJ event. Your sponsorship will ensure that we can hold this conference to the highest standards, market the conference accordingly and draw in the largest crowd possible.

We welcome any questions you have about this opportunity, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

James Pilcher
Business Reporter, The Cincinnati Enquirer
Region 4 Director, Society of Professional Journalists

One of the big issues we tackled was whether to send the “one person, one vote” proposal back to the delegates to vote on at the National SPJ Convention this fall in New Orleans.  This is not a new issue; it was voted down by SPJ delegates in 2004 and 2006.  Here’s some of the background:

SPJ has always had a delegate system of voting for officers, bylaws changes, and other business items.  This voting has always taken place at the national convention.  Some feel the system works well, but others feels it disenfranchises SPJ members who may not have a chapter in their area and/or who are unable to attend the national convention.

This particular proposal would give “one person, one vote” power to SPJ members for officer elections, not bylaws or other society business.

Right now, chapters have to “earn” their right to vote by filing their annual report, proving they’re in good standing with SPJ.  A chapter gets one delegate vote for every 50 members it has: for example, chapters with 1-50 members gets one vote, 51-100 members get two, etc.

Another argument in favor of the proposal is that if more SPJ members have a say in who represents them in the society, they will become more involved in the organization, as a whole.  In addition, supporters argued there is better technology available today that would make it easier for all members to vote and for headquarters to implement and tally up votes.

We had a spirited debate about whether SPJ members really want this power, if its fair to members who’ve put in a lot of time and effort into SPJ versus members who are not active at all, and whether it would discourage members from attending the national convention.

Ultimately, the board voted 15-8 to not send the proposal to the delegates.  Many of us weren’t convinced that a majority of members really want this ability to vote on their own, rather than let their chapter delegates make those decisions.

However, in our discussion, we discovered several problems that need to be addressed, such as ways to make sure more chapters are getting to the convention in order to vote and make their voices heard.  One idea was to open up an absentee-voting system for chapter delegates unable to attend the convention.  These are some ideas we asked the bylaws committee to play around with and come up with ideas that could change our voting structure and make it more accessible to chapters who aren’t always able to attend the convention.

One note: although the board voted to not send “one person, one vote” to the delegates, it could still be brought up at the national convention business meeting if at least 10 chapters agree to support and make a motion on it.

What do you think? Should SPJ change its voting system to “one person, one vote” or keep it how it is now? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me at spjregion6@gmail.com.

The board also approved sending a bylaws change to the delegates that would allow student members to join professional chapters, as long as a student chapter is not already established at that school.

We also had a lengthy discussion about the SPJ membership database.  Some of us RDs found chapter rosters that contained dead members, that pro members were still on student chapter rosters years after graduating, or pro members were listed on multiple chapter rosters as a result of moving from state to state.  I will be serving on a task force looking for ways to clean up the member database and establishing guidelines as to what rosters an SPJ member should be listed on.

The board also got updates on what should be an exciting national convention in New Orleans this fall.  I hope you will all start saving now and get ready to attend the Excellence in Journalism Convention, September 25-27. This is first time SPJ will host a joint convention with RTDNA.  We’re all looking forward to it!

If you have any other questions about this weekend’s spring board meeting, please contact me at spjregion6@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Amanda

St. Cloud State University SPJ Student Chapter: First Amendment Forum

SCSU has been hosting this annual forum for nearly 40 years.  This year’s event is entitled “Have the Watchdogs Lost Their Bark?” It focuses on the past, present, and future of investigative reporting.

The forum takes place Friday, April 15th at the Atwood Little Theatre on the SCSU campus.

The event begins at 9 a.m. with a welcome, followed by the panel discussion “The Way We Were”. An expert panel will look back at the history of investigative/watchdog journalism. Panelists include:

-Joe Rigert, former IRE president & retired Star Tribune reporter/author

-Maura Lerner, Star Tribune reporter

-Bob Cowan, WCCO-TV photojournalist

-Lee Rood, Des Moines Register project team leader

At 11:15 a.m., the Defense of the First Amendment Award will be presented to John Bodette, executive editor of the St. Cloud Times

At 1:30 p.m., the second panel of the program focuses on the future of investigative/watchdog journalism. Bodette will moderate with panelists:

-Devlyn Brooks, Forum Communications columnist

-Dave Unze, St. Cloud Times Reporter

-Reg Chapman, WCCO-TV reporter

-Lee Rood, Des Moines Register project team leader

First Amendment Free Food Festival at University of Minnesota and UW-Eau Claire

Two Region 6 SPJ chapters will host First Amendment Free Food Festivals this year.  The FAFFF is a program that has been put on by more than a dozen SPJ student chapters around the country.

The premise is simple: are you willing to give up your first amendment rights in exchange for a free lunch? If you say “yes”, you have to sign away your rights to freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.

The University of Minnesota Student Chapter will hold its first-ever FAFFF on Tuesday, April 19th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Coffman Plaza, outside Coffman Union. They’ll have food from Qdoba, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Raising Canes.

The UW-Eau Claire Student Chapter will hold its second-annual FAFF on Wednesday, April 20th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the campus mall.  Last year’s event even got national attention on Fox & Friends.

Check out the YouTube video of the Fox interview with two UWEC SPJ members.

So, are you willing to trade your first amendment rights to fill your belly?

Here are some of my personal highlights from the conference:

-Welcoming SPJ executive director Joe Skeel to the great state of Minnesota and to our fabulous conference. Throughout the conference, Joe kept telling me he was very impressed with all aspects of it, from the turnout to the panels to the people who organized it.

-Filling in for social media journalist Jeff Cutler at the last minute to do two Friday morning presentations on “Social Media and News” and “60 Websites in 60 Minutes”. Cutler was unable to come at the last minute due to a death in his family. But with thanks to JJ Murray and Derrick Hinds, we were able to fill Jeff’s enormous shoes on short notice.

(By the way, if you missed any of the sites in the 60 Websites presentation, you’ll find them at http://60sites.com.)

-Giving out awards to some of the best student journalists in the region at the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon. Laurie Hertzel, books editor at the Star Tribune, also had some inspiring advice for our audience, of which many are young journalists. Click here to view the complete list of Region 6 winners on the SPJ website.

-Meeting RTDNA chairman-elect Kevin Benz and seeing his presentation on “New Media in the Newsroom”. As you know, RTDNA and SPJ are partnering to bring you the “Excellence in Journalism” convention in New Orleans this September. It was great to meet Benz and see how much energy he has!

-Meeting energetic student and professional leaders from the different Region 6 chapters in SPJ. We had a great turnout at our annual regional meeting Saturday. Chapters from Madison Pro, Minnesota Pro, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Eau Claire, St. Cloud State, and University of Minnesota were represented. I also had great conversations with people who may be interested in starting chapters in Duluth, North Dakota, at South Dakota State University, Winona State University, Minot State University, and Loras College (which is technically in Region 7).

-And last but not least, catching up with old friends and meeting new friends in this crazy business we call journalism!

If you weren’t able to attend the conference, you can log onto Twitter, follow @mwjournconf and check out tweets from the conference! Look for the hashtag #mwjournconf.

If you have suggestions for next year’s conference, such a program idea or a speaker you’d like to see, please send it to midwestjournalismconference@gmail.com. We’d love your input!

Dates: Friday, April 8th and Saturday, April 9th
Place: Crowne Plaza & Suites at Minneapolis Int’l Airport (3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN – off I-494 and 34th Ave.)

Here are some of the highlights:

-Jeff Cutler, a social media journalist based in Boston, will lead two great sessions on social media; one looks at how journalists have used social media to take their careers to the next level, while the other shows you new website and online tools to enhance your story gathering and online product.
-Laurie Hertzel, books editor at the Star Tribune, is the keynote speaker at the SPJ Mark of Excellence Award Luncheon Friday afternoon
-Two sessions for journalists interested in sports reporting
-get your work critiqued in front of an audience and a panel of seasoned veterans in the “Shark Tank”
-how the concept of dynamic publishing will impact the online journalism field
-how to get news managers/directors’ attention if you’re applying for an internship or a first job
-improving your interviewing techniques
-and much, much more!

You will also have the chance to meet Joe Skeel, executive director of SPJ, and Kevin Benz, chairman-elect of RTDNA.  We are honored to have both heads of these organization at this conference!

A note for chapter leaders and advisers: in order to remain in good standing with SPJ, at least one of your members is required to attend the conference. This includes the SPJ morning board meeting on Saturday at 7:30 a.m.

Click here to download a conference registration form and schedule:
http://www.mnspj.org/2011/02/18/register-today-for-the-midwest-journalism-conference-april-8-9-in-bloomington-mn/

You can also follow the conference on Facebook and on Twitter (@mwjournconf). Look for the hashtag #mwjournconf to follow the conference action.

Please email me at spjregion6@gmail.com if you have any questions.  I hope to see you Friday and Saturday!

Attendance totaled about 60, mostly students. Where are our pro members, who could have benefited just as much as the students from the sessions.

Our presenters — AmyJo Brown, Jennifer Peebles, Jack Zibluk, Sybril Bennett, Joey Strawn, Pamela Coyle, Hagit Limor and Sonny Albarado — all got good reviews. (Well, maybe except for that Albarado guy.)

I have to single out Sybril Bennett, a professor at Belmont University and former TV journalist, who rocked the general session she presented with great humor, flair and useful information. Check out her blog here.

SPJ President Hagit Limor spoke at the Mark of Excellence luncheon about her recent vacation to Japan that turned into a roughly 72-hour nonstop reporting adventure via smartphone and Skype after the earthquake and tsunami.

And, Hagit helped me sell 11 of the new Journalism Ethics books produced by SPJ/SDX and published by Marion Street Press.

Middle Tennessee Pro Chapter folks co-hosted the conference with the Lipscomb University Campus Chapter.

Special thanks to Jacqueline Fellows, now former chapter president and chair of the conference planning committee, who spent the two weeks preceding the event planning a much bigger event — moving her family to Dallas, where her husband starts a new job April 4.

More special thanks to Jimmy McCollum, Lipscomb professor and student chapter adviser, who took care of such details as making sure the registration tables were staffed and, especially, put together the slide show of MOE winners.

More thanks to Frank Gibson and Clay Scott of the Nashville chapter for their invaluable help on Friday and Saturday.

Stay tuned for word on where the 2012 conference will be held.

Hagit Limor, SPJ president and investigative reporter for WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, will deliver the keynote address at Saturday’s Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon. She’ll talk about how she used a smartphone and Skype to cover the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear calamity while in Japan on a journalism exchange program.

Registration details can be found in the previous post.

An opening reception will kick off the weekend Friday, the 25th, and the conference starts Saturday at 9 p.m.

Early registration deadline has passed, but you can still register by filling out the form below and emailing or faxing Jacqueline Fellows, conference chairwoman, at jacqueline@wpln.org or 615.760.2035. Just bring your registration fee(s) with you to Nashville.

REGION 12 SPJ 2011 SPRING CONFERENCE
MARCH 25-26
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
NASHVILLE, TENN.

Registration Form

Name __________________________________________________________
Street Address __________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip _________________________________________________________

E-mail address __________________________________________________________
Phone Number __________________________________________________________
School/Company _________________________________________________________

Registration after March 18
Student $60 ___
Pro SPJ $100 ___
Pro nonmember $110 ___

Friday Reception ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Saturday Luncheon ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Make checks or money orders payable (no credit cards) to SPJ Middle TN Pro
Mail registration form and registration fee to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

AND HERE’S THE PROGRAM:
“The Journalistic Enterprise”

REGION 12 SPJ SPRING CONFERENCE
March 25-26, 2011

9-10:30 a.m.
The Entrepreneurial Journalist: In today’s uncertain journalism ecosystem, journalists have to rely on their wit, talent and skill more than ever in order to make a living. Two journalists who have made the leap from the once-secure bastion of mainstream journalism to other ventures explain how they do it.
Speakers:
• AmyJo Brown, an award-winning investigative journalist who has channeled her reporting skills as well as her business acumen into work as a digital news strategist.
• Jennifer Peebles, former Nashville Tennessean reporter and now producer of TexasWatchdog.com.

Creating Multimedia Documentaries: The nuts and bolts of successfully producing a multimedia documentary.
Speaker:
• Jack Zibluk, professor of photojournalism at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.

10:45 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.
The Multimedia Journalist: Tying together the strands of enterprise, branding and technology.
Speaker:
• Sybril Bennett, Ph.D., a two-time Emmy-winning television news journalist and professor at Belmont University in Nashville.

12:30 – 2 p.m.
Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon
Join us in recognizing the best in collegiate journalism from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
• Keynote speaker: Hagit Limor, SPJ president and Emmy-winning investigative reporter for WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, will speak about her use of social media to report from Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Branding – Why Journalists Should Care: A new mantra in media circles calls for individual journalists to establish a brand. Why?
Speakers:
• Joey Strawn, blogger, multimedia consultant and Lipscomb graduate.
• Pamela Coyle, senior editor and writer at brandjournalists.com in Nashville and a former reporter and editor at the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Nashville Tennessean.

The Necessity of Ethics: The first completely revised SPJ Journalism Ethics book in a decade was published in February. This session uses case studies to explore why journalists need ethical guidelines more than ever.
Speakers:
• SPJ President Hagit Limor
• SPJ Region 12 Director Sonny Albarado

I think its safe to say interest in this story has spread far and wide.  News outlets in neighboring states and across the country have joined their Wisconsin reporter colleagues in covering these events.  Wisconsin is interesting in the fact that it has small, medium, and large markets (at least for TV), so journalists of every skill set and experience level are taking part in covering this historic story.

I won’t offer any personal opinions on what has already happened or what I think should happen from here on out.  I will just say that I am proud of my fellow journalists from across Wisconsin and neighboring states for the time, sweat, and effort you’ve put into covering this story.  Dealing with state budget issues aren’t easy, but this series of events has given us a unique look at what could happen in other states as they grapple with similar issues.

At the upcoming Midwest Journalism Conference/SPJ Region 6 conference, you can hear journalists who’ve been covering the political drama and fallout in Wisconsin; it’s a special panel we’ve added to our Saturday, April 9th lineup; taking place at 1:15 p.m.  You can register online for the conference by clicking here.

Until next time,

Amanda Theisen

SPJ Region 6 Director

GET READY FOR AN ENTERPRISING WEEKEND

WHO: Professional and student journalists in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee

WHAT: The Journalistic Enterprise – Where are you headed?

WHEN: 5:30 p.m., Friday, March 25 until 4 p.m., Saturday, March 26.

WHERE: Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tenn.

WHY: Improve your skills as an enterprising journalist.

PRESS RELEASE

Jacqueline Fellows, president of the Middle Tennessee Pro Chapter of SPJ, and Jimmy McCollum, adviser to the Lipscomb University Campus Chapter of SPJ, invite all journalists and journalism students in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to Nashville, the Music City, at the end of March for the annual Region 12 SPJ Spring Conference

The conference starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, with a reception. The conference ratchets up on Saturday, March 26, with a full day of programming that includes presentations on entrepreneurial journalism,

Of course, the highlight for many students attending the conference will be the presentation of the Mark of Excellence Awards for college journalism during Saturday’s luncheon.

But there’s a lot more to see and do in the home of country music.

Until March 18, registration for the conference costs $55 for students, $90 for professional SPJ members and $100 for professional nonmembers.

After March 18, registration goes up to $60 for students, $95 for professional SPJ members and $110 for professional nonmembers.

Please send completed registration form and check payable to SPJ Middle TN Pro (Sorry, no credit cards at this time) to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

THE CONFERENCE

9-10:30 a.m.
The Entrepreneurial Journalist: In today’s uncertain journalism ecosystem, journalists have to rely on their wit, talent and skill more than ever in order to make a living. Two journalists who have made the leap from the once-secure bastion of mainstream journalism to other ventures explain how they do it.
Speakers:
• AmyJo Brown, an award-winning investigative journalist who has channeled her reporting skills as well as her business acumen into work as a digital news strategist for a privately held newspaper company.
• Jennifer Peebles, former Tennessean reporter and now producer of TexasWatchdog.com.

Creating Multimedia Documentaries: The nuts and bolts of successfully producing a multimedia documentary.
Speaker:
• Jack Zibluk, professor of photojournalism at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.

10:45 a.m.- 12:15 p.m.
The Multimedia Journalist: Tying together the strands of enterprise, branding and technology.
Speaker:
• Sybril Bennett, Ph.D., a two-time Emmy-winning television news journalist and professor at Belmont University in Nashville.

12:30 – 2 p.m.
Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon
Join us in recognizing the best in collegiate journalism from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
• Keynote speaker: TBA

2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Branding – Why Journalists Should Care: A new mantra in media circles calls for individual journalists to establish a brand. Why?
Speakers:
• Joey Strawn, blogger, multimedia consultant and Lipscomb grad
• Pamela Coyle, senior editor and writer at brandjournalists.com in Nashville and a former reporter and editor at the New Orleans Times-Picayune and Nashville Tennessean.

The Necessity of Ethics: The first completely revised SPJ Journalism Ethics book in a decade will be published in February. This session uses case studies to explore why journalists need to seriously consider ethical behavior more than ever.
Speakers:
• SPJ President Hagit Limor
• SPJ Region 12 Director Sonny Albarado

REGISTRATION FORM

REGION 12 SPJ 2011 SPRING CONFERENCE
MARCH 25-26
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
NASHVILLE, TENN.

Name __________________________________________________________

Street Address __________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip __________________________________________________________

E-mail address __________________________________________________________

Phone Number __________________________________________________________

School/Company _________________________________________________________

Registration by March 18
Student (SPJ member) $55 ___
Pro (SPJ member) $90 ___
Pro (Non SPJ member) $100 ___

Registration after March 18
Student $60 ___
Pro SPJ $100 ___
Pro nonmember $110 ___

Friday Reception ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Saturday Luncheon ___ I will attend ___ I will not attend

Make checks or money orders payable (no credit cards) to SPJ Middle TN Pro

Mail registration form and registration fee to:
SPJ Middle Tennessee
P.O. Box 22248
Nashville, TN 37202

It’s been a very very long time since I’ve written in the SPJ blog, and for that, I apologize!  But I’m back and writing up a storm getting caught up on all the activities in Region 6!

It’s going to be a very busy spring for several chapters in our region.

I’d first like to give a great big congratulations to the folks at the Madison SPJ Pro chapter!  They have recently relaunched their local chapter and are firing on all cylinders as far as I can tell!  Their new officers include:

President: Mark Pitsch, assistance city editor at the Wisconsin State Journal

Vice-President: Joe Radske, content manager at WKOW-TV

Secretary-Treasurer: Rebecca Wasieleski, magazine editor at Cygnus Business Media

Go to SPJ Madison’s Facebook page for updates on upcoming events and issues they’re watching in their area.

It’s also a busy spring for the Minnesota Pro Chapter!  They have several events coming up, including a Trivia Night competition with the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America chapter on March 10th at Grumpy’s in downtown Minneapolis, and a four-week continuing education series starting March 15th with a session on Google 101 for Journalists.  Visit the Minnesota SPJ website for more details!

And don’t forget the Midwest Journalism Conference, coming up April 8-9 in Bloomington, MN!  We have two days of fantastic sessions, workshops, and dinners all focusing on making you a better journalist.  It will take place at the Crowne Plaza & Suites, located at 3 Appletree Square in Bloomington, off I-494 and 34th Ave. (it’s actually the same hotel we’ve had the conference at in the past several years, it’s just a Crowne Plaza now instead of a Holiday Inn).

Registration forms are available on the www.mnspj.org website.  If you book your hotel room at the Crowne Plaza, you’ll get a discount on both your room cost and your conference registration.

Have an update on what’s going in your chapter?  Email me at spjregion6@gmail.com and I’ll post it on my next blog update!

You can also follow SPJ Region 6 on Facebook and Twitter (@spjregion6).

See you soon!

Amanda

Right now, I work as a news producer at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  I’ve been on producer row for the past three years and have produced nearly every newscast we have…and if you know KSTP, you know that’s a lot of newscasts!  I’m a 2004 graduate of the University of St. Thomas and used to work as a reporter/photojournalist at WSAW-TV in Wausau, Wisconsin.  My involvement in SPJ dates back to 2000 when I first joined as a freshman at St. Thomas.  I served on the national board in 2003-2004 as a student representative.  Currently, I serve as treasurer of the Minnesota Pro Chapter.  And I’m glad to be back on the national board!

Now, onto a couple of housekeeping items:

-If you are a college chapter adviser or pro chapter leader, please send me the names and emails of your current leadership (president, vp, etc.) so I can get my email list up to date.

-If you are involved in a college chapter, this is prime time to be recruiting new members.  Make sure you’re visiting all your school’s introductory journalism classes, plus the campus newspaper/TV station/radio station to pass out information about your chapter.  If your school has an activities fair, set up a booth there to recruit new members.  You should also be planning your first few programs now, whether it’s a social night to get to know new members or inviting local journalists to speak in front of your chapter.

-If you’re involved in a pro chapter, you should be kicking off your fall programming right about now.  And remember, it’s never too late to recruit new members!  Send a letter/email to the heads of your local media outlets (executive editors of papers, news directors of TV stations) encouraging them to join your chapter and to spread the word in their newsrooms about the benefits of SPJ.  Starting from the top and working your way down can be a good way to recruit new members.

This year, National SPJ is making it a high priority to get our membership numbers back up to where they were a few years ago.  We’re down about 1,400 members compared to this time last year.  So it’s really up to local chapters to make sure you’re getting the word out about SPJ and getting new members to join.  But once you do that, you have to deliver on SPJ’s promise to provide services that will make journalists better.

And don’t forget, as your Region 6 director, I’m here to help.  My ultimate goal is to visit each student and pro chapter over the next few months so we can talk about the direction of your chapter and ideas to make it stronger.  I’m already planning to meet with the St. Thomas student chapter next week.  In the meantime, you can reach me via email or phone.  I’m also on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Here’s all my contact info in one convenient spot: http://card.ly/actheisen

I look forward to working with all of you!

Amanda Theisen

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