St. Louis Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists

Please join our colleagues from the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists for a May 29 media forum on the presidential election, “Race and the Race.”

The event, organized and hosted by GSLABJ, will be a dialog about race and the media, with a focus on coverage of the presidential candidates. Area journalists will share their perspectives on whether the coverage has been fair and balanced, then take questions from the audience.

The forum is offered in partnership with the YWCA Metro St. Louis, which will provide light refreshments.

Date: Thursday, May 29

Time: 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Location: Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, 2709 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103

Moderator: Sharon Stevens, Education Reporter, KSDK NewsChannel 5

The Society of Professional Journalists national organization will host a Narrative Writing Workshop, Sat., May 24 at Drake University’s Olmsted Center, 2507 University Ave. Des Moines, Iowa. Workshops are designed to improve writing in the nation’s newspapers.

The Narrative Writing Workshops, led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tom Hallman Jr. of the Oregonian, show journalists how to move beyond the inverted pyramid-style of writing to the art of storytelling.

“During the workshop, participants will learn ideas for narrative reporting, the daily get, long-form narrative storytelling and strategies to take back to the newsroom,” Hallman said. “Narrative writing is a true gift and I look forward to teaching my craft with future narrative writers.”

In 2001, Hallman won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing for a series of articles in the Oregonian. Additionally, he has been the recipient of every major writing award for journalism, including multiple American Society of Newspaper Editors awards, a Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award, a National Headliner Award and a Nixon National Writing Award. A reporter for more than 25 years, Hallman has been at the Oregonian since 1980.

Programs will be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and cost $40 for SPJ members and $60 for non-members. Lunch is included. Late fees shall apply for registrations received less than two weeks before each workshop. For complete details or to register, visit www.spj.org/nww.asp http://www.spj.org/nww.asp> or call Programs Coordinator Heather Porter at (317) 927-8000, ext. 204.

 

The St. Louis Beacon, a brand-new online publication, promises to “combine high-quality reporting and new technology to bring you news that is smartly presented, frequently updated and thoughtfully discussed.”

The St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is happy to welcome a new journalistic endeavor to town, and happy to welcome four Beacon founders as our May luncheon speakers. They’ll tell us why St. Louis needs such a publication, what kind of reporting we can expect from them and how they expect to sustain the effort financially. Representing the Beacon will be:

• Margaret Freivogel, editor
• Richard Weil, board chairman
• Robert Duffy, associate editor
• Nicole Hollway, general manager

Please join us on Thursday, May 1, noon to 1:30 p.m. at Lucas Park Grille, 1234 Washington Ave. The cost is $10, cash or check, payable at the door.

Iowa State will be hosting the Regional VII Conference a week from tomorrow
(April 5). We hope that the St. Louis Chapter can make it to Ames.

I’m attaching the schedule. Also, if you plan to attend and are going to eat
breakfast and lunch, the cost is $25 through Sunday and $30 thereafter.

The will be a pre-conference gathering at Olde Main Brewery, 316 Main
Street, Ames on Friday night and a post-conference bash at Legends American
Grill in Campustown, 19 Stanton Ave., seventh floor (across from the ISU
Memorial Union) on Saturday night.

Here is the Web site:

www.iastatespj.org
Society of Professional Journalists’ Region VII Conference
Iowa State University Center, Ames, Iowa, April 4-5, 2008

Hosts: Leo Mores Chapter, Iowa State; University of Iowa Chapter; Des Moines Chapter.

Friday: Welcome reception, Olde Main, 316 Main St., Ames, IA, 7-9 p.m.

Saturday: Seminars and lectures, place Iowa State Center, Scheman Building:

8-8:50 a.m. – SPJ Regional Kickoff Lecture: Michael Bugeja, director Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State, “Digital Ethics in Converged Systems.” Sponsored by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Scheman 275. Light breakfast.

9-9:50 a.m. – Charles Davis, mass media law professor at the University of Missouri, and Randy Brown, senior fellow at Wichita State University, “The Power of Open Government.” Scheman 250.

9-9:50 a.m. – Rachel Weber, Meredith Corp., Jared Strong, Des Moines Register, and Nigel Duara, Des Moines Register, “AAAAHH! What Is This Place, What Happened To My Copy and Why Is
This Person Yelling At Me: The  21st-Century Newsroom and You.” Scheman 275.

10-10:50 a.m. – Carolyn Washburn, vice president and editor of the Des Moines Register, “The Des Moines Register: Tradition and Transformation.” Scheman 252.

10-10:50 a.m. – Dave Kraemer, editor of the Ames Tribune, “Getting Your Foot in the Door.” Scheman 275.

11 a.m.-11:50 a.m. – Kevin Cooney, anchor KCCI TV, “The Future of Broadcast Journalism.” Scheman 250.

11 a.m.-11:50 a.m. – Jeff Raasch, Cedar Rapids Gazette, on mobile journalism. Scheman 252.

11 a.m.-11:50 a.m. – Michael Morain, Des Moines Register, on covering the arts. Scheman 275.

Noon-1:50 p.m. Lunch and keynote lecture: Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science, Iowa State University, “The New Media, Gonzo Journalism and Democracy.” Region VII Mark of Excellence of Awards. Scheman 260 and 262.

2-2:50 p.m.  –  Cavan Reagan Reichmann, editor of Juice online, “Interacting With Your Audience.” Scheman 250.

2-2:50 p.m. – Ron Sylvester, Wichita Eagle news reporter, on covering the courts for the Web. Scheman 252.

3-3:50 p.m. – Clint Brewer, SPJ president, and Dave Aeikens, SPJ president elect, on building your chapter. Scheman 275.

3-3:50 p.m. – Mike Glover, Iowa Statehouse correspondent, Associated Press in Des Moines, on covering the presidential campaign. Scheman 252.

3-3:50 p.m. – Bryce Miller, sports editor, Des Moines Register, on sports journalism. Scheman 250.

Post-Conference and Final Four Celebration – 7-10 p.m., Legends American Grill, 119 Stanton Ave., Ames, 7th Floor, Legacy Tower, banquet room, upper level.

Join your journalism colleagues for drinks at conversation at Lagra Italian Tapas, 1227 Tamm Avenue in the Dogtown neighborhood. We’ll gather beginning at 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday February 6, 2008 the guest speaker for our monthly luncheon panel will be Terry Mutchler, the Public Access Counselor from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Ms. Mutchler will be talking about her role in Illinois and how Missouri would benefit from a similar position. Mutchler will share her experiences in the position, including getting the Chicago Public Schools to release requested documents:

For at least a decade, the Chicago Board of Education has maintained secret files on some of the criminals who have slipped into the school district’s teaching ranks. Portions of the secret files were released to Small Newspaper Group in October after a contentious open records battle that involved the Illinois Attorney General’s Office pressuring the state’s largest school system to release the documents to the newspaper group.

“It was one of the longest fights we’ve ever been involved with,” said Public Access Counselor Terry Mutchler of the Attorney General’s Office. “Clearly, this information should be public record. There are a variety of reasons why people in government don’t want to release public records. One of the reasons is they don’t want to take the heat for what is in them said.” (source)

The luncheon will be held at Flamingo Bowl, located at 1117 Washington Ave (map) in St. Louis’ downtown loft district. The $8/person fee includes a build your own sandwich bar, veggie pizza, soda and water.

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At the end of the month, well almost, the 28th (this is a Presidential election year which means February has 29 days), we will have a happy hour that spans two hours — 7pm-9pm. This month’s location is LaGra Italian Tapas, 1227 Tamm Ave., St. Louis (map link).

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) invites journalists to enter the second annual Cushing Niles Dolbeare Media Awards.

The awards are designed to recognize print journalists who do an exemplary job of illuminating the affordable housing crisis in America. The awards are presented by NLIHC and were made possible by a grant from Andre Shashaty, editor-in-chief of Affordable Housing Finance Magazine, a publication of Hanley Wood, LLC.

Named in honor of NLIHC founder Cushing Niles Dolbeare, who passed away in 2005, the awards are designed to recognize print journalists who make a dedicated effort to inform the public about the inequities in housing and to add to the understanding of the disparities between the well-housed and the poorly or un-housed in a community.

The awards will honor first-place winners with a $2,500 prize. Winners and honorable mentions will be recognized during a reception on February 25, 2008 in Washington, DC. In addition to categories for reporting, NLIHC has added a new category this year for editorial writing. In addition, this year the judging panel will be made up of at least 50% journalists.

Entries must:

• Be published between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007.
• Clearly illustrate NLIHC’s mission to address needs and solutions of the affordable housing crisis.
• Show the impact on communities as whole, as well as individuals and families.

The deadline to enter is: January 7, 2008. Complete rules and information can be found at www.nlihc.org/CNDMA/.

Sheila Crowley, president of NLIHC, said, “The Cushing Niles Dolbeare Media Awards seek to raise awareness about the plight of low income individuals who lack access to safe and affordable homes, while honoring those who have made efforts to bring these issues to the public’s attention. We look forward to the opportunity to thank those journalists who help make our goals attainable.”

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to ending America’s affordable housing crisis. Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, NLIHC educates, organizes and advocates ensuring decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone. NLIHC provides up-to-date information, formulates policy and educates the public on housing needs and the strategies for solutions.

More information about the Cushing Niles Dolbeare Media Awards, including the entry form, can be found at www.nlihc.org/CNDMA/.

The St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is sponsoring an event that explores the media’s portrayal of Hispanics and illegal immigrants, and the responsibility of the press to accurately report on these communities.

Illegal immigration has become a hot-button topic, leading to a dramatic rise in stories about illegal immigrants and undocumented workers during the past years. The debate also has led to a blurring between illegal immigrants and Hispanics who are legal immigrants or citizens. Is the press doing its job of framing the discussion? Is the press challenging assumptions or is it reinforcing stereotypes? Is coverage responding to a crisis or pandering to social fears?

A panel will address and discuss these issues. It also will be open to audience questions and discussion. Panelists include:

Gilbert Bailon, editorial page editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Jorge Riopedre, secretary of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis; and Katherine Reed, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and editor of ¡Adelante!, a bilingual magazine published by the Columbia Missourian.

This free event will be held at 7pm in the Lee auditorium at the Missouri Historical Society. Everyone is invited to attend.

This just in from SPJ’s National Membership Coordinator Linda Hall:

I want to thank you for all your hard work on behalf of your St. Louis Pro during the past year.

The final 2007 ranking for your chapter is: 4 stars.

The National SPJ organization ranks active chapters on a 1-4 basis, with 4 being the highest. The following is the criteria to achieve a four star rating:

• Chapter holds six full-membership meetings on journalism-related topics such as diversity, freedom of information, Project Watchdog, ethics or any other topic relevant to SPJ missions.
• Chapter supports student journalists by offering scholarship awards, mentoring programs or other assistance as identified by the chapter board.
• Board members are in regular communication with each other, national headquarters and their regional director.
• Chapter displays consistent communication with full membership via vehicles such as newsletters, e-mail or a Web site.
• Annual report is filed on time.*
• Chapter is represented at regional conference and national convention.
• Chapter is successful in recruiting new members.
  *no chapter that files an annual report past the posted deadline will receive a four-star ranking (any deadline extensions must be approved prior to the deadline).

Just a year ago the chapter was in an “inactive” status. Congrats to everyone on their hard work to get us to this point.  Keep watching for more great things in 2008!