Official Publication of the Arizona Newspapers Association for distribution to all employees of ANA-member newspapers
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Answers to YOUR public records access questions Page 6
A community newspaper for community newspaper people.
July 2007
Briefs Jane Pauley receives Cronkite Award Jane Pauley, who became a household name during a 14-year run on NBC’s The Today Show, will be honored with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, Arizona State University will announce today. “She has been one of the leading voices in broadcast journalism for a long time,” Cronkite School Dean Christopher Callahan said. “I can tell you that from a journalism school perspective, she’s been a great role model for a lot of young women who were thinking about going into the field.” Pauley, who served as a Today co-anchor from 1976 to 1990, will accept the award, given annually by the school, at a luncheon Nov. 12 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. Blogging from Cairo A dozen students taking part in the Study Cairo Program through the University of Arizona Department of Journalism are blogging updates on parliamentary elections, culture, politics and more. The Study Cairo program is led by Maggy Zanger, an associate professor of practice in the journalism department who won Fulbright funding for the program. Study Cairo students are living in Cairo for eight weeks this summer while studying Arabic language at the American University in Cairo, and conducting journalism field work centered on the skills and abilities needed to effectively report from the Middle East. You can read the updates at http://journalism.arizona.edu/news/ cairoblog.php. Golden Valley Gazette Editor receives award from Arizona’s Secretary of State Donna Newman, managing editor of the Golden Valley Gazette, was presented with the Golden Rule Award on May 18, for going above and beyond her normal responsibilities as a journalist. The program recognizes those who “treat others the way you would like to be treated” and who make a difference in Arizona. It calls for leaders, parents, schools, organizations and others to recognize, teach and practice the Golden Rule. “I never expected such a lovely award, and I’ll continue to try to live up to it,” said Newman in her weekly column in the Gazette. Most Newspaper Readers Look at Both Web and Print The majority of people who regularly visit newspaper Web sites also read the print edition of the paper, according to new research funded by the Newspaper National Network. The research, which examined the habits of people who had visited a newspaper site within the previous seven days, found that 81% also said they had read the printed paper in the past seven days.
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We want you...to volunteer! Your Arizona Newspapers Association is in need of volunteers on Thursday, July 12, 2007, for the Nevada Press Association newspaper and advertising contest judging. The location is the Best Western Central Phoenix Inn, 1100 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch will be served to the participants. The Nevada Press Association judged the Arizona Better Newspapers Contest June 30, 2007, in Las Vegas, and now it is time to return the favor. Because of the size of the Nevada contest, at least 30 newsroom judges are needed.
Feature writers, editors, photographers, designers, columnists, and management types are needed to judge general excellence. We will also need five to seven advertising judges to judge the advertising contest entries, including designers and advertising sales representatives. This is a great educational opportunity and an opportunity to take home some ideas and share fellowship with your Arizona colleagues. Please canvass your staff for judging volunteers and then call Perri Collins at (602) 2617655 ext. 110.
Turning the tide on secrecy
States strengthen sunshine laws through public support, collaboration and Clint Eastwood-style grit DAVID CUILLIER UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Finally, the fight for open records and meetings is turning in the public’s favor. Following years of defensive scrambling to battle secrecy legislation, access advocates in some states actually scored victories this spring in bolstering public record and meeting laws. They shared their successes at the National Freedom of Information Coalition conference May 11-12 in Seattle. For example, Florida officials now must respond “promptly” to public records requests instead of in a “reasonable” amount of time. Washington state legislators established a committee to review more than 300 exemptions to the public records law and erase the ones that don’t belong. Oregon legislators approved press rights for high school and college journalists, and access reforms passed in Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania. How did they do it? At the Seattle conference they explained some of their strategies, some of which might be useful in Arizona: Foster public support As fear from 9/11 fades and ire toward government rises, calls for
accountability are growing louder. It’s similar to Vietnam, when the public demanded change and groups such as Common Cause successfully lobbied for freedom of information laws. Today’s shift is bolstered in part by national Sunshine Week and the media’s aggressive editorializing and reporting. Some journalists shy from the fray, saying access is “insider ball,” but research shows otherwise. Studies reveal that businesses and citizens are the biggest users of freedom of information laws and the media comprise only about 5 percent of FOIA requests. Open government is a not a press issue. It’s a public issue. Access experts suggest that when a government official illegally
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withholds a public record, journalists should tell readers. Officials aren’t saying “no” to the newspaper, they’re saying “no” to citizens. Stories are most effective when they include comments from experts and those affected by secrecy, and when the issue is made relevant to readers. Rally allies When groups from different lines of work and political circles band together, politicians listen. Coalitions from around the country are unifying journalists, librarians, builders, conservative think tanks, environmentalists, nonprofits, government leaders, the ACLU, Realtors, contractors, private investigators CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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