Page 2 n The Working Press n Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
The Working Press Student staff
Cristina Boccio Arizona State University Designer Julieta Chiquillo Texas Christian University Copy editor Amanda Dolasinski The Ohio State University Reporter Breanna Gaddie Northern Kentucky University Photographer Joan Khalaf University of Texas at Arlington Copy editor Rashawn Mitchner Howard University Copy editor Jackie Palochko Ithaca College Reporter Meagan Racey University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Reporter Andrew Seaman Wilkes University Designer Josephine Varnier Virginia Commonwealth University Reporter Nicole Villoria University of Nevada, Las Vegas Photographer Emory Williamson University of Louisville Reporter
Professional staff
Dori Hjalmarson Lexington Herald-Leader Editor, The Working Press Joe Grimm Michigan State University J. Ben Kelly The Clarion-Ledger Danese Kenon The Indianapolis Star Billy O’Keefe Society of Professional Journalists Tony Peterson Society of Professional Journalists John P. Stamper Lexington Herald-Leader Reginald A. Stuart The McClatchy Co. Eunice Trotter The Indianapolis Star
nnn Thanks to the Logansport Pharos Tribune, owned by CNHI, for printing The Working Press.
Stepping out, stepping online
NIKKI VILLORIA/The Working Press
President-elect Sarah Bauer and Chapter Director Justin Piehowski, both of the Minnesota Professional Chapter, take a break from scheduled sessions Friday to log onto the Internet and catch up with work e-mails, Twitter updates and other online networking.
Attendees log on, hone new skills Many SPJ members found themselves stepping out of scheduled convention sessions on Friday and stepping into the World Wide Web to test their newly learned skills. Colorado Pro Chapter President Noelle Leavitt, a Denver freelancer, was so excited about the job-seeking tips she learned in ‘A Bulletproof Career’ that she
skipped a subsequent session to update her personal Web site. Other SPJ members sitting nearby were keeping up with speakers’ presentations through Twitter updates from seminar attendees. Meanwhile, blogger and SPJ member Tamar Wilner, of Dallas, was trying to organize an impromptu session via Twitter.
Wilner was disappointed to find the ‘Blogging to Create Your Portfolio’ seminar, scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on Friday, was canceled. Determined to discuss journalistic blogging, Wilner initiated a grassroots effort to gather SPJ members via Twitter to host their own blogging discussion. — Nikki Villoria The Working Press
The Working Press 2009 staff thanks the following special patrons:
Dave Aeikens Kevin Z. Smith Carol Bowers Bradley Hamm Benjy Hamm
Sue Porter Gordon ‘Mac’ McKerral Howard Dubin Reginald Stuart Hagit Limor
Frank Gibson Neil Ralston Lauren Bartlett Steve Geimann
Organizers still seeking Tweetup site Today’s Tweetup is still without a location, said organizer Ron Sylvester. Sylvester said he wasn’t able to convince Loughmiller’s Pub and Eatery, where organizers had hoped to hold the event, to open on Saturday. The Tweetup – a meet up organized via the social networking Web site Twitter – was intended to serve as an alternative for convention goers who didn’t want to attend Saturday’s $65 President’s Installation Banquet. Sign up for the 7 p.m. Tweetup at spj100.eventbrite.com. — Emory Williamson The Working Press
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 n The Working Press n Page 3
Harper remembered for strength, wit SPJ celebrates former leader who faced death with bravery
By Amanda Dolasinski The Working Press Whether he was serenading staff members with his guitar or upholding his duties as an official Maker's Mark ambassador, Terry Harper never let his illness slow him down. Harper, then-SPJ executive director, died June 2 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. To honor Harper, SPJ is hosting a memorial fund and video tribute this week. Some board members, including his friend, Joe Skeel, will also be wearing yellow lapel pins. Skeel, SPJ interim co-executive director, said he considered Harper a friend more than a supervisor. The two would grab after-work drinks and attend minor league baseball games together. He remembers when Harper walked around the office singing and strumming his guitar to boost staff morale and guessed he was probably one of the drama kids in high school because he craved to be in the limelight. Harper suffered two seizures in June 2007. After three days of observation at the hospital, doctors told him they suspected there was some type of mass. Looking back, Skeel said Harper taught him to not sweat the small stuff — just live for the moment.
NIKKI VILLORIA/The Working Press
In memory of former SPJ Executive Director Terry G. Harper, the Terry G. Harper Memorial Fund in collecting donations for a scholarship in his honor.
"It's easy to get wrapped up and make sure we're prepared for 15 years from now," he said. "I learned, definitely live for today. Don't assume anything for tomorrow." Steve Geimann, Sigma Delta Chi Foundation president, said he and other board members feel Harper's absence. "His tenure in the top job running the society is noteworthy given how fast other groups go through executive directors," he said. "That's a testament of who Terry was and what mattered to him." Harper planned to maintain as normal a life as possible knowing he had a tumor on the right side of his brain. The sharp-tongued blogger decided to chronicle the last few years of his life online for his friends and family nationwide to follow in Thumping My Melon at melonthump.blogspot.com. "Quality of life is my most important consideration," he wrote. "If my time is indeed limited, I want to live it to the fullest and die on the beach in Cabo San Lucas at sunset with a shot of tequila in one hand and my wife’s hand in the other." His wife, Lee Ann, whom he met and fell in love with while Oklahoma State University students in 1982, never left his side. Harper died two weeks before their 20th wedding anniversary. "It was (hard), but I wouldn’t have kept him here another day," Lee Ann said. "He was in so much pain." Despite medical advancements, doctors were not sure exactly of the problem. Harper's medical team removed a small piece of his skull for further testing and eventually confirmed the tumor. Dr. Scott Shapiro, Terry’s neurosurgeon, had operated on Lance Armstrong before he went on to
Courtesy of LEE ANN HARPER
Terry Harper, wife Lee Ann and sons Jace and Dale enjoy a family vacation. Harper, then-executive director, passed away June 2 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. "That third week — there was conquer seven Tour de France How to help nothing they could do," Lee Ann championships. Lee Ann said her www.spj.org/harper.asp said. "That was when I had to tell husband felt fortunate to be treated our children what the doctors had at Indiana University and have one of the top surgeons in the area. He turning, Terry wrote in his blog said." On June 2, Lee Ann kept her didn’t, however, bank on being that the vision in his left eye went word to her college love. She went miraculously cured. He continued "haywire." A doctor would treat Terry for to Harper's computer and found to seek medical opinions from experts at Duke University and the the last time at the end of April. the document she'd been dreading About one week before he died, he to read - Harper's final Thumping National Institutes of Health. His new routine included regular was so exhausted and in so much My Melon post. He'd written it in October and six-week chemotherapy sessions. pain, he was staying on a hospital The regimen worked for about a bed in his living room. His medi- asked her not to read it until she year. He even reduced his chemo cal team hinted that the tumor had posted it after his death. "It was hard," she said. "But it treatments to once a month. Feel- progressed significantly. The couple agreed to keep their was also characteristically Terry, ing better, the couple decided to take a sailing trip to Martha’s two sons, Dale, 17, and Jace, 13, in so representative of everything Vineyard in Massachusetts last the loop about Harper's condition that we had said to each other and meant to each other." summer. But three days after re- from the very beginning.
Page 4 n The Working Press n Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
Candidates vie for two contested positions
Board of directors positions go to vote today By Julieta Chiquillo The Working Press Dozens of delegates from Society of Professional Journalists chapters nationwide gathered Friday morning at a pre-election business meeting to listen to candidate speeches for board of directors positions. Out of the 12 seats in this year’s election, two are contested. Two candidates are competing for a two-year term as vice president for campus chapter affairs, and three students are vying for two oneyear terms as campus representative. There were only two contested races last year as well. Being a board member is a significant time commitment, said SPJ President Dave Aeikens, which decreases candidates who
want to run. Members may be satisfied with the candidates currently running in uncontested races, he said. However, looking at the big picture, SPJ should strive for more competition, he said. Chapters get one vote per 50 members or fewer. Delegates vote at the closing business meeting at 4:15 p.m. Saturday.
VP for campus chapter affairs
Ralston
Neil Ralston, the incumbent vice president for campus chapter affairs, said he will continue his efforts to protect First Amend-
ment rights on college campuses. When a First Amendment issue rises, SPJ investigates the case, and if censorship is found, the society opposes it publicly and contacts school officials, Ralston said. “We’ve won some battles and not done so well in others,” said Ralston, Western Kentucky University School of Journalism & Broadcasting assistant professor. Sometimes journalists will appeal to school officials’ sense of ethics or pressure them publicly. Quinnipiac University officials retracted after a The New York Times editorial criticized the university for threatening to kick the SPJ chapter off campus for associating itself with a campus publication not endorsed by the university. Ralston said journalists kept the story in the news and created pres-
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sure that stemmed positive results. To complement past efforts to fight campus censorship, Ralston said he would focus on getting students to push for legislation in their state that would protect their First Amendment guarantees. Shoshi Mabina, who is listed on the SPJ Web site as an employee for Illinois-based magazine Afrique, was called for a speech but was not at the meeting. Mabina could not be reached for comment.
Campus representatives
Andrew Seaman, a Wilkes University senior and Wo r k i n g Press staffer, said he is Seaman working on a project with the Student Press Law Center — an agreement between student journalists and school administrators to protect students from censorship. The document is not legally binding but would have some weight in court, he said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the First Amendment and the free press,” Seaman said. Tara Puckey said one of her major assets is her ability to balance tasks — parenting, studying, freelance writing and teaching dance – as Puckey a nontraditional student. Puckey, who attends Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis, said one of her goals is to make mentorship programs between stu-
dent and professional journalists more accessible through partnerships with local pro chapters. “We’re going to connect with pro chapters to attend schools with basic information to let students know that if there’s not a (campus) chapter, this is still an option that can benefit them,” Puckey said. Larissa Kir-sten Larivee, a Minnesota State University senior, Mankato, said she wants to work on improving Larivee membership recruitment and retainment. Larivee said her university chapter involved public relations students to help boost membership. “We’ve done a lot of work to do more event planning,” she said. Campus representatives serve as student liaisons between campus chapters and the board of directors. Professional members on the board of directors usually get financial support from their employers. The student candidates said they were financing campaign expenses on their own. If they were selected for the position, they said they would also have to cover the expenses related to attending board meetings.
Resolution
Delegates at the business meeting also voted to pass a resolution honoring efforts of indigenous staff in war zones — reporters, photographers, interpreters, translators and drivers — who have aided Western journalists. Resolutions will go to vote Saturday, but SPJ President Dave Aeikens said SPJ wanted this one to stand out so they schedule the vote for the opening business meeting. “We don’t want it to be a routine resolution,” he said.
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 n The Working Press n Page 5
BREANNA GADDIE/The Working Press
SDX President Steve Geimann (right) presents an award to Kurt Kuenne of MSNBC for a documentary. The award was one of more than four dozen to print, TV, online and radio journalists at a reception Friday night.
SDX celebrates 'sense of great community' By Meagan Racey The Working Press SPJ recognized the best journalism from 2008 on Friday evening, with Sigma Delta Chi Awards in 53 categories, including print, radio, television and online. Steve Geimann, president of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, said these awards are the highlight of the year and renew enthusiasm for journalism across the nation. “The significance of what we’re doing tonight is saying to people, ‘Journalism still matters. Journalism is important,’ ” Geimann said. “Without journalism, without the kind of work that’s being recognized here, democracy is affronted. I’m confident that democracy is still in good shape because we have this good, aggressive, professional reporting.”
Award Winners
See entire list of winnners online at spj.org. The awards date back to 1932 and originally honored six individuals for contributions in journalism. This year, judges chose 51 winners from more than 900 entries. The Newark, N.J. -based StarLedger’s Amy Nutt, who received her first Sigma Delta Chi Award, emphasized the significance of journalism gatherings like the reception and the SPJ convention and national conference. “I feel lucky to be among such distinguished company,” Nutt said. “I think it’s just important that we get together and that we’re here with a sense of great community."
Page 6 n The Working Press n Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
Speaker challenges audience with ethical questions By Joan Khalaf The Working Press
Sometimes Jim Burke has more ethical questions than answers. He’s heard it all on his ethical advice hotline: a journalist wondering whether to identify a sexual assault victim, an author attempting to convert Christians to atheism, a reporter interviewing a child who witnessed a murder. Burke and Casey Bukro are cofounders of the Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists -- 1-866-DILEMMA -- which provides a free, 24hour safe haven for journalists in need of advice. Although organizations like SPJ and Poynter have similar hotlines and resources for journalists struggling with an ethical question, the AdviceLine is different because it helps keep discussions unbiased by using ethicists instead of working journalists, said Bukro, a SPJ ethics committee member. “Journalists know about journalism,” he said, “and ethicists know about ethics.”
In an interview after an “Ethics on Call” session Friday, Burke said the strangest case he’d received was an author who was writing a book to promote atheism. During interviews for the book, the author had implied to church-going sources that he was writing an anti-atheism book. Burke said sometimes the conversations with hotline users end up as just that — conversations. “We’re not trying to tell people what to do,” he said. During Friday’s session, Burke talked about several thought-provoking calls and asked attendees what they would have done in each situation. One journalist called in with a case of a high school basketball coach accused of sexual assault. The alleged victim was the only girl on the team, so the reporter was concerned about including information that might identify her. “Are you the protector of somebody or is your job to tell the news — the full news?” Burke asked.
The Ethics AdviceLine The Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists is funded by $123,000 in grants, some from the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.
1-866-DILEMMA When you dial 1-866-DILEMMA, be prepared to identify yourself, state your question and leave a call-back number.
PHOTOS BY NIKKI VILLORIA THE WORKING PRESS
(ABOVE) The chips begin to stack up as SPJ members play with professional dealers and learn the game of Texas Hold'em while mastering the SPJ Code of Ethics. This SPJ-modified version of gambling took place Friday, in the State Room at the Indianapolis Westin.
(LEFT) Chanda Temple, of Birmingham, Ala., at center, plays among fellow SPJ members at the SPJ-modified Texas Hold'em game in the State Room at the Indianapolis Westin on Friday. The game was designed to not only provide the entertainment of poker but to also ingrain the SPJ Code of Ethics into the minds of the players.
Page 8 n The Working Press n Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
A night out in Indy
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 n The Working Press n Page 9
Jason Pigg and Kevin Hoganson, musicians from the group The Hooliganz, take some time to unwind at Ike and Jonesy's Thursday night. Pigg and Hoganson are in Indianapolis for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP in downtown.
(ABOVE & BELOW) Dueling pianists at Howl at the Moon, 20 E. Georgia St., provide plenty of accompaniment for the crowds.
Indianapolis' glass enclosed Artsgarden, and attached to the Circle Centre Mall, offers beautiful views and exhibits year-round. Photos By Nikki Villoria The Working Press
Have a Nice Day Cafe, at 225 S. Meridian St., becomes a pulsating disco at night, during which SPJ conventioneers brushed up on the latest dances.
Page 10 n The Working Press n Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
Emerson group wins sports honor Mark of Excellence award given to former students for report on legally blind runner By Amanda Dolasinski The Working Press When two Emerson College broadcast students decided to cover the Boston Marathon last year, they had no idea their story would catch CNN’s attention and win national awards. They were just hoping to offer viewers a glimpse of a blind athlete’s life. Ashley Porter and Richard Feindel, now graduates, won the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Television Sports Reporting category for their “Kick to the Finish” package. Students across the country sub-
mitted more than 3,600 entries in 39 MOE categories this year. Entries that won on the regional level were entered into the national competition. Awards were presented Friday. For Porter, the story started when she spent hours reading through a list of runners looking for a unique story. “There’s 25,000 people in the marathon and each of them has a story,” she said. She settled on Alexander Mueller, a legally blind man who qualified to run in the famous 26.2mile marathon. Porter connected with Mueller on Facebook, where there was a group soliciting sponsors for his
marathon run. During the marathon, Porter spent time with Mueller’s sister. Feindel focused on the finish line. The package was originally for the pair’s college television station, but CNN picked it as an iReport and it ran the following day. The duo said the story prepared them for real world reporting. The story was particularly difficult to shoot, Feindel said, because of the massive crowd. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he had caught Mueller’s big finish. Porter is now a reporter for NBC affiliate WLBT in Jackson, Miss. Feindel is a new media producer for Channel 7 NBC/CW56 in Boston.
MOE Coordinator Lauren Rochester said the contest continues to attract more entries each year, particularly in online categories.
“We are one of the most competitive collegiate journalism competitions,” she said. “Our winners do excellent work.”
Breaking News Reporting Arla Shephard, University of Washington General News Reporting Staff, The Red & Black, University of Georgia In-Depth Reporting Marc Beja & Adam Playford, New York University Feature Writing Thor Nystrom, University of Kansas Sports Writing Thor Nystrom, University of Kansas Editorial Writing Jessica Mayrer, University of Montana Editorial Cartooning Bill Richards, University of Georgia General Column Writing Donald Hodge, Louisiana State University Sports Column Writing Josh Spielman, Rutgers University
Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper Staff, The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper Staff, Loyola Phoenix, Loyola University Magazine Non-Fiction Article Sarrah Benoit, Blot Magazine, University of Idaho Best Student Magazine Staff, Brink, University of California, Berkeley Breaking News Photography Tess McEnroe, University of Montana General News Photography Deanna Dent, Arizona State University Feature Photography Kasha Stevenson, University of Kentucky Photo Illustration Zach Woodward, University of Miami
Sports Photography William Colsher, The Pennsylvania State University Radio News Reporting Adam Cavalier, Marshall University Radio Feature Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri, Columbia Radio In-Depth Reporting Mandy Walker, University of Colorado at Boulder Radio Sports Reporting Joe Staudenmayer & Jim Vassallo, Rowan University Radio Newscast Staff, Annenberg Radio News, University of Southern California Television Breaking News Reporting Miles Doran & Patrick Fleming, University of Florida Television General News Reporting Carly J. Swain, University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill Television Feature A. Seraphina Lin, Northwestern University Television In-Depth Reporting Student Documentary Unit, University of Montana Television Sports Reporting Ashley Porter & Richard Feindel, Emerson College Television News Photography Kyle Johnson & Christopher Flynn, Minnesota State University, Moorhead Television Feature Photography Amber Dixon, Arizona State University Television Sports Photography Richard Feindel, Emerson College Television Newscast Staff, WUFT News, University of Florida
Online News Reporting Staff, NYCity News Service, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism Online Feature Reporting Ryan Kost, Arizona State University Online In-Depth Reporting JMC 470 & JMC 494, Arizona State University Online Sports Reporting Courtney Servaes, Zack Rockey, Chelsea Twietmeyer & Chris Smith, Baker University Online Opinion and Commentary Nate Hulings, Pacific Lutheran University Best Affiliated Web site Staff, Maryland Newsline & Capital News Service, University of Maryland, College Park Best All-Around Independent Online Student Publication JMC 470 & JMC 494, Arizona State University
BREANNA GADDIE/The Working Press
Neil Ralston (left), SPJ vice president of campus chapter affairs, congratulates photo illustration national winner Zach Woodward Friday during the Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon.
Students reap rewards for excellence
Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 n The Working Press n Page 11
Decline in advertising means tough times for TV
Television stations are:
By Megan Racey The Working Press
Scott Broom, a traditional “coatand-tie” television reporter, would do anything to avoid the pink slip. So when he heard rumors of layoffs, Broom decided to reinvent himself. He now works for WUSA in Washington, D.C., writing, shooting, editing and uploading news reports. If you’re going to stay in the business, you have to make the change, Broom said. “You have no choice but to embrace it.” This is the reality facing television journalists and their stations across the nation: adapt or go black. The economic crunch, technology expansion and changing viewer habits are forcing stations to cut costs and find the most creative revenue-boosting strategies. For some stations, digital and automation technologies have blended traditional news-gathering and production teams into one-man bands. For others, generating more local content on multiple platforms is key to stimulating revenue. Local TV revenue declined 6.6 percent in 2008, to $20.1 billion, despite increases in political candidate spending, typically a major revenue source, according to BIA Advisory Services of Chantilly, Va. The national media consulting firm projects 2009 revenue will be $16.6 billion—a 17.3 percent decrease from 2008 and a return to a level not seen since 1995. Television news shed 1,200 jobs, or 4.3 percent of jobs in 2008, according to a survey conducted by the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Hofstra University. Steve Hammel, vice president and general manager of WRAL in Raleigh, N.C, said the decline in automotive advertising had the biggest impact on television stations. Auto advertising is typically
• Cutting back - WRAL in Raleigh, N.C., began the year with salary cuts and a voluntary severance program. The station’s owner, Capitol Broadcasting Co., is cutting operating costs by 15 percent, which may lead to layoffs. The station is reducing travel, overtime, satellite time purchases and cell phone and printing costs, said Steve Hammel, vice president and general manager.
NIKKI VILLORIA/The Working Press
University of Miami broadcast graduate Liane Morejon tours WISH TV station in Indianapolis with fellow SPJ members to get a behind-the-scenes look at broadcast media on Friday. the source of the majority of television revenue, but for the first quarter of 2009, Verizon Communications and General Mills were top spenders, according to an analysis of TNS Media Intelligence/CMR data by the Television Bureau of Advertising. A report by Bernstein Research states that auto advertising on TV stations dropped by $903 million in 2008. Auto advertising declined overall by $1.1 billion, or 29 percent, in the first quarter of 2009, with TV stations bearing 41 percent of those cuts. As viewers are faced with growing numbers of channels, news shows and news Web sites, advertisers looking for higher audience numbers have turned to other options that frequently exclude television. Several television companies have filed for bankruptcy, includ-
ing Ion Media Networks, which owns stations in 39 of the top 50 U.S. markets; Young Broadcasting, Inc., the parent company for WKRN Nashville and WATE Knoxville; and Tribune Co., which owns KTLA in Los Angeles. Mark Fratrik, BIA vice president, said TV stations will become profitable the faster they see themselves as local information, marketing and entertainment companies rather than simply television transmitters. “Broadcasts have advantages in local markets,” Fratrik said. “First of all, they have the infrastructure to generate and add local programming, the ability to cross digital platforms and the sales staff on ground that know the local advertisers and can say, ‘OK, if you don’t want to advertise on local television, maybe you’ll advertise in a different way.’ ”
“We believe the only way forward is to create more and better content, which can only be done by putting resources against training our staff to make full use of the new technologies,” said Allan Horlick, WUSA president and general manager. “This is very much a cooperative process and we are already seeing the benefits of these efforts.” Broom of WUSA said that multimedia journalists can improve, but also damage news report quality. When working alone and with relatively little equipment, Broom said he’s more nimble. “But there’s no doubt that when you’re shooting, driving and filing an Internet story, clipping art to the Internet story and producing your own graphics for television, that a lot of your day that was once spent with journalism with a capital ‘J’ has been eaten up.”
• Training and hiring multimedia journalists - NBC-4 in Washington, D.C., recently created positions for content producers to produce news and footage for all platforms, including television, Web sites and mobile devices. The positions of writer, editor and technician will be merged to create content producers. - WUSA in Washington, D.C., has similarly blurred position distinctions by downsizing its staff to digital correspondents and anchors. Digital correspondents produce and write their own stories. Handheld and tripodmounted cameras, laptop editing programs and the Internet have made full news teams unnecessary. • Utilizing new technologies - KVVU in Las Vegas created an automated control room in July that drastically cut technical production for its newscasts. The system automates activities such as setting camera angles and shots, said Darrin McDonald, vice president and general manager. The new system cost between half a million and $1 million, but savings will quickly offset those costs, McDonald said. • Increasing content KSTC in Minneapolis recently became the exclusive broadcaster of all state high school sports tournaments, said station manager Susan Wenz. This fall, the station will add live online feeds for four new sports, Wenz said. High school students will produce the feeds, saving the station money and generating community involvement.
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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009 n The Working Press n Page 15 CHAPTERS from Front Page
That was the intent of the changes, which relax some criteria used to rank chapters and allow for more creativity in meeting requirements. New guidelines also require that the regional director contact the chapter more frequently. The revised ranking system, first implemented in 2003, gives chapter leadership incentives to hold activities that promote SPJ goals and rewards chapters for hitting those benchmarks, Director-AtLarge Bill McCloskey said. Rewards include recognition in Quill magazine, convention registration and SPJ merchandise discounts, and SPJ-financed chapter mailings. The original chapter ranking system had some inflexible requirements that kept worthy chapters from getting higher rankings and kept struggling chapters in the bottom ranking, where they risked probation and inactive status, said McCloskey, who co-chairs the Chapter Doctor Committee with
Director-At-Large Michael Koretzky. This committee helps new and struggling professional chapters. “Chapters do good things all through the year,” then they hit slumps, McCloskey said. Sometimes chapters don’t get their books audited, send delegates to the convention or attend regional meetings, but their reports list many other good activities, he said. As the industry changes in response to the recession and technology, chapters find more resourceful ways to meet, communicate and pursue goals. Chapters meet online and socialize at mixers, and they hold workshops for students and professionals. Activities like these didn’t fulfill the fullmembership meeting requirement, but now they do. The most dramatic ranking system change addresses regional conference and national convention attendance. If a chapter was unable to attend both events, like Wyoming Pro, the chapter could not earn more than one star in the
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four-star system. When a chapter is below two stars, it is assisted by headquarters for one year and could go into probation the following year. Ultimately, the board can revoke the chapter’s charter or declare it inactive. The board hopes these changes will allow more chapters to grow and improve their rankings. McCloskey suggests that rankings should encourage chapters, not discipline them. “What we see is that when a chapter has good programs and interests their members, its membership tends to grow,” McCloskey said. Chapter turnout at ’09 convention* Professional 67 - Chapters 50 - Eligible to vote 42 - At convention Campus 233 - Chapters 93 - Eligible to vote 24 - At convention * as of Friday
Here are ideas to steal from some of the nation’s top SPJ professional chapters: •Western Washington Pro Chapter held a grant-funded town hall ethics program and the group holds regular press club mixers. The chapter also maintains an online diversity resource guide. •Chicago Headline Club hosted its seventh annual First Amendment Forum and helped absolve a journalist charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer. •William O. Douglas Pro Chapter sponsored a journalism-related movie night and members worked with high school students to report and write stories. •San Diego Pro Chapter offered a basic Spanish program for journalists.
Chapter Requirements and Ranking System
SPJ bylaws require that chapters submit annual reports or risk losing good standing, but a new requirement will help keep chapters on track. Regional directors must now complete quarterly reports for chapters, who can then compile those for the annual report. Professional chapters are ranked annually by a stars system. Each chapter is ranked from one to four stars (four being the best) according to several criteria, including: •The number of journalism-related activities held during the year. •How well it supports student journalists. •Communication among its members and with regional and national leaders. •Attendance at the regional conference and national convention. •On-time filing of annual report.
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Page 16 n The Working Press n Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
music education
Battle of Media Bands benefits journalism scholarship fund
NIKKI VILLORIA/The Working Press
Jenny Elig, an Indianapolis Star reporter, plays bass for The Odyssey Favor at Friday night's Battle of the Media Bands at Radio Radio in Fountain Square. The event was hosted by the Indianapolis Pro Chapter. Proceeds go to the chapter's scholarship for graduating high-schoolers planning careers in journalism. More photos online at spj.org.