Fighting the Good Fight

Schools around the country are battling freedom of the press issues with their college administrations. Some examples below:

"The editor of Chicago State University's student newspaper, who earlier this month filed suit against his school's administration alleging unlawful censorship, has now been told his paper will not go to print this week," Kate Maternowski wrote Thursday for the Student Press Law Center. "George Providence II and the Tempo have been at odds with CSU administration since last year, when Providence says oppressive attempts at administrative oversight began. The most recent development in Tempo's saga began with the installment of a new adviser, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and culminated Monday night with Lansana's decision to suspend publication of Tempo." --- Source: Journal-isms

"After Quinnipiac University threatened to revoke the status of the campus’ Society of Professional Journalists chapter for supporting a new student-run publication, SPJ leaders sent a letter to university president John L. Lahey expressing its grave concern over the proposed action.

Quinnipiac Student Center Director Daniel W. Brown informed the school’s SPJ campus chapter that it was in danger of losing its status as a student organization if the chapter’s members continued to interact with the Quad News, an independent student-run publication. The Quad News, an online publication, started in opposition to administration attempts to control content of the Quinnipiac Chronicle. Several student editors left the Chronicle and started the Quad News. The president of the student SPJ chapter being threatened, Jaclyn Hirsch, is also the managing editor at the Quad News." --- Source: SPJ

"Fellow student journalists at Ohio University are experiencing some trouble with their Board of Trustees and obtaining public records. Evan, OU Society of Professional Journalists president, has posted on the chapters' blog about the problem they are having with C. Daniel Delawder, board chairman. The blog entry states: To use Mr. Delawder’s own words, this is a very sore subject for me, and perhaps it is time we start pushing back. And I am quite serious. Should this asinine policy be implemented by the OU Board of Trustees, SPJ will certainly push back – just like it has done for the past 100 years in order to protect the nature and rights of people and journalists across the nation. The Board needs to live up to its creed of account ability to its constituencies and hiding public records is quite counterproductive." --- Source: UC SPJ blog

As our industry continues to change, we must remember that the tenants of the first amendment as they relate to the press cannot be redacted. Bravo to these organizations/publications for standing up for their rights!

Is This Cartoon Racist?

Is criticism of this cartoon valid or is it a case of hypersensitivity to race run amok? Media critic/NABJ member Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times has an opinion. (So does everyone else it seems.) What's yours?

ASNE Reporter 2009

The American Society of Newspaper Editors is looking for juniors, seniors, and graduate journalism students to write and copyedit stories, shoot photographs, design web pages, and produce an online edition of The ASNE Reporter. Eighteen students will work side by side with professional newspaper journalists as reporters, copy editors, photographers, page designers, and online producers on The ASNE Reporter.

Read by the nation's top editors, The ASNE Reporter showcases the work of talented students, most of whom are minorities. Asian, African American, Hispanic and Native American students are particularly encouraged to apply. The ASNE Reporter will operate from Friday, April 24 through Wednesday April 29, 2009 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, Ill. Students must be available for the entire period. Students are responsible for the classes they will miss
for the week.

College juniors, seniors and graduate students majoring in journalism or a related field who are interested in working at a daily newspaper are eligible to apply. Applicants must have had an internship at a daily newspaper and also work at the campus newspaper.

Application deadline is March 1, 2009.

For more information, please contact Bobbi Bowman at 703/453-1126, or send e-mail to bowmanb@asne.org.

Leonard Pitts, NABJ 2008 Journalist of the Year, speaks at SPJ's Region 4 Conference - April 4

Greetings,

Registration is open for the SPJ Region 4 spring conference at http://spjspringconference.eventbrite.com. Cost is $70 for professional members and $45 for student members. Use the discount code "spring" before March 15 to get this early-bird rate.

The conference, April 3-4, will be held at the Doubletree Worthington in Columbus, with programming support from the Online News Association and the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism.

The event will open Friday with a reception, followed by a full Saturday of networking and professional development sessions dedicated to new media. Registration includes Saturday's Mark of Excellence luncheon, which will honor the best student journalism in the region.

Pulitzer-prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald will deliver a keynote on President Obama's influence on national culture. Detroit News recruiter Walter Middlebrook also will be on hand to talk about his paper's plan to cut back home delivery and boost digital readership.

Topics for Saturday breakout sessions are scheduled to include:

• The Impact of Digital Media on Public Affairs Reporting
• New Media Ethics
• Powerhouse Writing for the Web
• Better Broadcast Writing
• Beat Blogging
• The Art of the Two-Minute Video
  

Breakfast and lunch on Saturday are included in the registration fee.
A block of rooms is being held at the hotel for $94 a night. Rooms are limited, so make your reservations before March 20 to get the special conference pricing. For more information or questions about the event, contact event chair Katy Waters at kwaters@bizjournals.com, or check CentralOhioSPJ.org for updates.

I hope to see you in Columbus!

Jeremy W. Steele
SPJ Region 4 director
jeremywsteele@gmail.com

P.S. Winners of SPJ's Mark of Excellence Awards will be notified in early March after judging concludes. (SPJ notifies winners ahead of the awards presentation, but does not announce details on what places they have been awarded.)

Geoffrey Dobbins's Inauguration Coverage

Check out UCABJ Vice President Geoffrey Dobbins's inauguration report at The News Record's Web site.

The Root Inaugural Ball:

Terron's shot of Alice Walker (Pulitzer Prize-winning writer), Lynette Clemetson (managing editor of The Root), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (editor in chief of The Root), Donna Byrd (publisher of The Root) and Donald Graham (publisher of the Washington Post).

Terron's shot of Geoffrey and Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Geoffrey's shot of Terron and actor and comedian Chris Tucker.


Geoffrey's shot of Terron and Tatyana Ali.


Terron's shot of Omarosa (from The Apprentice), Miss District of Columbia, and Tom Joyner's wife, Donna.

Terron's shot of Biz Markie on the mic.

Terron's shot of the crowd dancing with Biz on the turntables. (Is that David Gregory of Meet the Press groovin' in the lower right corner?)

Inauguration Ceremony:

Inaugural Parade: