Minnesota SPJ

Hill leaves SPJ for The Hill

Posted on 29. Jan, 2007 by art.hughes in News

Gary Hill, long-time KSTP-TV journalist and a steadfast SPJ leader is leaving television after more than 30 years in the business. Hill moves to a new job with the Minnesota Senate. He’s decided his new duties prevent him from adequately carrying out his commitment to the SPJ chapter’s board of directors so he is stepping down. The remaining board members honored Hill’s many years of leadership with a resolution. The board will appoint a replacement to fill out his term.

Passed by the SPJ Minnesota Pro Chapter, January 10, 2007

For years, Gary Hill has provided steady, thoughtful and exemplary leadership for professional journalists throughout the state.

Twice, he served as our chapter’s president.

He’s the dean of our board, on it for longer than anyone can remember.

He’s been our ethics chair since 2000, when he led the Minnesota chapter to criticize the actions of a KMSP reporter who stole a tape from a car.

He was a pioneer in SPJ mentoring, scholarship and internship programs, and in getting the broadcast community and SPJ more engaged with one another in Minnesota.

He was long active as our representative to the Joint Media Committee, which carries the banner for open records, open meetings and a long list of other First Amendment-related causes in the Legislature and other public policy arenas in Minnesota.

In 1998, he was among the leaders who pushed to get the Legislature to pass a Shield law. He has been in the forefront of efforts to pass a national Shield law as well.

In 1999, he led the chapter’s efforts for a statewide open records audit that determined whether governments were obeying the law.

He has been a stalwart on ethics issues locally and nationally, as co-chair of the national SPJ’s ethics committee.

Now Gary is leaving KSTP to go to work as the communications director for the Minnesota State Senate. Our loss is the state’s gain, but fortunately we see a silver lining. Now we have someone who will work for us from the inside. We know he won’t want us to forget that.

Be it resolved that our board pass this resolution honoring Gary Hill for his many years of service on behalf of journalists everywhere.