Minnesota SPJ

2010 Annual Meeting

Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by sarah.bauer.

Date:  Monday, July 26

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Sweeney’s Saloon
96 North Dale Street, St. Paul, MN 55402

All chapter members are invited to attend the 2010 Annual Meeting, Monday July 26.  At this meeting ballots cast in the 2010 election will be tabulated, and new board directors and officers will be announced.  Chapter President Scott Theisen will preside over the meeting, passing the torch to President-Elect Sarah Bauer.

Please email any questions or agenda items to MN SPJ at minnesota.spj@gmail.com.

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Austin Reporter Attends SPJ’s Reporter’s Institute

Posted on 08. Jun, 2010 by sarah.bauer.

Austin Daily Herald Reporter Mike Rose attended SPJ’s Reporter’s Institute May 23-26 at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersberg, FL.   Rose wrote a short overview of the program for SPJ’s First Draft blog.  We’re sharing his thoughts here as well.  If you’re interested in attending this event in the future, stay tuned to SPJ’s website for 2011 program information.  You can also follow Mike’s journalism journey on Twitter (@mrosemn).

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The 2010 SPJ Reporters Institute was a great experience. Not only did I learn from some of the best in the journalism industry, but I met and interacted with roughly 30 of the best young reporters around. Below, one guy’s take on what we learned and what it means to the future of journalism:

Session 1: FOI and document-driven newsrooms, with Charles Davis (Executive Director, National Freedom of Information Coalition)

Davis’ main point was simple: journalists should constantly seek documents. Why? Simply put, they can be the backbone to countless big stories. And, best of all, they don’t pick favorites. They don’t speak in soundbites. They are what they are, and they say what they say. It is up to the journalist to get them. This means making FOI (Freedom of Information) requests all the time, even when the data isn’t something the reporter is aggressively seeking for a story. At the very least, filing FOI requests keeps both the reporter and the records-keeper sharp, and it lets agencies know that they need to be aware of the press. And in a day and age where more and more red tape seems to keep information obscured, watchdog journalism is as important as ever.

Session 2: Ethics, with Adrian Uribarri (SPJ Ethics Committee member)

The biggest thing I can say about ethics after this session is that it’s good to have others in the discussion. Put another way, no one has all the ethical answers, which is why newsrooms need to communicate. How does one cover a star athlete in a rape case? Should the press accommodate the government when they cry, “national security?” These and other questions come up on a regular basis, and it’s up to the reporter to act with a solid ethical compass. A good start is the SPJ’s Code of Ethics, but it’s also up to newsrooms to develop good, working policies for their specific coverage areas. Ultimately, all journalists should be aware of why they’re doing something, not just that they’re doing it. [...]

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Veteran Star Tribune reporter wins highest Freedom of Information award from Minnesota SPJ

Posted on 22. May, 2010 by sarah.bauer.

Please note: full list of 2010 Page One Award winners can be found at the bottom of this post.

Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists presents the 2010 Peter S. Popovich Award to Randy Furst

St. Paul, Minn. (May 21, 2010) – The Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists Awards the 2010 Peter S. Popovich Award to Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Randy Furst.

When Randy Furst saw that members of the Metro Gang Strike Force decided to attend a conference in the sunny, vacation paradise of tropical Hawaii, he decided to see how the gathering might be important to Minnesota citizens. The original story he wrote, based on a state Data Practices Act filing, led to another about how the Task Force’s overseers violated the state Open Meeting Law to try to come up with a justification for the Hawaii trip. Randy stayed on the trail with a series of stories to ultimately uncover a corrupt arm of law enforcement that stole from innocent citizens, violated state law by destroying documents subject to an auditor’s investigation, and kept questionable financial accounting of their work.

Furst’s work on the Strike Force stories and throughout his career epitomizes the role of professional journalists who work tirelessly on behalf of the public. “His sense of hearing is extraordinary,” said Star Tribune Minneapolis Team Leader Larry Oakes, who edited Furst’s Strike Force stories. “Tell him ‘no comment,’ and he hears, ‘Ask me a different way.’ Tell him ‘get lost,’ and he hears, ‘You should drop by my house tonight.’ Tell him something’s not public, and he hears, ‘I can’t wait to get a letter from (First Amendment attorney) John Borger.’”

The award, presented since 1979, is named for the late Peter S. Popovich, a champion of open government in the Minnesota House of Representatives, as the chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and as the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The award was presented Friday, May 21 at SPJ’s annual Page One awards banquet at the Town & Country Club in St. Paul. The Minnesota chapter also presented awards in more than 50 categories to the state’s top print, broadcast and online journalists for their work in 2009. The full winners of the Page One awards are included with this release.

Conor Shine and Devin Henry, both from the University of Minnesota, received student scholarships awarded annually by Minnesota SPJ.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the oldest, largest and broadest-based organization of journalists in the U.S., was founded as Sigma Delta Chi in 1909. The Minnesota Chapter was founded in 1956. The chapter membership totals about 160. In 1998, the Minnesota chapter was named the national large chapter of the year.

Full list of 2010 Page One Award Winners (Excel)

Full list of 2010 Page One Award Winners (Word)

Contact:

Scott Theisen, President, MN Pro Chapter
Phone: 952-465-9921
stheisen@me.com

or

Art Hughes, board member
612-236-8302
arthughes1@comcast.net

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THIS FRIDAY: Page One Banquet

Posted on 17. May, 2010 by sarah.bauer.

Event registration for the 2010 Page One Banquet with David Simon is now closed.

We look forward to seeing you this Friday, May 21st:

Reception, featuring cash bar, begins at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner served at 7:00 p.m.

Location:
Town & Country Club
300 Mississippi River Blvd. N.
Saint Paul, MN 55104-4927

MNSPJ Scholarship Fund Silent Auction:
During the reception hour, be sure to check out the MNSPJ Scholarship Fund silent auction and enter a special raffle: MNSPJ will be giving away a ticket to attend the May 22nd Twins game at Target Field vs. the Milwaukee Brewers with David Simon.  You must be present to win; tickets are $5.00 each.

About our keynote speaker:
David Simon is the creator of HBO’s “The Wire” and former Baltimore Sun reporter.  He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-authored The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns, which became the basis for the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street. Simon’s newest TV series, Treme, debuted this month. Set in New Orleans, three months after Hurricane Katrina hit, the show tells the story of residents, including musicians and chefs, trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of disaster.

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2010 Page One Banquet

Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by sarah.bauer.

The Minnesota Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists cordially invites you to the 2010 Page One Awards Banquet.

This event honors the best in Minnesota journalism from 2009 and will feature

DAVID SIMON
Former Baltimore Sun reporter and creator of HBO hit series “The Wire” and “Treme”

Friday, May 21, 2010
Reception begins at 5:30 p.m.
Dinner served at 7:00 p.m.

Town & Country Club
300 Mississippi River Blvd. N.
Saint Paul, MN 55104-4927

SPJ Members – $40*
Non-members – $50

*Members may purchase up to two (2) tickets at the discounted member rate.
You may register to become a member of SPJ here: http://www.spj.org/join.asp

PLEASE RSVP ONLINE BY FRIDAY, MAY 14

About our keynote speaker:
David Simon is the creator of HBO’s “The Wire” and former Baltimore Sun reporter. Simon is best known for creating and producing the hit HBO series “The Wire.” Simon got his start as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-authored The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns, which became the basis for the NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street. Simon’s newest TV series, Treme, debuted this month. Set in New Orleans, three months after Hurricane Katrina hit, the show tells the story of residents, including musicians and chefs, trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of disaster.

Please note: SPJ has notified all contest award winners. Notification emails were sent to the email address used in the contest submission process. If you have any questions, please contact SPJ at minnesota.spj@gmail.com

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Freelance Love: A Freelancer-Editor Speed Dating Event (EVENT SOLD OUT)

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by sarah.bauer.

Here’s your chance to meet with editors from many top Minnesota-based media outlets…all in the same room! With your ticket, you get five minutes of guaranteed face time with assigning editors from:

-Artful Living Magazine
-BringMeTheNews
-Experience Life Magazine
-Finance & Commerce Media Group
-Internet Broadcasting
-KFAI Radio
-Metromix
-Metro Magazine
-Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
-Minnesota Business Magazine
-Minnesota Good Age
-Minnesota Lawyer
-Minnesota Magazine
-Minnesota Monthly
-Minnesota Parent
-Momentum Magazine
-Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
-Pioneer Press
-Star Tribune
-TwinCities.com
-Twin Cities Business Magazine
-Twin Cities Daily Planet
-And more!

Social Hour: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m., with light appetizers and a cash bar
Speed Dating begins promptly at 7:00 p.m.

All events in the main ballroom at the:
Park Plaza Hotel in Bloomington
4460 W 78th Street Circle
Bloomington MN 55435
Map and Directions

Tickets are SOLD OUT for the event as of March 10th.

Would you like to find freelancers at this event?
If you’re an assigning editor who would like to participate in this event; please email minnesota.spj@gmail.com. We’ll get you set up to “speed date” with interested freelancers!

Questions? Email us! minnesota.spj@gmail.com.

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