Minnesota SPJ

Register Today For The SPJ 2010 Convention

Posted on 27. May, 2010 by scott.theisen.

This year’s SPJ convention, taking place Oct. 3-5 in Las Vegas, promises to bring hands-on training to conference-goers. There will be 50+ workshops with many sessions focusing on the use of multimedia and social networking tools packed into two days. From the Las Vegas Sun, Rob Curley, well known for his work in managing multimedia in the newsroom, will be joining the conference as a keynote speaker. SPJ continues to put on a no-frills conference for journalists, educators and students that offers the perfect mix of professional development training and networking opportunities (and a lot of fun) – at an affordable price. SPJ’s national conference is one of the best buys out there when compared to other journalism conferences happening each year.

SPJ members, be sure to arrive by 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, for the Opening Business Session, regional meetings, chapter leaders’ sessions and the Opening Night Reception.

Registration is now open and you can book your room at Planet Hollywood at an outstanding rate of $129/night! Please visit www.spj.org/convention.asp to view the schedule, room rates and registration fees.

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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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FOI Event: Art of Access

Posted on 07. Apr, 2010 by scott.theisen.

The Art of Access: Strategies for getting public records to improve your reporting and life

Stretched thin with daily stories, Web postings, and extra responsibilities? Feel like you can’t do the kind of depth reporting you want? Or maybe you just want to improve your reporting skills and bolster your already stellar stories? Then make sure to attend this special session on strategies for acquiring public records by Society of Professional Journalist Freedom of Information Committee Chairman David Cuillier.

When: Tuesday, May 11 | 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Murphy Hall Room 100 | University of Minnesota | 206 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Cost: Cost: $10 (SPJ Members) | $15 (non-members)

Sign up now!

Here is what he’ll cover:
• Great ideas for document-based stories you can do in your community
• Strategies for effective records requests and overcoming denials
• Psychological skills for getting officials to give you what you need
• Tips for making records part of your daily routine
• Rousing inspiration for doing great journalism in tough times

Each participant will receive a binder filled with handouts.

David Cuillier is chairman of the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee and has been a FOI newsroom trainer for SPJ for five years. He is a former reporter and editor and now teaches journalism at the University of Arizona. He is co-author of “The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records,” teaches courses on access, and conducts research on access strategies.

Sponsors
This tour is funded by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, a non-profit organization that aids SPJ and journalism initiatives, with assistance from the University of Arizona School of Journalism.

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Minnesota SPJ Workshop: Covering the GLBT Community

Posted on 25. Mar, 2010 by scott.theisen.

Please join us on Thursday, March 25th for a Minnesota SPJ workshop on covering the GLBT Community: the mishaps, triumphs, and mistakes of GLBT coverage, and how to take gay journalism in Minnesota to the next level.

A discussion with:
straight reporters who cover GLBT issues, gay journalists, and GLBT community leaders.

Attend this free, two-hour program, and you’ll walk away with answers to some tough questions:
• How do I search for Minnesota GLBT-related story ideas?
• What organizations exist that could help me find sources?
• What GLBT stories have been all but ignored by the media in Minnesota?
• What are some common errors that reporters make when covering the GLBT community?
• What is the community’s preferred language? Is the AP Style Manual up to date?

This event is sponsored by the Minnesota Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. It is free and open to the public.

Griggs Midway Building, Room S330
1821 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN (corner of University Ave. and Fairview Ave.)
Thursday, March 25, 6:30 p.m.

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

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