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Registration is now open for the 2013 Midwest Journalism Conference April 12-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suties Airport at 34th Avenue South and American Boulevard in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Go to the conference website to register.

Journalists from across the upper Midwest are invited to attend two busy days of training sessions geared toward professional development, career growth and recognition of the region’s most outstanding work. The Midwest Journalism Conference is the second-largest regional event of its kind in the country, regularly drawing more than 300 working professionals and journalism students for two intense days of seminars, awards programs and networking opportunities.

Special hotel rates are available to MJC attendees at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Suites Airport. The Deadline to make reservations using our special rates is Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

Make your reservations online HERE or call 877-227-6963 and mention the Midwest Journalism Conference to get the group rate.

Find out more at http://midwestjournalism.com/

For Immediate Release (January 23, 2013)
Contact: Amanda Theisen, MNSPJ President
Drew Kerr, MNSPJ FOI Chair
minnesota.spj@gmail.com

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (January 23, 2013) — The following statement is being released on behalf of the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists:

“The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) disagrees with the Minneapolis Public School District’s decision to not publicly release the results of disciplinary action against students involved in a racially-motivated incident at Washburn High School.

Releasing information on how the district deals with a troubling, racially-motivated incident is vital to the public’s interest. The school district has a responsibility to be transparent in its actions to assure parents, students and the community at large it is administering discipline in an active but fair manner.

Federal and state law provides specific protections to make sure underage students are not identified. In this case, the requesting news organizations have no interest in identifying individual students. Minnesota SPJ believes releasing information on disciplinary action toward a group of students does not put individual students at risk of being identified.

We urge Minneapolis Public School District officials to reconsider their decision and inform the public of the disciplinary measures taken against the students in question.”

The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) is a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the largest broad-based journalism organization in the world, representing approximately 8,000 journalists. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. For more information about SPJ, please visit www.spj.org.

The Minnesota journalism community mourns the loss of longtime Star Tribune reporter Larry Oakes, who died last Friday at age 52.

Larry Oakes

Oakes’ obituary in the Star Tribune described him as an “adept handyman, a non-judgemental and remarkable listener, a deeply loving father and husband, and an uncompromising champion of the human spirit.”

He excelled at covering life across the state, but especially in northern Minnesota.

Oakes’ best-known projects included his 2004 series “The Lost Youth of Leech Lake.” He also produced “The New Life Sentence,” a 2008 series that delved into Minnesota’s controversial practice of locking up sex offenders indefinitely.

“He was a city editor for a couple of years, but couldn’t deny his passion for telling stories of the human condition and asked back into a reporter’s role. The journalism world was grateful he did.”

Both the Star Tribune article and obituary about Oakes are available online, as well as commentary by editorial pages editor Scott Gillespie.

Oakes’ family intends to establish a journalism scholarship in his name, and an educational trust for his grandchildren.

Visitation will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11, at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC), Harbor Side Ballroom. There will be a memorial service 1-2 p.m., with reception to follow

The Minnesota Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (MN SPJ) recognizes the best in Minnesota journalism each year with its annual Page One Awards.

Journalists working for all print, broadcast and online news outlets in

Minnesota (or news outlets in neighboring states that cover Minnesota) are eligible to enter. All work published or broadcast during the 2012 calendar year is eligible. Entries must be submitted by Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. The fee is $20 per entry.

This year will include a new category for Arts & Entertainment coverage in newspapers, magazines and online.

Contest winners will be honored at MN SPJ’s Page One Banquet, an annual spring event celebrating excellence in Minnesota journalism.

MN SPJ encourages collegiate journalists to enter student work in SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards. Submission deadline for that contest is January 24, 2013.

Important Links:

• Online Contest Submission Form
• Complete Listing of Contest Rules and Guidelines
• Complete Listing of Contest Categories and Descriptions

Contact: minnesota.spj@gmail.com

or

Tim Sturrock, Contest Coordinator

timsturrock@gmail.com

612 701-7307

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• The fee is $20 per entry.
• Entries must be submitted no later than Monday, Feb. 11, 2013.
• All work published or broadcast during the 2012 calendar year is eligible.
• Journalists (including freelancers and contract employees) working for all print, broadcast and online news outlets in Minnesota (or news outlets in neighboring states that cover Minnesota) are eligible to enter.
• We encourage collegiate journalists to enter student work in SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards. Submission deadline is January 24, 2013.
• An individual can submit only one entry per category. Exceptions: 1) if a second entry is a multiple-byline entry; or 2) if it is submitted by his/her employer because they could not agree on a single entry.
• Entries will be judged by journalism professionals outside Minnesota.
• Judges may move an entry from one category to another.
• Up to three winners may be chosen for each category. Judges may choose not to name a winner in any category.
• Entries will not be returned.
• Awards Presentation: Winners will be announced in the spring of 2013 and honored during MN SPJ’s annual Page One Awards Banquet. Date and location, TBD.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

• NEWSPAPER, ONLINE & PHOTOGRAPHY ENTRIES must be submitted online.
• FOR PRINT ENTRIES (Newspaper and Magazine): Entrants should submit a link to the online article or a PDF of the news/magazine page on which the story appeared. The date of publication should be visible.
• FOR NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE “BEST ISSUE” CATEGORIES: entries may be submitted by mail. TWO COPIES of each issue must be submitted in an 8 1/2-by-11-inch folder or envelope. Please write category name on outside of folder.
• FOR GRAPHICS/PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORIES: Entrants should submit a PDF of the news/magazine page on which the art appeared, or a link to the art published on an online news site. The date of publication should be visible.
• FOR TV ENTRIES: Entrants should submit a URL where video can be viewed (preferred) or entries may be submitted on a DVD (please include TWO COPIES).
• FOR RADIO ENTRIES: Entrants should submit a link to the work online (preferred) or entries may be submitted by mail on a CD (please include TWO COPIES).

CLICK HERE to access the contest submission form