Each year, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists recognizes those who fight for First Amendment rights with the chapter’s Peter S. Popovich Award. This year, the award goes to a citizens group in Victoria, Minnesota, for their five-year effort to legally compel their City Council to open meetings, follow the law and provide public information to the public. Ken Goulart,…
MNSPJ is seeking candidates for the 2018-19 board year. Join us! The chapter is led by a diverse, volunteer board of media professionals, past and present, who are driven by a desire to promote and protect quality journalism and the public’s right to know. This year’s election will begin on June 20, with candidate statements due by June 15. Results…
Tickets are available now for the 2018 Page One Awards, which will celebrate the best in Minnesota journalism. Christopher Ingraham, a Washington Post reporter with an affinity for odd, off-the-beaten-path datasets, will be the keynote speaker. He expertly uses data to break down knotty topics, including gun policy. In 2015, Chris attained upper Midwestern notoriety after reporting on a USDA report…
The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists supports the Minnesota Supreme Court in its efforts to bring the sound and pictures of the courtroom into the homes of all Minnesotans. On April 25, the court will take public testimony on an advisory committee’s proposal it make permanent a pilot program allowing cameras to cover some sentencings in courtrooms. Until the pilot…
Good news, college students: MNSPJ has extended the deadline for its $2,500 college scholarship through Monday, April 9. You still have time! Any applications submitted between now and then will be judged against the full set of applications. Here are the details: The Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists (MNSPJ) is now accepting applications for its 2018 student scholarship. This year, MNSPJ will award one $2,500…
Newspaper editorial boards are speaking out against a bill that would ban cameras in courtrooms. “Let courts decide on rules on cameras in Minnesota courtrooms,” the Star Tribune’s editorial board argued this week. While the bill’s author touted the legislation as necessary to spare the victims of crimes, the board pointed out that “Minnesota’s rules governing use of cameras in the courtroom already…
Join MNSPJ for Sunshine at the Statehouse, a conversation about efforts to improve transparency in government. MinnPost legislative reporter Briana Bierschbach and Matt Ehling of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information (MNCOGI) will discuss bills at the Legislature that would affect what information would be open to journalists and the public. Have a beer and hear about what’s happening this…
In recognition of national Sunshine Week, the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists declares its support for the open-government tenets behind several transparency initiatives at the Minnesota Legislature. We support these efforts to ensure continued public access to government records in light of threats, to thwart efforts to keep secret public employee performance information and to shine…
Alex Friedrich worked for Minnesota Public Radio News, the Pioneer Press and other newspapers during a 25-year career. He wrote the following for MNSPJ’s ongoing series, Tell us Your Story, a salute to former journalists who have moved on to new adventures. The morning I was laid off from MPR News two years ago, I was stunned. Me? I thought. You’ve…
We’ve heard that you could use a bit more time to get those last Page One Award entries in. So we are extending the deadline to March 2 at 5 p.m. Any entries submitted between now and then will be judged against the full set of entries. Did you know your Twitter account is eligible for an award? Under “Online,” categories include…