This year, for the first time, SPJ has given out a Black Hole Award for "the most heinous violations of the public's right to know."
The top prize went to the Utah legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert for a new law that hampers the release of public information.
SPJ also honored five runners-up — three of which are in our area. (Public records problems in and around D.C.? Go figure)
One is the police in northern Virginia, for refusing to grant requests for public records.
Another is the CIA and Attorney General Eric Holder, for failing to take action after video recordings of high-level detainees were destroyed.
The third is the University of Maryland, which is making it difficult for student journalists to get information they need for an important story.
And here is where the local SPJ chapter stepped in.
Student journalists Danielle Lama is working on a report about the university's handling of sexual assault cases.
Lama is following up on the work of student journalist Alexandra Moe, who, in March 2010, requested 10 years of records on sexual offense violations.
Moe made her request after the Maryland attorney general ruled that certain parts of administrative records on these assaults are public.
The school said it would provide those records if Moe paid $342.88 to "locate, retrieve, review, prepare, redact confidential information and copy the responsive documents," along with a fee of 25 cents per page.
Moe asked for a fee waiver because she was a student and because the records were in the public interest, an exemption allowed in Maryland's Public Information Act. The school denied her request, noting that she worked for the university's Capital News Service and wasn't just an individual student.
Lama picked up where Moe left off. She raised $220 toward the fee for the records. The D.C. Pro chapter contributed the remaining $122.
This doesn't include the actual costs for copies.
The chapter will be watching this case, including a breakdown from the university of the costs.