Thursday, October 21, 2021
Virtual meeting held via videoconference on Zoom, in two separate segments.
Present: President Randy Showstack; Vice President Dee Ann Divis; Corresponding Secretary Amy Fickling; board members Denise Dunbar, Julie Asher and Celia Wexler
Special guests: Stephenie Overman, SPJ Region 2 coordinator; student chapter liaison Kathleen Burns; Marcel Reid of the ACORN8 and Whistleblower Summit; and Andy Schotz
Excused absences: Recording Secretary Kathryn Foxhall; Treasurer Dan Kubiske; and board members Selma Khenissi, Julie Asher, Ken Jost and Jacqueline Fuller
Call to Order
President Randy Showstack called the meeting to order at about 6:50 p.m., after waiting to see if more than four board members would be joining the call.
At this point, it was noted out there was not a board quorum (of seven) present. Those board members present at the time (Showstack, Fickling, Dunbar, Wexler) agreed to continue the meeting, with discussion of agenda items taking place but no votes or final decisions being made, as this will not be an official meeting.
Minutes
Recording Secretary Kathryn Foxhall had emailed to board members draft minutes of the September 30, 2021, board meeting in advance of the October 21, 2021, board meeting.
Showstack asked if anyone wished to discuss the draft submitted.
Corresponding Secretary Amy Fickling said she has a recommendation about limiting the details about the discussion of the contract/stipend to be offered a new Dateline Awards coordinator. Showstack said he had a similar concern. Fickling will send Foxhall the revisions discussed.
Financial Report
Treasurer Dan Kubiske, while not providing a written financial report for this meeting, sent word that our financial status looks fine, Showstack reported. Kubiske will send a report that he would have provided for this meeting along with the one for the next meeting in November.
Programs
Membership Appreciation. Fickling asked for an opinion on whether she should continue to look for an outdoor venue for a Membership Appreciation event in 2021. While that was part of the plan, she said, it is getting late in the year and weather will be more of a factor. She said she also had an idea, though is not firm on the technical capability of the SPJDC.org website for it, to create a slide show of the awardee certificates of appreciation, and slides of their short written testimonials, as the “event” for the year, in a nod to how COVID-19 disrupted usual ways of doing things. Student chapter liaison Kathleen Burns suggested doing the appreciation for this year (recognizing those with 5- and 10-year anniversaries in 2020) and next year (for anniversaries in 2021) at the same time at an event when held in 2022. Fickling said that in the past few years there have about seven or eight people out of about 30 who have a milestone anniversary each year who come to the Membership Appreciation event, so combining them probably would not be a problem and might improve turnout. Also, we like to do more than just the recognitions when we meet, and had anticipated for this year using that event to build interest in the upcoming national SPJ convention and conference in D.C.
Showstack suggested continued discussion of such a program and deciding later whether it should be online or in person, once we know more about our website capability.
Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival. At 7:03 p.m., Showstack recognized guest Marcel Reid of the Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival, which SPJ DC Pro co-sponsored in July, an online-only event Showstack noted was very good.
Reid said she just wanted to thank the chapter, saying this year’s event was the first time the chapter has co-sponsored and been listed as a co-sponsor of the event. She said that in 2022 the Summit organizers hope to at least have a hybrid meeting, depending on what is happening with the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that the 2021 Summit was a great success, and said she would like to talk at an upcoming board meeting about how they intend to proceed for 2022.
Showstack thanked her and said the board would welcome talking with her at a future meeting.
Dateline Awards Contest. At 7:05 p.m., Andy Schotz, who is board liaison working on identifying a qualified candidate to be the Dateline Awards coordinator for 2022, said he has gotten responses through each of the avenues in which he publicized the position, including the SPJ Leads newsletter and the chapter’s Dateline newsletter. He said he doesn’t yet have a clear top selection. He has had responses from people who are not located in the immediate area. The board discussed the merits of having the person be local but agreed that might not matter if a superior candidate is not local.
Schotz will report no later than the November board meeting the results of the search.
[At 7:15 p.m., Vice President Dee Ann Divis logged in to the Zoom meeting. Still no quorum.]Google training for SPJ chapters. At 7:16 p.m., Region 2 Coordinator Stephenie Overman said there is a push from national SPJ for chapters to take advantage of the Google training programs offered, and that she’d like to organize one to pull in the Virginia, Maryland and D.C. chapters.
Schotz suggested we work with the MDDC Press Association.
Interview with new WAMU general manager. At 7:18 p.m., Showstack reminded those present about the Nov. 16 virtual program the chapter is presenting with Erika Pulley-Hayes, the new general manager of NPR affiliate radio station WAMU 88.5.
Burns reported she will be sending announcements about the event to the local student chapters.
Freedom of Information / Free Speech
Board member Denise Dunbar had emailed the board in advance of the meeting a topic she wished to discuss during the meeting, along with links to stories her paper, the Alexandria Times, of which she is executive editor, had published about a man accused of domestic violence who became a murder suspect, and his bail bondsman, and the complicated situation that ensued.
A magistrate in Virginia, who was quoted extensively in one of the Times stories, was fired for speaking to the newspaper about the bondsman and the case, accused of violating certain cannons of a Virginia magistrates code of conduct.
Dunbar wanted to discuss how the story might get more exposure. She said she was willing to share her paper’s work with a larger news outlet that could put more resources into the story. She also wanted Reid’s input.
Showstack thanked Dunbar, and said he assumed that her “what to do next?” question also involves how SPJ DC Pro and national SPJ can get involved. He opened the floor to discussion.
Reid commented that judicial whistleblowers often don’t fare well.
MEETING INTERRUPTION, RESUMPTION
At 7:41 p.m., the Zoom call was abruptly ended. Shortly thereafter, Showstack emailed that the call was bumped off at the national SPJ Zoom account due to another meeting using the next time slot. By email, Schotz offered his Zoom account log-in information for anyone who wanted to continue meeting. This not being an official meeting in the first place, there was no formal request for meeting continuation, but most original attendees joined the new Zoom meeting.
As of 7:55 p.m., Showstack, Dunbar, Wexler, Burns, Fickling and Schotz had returned to the call, and Julie Asher was also on the new Zoom session, having not been on the previous session.
Freedom of Information / Free Speech discussion, continued. Dunbar’s discussion continued, and at 8:04 p.m. she thanked all for talking with her about her paper’s situation and for making suggestions about getting more recognition of the free speech issue regarding public officials being discouraged from talking to the press.
At 8:06 p.m. Overman joined the new session.
Dunbar, Overman and Burns volunteered to work with the SPJ Virginia Chapter on joint programs.
Program Ideas
Burns suggested a program on Christy Bowe, a veteran White House photographer who has recently published a book, “Eyes That Speak.”
Schotz said the University of Maryland School of Journalism is participating in a project looking at the history of newspaper coverage of lynching, race and white bias. He suggested it as the subject of a program.
Other business
Showstack asked if any board members would be interested in taking the new position of assistant treasurer. Board member Celia Wexler volunteered to do so. Because no official business can be conducted during this meeting, the matter will come before the next board meeting.
Vice President Dee Ann Divis joined the new Zoom session at 8:20 p.m. She talked about the board having a brainstorming session on program ideas for the 2022 SPJ national conference in Washington, D.C. She also talked about doing local programs that would be a “drum roll” leading up to the conference.
Showstack asked her to be the chapter’s representative on the 2022 national conference Planning Committee, and she said she would.
Adjournment
Wexler suggested that the meeting adjourn, and there was no opposition. No official vote can be taken on the matter, either.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Foxhall
Recording Secretary, 2021-2022 (who was not in attendance)
Using information provided from the recorded call and from notes taken by Corresponding Secretary Amy Fickling