Thursday, March 17, 2022
Virtual meeting held via videoconference on Zoom.
Present: President Randy Showstack; Vice President Dee Ann Divis; Treasurer Dan Kubiske; Corresponding Secretary Amy Fickling; Recording Secretary Kathryn Foxhall; and board members Julie Asher, Denise Dunbar, Jacqueline Fuller, Ken Jost, Selma Khenissi and Celia Wexler.
Special guests: Region 2 coordinator Stephenie Overman; Kim Kavin, American Society of Journalists and Authors; Laura Jane Willoughby, contest coordinator; and Andy Schotz.
Call to Order
President Randy Showstack called the meeting to order at about 6:48 p.m.
Minutes
Treasurer Dan Kubiske moved that the minutes be approved as circulated earlier by Recording Secretary Kathryn Foxhall. Board member Denise Dunbar seconded the motion. The board voted to approve the motion.
Treasurer’s Report
Kubiske moved the financial report he circulated earlier be approved. Board member Julie Asher seconded the motion. Kubiske added that the chapter paid the accountant fee for the Washington. D.C., Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, as is customary, and that will be reflected in the next financial report.
Photographer Event Proposal
Dunbar noted, as some board members had discussed by email, that Paul McCartney is giving a concert in Baltimore. She knows the photographer who took a photo of the Beatles’ first concert in the United States. She thought we could have that photographer’s son do an interview of him, with other people joining in the discussion. She thought we could even try to get Paul McCartney for a few minutes. She recognized we had planned to honor another photographer and was aware that a concern had been expressed during an email discussion if that would cause a conflict, if only “an optics” one.
After the discussion, there was board consensus there would not be a conflict with having two separate events each featuring a photographer who has covered the White House. Dunbar said the program tied to the McCartney concert could be just the Beatles photographer being interviewed by herself or the photographer’s son or another person.
Discussion of Request to Sign Amicus Brief
Special guest Kim Kavin, a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, discussed an issue related to California legislation known as Assembly Bill 5 which is meant to protect contract workers by putting the burden of proof on the employers to prove the workers are independent contractors, not employees, and thus not entitled to the benefits they otherwise would be. However, the act has made it difficult for freelance writers. A number of groups, including several SPJ chapters, have co-signed an amicus brief to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kavin asked the chapter to also co-sign the brief.
Board member Celia Wexler asked that the chapter wait and hear other opinions, including that of the Freelancers Union, which she said was not in favor of the brief’s argument.
Kavin had said the deadline for signing the brief was the following Monday, March 21.
Region 2 Coordinator Stephenie Overman said the situation on what the impacts of the California bill was confusing. She felt that even people who had looked at it carefully did not understand it.
After discussion by the board after Kavin’s presentation, there was general board agreement to Showstack’s recommendation that we record our thanks to Kavin for attending the board meeting, that we appreciate her time and the eloquence of her argument, and that we agree we will look into this issue further, but that we will not take action at this time.
Dateline Awards Coordinator and New Software
Showstack welcomed the chapter’s awards coordinator Laura Jane Willoughby to the meeting. She reported on the number of contest entries, which is roughly 100 more than recorded for last year’s conference. The Hawaii chapter now has SPJ-DC’s contest entries to judge. She said we may need 25-30 people to serve as judges for the Hawaii chapter’s contest.
She said that there are different types of people we seek to enter the contest, including chapter members, Region 2 members, people who have entered in the past, and those who have been finalists.
She recommended that going forward the chapter subscribe to a database solution called Act for $25 per month to help with the reporting on the contest.
Andy Schotz, who has been working with the coordinator, said the chapter has turned the position into one that does more of managing data. The suggested subscription, he said, may help the coordinator do more personal outreach to journalists. Willoughby indicated she may not be able to spend additional time to work with software at this time.
Asher moved that the board approve Willoughby’s proposal and pay for the subscription to ACT at $25 per month to handle details about and communicate with current and past entrants for our contests. Kubiske seconded it.
Willoughby said that the software is cloud-based and multiple people can use the subscription, but not at the same time. She said it could possibly be used for other applications for the chapter.
The board approved the motion.
International Historic Journalism Sites
Kubiske reported that the SPJ International Community has submitted three sites to national SPJ to be considered for national historic journalism sites. The three sites are: Voice of America Park just outside of Cincinnati where the original VOA broadcast towers were, a building on Madison Avenue in New York City where the original VOA studio was, and the Voice of America headquarters in Washington, D.C. This year is the 80th anniversary of Voice of America. He said he would like the chapter to support the SPJ International Community’s submission of these three sites to national SPJ.
Asher moved that the chapter support those sites for SPJ’s Historic Sites in Journalism Program. Board member Selma Khenissi seconded the motion.
Kubiske asked that a letter regarding the chapter’s recommendation go to SPJ.
Wexler commented that with the recent incursion of Russia into Ukraine, it’s an excellent time to honor VOA.
The board voted to approve the recommendation.
PIO Report
Recording Secretary Kathryn Foxhall reported that much work has gone forward during Sunshine Week on the issue of restrictions on reporters through PIOs and others. She had sent a report to the board by email. She had talked at length to a reporter in Alabama about a prisoner who broiled to death in an overheated cell when the outside temperature was 47 degrees. The reporter said she was not able to get information about the prisoner’ death because the PIO in charge just did not answer the reporter. Foxhall also said a former director of media relations at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had spoken to Foxhall about the political controls on information at that agency.
Regional Conference
Overman encouraged everyone to sign up for the Region 2 conference, noting that if people could not attend in person there is a $10 online registration. She noted there would be programs on freelancing, international, new media, giving voice to the voiceless, fake news and other issues.
Washington, D.C., SDX Awards
Corresponding Secretary Amy Fickling reported that since Reginald Stuart had stepped down as president of the Washington, D.C., Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, she is president until the next election in May. She had been vice president. The deadline for entries for the scholarships was March 15 and we have plenty of scholars to choose from, she reported. There will be four scholarships awarded, assuming that there are that many qualified applicants.
Dateline and Hall of Fame Awards
Showstack said that he had an email from Hall of Fame chair Steve Taylor. Taylor confirmed the intention of one of the Hall of Fame Awardees to speak at the awards dinner. He and Khenissi, who is currently co-chair of the committee, will speak to the other awardees soon.
Asher noted that the work on the Hall of Fame honorees’ commemorative obelisks and the Distinguished Service Award plaque is moving forward. Invitations will have to be written and go out by email by mid-April if we followed the usual timeline, but since they are being emailed instead of snail-mailed, that deadline could be extended.
Showstack took a moment to express appreciation for Asher and Fickling being co-chairs for the event again.
Fickling said she thought we should keep the pricing for the dinner at the level it was the last time we had it in person, pre-pandemic, and it might simplify things to have a single price across the board. Her feelings from reviewing a special survey to chapter members about the event are that some people are still not sure they want to be in a crowded room.
Asher said we may want to think about someone who could lay out the program. The board discussed finding someone or getting bids on the job.
She noted we may need a contingency plan if the pandemic makes it unsafe again to meet in person.
An Upcoming Program and Results of Survey
Khenissi reported everything is ready for the online program on social media she is leading on Thursday. Kassy Cho, founder and editor-in-chief of the Instagram-based Almost, will talk with the SPJ DC Pro Chapter and guests online.
Showstack reported we got responses from 21 of our chapter members to the broad chapter member survey we sent. He urged the board members to read it.
Plans for National Conference
Showstack and Vice President Dee Ann Divis talked about their work on the committee planning the SPJ national journalism conference in Washington this fall. They said they are two out of seven or eight members on the committee.
Divis noted they were pushing for having the program deal with some of the difficult issues at this time in history.
They both stressed the need for proposals to be well fleshed out, with initial contacts with speakers already made.
Showstack also discussed the possibility of having local journalism groups come together in a solidarity for journalism evening. Kubiske said the conference would be a good time to get together with local journalism chapters and their national groups.
Divis asked for board members to think about extras on the SPJ program, such as a drink contest.
Delayed Treasurer’s Report Vote
Fickling said she did not think the board had voted on the Treasurer’s Report earlier in the evening. Kubiske moved the board approve the report. Foxhall seconded the motion.
After a question from Fickling, Kubiske said that an account interest was in the main table but not in the notes at the bottom, but that would be fixed.
The board approved the motion.
Statement of Support for Journalists in Danger, Etc.
There was a consensus of the board to support Showstack’s statement, “Let’s send our prayers and best wishes to all those journalists in the Ukraine and Russia right now and everywhere else around the world facing such threats to their lives and to their freedoms.”
Foxhall reminded the board that some of the members have access to Leadership Connect, through which lists of contacts in Congress, the media and the Executive Branch can be built.
Discussion on Membership
Having listened to an SPJ membership event online, Fickling said other chapters welcome people when they become members, but she does not know how the chapters are alerted when someone joins. She also said that other chapters reported that having good programs is key to attracting new members. Board members agreed the chapter should make a marketing plan and we should be having more events. Some members suggested we have outdoor events with members and others.
Adjournment
Divis moved that the meeting be adjourned. Khenissi seconded. The board was adjourned at about 8:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Foxhall
Recording Secretary
2021-2022