Vol. 4, No. 2 March 2019
Inside this issue:
-Activities coming up this week, and save some later dates
-MDDC hosts May 10 conference in Annapolis on ‘Local News Builds Communities’
-Chapter is out to the ballpark Saturday, June 22, for fun and funds
-Newseum is closing, but journalism groups planning a guided tour together Sept. 21
-More details soon: Tuesday, June 11, is Dateline Awards dinner night
-Chapter election in April; slate announced
-Coverage of some Sunshine Week (March 10-16) events
-Past chapter presidents put their heads together
-Will newspapers survive tech and economic changes?
-Calendar of upcoming DC Pro, SPJ-related events
WHAT’S AHEAD . . .
UPDATE ON APRIL 11 (online version only)
Friday, April 12: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. — Committee to Protect Journalists invites SPJ DC Pro and colleagues to a program at Eaton (1201 K Street NW) for an event related to the group’s recently launched book celebrating the legacies of journalists who have been killed doing their jobs, The Last Column.
Courtney Radsch, CPJ advocacy director, and VOA director Amanda Bennett will be on a panel moderated by Colin Nagy that will the address the human cost of journalism, how to keep reporters safe, as well as examine in detail the new threats to free speech.
Please RSVP to press@cpj.org if you can attend.
Looking ahead — EVENTBRITE RSVPs NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR . . .
Tuesday, May 7: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. — Spring SPJ DC happy hour at the National Press Club — Celebrate the end of the semester with our spring SPJ DC happy hour. Join the Society of Professional Journalists D.C. Pro Chapter and journalism students from Georgetown University and the University of Maryland for a spring mixer on May 7 as we toast the end of classes.
The event is set for the NPC’s McClendon Room, 529 14th Street NW in downtown D.C. The club is a short walk from the Metro Center and McPherson Square Metro stations. Cash bar and food (and non-alcoholic drinks are available, too).
We’ll take a tour of the club and leave plenty of time for networking. Be sure to bring your business cards.
There is no charge to attend. Pay for what you want to eat and/or drink. You must register in advance so that the National Press Club will admit you for the event. (We’ll plan to send you an entry code for your phone or to print out.) Questions to DC Pro Chapter President Jonathan Make at press@warren-news.com or 202-872-9200.
As published:
Coming up this week:
Monday, April 1: 8 p.m. National Press Club – The Kalb Report with Cokie Roberts. SPJ DC members and the public are invited to attend for free; register here, and you must be seated by 7:40 p.m. as the event will be taped live.
Friday-Sunday, April 5-7: Region 2 Conference in Ocean City, Maryland
Saturday, April 6: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Journalism Job Fair at Georgetown University’s Continuing Education Campus on Mass. Ave. NW
Save these dates:
Tuesday, April 16: SPJ/NPC freelance group lunch meeting, noon, National Press Club
Tuesday, June 11: DC Pro’s annual Dateline Awards and Hall of Fame dinner, NPC
Saturday, June 22: 4:05 p.m. – Chapter’s annual baseball outing to Nats Park
Keep reading for additional details and more chapter news . . . .
Want a First Amendment T-shirt? Order now so you can have it by “May the First”: SPJ. org has the info here. (That’s Ann Augherton upholding it.)
Monday, April 1, 8 p.m. NPC – The Kalb Report with Cokie Roberts
In case you haven’t seen the promotion about the latest taping of The Kalb Report, here’s your chance to sit in the audience in the National Press Club Ballroom on Monday, April 1, for the interview with Cokie Roberts. The event starts at 8 p.m., but you must be seated by 7:40 p.m.
The veteran broadcast journalist will talk about “Democracy, Politics and the Press.” Don’t hesitate to register – it’s open to the public, and besides that, SPJ DC Pro has received invitations to attend from some of the event producers.
Go here to RSVP.
Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Journalism Job Fair
SPJ DC Pro is again (it’s our sixth year!) a proud sponsor and co-organizer of the annual DC Journalism Job Fair, to be held Saturday, April 6, at the Georgetown University Continuing Education campus on Mass. Ave. NW.
D.C. Journalism Job Fair
Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Georgetown University Continuing Education campus
640 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Near Chinatown/Gallery Place Metro station
Early registration is still open through Friday, April 5, for $15, but you may still arrive and pay at the door. No refunds will be available. Have a photo ID ready and available for entry to the building and to assist in check-in at the registration table. For walk-ins, it is recommended that you arrive early, and be prepared to wait in line to pay your registration fee of $20. Walk-ins will not be accepted after 1:30 p.m. to give everyone time to make the rounds to employers’ recruiting tables and be wrapped up by 2 p.m.
For information and to pre-register, go here. For any questions, please email dcjournojobfair@gmail.com.
Friday – Sunday, April 5-7 – Region 2 Conference / Mark of Excellence Awards
Registration has ended for the Region 2 Conference in Ocean City, set for the first weekend of April. The annual event will also host a college debate tournament on the topic of the First Amendment.
We’ll try to have some coverage from the conference for the next issue of Dateline Online, as there will be chapter members involved in the programming and others attending.
DC Pro member Stephenie Overman and SPJ member Ruth E. Thaler-Carter will present on Saturday, April 6, on “Make the Move to Freelancing.” The longtime freelancers will lead a discussion on what it takes to be self-employed in today’s market.
Two past SDX Foundation of Washington, D.C., scholarship awardees, who were both students at the University of Maryland-College Park, will also be featured. Brett Hall, a reporter with WAVY-TV 10/FOX43 in Portsmouth, Virginia, will be presenting during a Saturday session on covering racial issues that have arisen in the politics and state government of that state – “Virginia: Upheaval in the Commonwealth.” Arelis Hernandez, who also now serves on the board of SDX-DC and is a Washington Post reporter who covers Prince George’s County, Maryland, is the keynote speaker for the Mark of Excellence Awards presentation festivities Saturday evening. The Mark of Excellence Awards recognize outstanding college journalism.
Tuesday, April 16, noon – SPJ freelance lunch, National Press Club
The group meets at noon. Let Stephenie Overman know if you plan to attend.
Friday, May 10, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – “Local News Builds Communities Conference & Celebration” in Annapolis
The Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Association invites SPJ DC and national SPJ members in the area to register to attend their daylong annual conference, this year with a focus on local news. Major Garrett of CBS News will give a luncheon keynote speech on the topic.
The conference will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Annapolis, Maryland. Individuals may register for $75 each. Register by May 6. See the conference brochure for more information on sessions and speakers. SPJ DC’s Andy Schotz, who also is SPJ Region 2 coordinator, is speaking on police records in the region.
MDDC is presenting its first “Courage in Journalism” award during the noon lunch.
In related news, the Pew Research Center recently released results of a survey of how well Americans think their local news outlets are performing.
Saturday, June 22, 4:05 p.m. – Chapter’s annual baseball outing to Nats Park
Take yourself out to a ballgame with SPJ DC Pro, and help fund the SDX Foundation of Washington, D.C., journalism scholarship fund at the same time.
Local chapter members and colleagues and board members from national SPJ who will be in town for the Friday night, June 21, Sigma Delta Chi Awards dinner at the National Press Club, will take in a game at 4:05 p.m. the next afternoon, June 22. The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves at Nats Park.
All of the price you pay for your ticket price will be donated directly to SDX-DC’s scholarship fund, to be awarded to future undergraduates at local colleges and universities who have expressed a firm intention to make journalism their career upon graduation.
The game ticket arrangements are by longtime DC Pro member Bill McCloskey, who also is a Nats season ticket holder. Price is $20 per ticket. Payment is due in advance, by check, to Bill McCloskey, 4709 Overbrook Road, Bethesda, MD 20816-3029. Contact McCloskey with questions at bmcclos325@aol.com. Or email DC Pro chapter President Jonathan Make at press@warren-news.com.
Saturday, Sept. 21, 1 p.m. – Newseum guided tour for journalism groups before it closes
Sadly, the Newseum will be moving out of its iconic location on Pennsylvania Avenue by the end of the year. Some area journalism groups have arranged a tour for fellow journalists to see it one last time, in the company of those whose profession the museum of news is dedicated to. Event organizers, in addition to SPJ DC Pro, are the SPJ Maryland Pro chapter, the Maryland,-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, the Baltimore Association of Black Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.
We have some preliminary details, and a formal invitation will go out once the rest are finalized. If you have questions or suggestions, contact SPJ DC Pro President Jonathan Make on Twitter or by email at press@warren-news.com or by phone at 202-872-9200.
The cost will be $21 per adult for the tour that will last about an hour. Afterward, there will be a journalists meet-up at the nearby Elephant & Castle restaurant at 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, in Washington, DC.
Tuesday, June 11, 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. dinner – Dateline Awards and Hall of Fame dinner, National Press Club
Judging of the SPJ DC Pro Dateline Awards contest entries by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania (in a judging exchange) is underway, and before you know it, finalists for the awards will be learning of their status and getting invitations to attend the chapter’s annual Dateline Awards and Hall of Fame dinner, where they will find out in an audience of their peers who was declared the winner in a wide range of entry categories.
With veteran Washington journalists who are being inducted into the chapter’s Hall of Fame that night reminiscing about their careers and their impressions of the profession over their years of practicing it, the whole evening is a fitting tribute to all our hard work at keeping the public informed about government, society and how we fit into the world at large.
We hope you have been saving the date, and will be getting more information out about reserving your spot soon. You don’t have to be an awards contest entrant or even a finalist to attend, as the evening program should appeal to anyone who “hearts” journalism. The SDX Foundation of Washington, D.C., journalism scholarship recipients for the 2019-2020 academic year will also be introduced that night.
Please plan to join us!
Annual DC Pro Chapter election – balloting will be in April
Those who are “members in good standing” of the DC Pro Chapter of SPJ (your dues are current and you’ve also kept current on your national SPJ dues) will receive an official ballot for voting in the annual election (most will receive an electronic form). This will be preceded by an email with the bios and candidate statements for those running in the election. Stay tuned!
Officer positions are president, vice president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer. Of the six at-large board seats, three are up for election each year, unless a seat has been vacated before the term ends, in which case that seat would be up for election for the year remaining in the term. Currently, there will be three two-year terms and one one-year term on the next ballot.
The following have been nominated for the 2019-2020 chapter year:
OFFICERS
Randy Showstack — president
Dee Ann Divis — vice president
Kathryn Foxhall — secretary
Amy Fickling — treasurer
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Two-year positions on the board:
Selma Khenissi
Celia Wexler
Denise Dunbar
Kathy Burns
One-year position on the board (fills out unexpired term):
Dan Kubiske
Sunshine Week and Freedom of Information coverage
On Friday, March 8, the Freedom Forum Institute hosted a National Freedom of Information Day Conference at the Newseum, which was open to the public at no charge to attend. It previewed initiatives for Sunshine Week (March 10-16), which culminated with National Freedom of Information Day on March 16, the birthdate of James Madison, who is known as the Father of the Constitution and key author of its Bill of Rights.
DC Pro Chapter member Celia Wexler covered the event and wrote about it here. As she mentions in her online article: “Future generations will ask: ‘What did you do?’” keynote speaker Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., challenged the journalists in the room.
“Did you write the story, did you write it accurately, did you write it as you saw it? Did you take a moment to write the editorial? … [Or] did you become fearful and say I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to me if I do what the Constitution says I can do?” (See it on C-SPAN here.)
Cummings received the “Sunshine in Government Award” from the coalition News Media for Open Government during the Freedom Forum event.
Cummings was late for his scheduled luncheon speech because he was on Capitol Hill to introduce legislation to make special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election public.
DC Pro Chapter member Kathryn Foxhall, who also is on the national SPJ Freedom of Information Committee, also attended, and got a little surprise during a morning session. She wrote:
In 2012 I did some preliminary research for the Association of Health Care Journalists on an issue that might have seemed obscure. I reported back to AHCJ that the Argus Leader, a newspaper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for information on how much each establishment that participates in the food stamp program, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is reimbursed for food stamps.
I had the fun of gathering documents and talking to the Argus Leader reporter, Jonathan Ellis. AHCJ and other journalism groups supported the newspaper’s case with a letter to USDA.
Now, after numerous things have happened, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in that case on April 22, and it could have the most important consequences for interpretation of the Freedom of Information Act in some time. In particular, it has implications for the “trade secrets” issue that is increasingly worrisome for SPJ and other open government groups. It’s a focus of the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee.
Some businesses work with various public agencies, but they want to keep a lot of information about it secret.
In the current SNAP case, the Food Marketing Institute, which has become the plaintiff in the case, argues, “Store-level SNAP-redemption data is not subject to mandatory disclosure under FOIA. That data satisfies Exemption 4 because it is ‘commercial or financial information’ that is ‘confidential’—information that is held privately and not public disseminated.”
Thomas Bondy, one of the attorneys for the Argus Leader, told the audience that with the new Supreme Court justices, this case could show a lot about the Court’s philosophy on what information government has to reveal.
Some recent reports indicate how far beyond traditional food marketing FOIA decisions could have an influence:
— “Government, Inc.: Amazon, Government Security & Secrecy,” by Open the Government
— “Pentagon Says All of Google’s Work on Drones Is Exempt from the Freedom of Information Act ,” an article in The Intercept
— The “State Secrets” series in Reveal News, a project of The Center for Investigative Reporting.
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On Tuesday, March 12, The D.C. Open Government Coalition hosted its annual Open Government Summit at the American Bar Association.
See a blog post by DC Pro Chapter President Jonathan Make about a conversation during the summit program with D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen, chair of the Judiciary Committee, on his plan to introduce a state Freedom of Information Act-type bill to subject public charter school documents and meetings to transparency laws.
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Also on March 12, a program on “ Assaults on Science in the Trump Era,” co-sponsored by the Government Accountability Project, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Sunlight Foundation, was held at the OpenGov Hub on Vermont Ave. NW. You can check out a livestream on Facebook here and go to the March 13 post of the event held the night before. Some of the material talked about includes the report “Protecting Science at Federal Agencies: How Congress Can Help,” which was endorsed by 16 organizations across a variety of subject areas. It calls attention to recent examples of assaults on science including but not limited to censorship, political interference and unqualified appointees. Also, GAP has whistleblower guides for scientists, journalists and public interest organizations.
On March 11, the National Press Club Journalism Institute and Freedom of the Press Committee held a panel discussion on How to Find and Use Climate Data That Readers Can Trust, featuring a panel of climate science journalists and climate policy researchers. Here is coverage of the panel in the NPC’s newsletter The Wire.
See this blog by government scientist Erica Bakota published the same day.
In related news on science and science data in the Trump era, the “Scientific Integrity Act” (S. 775) was introduced in the Senate March 13. Kathryn Foxhall, who is following this bill, describes it as “meant to stop the stifling of scientific information in federal agencies and it tackles what we call the Censorship by PIO issue directly.” Here is another explanation of it.
The Government Accountability Project’s website quotes some of the organizations endorsing the bill. And an opinion piece in The Hill also promotes it.
Foxhall says she is impressed with the intent of the bill, but has some concerns about the narrow focus of the bill on scientists, wondering if that means to exclude other federal agency officials. She also wonders if the bill’s sponsors are consulting with journalism groups.
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Speaking of whistleblowers, Marcel Reid, lead organizer of the Whistleblower Summit for Civil and Human Rights, visited the March 26 meeting of the DC Pro Chapter board to let us know about her project and find out if SPJ members are interested in participating. Contact her at mreid@whistleblowersummit.com.
Looking ahead by tapping into the past
The DC Pro Chapter had a Past Presidents Summit on Feb. 24, a gathering of past DC Pro Chapter presidents to discuss programs and ideas from their terms to compare for establishing a blueprint for the chapter’s future. The summit suggestion was contained in the financial audit committee’s report in 2018, a recommendation to put the chapter on a path toward ensuring its longevity in a changing media landscape. Those who attended the meeting at the home of Maurine Beasley in Bethesda agreed that the discussion was so fruitful, the conversation should continue. In the coming months, chapter members should be learning of ways they can be involved in these talks as well. Here is DC Pro Chapter President Jonathan Make’s blog post about it. While he’s current president, he also is a past president, since he was in his first term in 2017-2018.
From the left: Amy Fickling (1991-92), Julie Asher (1992-93, 2011-13, 2014-16), Stephenie Overman (1995-96), Maurine Beasley (1990-91), Andy Schotz (2008-11), Ann Augherton (2001-03), Dan Kubiske (1997-98) and Jonathan Make (2017-19).
Will newspapers survive?
Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times, was in Washington Feb. 14 to promote and talk about her new book, “Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts.” She appeared at a breakfast session at the National Press Club, and then during a lunch-time gathering at The Aspen Institute.
I went to the second one, where she was interviewed by the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart. On the business end of her book’s title, she talked about how she was managing editor at the Times in 2007, on the eve of the financial crisis of 2008, when ad revenues started “falling through the floor.” That was the year the iPhone came out, too, she pointed out, and that was “so significant in the newspaper timeline.” It enabled a lot more use of social media such as Facebook, where people share content, such as from Buzzfeed, which she said started out with “emotional” content and was basically built on the back of Facebook. So there then began a rise in alternative media sources, too. Facebook now is “gobbling up 90% of new digital advertising,” she said. And as bad as the ad revenue crisis was in 2007 for the Times and the Post and other big papers, she said, local papers had it worse, especially with so much of classified advertising moving to Craigslist.
Twitter got its start in 2007 as well. It has become an important tool in political campaigns, which touches on the “facts” segment of her book’s title. The platform, like the iPhone itself, has had what she believes is a “bad effect on democracy itself” by creating more opportunity for partisan divides.
All of this is having an impact on journalism – and the way we “do” journalism – itself, she said. She is hopeful that “good stewards,” such as the owner of the Post Jeff Bezos, will lead the journalism world out of the identity crisis it is having as it tries to figure out how to make sure news organizations can sustain themselves financially and still do the type of work of rooting out facts that needs to be done so our democracy also survives. — Amy Fickling
Not a journalist but would like to support SPJ’s missions?
Are you reading this newsletter, and thinking you’d like to support the missions and vision of SPJ, but you’re not a journalist and may not qualify for membership? Send an email to Linda Hall at national SPJ headquarters (lindah@hq.spj.org) to find out about becoming an Associate. You won’t be a full member, but you can still add your voice.
CALENDAR for UPCOMING DC SPJ CHAPTER EVENTS
April 6 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., DC Journalism Job Fair, Georgetown University Continuing Education campus
640 Massachusetts Ave. NW (registration required)
April 16 noon, SPJ Freelance Group lunch meeting, National Press Club. Contact organizer Stephenie Overman at saoverman@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
June 11 6 p.m. cocktails, 7 p.m. dinner, Dateline Awards and Hall of Fame Dinner, National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW in Washington
June 22 4:05 p.m., SPJ DC Pro outing to Nats Park for Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves. Contact organizer Bill McCloskey at bmcclos325@aol.com for details. Must order tickets and pay in advance. All proceeds to SDX Foundation of Washington, D.C.
Sept. 21 1 p.m., guided tour with other journalism groups of Newseum before it closes at the end of 2019. (Details, Eventbrite TK. There will be a charge for adult tickets.)
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OTHER SPJ EVENTS OF INTEREST TO DC SPJ CHAPTER MEMBERS
April 5-7 Region 2 conference Ocean City, Maryland (Holiday Inn Oceanfront)
May 10 MDDC “Local News Builds Communities Conference & Celebration,” 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Annapolis DoubleTree by Hilton
June 21 Sigma Delta Chi Awards Dinner, National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW in Washington, an event hosted by national SPJ and the newly renamed Society of Professional Journalists Foundation (formerly the SDX Foundation)
Sept. 5-7 EIJ19, San Antonio, Texas
Sept. 10-12, 2020 EIJ20, Washington, D.C.
SPJ-DC leadership
President: Jonathan Make
Vice President & Program Chair: Randy Showstack
Treasurer: Amy Fickling
Corresponding Secretary: Amy Fickling
Recording Secretary: Kathryn Foxhall
Immediate Past President: Kathy Burns
Directors
Dee Ann Divis
Kenneth Jost
Ex-Officio
Sue Kopen Katcef – SPJ Vice President for Campus Chapter Affairs
Andrew Schotz – SPJ Region 2 Director
Other Officials of Note
Amy Fickling – Dateline Online (newsletter) editor
Stephenie Overman – Freelance group chair; Nominations Committee chair
Steve Taylor – HOF nominations committee chair
Julie Asher – Dateline Dinner committee chair
This information can also be found here: https://spjdc.org///board-of-directors/
Deadline for submitting copy for next newsletter: April 16
Email copy with Newsletter Copy in subject line to: spjdcchapter@gmail.com
Newsletter editor is Amy Fickling, treasurer/corresponding secretary 2018-2019
Copyright © 2019 Society of Professional Journalists, DC Pro Chapter, All rights reserved.