Thursday, January 27, 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, Ken Jost, Selma Khenissi and Celia Wexler.
Excused absences: Board member Jacqueline Fuller.
Special guests: Region 2 coordinator Stephenie Overman; student chapter liaison Kathleen Burns; Hall of Fame Committee Chair Steve Taylor; and Andy Schotz.
Call to Order
President Randy Showstack called the meeting to order at about 6:48 p.m.
Minutes
The draft minutes of the November and December 2021 meetings had been sent to the board by Recording Secretary Kathryn Foxhall ahead of the meeting.
In discussion about the November minutes, Showstack suggested a couple of typographical changes to the draft.
After further discussion Corresponding Secretary Amy Fickling moved that the board approve the minutes for the November meeting, with the changes she had suggested in earlier email discussions, incorporating the typographical fixes. Board member Denise Dunbar seconded. The board voted to approve the motion.
Vice President Dee Ann Divis moved that the board approve the December minutes. Board member Julie Asher seconded. The board voted to approve the motion.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Dan Kubiske moved the board accept the treasurer’s report he had circulated by email earlier. Board member and Assistant Treasurer Celia Wexler seconded.
Kubiske noted that overall the chapter’s funds had increased recently because we are not spending much.
He reported we are paying $49 for McAfee protection for the treasurer’s computer recently purchased by the chapter.
The board voted to approve the motion.
PIO Report
Foxhall reported on work on restrictions on reporting through public information officers and related issues. About 12 years ago journalists worked with the Obama administration asking from removal of restrictions forcing reporters to go through PIOs. That administration instead made the restrictions part of its scientific integrity policy. Now the Biden administration has followed suit. Recently SPJ and the Society of Environmental Journalists wrote to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in plain language calling the restrictions censorship.
She also said she is working hard on an article on the subject for the Columbia Journalism Review.
Campus Liaison Report
Student chapter liaison Kathleen Burns reported there are new faculty advisers at George Washington University and at George Mason University. She said she will be talking to the GW adviser on awards for student chapters, participation in the regional conference, and applications for SDX Foundation of Washington journalism scholarships. She said she is also in contact with Marymount University about the fees for starting up a chapter there, and she is looking for a contact at Howard University.
Region 2 Coordinator Stephenie Overman noted that if a chapter organization is a part of the Associated Collegiate Press then they can get membership for all of their student newsroom.
Burns also said that radio station WAMU, whose GM was interviewed for a recent virtual chapter program is enthusiastic about finding out how to get involved with SPJ.
Hall of Fame Awards
After discussion with Hall of Fame and DSA Committee Chair Steve Taylor, Kubiske moved that the board renew its decision to honor the people it had previously chosen for Hall of Fame induction and the Distinguished Service Award in local journalism, at the planned June dinner this year. Asher seconded the motion.
The names selected for the 2020 dinner were held over to 2021 when the dinner that year was not held due to COVID-19 restrictions. In 2021, the situation did not allow holding the dinner, so the names were again held over to decide for 2022. The sense of the board has been to only present those honors at an in-person event.
The board voted to approve the motion.
With conditions still not certain for holding an in-person event in 2022, the board discussed establishing a timeline for making the decision to proceed with one, as the chapter is still under contract with the National Press Club to hold the dinner in June. Asher volunteered to help with that.
Fickling reported that the Club banquet contact on our contract recently checked in with her, emphasizing, the Club’s requirement for proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test within 48 hours for entry to the Club.
Divis asked if anyone on the board was not comfortable with having a live event in June. Board members said they were comfortable with planning the dinner, knowing that things could change.
Members discussed how the invitations might be done, if we move entirely to email.
Andy Schotz brought up the question of personal distancing and whether we may want to limit the number of people invited and therefore the number in the NPC ballroom.
Asher volunteered to look at the former timeline for the awards and report to the board.
Showstack reported that the Dateline Awards coordinator said we have an 87.5 percent increase over the number of entries at this same point a year ago, in the contest this year. Entries are being accepted through Feb. 28.
Board member Selma Khenissi said she is volunteering to help with the Hall of Fame and the Distinguished Service Awards.
Amicus Brief
Robert Becker, an SPJ member and a board member of the D.C. Open Government Coalition, joined the meeting at about 7:30 p.m. to discuss a legal case about D.C. government records access.
He told the board that D.C., like the federal government, has what is called the E-FOIA provision that calls for certain types of documents to be published on the internet automatically so that people can get them without having to file a FOIA request. The budget documents are one category under those requirements. Despite that provision being in the D.C. Code since 2000, Becker said most D.C. agencies don’t comply at all.
The D.C. Court of Appeals now has a case before it on the issue. Public Citizen is doing a brief for itself and the D.C. Open Government Coalition. Becker asked the chapter sign on to the brief, which he had circulated to the board earlier, and provide a brief statement about chapter on why it’s in a position to advise the court.
He said a decision in Public Citizen’s and the coalition’s favor on this would be a tool to incentivize other agencies to comply with the law.
Board member Ken Jost moved the chapter join the amicus brief as described by Becker. Dunbar seconded.
Kubiske called the question.
The board voted to approve the motion.
Wexler volunteered to write the paragraph describing the chapter and why it can advise the court.
Board members decided to add to the original motion that we tasked Wexler with drafting the paragraph about DC Pro and presenting a version to the board.
Jost and Dunbar accepted that as a friendly amendment. The board revoted and approved the motion with that amendment.
Burns asked Becker if there would be a press conference if the court decided in our favor. He said he could not predict how long it will take for the court to decide.
Region 2
Overman reported that the Region 2 conference is planned for April 23, in person, and the Virginia Tech chapter is excited about hosting it in Roanoke, Virginia. The Virginia Pro Chapter will be giving annual George Mason Award to Beth Macy, the author of “Dopesick,” so Virginia Pro is also involved in the planning.
Report on National SPJ
Overman reported on the recent SPJ headquarters board meeting saying that by this time the headquarters building has been sold and the headquarters staff may be in the process of moving out. There has been serious staff turnover. There are new people working with web design and with membership.
She said SPJ president Rebecca Aguilar is particularly interested in the safety of local television journalists. There is concern at smaller stations that there is no one going out with individual reporters.
The SPJ board is moving toward planning for the national conference this fall, which will be called Media Fest 22.
The 2023 conference will be in Las Vegas.
Planning for National Conference
Showstack noted that SPJ President-elect Claire Regan had invited Vice President Dee Ann Divis and himself to be part of the national SPJ conference planning committee meeting, February 10.
Headquarters has been gathering details from the partner groups College Media Association and Associated Collegiate Press.
Showstack said we want to make sure the national conference is very serious because it comes at a crucial time and is in Washington, right before the mid-term elections and we are partnering with student media groups.
Divis said we should include in the meeting training on managing computer security and also get some inspiring people to talk on reporting in difficult situations in regard to January 6. She said we want to have programming that is as hard-nosed as the challenges we face.
Showstack said that he thinks it’s important for the conference to focus on some significant themes, including a theme of democracy. He said that Washington Post reporter Bob Costa has talked about the need for news services to consider having a democracy beat. Showstack said two other significant themes that the conference should focus on are disinformation and climate change, which he said are existential crises in their own manner.
Wexler said she would include disinformation as a part of what’s jeopardizing democracy. She also mentioned the subjects of how journalists can do their jobs safely and race as it impacts voter suppression.
Dunbar said that she felt the biggest threats to journalists are open government issues and personal safety. Kubiske said the international community is planning to give free safety assessments at the meeting, for journalists according to their assignment areas.
Divis noted Showstack has talked about getting this region’s press organizations together and she would like to add to that creating an alert list for the journalism community in case of urgent events and when we can help each other, so we “can back each other up so that nobody can shut us all down.”
Board members had extensive discussions on presenting ideas to the SPJ conference planning committee.
Kubiske also noted that he thinks the February 10 meeting will be mostly a meet and greet, and Divis said that the real work probably then gets started in March.
Adjournment
Kubiske moved that we adjourn the meeting. Divis seconded. The board voted to approve the motion.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Foxhall
Recording Secretary
2021-2022