How public is public information? How can reporters and editors deal with public information officers, and others, who put barriers between the audience and primary sources? Joinour speakers for  Paul Fletcher, publisher of Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Frank LoMonte, director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, and veteran Washington reporter Kathryn Foxhall for a practical discussion about this vital, worsening problem.

Speakers

Register here: Censorship: Getting Past Reporting Roadblocks in the Time of COVID-19

Kick off the week of emphasis on efforts to promote open government and “sunshine” laws that require government business to be publicly accessible with the March 15 program at 11:30 a.m. EDT sponsored by the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Team and the National Press Club Journalism Institute, “Sunshine Week: Press freedom, investigative journalism and opening closed doors.”

They will lead a discussion on public access to information and the role that investigative journalism plays in restoring public trust, with practical advice from Associated Press global investigations editor Ron Nixon and The Markup president Nabiha Syed, moderated by CQ Roll Call senior writer John Donnelly.

Participants will learn:
— How to overcome obstacles and access government information
— Methods for diversifying investigative teams and what/who journalists investigate
— Ways news organizations are addressing escalating threats to journalists.

To participate, register in advance by clicking here.

SPJ Freedom of Information Committee Chairman Haisten Willis leads the talk with Adam Marshall, senior staff attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Helen Darbishire, executive director of Access Info Europe, about the freedom of information/right to know laws around the world.

To join the discussion, register in advance here.

Ginger McCall, a DCOGC board member, will lead a wide-ranging discussion with the new City Council members: Christina Henderson (at-large) and Brooke Pinto (Ward 2). The session will explore their views on transparency laws that foster greater public knowledge of and participation in government decision-making, as well as enhanced accountability of agencies and officials.

Empower Ed’s Scott Goldstein and D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson will join Sandra Moscoso, another DCOGC board member, to explore continuing efforts to improve public access to records of D.C. public and charter schools, and meetings of charter school boards. They will discuss how greater access can empower parents and teachers to play a more effective role in shaping the District’s school systems.

Nate Jones, a Washington Post FOI expert, Niquelle Allen, D.C. Office of Open Government director, and Fritz Mulhauser, DCOGC blogger-in-chief, will assess the state of D.C.’s Freedom of Information Act today. They will address the novel coronavirus pandemic’s impact on FOIA compliance generally, the Metropolitan Police Department’s long-standing resistance against transparency, and the governmentwide failure to implement proactive disclosure requirements.

Tom Susman, DCOGC president, will conclude the Summit with a community call to action, outlining how individuals and organizations can use transparency tools to make local government more efficient and accountable.

Register HERE

The panel will discuss the growing issue of government use of algorithms to make major decisions, such as determining education funding, who gets a COVID-19 vaccine first, and even predicting risk of reoffending for people with criminal records. These algorithms are often biased, far from transparent and created by private contractors that refuse to disclose their origins, citing trade secrets.

Panel of journalists and subject matter experts will discuss the intricacies of the issue and its growing importance in American society.

Specific topics will include:
— How algorithms are constructed, and the big decisions that are now being left to them.
— The best ways for reporters to learn about and inform the public of the issue.
— How bias is baked into algorithms, and why it’s so important that their use becomes more transparent.
— How journalists and journalism advocacy organizations can push for transparency in algorithms, and how some already are.
— How to make artificial intelligence less biased.

Panelists include: Khari Johnson, AI reporter for Venture Beat; Michele Gilman, University of Baltimore professor and faculty fellow at the Data and Society Research Institute; Israel Balderas, assistant professor of convergence journalism at Palm Beach Atlantic University; and moderator Michael Savino, reporter at WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut.

To participate, register by following this link.

For now we are still holding meetings on Zoom. Please let us know if you want to attend this meeting. You can request a ZOOM link by dropping us a note at spjdcchapter@gmail.com

SPJ/LA to explore the give-and-take between journalists and PIOs

Government agencies bring on public information officers to make sure critical information reaches the public. But for those PIOs, can the obligation to serve their agency run counter to their responsibility to the public?

SPJ/LA will explore those and other issues on Thursday during the virtual panel “Just Doing My Job: Protecting the Agency vs. Serving the Public.”

The panel, which begins at 7 p.m.(PT), will feature journalists and public affairs experts from across the region.

The event will be moderated by Ben Davis, journalism professor at Cal State, Northridge. Appearing with him are:

• Lisa Derderian, Public Information Officer, City of Pasadena
• Susan Hirasuna, Anchor/Reporter, FOX 11
• Claudia Peschiutta, Daily News Editor, KPCC-FM
• Kerri Webb, Director of Public Information and Government Relations, El Camino College

For more information, contact Nathan Solis at njsolis@gmail.com.

To RSVP for the event, please click here by 4:00pm (PT) on Thursday, March 3.