SPJ at-large director addresses Region 9 conference attendees

The following remarks were delivered April 24 at the opening of the Society of Professional Journalists Region 9 Conference on the Auraria campus in Denver.

By Bill McCloskey

SPJ National Director-At-Large

Strong as ever

SPJ is moving ahead as strong as ever. While membership still declines slightly in these post-recession years, down to about 7,500, we are still the largest organization of journalists in the United States and financially the organization is better than ever thanks to innovative partnerships with RTDNA, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, ACES, JAWS and others.

Bill McCloskey, at-large director, Society of Professional Journalists

Fighting for Journalists

FOIA Improvement Act: SPJ advocated for the FOIA Improvement Act of 2014, which fizzled out at the end of the 2014 legislative session. However, the FOIA Improvement Act of 2015 is alive and well and SPJ continues to monitor and advocate for this bill’s passage.
Federal Shield Law: SPJ continues to monitor and fight for a federal shield law, which would help protect journalists from the 800-some subpoenas issued against journalists annually by federal agencies.
Advocacy: SPJ has been a strong voice in fighting for open government (White House letter); Public Information Officer transparency (letters to EPA and others); transparency in death penalty cases (in Ohio and Virginia, specifically); reporters’ rights (including student reporters such as editor of Western Illinois University; reporters covering events in Ferguson, Mo., etc.) SPJ frequently signs on to letters and amicus briefs calling for transparency in various government and legal dealings. Most recently, SPJ signed on to amicus briefs in a West Virginia coal mine case and a Montana open records case.

Ethics Code Update

The revised Code of Ethics was adopted at EIJ14 in Nashville, Tenn., in September. Since then, the revised code has been promoted to members, media and the general public. Posters and bookmarks have been sent to newsrooms, journalism schools, journalism professors, student newsrooms, journalism conferences, Scripps and other SPJ-related events. Andrew Seaman, chair of the ethics committee, has been discussing the Code at various seminars and conferences he has attended and will be attending in the coming months.

This is the first revision since 1996. While the revision of the Code does not involve any major philosophical shift, the process included recognition of social media and other journalist developments since 1996. Led by then-ethics committee chair Kevin Smith, the nine-person committee and others divided the four sections of the Code (Seek Truth & Report It, Minimize Harm, Act Independently and Be Accountable) into subcommittees and worked on revisions throughout the year.

You can print your own Code of Ethics bookmarks and posters from here: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp/ or shoot Communications Coordinator Taylor Carlier an email at tcarlier@spj.org to be added to the next mailing. Supplemental and explanatory links will be available online within the Code in the next few months.

Communities

SPJ is excited to now have five communities — Freelance, Digital, International, Gen J and Student. Digital and Freelance communities elected officers in January. They took office Feb. 1 and the initial term will extend through Sept. 20, the last day of EIJ15. Future terms will run from convention to convention. A community is like a thematic chapter that anyone can join to focus on a shared interest. If you have not checked them out yet, you should. Get involved and invite others to join!

Excellence in Journalism convention, #EIJ15
Be sure to attend the Excellence in Journalism 2015 conference Sept. 18-20, 2015, at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Fla. Check out all the details online at www.excellenceinjournalism.org/

Excellence in Journalism will again feature a mix of cutting-edge training and education for all journalists, media professionals and educators. It’s our fifth year of collaboration with the Radio Television Digital News Association and second year with National Association of Hispanic Journalists. You’ll get training on database reporting, web coding, narrative storytelling, job searching in a difficult market, and a lot of mainstays on ethics, open government, diversity and the like. It’s a big conference with a lot of training and panel discussions on industry trends — and a lot of fun. There will definitely be something for everyone — from students to long-time news managers to folks just wanting to spend time in Orlando – and Walt Disney World — with 1,000 of their closest journalism friends.

Sigma Delta Chi Foundation

The SDX Foundation, a supporting foundation to SPJ, has been busy helping improve journalism by continuing to fund important training programs, including the SPJ national convention, daylong SPJ training workshops, online video training and watchdog boot camps in coordination with Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). Also, the Foundation funds scholarships to the SPJ national convention and recognizes outstanding First Amendment work. Make your tax-deductible contribution every year to SDX Foundation to improve and protect journalism.

Get involved in SPJ!

SPJ wants you! SPJ is looking for volunteers who are passionate about journalism and SPJ to serve on national committees and the national board. If you are interested in sharing your expertise or participating at the national level, talk to anyone on the board, at SPJ HQ or contact past president Sonny Albarado, nominations chair, for details at salbarado@spj.org. For more information about elections, visit http://www.spj.org/elections.asp/

Here are open board seats:

President-elect (elected every year)
Secretary-Treasurer (elected every year)
Vice President of Campus Chapter Affairs (two-year position)
At-Large Director (two-year position)
Campus Adviser At-Large (two-year position)
Student Representative (two positions, elected every year)
Directors for Regions 2, 3, 6, 10, 11 and 12 (two-year positions)

We are also looking for nominations for Volunteer of the Month. If you have a Volunteer of the Month nominee, send it to Susan Stevens at susanstevens@aol.com. Nominations are due by the 5th of each month.

Revamped Job Bank/Career Center

Whether you are looking for a job or have an opening to share, the revamped SPJ job bank/career center is the place to be. Job seekers can browse new jobs, search listings, upload their resume and more. Employers can post jobs and search resumes. To register, visit http://www.spj.org/jobs.asp/

Professional opportunities and discounted services for SPJ members

Your SPJ membership comes with many benefits. Simply inform the following vendors that you are a member of SPJ and receive these special offers. For more details, visit http://www.spj.org/whyjoin4.asp/

Life insurance, accident insurance and identity theft protection through MetLife
Individual financial services benefits through Indianapolis-based financial services firm and consultants Harry W. Riley and David N. Brown. SPJ members are entitled to receive free quotes for coverage and access to the following products:
- Life Insurance
- Disability Income Coverage
- Long Term Care Insurance
- Retirement Solutions
- Liability Coverage, also called Errors & Omissions (E&O) coverage
A 20 percent discount on an AP Stylebook Online subscription.
As an SPJ member you may be eligible for an 8 percent discount on Geico homeowner’s, renter’s, condo, motorcycle, boat, PWC, ATV and RV insurance.
Car rental discounts from Alamo, Avis and Hertz