Not pursuing ‘illegal immigrant’ campaign

Contrary to many references in recent days, SPJ has not engaged in any initiative to end the use of the term “illegal immigrant.” One of SPJ’s volunteer Diversity Committee members, Leo Laurence, wrote a blog post and an article expressing his personal opinion and reporting discussion within the committee on this topic. However, the committee did not reach any consensus, nor has national SPJ.

The views expressed by Laurence in Quill magazine, SPJ’s Diversity Committee blog “Who’s News,” and on subsequent television programs are his personal opinion and do not reflect the views of SPJ nor its Diversity Committee.

SPJ President Hagit Limor went on Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor” Tuesday to clarify any misperceptions regarding the Society’s position on the controversy. Watch the segment with Limor and Laurence by following this link.

In case you missed it: Nov/Dec Quill

The Nov/Dec issue of Quill is out and ready for your enjoyment. Print copies are on the way (if they haven’t arrived already). But don’t forget to read online, too. There are two ways to enjoy online:

- Digital Quill, the fully functional e-magazine. Read it here.

- On the Web at the Quill site.

In this issue:

- The University of Colorado-Boulder shot across the figurative bow with the late-August announcement of a potential “discontinuance” of its journalism school. In light of that, is it a new day or dark day in journalism education?
Read the story.

- Hyperlocal news sites like Patch.com are popping up all over the country – and boosting journalism employment. Is it sustainable or a fleeting trend? Read the story.

- Sure, adjunct and other teaching gigs seem attractive. But do you really have the technical and digital skills to enter the classroom? Read the story.

- A remembrance of past SPJ President Phil Record, a 55-year member whose presidency helped steer SPJ out of financial difficulty. Read the story.

- 10 questions with Tracy Record, co-founder and editor of West Seattle Blog. Read the interview.

And don’t forget the regular slate of Toolbox columns on topics from ethics to diversity to digital media, all aimed at giving you tips on becoming a better journalist.

Hot off the presses!

SPJ is constantly at work fighting for First Amendment freedoms, upholding journalism ethics and training for the future of the profession. Here is a look at some of the latest news releases SPJ has issued:

“SPJ president urges AP to continue internship programs”
AP officials last week confirmed they were considering dropping their internship program as part of an overall restructuring AP chief executive officer Tom Curley called a “business transformation.” A final decision is expected this month…. (Read more)

“SPJ supports Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s battle for public records”
The Society of Professional Journalists is granting the Evergreen Freedom Foundation $1,000 for its pursuit of records regarding a ferry accident last year at Seattle’s Colman Dock. The case is set go before the state appellate courts to determine whether a Federal regulation can be used to override the Washington State Public Records Act, keeping the documents sealed…. (Read more)

Read more of the latest news from SPJ by following this link.

SPJ to “Turn UC Red”

It’s happened to all of us. One day you’re about to pull through an intersection and someone cuts you off because they don’t even see you coming. Why? Because they’re driving while they’re on the phone. Or worse yet, they’re trying to send a text message or e-mail, punching away frantically at those tiny keys while trying to navigate through traffic. These types of close calls can be scary and infuriating at the same time. But it happens thousands of times every day, whether you’re on the interstate during rush hour traffic or driving across town on your way to the store.

On January 15, 2010 Oprah Winfrey committed an entire show to the stories of people who have lost their lives, or the lives of their loved ones as a result of distracted driving. During that episode, viewers learned that nearly 500,000 injuries and 6,000 deaths occur each year because someone was talking on the phone, texting or e-mailing while driving. At first, the figures seemed astronomical to me. But then I stopped to think about how many times I see people doing these very things every day, or even how many times I’ve taken a call on the road, and I knew that the numbers were right. I also knew that something had to be done.

But as you’ve probably guessed, Oprah didn’t sit on her laurels and expect the problem to go away. No, she began a revolution and has continued to ask her viewers and guests alike to make a commitment to putting an end to these senseless deaths. She created the No Phone Zone Pledge, and has asked everybody she talks with to sign it. To date, everyone from Tyler Perry and Morgan Freeman to Sandra Bullock and Jerry Seinfeld and even the cast of Glee have signed the pledge and promised to stop using their phones while driving.

Today, I implored the University of Cincinnati chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to help me “turn UC red!” I am delighted to report that every single member in attendance at today’s meeting signed the pledge. And now, we will ask our members, classmates, professors and more to sign the No Phone Zone Pledge and join us in supporting Oprah’s campaign to put a stop to distracted driving.

Please be sure to follow us on Twitter and visit us at Turn UC Red where you can print the pledge and fill it out today. Then drop it by the Journalism Program’s office in the basement of McMicken. We’ll be keeping a running total of the forms we accumulate and you’ll see the results posted here over the duration of the campaign. We don’t want to see any one of you die in one of these senseless accidents. Make the pledge and save a life. The life you save could be your own.

Best,

Jathan

Jathan Fink
President
UC Society of Professional Journalists

Fellow student journalists need your help!

Hello friends!

Fellow student journalists at Ohio University are experiencing some trouble with their Board of Trustees and obtaining public records.

Evan, OU Society of Professional Journalists president, has posted on the chapters’ blog about the problem they are having with C. Daniel Delawder, board chairman.

The blog entry states:

“To use Mr. Delawder’s own words, this is a very sore subject for me, and perhaps it is time we start pushing back. And I am quite serious. Should this asinine policy be implemented by the OU Board of Trustees, SPJ will certainly push back – just like it has done for the past 100 years in order to protect the nature and rights of people and journalists across the nation. The Board needs to live up to its creed of account ability to its constituencies and hiding public records is quite counterproductive.”

I recommend everyone read the article and extend a helping hand to our peers. This may not be happening on our campus right now, but if we ever needed help, certainly they would do the same for us. We are all journalists fighting the same fight for the right to report the truth. The laws – Ohio Open Records Law, an extension of the Freedom of Information Act – that grant access to public records are imperative to journalists in reporting all of the necessary information.

And, because the mission of the Society of Professional Journalists is to improve and protect journalism, it’s time we step up to do just that.

Visit the OU SPJ blog here. Let them know you’re behind them and that, as journalists, as students at a public university, you won’t tolerate the blatant disregard for the law.