]]>The Madison SPJ chapter is hosting this gathering, to be held by SPJ chapters across the country. Meet your colleagues, take pride in your profession and enjoy a Wisconsin summer on the patio of one of Wisconsin’s hottest breweries. Free SPJ giveaways, too.
Join us from 6-9 pm. We’ll meet on the patio at Ale Asylum, 2002 Pankratz St., Madison (near the Dane County Regional Airport on the city’s north side). We’ll move inside during inclement weather.
This is an informal gathering. Nothing more to do than show up and be ready to socialize.
Questions? Contact Joe Radske, 262-366-1259, or Mark Pitsch, 608-252-6145.
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Podcasting 101 with (left to right): Terry Bell, Larry Hansen, Dylan Brogan
“Flying cars didn’t happen but your iPod automatically hooks up with your car radio,” said Isthmus staff writer Dylan Brogan, explaining the increasing popularity of audio podcasts.
“Journalists have to meet people where they are,” said Terry Bell, a 15-year Wisconsin Public Radio veteran who now teaches reporting classes at Madison College.
Brogan and Bell were joined in the opening session of the podcast training by Larry Hansen, Madison College journalism instructor. The training session was held at Madison College on Friday, May 6, 2016.
Hansen said the technology is “stupid simple,” and very easy to use for any iPod owner. As he uses podcasts in his teaching he has discovered that students seem to like the intimacy that the podcast offers. And as participants later discovered, creating a podcast is also pretty simple. Listen to the Podcasting 101 podcast on SoundCloud.
James Mills (far left) is the creator of “The Joy Trip Project” podcast. Katie O’Connell is producer and host of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s “Behind the Headlines” and “Unsolved” podcasts. Jason Galloway is the Wisconsin State Journal Badgers football beat reporter and host of “The Red Zone” podcast.
Podcasting is taking place in Wisconsin newsrooms. A panel of journalists who produce podcasts gave three perspectives on how they developed their own style, decided on content, determined the length of their podcast, find music for backgrounds, and actually make a living doing podcasts. Listen to the Best Practices in Journalism podcast on SoundCloud.
Terry Bell demonstrates Garage Band (left). Rebecca Wasielesky, an editor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Barry Adams, a reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, work on their podcast.
In the final session, Terry Bell led participants through the process of recording audio and then editing the audio in Garage Band, a program that comes with every Apple Mac computer. The produced podcasts were then uploaded to Soundcloud for listening and evaluating.
According to Larry Hansen, 50 million Americans listened to podcasts each month in 2014.
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]]>“How To Make Audio Podcasting Work For You” will take place Friday, May 6 at the Madison Area Technical College – Downtown campus, 211 North Carroll Street, in Madison. Morning sessions and lunch will be held in Room 240; a hands-on training session will be in Room 421. It will begin at 10 a.m. with registration starting at 9:30 a.m
Podcasting training is free for SPJ members. There is a charge of $10 for students, who are eligible to attend the morning sessions, $20 for other morning-only session attendees, and $30 for attendees of the morning and afternoon sessions. The later session will be a hands-on training course in audio recording and editing for a podcast that is limited to 20 attendees.
A catered lunch and snacks are included with all registrations. The morning sessions will be turned into podcasts, and the podcast links will be made available after those sessions have ended on the Writer’s Life Lecture Series podcast.
Madison College’s Journalism Program, of the School of Arts and Sciences, is generously sponsoring the event.
The session schedule is as follows:
9:30-10:00: Registration
10:00-11:00: “Podcasting 101 For Journalists”
Led by Madison College journalism instructor Larry Hansen, this session will offer an overview of the medium’s role in news coverage as well as covering the do’s and don’ts of podcasting along the way. Hansen will be joined by fellow Madison College instructor and former Wisconsin Public Radio Morning Edition host Terry Bell and Isthmus staff writer Dylan Brogan.
11:00-12:00:”Podcasting in Wisconsin’s Newsrooms”
Wisconsin journalists will share their experiences with producing podcasts for their respective news outlets while sharing tips for getting started. Panelists include Katie O’Connell, producer and host of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Behind the Headlines” and “Unsolved” podcasts; Jason Galloway, Wisconsin State Journal Badgers football beat reporter and host of “The Red Zone” podcast; James Mills, freelance journalist, author, and creator of “The Joy Trip Project” podcast
12:00-1:00 – Lunch and Networking
1-3:15: “Podcasting Basics: A ‘Hands-On’ Workshop”
Get a hands-on approach to recording audio, sound editing, and voicing while pulling together a sample podcast. A focus will be on the program, Garage Band, but trainer Terry Bell will also provide tips for other free programs available. This program is limited to 20 attendees; slots are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Panelists may change. Register here.
Direct questions to Breann Schossow, SPJ Madison secretary, at [email protected] or journalism instructor Larry Hansen, at [email protected].
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Professor James Baughman, of the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communications, passed away on Saturday, March 26, 2016. Professor Baughman was a supporter of SPJ, and participated in some of our meetings. We will miss his enthusiasm for the mission of journalism. Professor Baughman discussed “Journalism Issues – Past and Future” at our 2013 conference on Chester Wells, honoring the 1913 University of Wisconsin graduate who was elected the second national president of Sigma Delta Chi, which later became SPJ. Professor Baughman’s presentation is on the media page of that conference.
Memoriam from the UW School of Journalism and Mass Communications
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]]>Our March 14, 2016 conference on reporting on religion was well attended and we would like to thank all who participated, in particular our headliner David Gregory. We would also like to thank our sponsors:The University of Wisconsin Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions, and the Upper|House (an initiative of the Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation) in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Additional support came from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, the Wisconsin State Journal, WKOW television, and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
Jim Davis, one of the conference participants, wrote a report for GetReligion.org.
Here are the sessions:
#1) America’s Changing Religious Landscape
The Pew Research Center has done groundbreaking work documenting shifts in religious beliefs, affiliations, and practices in the United States. The Center’s two recent studies of the “U.S. Religious Landscape,” each aggregating some 35,000 responses, provide an in-depth look at how American religious life is changing. The results pose interesting challenges and opportunities for journalists covering religion, for public policy and for practitioners of religion. Besheer Mohamed provided an overview of the current landscape and what it means now.
As a veteran journalist who specializes both in the coverage of religion and of survey research, Cathy Lynn Grossman helped connect Besheer Mohamed’s presentation with the issues this changing landscape raises for journalists covering religion. The moderator was prof. Charles Cohen.
#2) How the Press Covers Religion and Spirituality
Religious faith plays a big part in the lives of most Americans, and issues involving religious beliefs and practice crop up constantly in public life. Nevertheless, media generally cover religious issues poorly, often failing to inform audiences about the complexity of religious beliefs or the full contexts in which faith informs individuals’ decisions. Four veteran reporters provided an inside look at how they report religious news and offer critiques of how the media covers it. Participants were: Cathy Lynn Grossman, James Davis, Jaweed Kaleem, and Chuck Stokes. John Smalley was the moderator.
#3) Too Hot to Handle? Journalists at Work
As with many topics in journalism, religion is an area that can evoke strong emotions in the midst of controversy. Differing understandings of religious tenets and structures add to the difficulties. Three journalists talked about how they managed to keep both their professional and personal balance in the midst of particularly hot religious topics that they have covered. Participants were Doug Erickson, Bob Smietana, and Dilshad Ali. The moderator was Rev. Phil Haslanger.
#4) Faith on the Street
Tony Carnes and Christopher Smith presented their work covering religion at the street level in New York City. Over the past five years, “A Journey Through NYC Religions” has explored, documented, and explained the great religious changes in New York City. Using videos from the project’s web site, Carnes and Smith demonstrated how journalists might use this approach to gain a whole new perspective on their communities. The moderator was Gordon Govier.
#5) Religious Freedom and Freedom of Conscience
This panel explored the tension between competing goods: the value Americans place on religious freedom, and the value Americans place on equality among citizens. How do we as a society negotiate this conflict? How can people covering this issue in the media appreciate all the points at stake? Panelists were Greg Jao, Rev. Scot Anderson, and John Huebscher. The moderator was prof. Donald Downs and the respondent was David Gregory. The respondent was David Gregory.
#6) KEYNOTE: A Journalist’s Unlikely Spiritual Journey
David Gregory, author of How’s Your Faith? An Unlikely Spiritual Journey, brought his understanding of the demands of journalism at the highest levels and, more recently, how he has grappled with the role faith plays in his own life. He brought a perspective to the covering of religious issues from someone who understands how journalism works and from someone who has thought deeply about religious questions. Introduction by prof. Kathleen Bartzen Culver.
And finally, thank you again to John Terrill and The Upper|House for hosting our sessions in your beautiful facility.
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]]>Dreps, who last month was inducted into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame, is retiring from full-time practice at the Madison office of Godfrey & Kahn.
“Thanks to Bob Dreps, the actions of government have been opened to scrutiny, and public officials have been held accountable,” said Andy Hall, executive director of the investigative center. “He is a hero to those who treasure our democracy.”
The award is a highlight of the sixth annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, presented jointly by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
“Thanks to Bob Dreps, the actions of government have been opened to scrutiny, and public officials have been held accountable,” said Andy Hall, executive director of the investigative center. “He is a hero to those who treasure our democracy.”
The public is invited to the April 20 event, a celebration of open government and investigative journalism. Proceeds support the nonprofit and nonpartisan Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the participation of young journalists in the event and a special investigative reporting workshop.
Past winners of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award are Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of Capital Times and a founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council; the late Dick Wheeler, founder of the Wheeler Report newsletter; U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman, chief author of the state’s open records law; Dave Umhoefer, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; and Meg Kissinger, investigative health reporter at the Journal Sentinel, who has tirelessly exposed flaws in Wisconsin’s mental health system.
The event begins with a reception at 5 p.m. April 20, followed by dinner at 6 at The Madison Club, 5 E. Wilson St. Tickets cost $55 and are available at: https://2016watchdog.eventbrite.com/
Dreps graduated first in his class in 1984 from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He served as a clerk to Judge John W. Reynolds, then chief U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. As a private attorney, Dreps represented the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, the Freedom of Information Council and dozens of newspapers and other news media organizations in state and federal cases.
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association is the lead sponsor of the Wisconsin Watchdog Awards. The MacIver Institute for Public Policy is a supporting sponsor. Event sponsors include the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, The Cap Times, Wisconsin State Journal, and Schott Bublitz & Engel law firm. Bender Westerberg LLC is a friend sponsor, with additional support from Simpson Street Free Press. Additional sponsors are welcomed. Information about becoming a sponsor is available from Andy Hall at [email protected] and at https://wisconsinwatch.org/about/donations/watchdog-sponsorship/
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]]>Records advocates plan traveling show
Among the many remarkable things about the defeat of the proposed overhaul of the Wisconsin Public Records Law over the July 4 weekend last summer was the way the media, open government groups, advocacy organizations on the left and right, and the public coalesced to point out how ill-conceived the idea was.
The reaction to this sneak attack on open government was immediate, overwhelming and decisive. No other issue in state government in recent years has generated such a uniform—and effective—response. Gov. Scott Walker and the legislature leaders backed down within 48 hours.
Lawmakers seemed chastened, but advocates of open government must remain vigilant. In fact, the efforts to restrict the public’s access to information have not stopped.
It’s not a stretch to suggest that open government in Wisconsin is threatened; some might say it’s under attack. That’s because the attempt to gut the records law is just one of several examples from the past year suggesting lawmakers’ disregard for the public’s right to know.
In response, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists are joining with open government advocates from both sides of the political aisle and media groups to bring what we’re calling the Open Government Traveling Show to communities across the state.
For three days in mid-March, during the nationwide celebration of open government known as Sunshine Week, we’ll be offering a 90-minute tutorial and presentation on the state’s open records law in eight Wisconsin cities. The goal is to help Wisconsin residents understand how the law can be used and why it is important.
In addition to WFOIC, SPJ-Madison and lawyer April Barker of Schott, Bublitz and Engel S.C., the conservative groups the MacIver Institute for Public Policy, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the liberal groups the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and the Center for Media and Democracy will take part in the Open Government Traveling Show. Despite their differences on many policy issues, these groups agree on the importance of open government.
And in fact, representatives of the MacIver Institute and WILL, along with Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, were among the most influential voices last year opposing the records changes at the Capitol.
Also supporting the Traveling Show is the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
From March 15 to 17, the tour will visit eight cities: La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay, Appleton, Sheboygan, Waukesha and Janesville. If it’s successful, we’ll consider another tour in the future.
Wisconsin’s open records law is a vital component of our representative democracy. It should be strengthened, not weakened. And we must fight to protect it.
Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (www.wisfoic.org), a nonprofit group dedicated to open government. Council member Mark Pitsch is an assistant city editor at the Wisconsin State Journal and president of the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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]]>February 23, 2016
Contact: Mark Pitsch, (608) 252-6145; Bill Lueders, (608) 669-4712
Open Government Advocates to Take Show on the Road
Advocates of open government in Wisconsin are planning a three-day, eight-city informational tour to highlight the importance of the state’s open records law, in the wake of unprecedented attacks from state lawmakers and others.
“An open society depends on open government. Wisconsin residents understand that,” says Mark Pitsch, president of the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and an assistant city editor at the Wisconsin State Journal. “Last summer’s attempt to gut the records law is just one of several recent examples of official disregard for the public’s right to know. It’s time for education and vigilance.”
The “Open Government Traveling Show” will take place from Tuesday, March 15, through Thursday, March 17, as part of national Sunshine Week, the annual “celebration of access to public information.”
The events—free and open to the public—are aimed at helping Wisconsin residents understand the open records law and how to use it. Each 90-minute presentation will feature a tutorial on the records law and examples of its use by journalists and advocates.
Participants will include representatives of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, the Center for Media and Democracy, the MacIver Institute for Public Policy and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
The tour is also supported by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. Each stop has its own local sponsor.
The traveling show will take place in the following locations:
La Crosse: March 15, 2 p.m. La Crosse Public Library. Local sponsor: La Crosse Tribune.
Eau Claire: March 15, 7 p.m. Centennial Hall, Room 1614, UW-Eau Claire. Local sponsor: Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, UW-Eau Claire chapter, Society of Professional Journalists
Wausau: March 16, 10 a.m. Marathon County Public Library. Local sponsor: Wausau Daily Herald-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Green Bay: March 16, 2 p.m. Green Bay Public Library. Local Sponsor: Green Bay Press-Gazette-USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN
Appleton: March 16, 7:30 p.m. Appleton Public Library. Local sponsor: Appleton Post-Crescent-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Sheboygan: March 17, 10 a.m. Sheboygan Public Library. Local sponsor: Sheboygan Press-USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Waukesha: March 17, 2 p.m, Waukesha Public Library. Local sponsor: Schott, Bublitz and Engel S.C.
Janesville: March 17, 7 p.m. Blackhawk Technical College. Local sponsor: Janesville Gazette
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]]>Monthly Business Meeting
Jan. 4, 2016, 7:00 p.m.
Next Door Brewing Company, 2439 Atwood Ave., Madison
Agenda
Jan. 4, 2016
- Call to order
- Approval of minutes
- Treasurer’s Report
- Membership Report
- President’s Report
- Holiday Party and Raffle, Dec. 17
- Open Government Traveling Show update
- Reporting on Religion planning
- Watchdog Awards update
- Upcoming event ideas: Spotlight, Podcasting training, Meet the Media, Freelance event
- Public Records Board: Transitory Records
- Reimbursements
- New Business
- Adjourn
Votes could be taken on any Action or New Business item
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]]>Contact: Mark Pitsch, 608-252-6145
MADISON — Madison-area journalists raised $600 for the Simpson Street Free Press last week. The Madison-based non-profit that teaches middle and high school students reading, writing, and critical thinking skills was the beneficiary of the annual holiday raffle held by the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Madison SPJ thanks the following raffle prize contributors: Wisconsin State Journal; America Players Theatre; Isthmus; Edgewood College; WKOW; WORT; Capital Times; Wisconsin Public Television; Karben4; Chris Drosner, “aka” Beer Baron; David Maraniss; Dee J. Hall; Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism; Joe Radske; Breann Schossow; and Sam Martino.
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