#SPJ

Jan 28, 2013
1 min

SPJ statement on records fees

Jan. 28, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mark Pitsch, president, Madison pro chapter, Society of Professional Journalists; 608-252-6145 In response to news reports that Rep. Garey Bies is introducing a bill that would require requestors to pay fees for blacking out information in public records, the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists issued the following statement: “Amending the state’s records law to let public agencies charge fees to black ou

Nov 7, 2012
2 min

SPJ open records, open meeting training

Nov. 7, 2012 A vital democracy requires government transparency and a vigilant press. To that end, the Wisconsin Open Records and Open Meetings laws provide avenues for the media and citizens to serve as watchdogs on government operations. To help you understand your rights under these laws in order to better inform your readers and viewers, the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is hosting a day-long training session on government transparency. “O

Nov 2, 2012
1 min

Madison SPJ’s Under 35 After 5 Meetup Rescheduled

Are you in the early years of your journalism career in Madison or the surrounding area? Join the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for a post-election networking event on Nov. 8 featuring special guests Jessica Arp and Jack Craver. MADISON – The Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has organized a happy hour networking event, “Madison SPJ’s Under 35 After 5 Meetup,” to bring together young journalists from local TV

Jun 27, 2012
2 min

SPJ praises Supreme Court ruling on open records fees

The Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists applauds the unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling today rejecting the imposition of fees for redacting information in public records. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had appealed a lower court ruling that said the City of Milwaukee could charge the newspaper for the time it took employees to review and black out information contained in public records. The Supreme Court ruled such fees are not allowed under

Jun 21, 2012
2 min

SPJ Forum: What’s next for Wisconsin after the recall?

SPJ Forum on putting Wisconsin back together Gov. Scott Walker made history by easily surviving a recall election, but the stalemate in Wisconsin will continue as Democrats claim control of the Senate – at least until the next election. Wisconsin has been as polarized as ever in the last 15 months in the wake of momentous changes to public worker collective bargaining engineered by Walker and his Republican legislative colleagues. Now, both Walker and his Democratic opponents

Apr 19, 2012
1 min

Brownbag lunch with Juliet Eilperin

Juliet Eilperin, science writer for the Washington Post, will speak to journalists at Capital Newspapers, 1901 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison, on April 25. All area journalists are welcome to attend. Eilperin is a UW writer in residence. Please see additional details below: Who: Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post What: UW Writer in Residence Where: Boardroom at Capital Newspapers When: Wednesday, April 25, noon-1 p.m. Bring your lunch. Eilperin, is a national science and policy re

Apr 11, 2012
2 min

SPJ holds social media training May 11; registration now open

Social media is changing the way the public consumes news. About 9 percent of all news links are accessed via social media channels. A similar percentage of news consumers say they get much of their news from Twitter and Facebook. So how can journalists best leverage their expertise and take advantage of the social media landscape? Get answers – and the practical tools needed to use Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites effectively – at the 2012 Spring Training spons

Apr 4, 2012
1 min

SPJ Madison congratulates Wisconsin students for “Mark of Excellence” awards

SPJ-Madison Pro chapter is proud to announce the winners of the Region 6 Mark of Excellence Award. The Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best collegiate journalism in the U.S. Awards were handed out at the Midwest Journalism Conference in Bloomington, MN on Friday, March 31. SPJ Region 6 includes Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This year, the contest received more than 4,000 entries across SPJ’s 12 regions. First-place regional winners will advance to t

Apr 3, 2012
1 min

Madison chapter elects officers

The Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Monday re-elected its chapter officers. Officers are Mark Pitsch of the Wisconsin State Journal, president; Joe Radske of WKOW, vice president; and Rebecca Wasieleski of Cygnus Business Media, secretary-treasurer. They will serve one-year terms. The next elections will be held in April 2013. #WisconsinStateJournal #MarkPitsch #SPJ #RebeccaWasieleski #Madison #CygnusBusinessMedia #JoeRadske #WKOW

Mar 14, 2012
1 min

Wisconsin Legislature receives “Black Hole” award

The Society of Professional Journalists named the Wisconsin Legislature a recipient of its “Black Hole” Award. The award goes to government bodies that fail to act in a transparent manner or that limit the public’s right to know. SPJ cited the Wisconsin Legislature for hastily passing a collective bargaining law in contravention of the state’s Open Meeting Law and then successfully urging the Supreme Court to uphold the action. The Legislature also limited public scrutiny o

Mar 13, 2012
1 min

SPJ President calls for renewed commitment to open government

Mark Pitsch, SPJ Madison pro chapter president, urges government agencies to commit to transparency. Read his op-ed, first printed in the March 11 Wisconsin State Journal, here. #MarkPitsch #SPJMadison #SunshineWeek #SPJ #opengovernment

Mar 9, 2012
2 min

SPJ Declares “Thank a Journalist Day” March 16; Hosts Gathering March 15

MADISON — March 16 is the 261st anniversary of the birth of James Madison, our Capital City’s namesake and the man known as the “Father of the Constitution.” Madison was instrumental in development of the Constitution, and he authored the Bill of Rights, which enshrined the key liberty of press freedom. Madison, the fourth U.S. president, correctly recognized the importance of a free press to a vibrant democracy. To celebrate his birthday, the Madison pro chapter of the Soci

Mar 2, 2012
1 min

Pulitzer winner Priest discusses reporting, national security beat

Dana Priest, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, told students, journalists and professors this week that she wasn’t always a national security expert, and that she honed her reporting skills on the Washington Post’s Metro staff. She urged the audience of about two dozen people during a brown-bag luncheon talk to focus on three key reporting skills: listening, notetaking, and sourcing. Too often reporters talk over sources and other journalists, Priest said. Learn to listen, pa

Jan 23, 2012
1 min

SPJ business meeting Jan. 30

SPJ: Madison Professional Chapter 7:00 p.m., Vintage Brewing Company, 674 South Whitney Way, Madison Agenda Jan. 30, 2012 I. Call to order II. Treasurer’s Report III. Membership Report IV. President’s Report A. Watchdog Awards B. SPJ-sponsored Madison School Board debate C. SPJ-WNA event D. Website V. Discussion/Action: Regular business meeting date/time: 7 pm, first, second, third Mondays of the month? Vintage? Memorial Union? VI. Discussion/Action: Contribution to

Dec 5, 2011
1 min

SPJ holiday party, business meeting Dec. 14

Honor Journalism, Celebrate the Holidays MADISON – It has been one dramatic year in Madison journalism. So as the year comes to a close, it’s time to celebrate our collective achievements, honor our colleagues, and get ready for the holidays at a party sponsored by the Madison professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The party will be held Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 pm at Brocach, 7 West Main Street, Madison, first floor. All area journalists are invit

Nov 5, 2011
2 min

The Story of the Story

Gottlieb and Vives actually started out looking into the neighboring suburb of Maywood, which had huge budget problems. But when they asked authorities if they were investigating Maywood they said no. For some reason he asked, “What about Bell?” And they said yes. Jeff Gottlieb When they made an open records request to the Bell City Clerk, they were stonewalled. “It was clear from talking with people that something was wrong at Bell,” he said. They kept pressing and ultimatel

Oct 21, 2011
1 min

Pulitzer Prize winner to speak in Madison

MADISON – Jeff Gottlieb, the 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner for Public Service, will appear in Madison on Nov. 1 to discuss his work at an event sponsored by the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Gottlieb, a Los Angeles Times senior writer, and colleague Ruben Vives won the Pulitzer for their investigation into local government corruption in Bell, Calif. Their reporting won numerous other awards. Gottlieb will discuss investigative reporting and how