MADISON — Shutting down hate speech. Revamping libel laws. Expanding intellectual diversity on campus. The First Amendment and the principle of free speech has emerged as a contentious topic of debate in recent months – in Wisconsin and across the country. The fatal violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, at a white nationalist rally has heightened attention on free speech. The Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the UW-Madison School of Journalism and

Madison area journalists and journalism students are invited to the NBC15 studios  on Thursday, March 16, 2017, to celebrate Sunshine Week. March 16th is the 266th birthday of James Madison, fourth president and author of the First Amendment, which includes freedom of speech and freedom of the press provisions. Sunshine Week is an annual event that champions open and transparent government at all levels, and is observed by a number of organizations that are committed to the p

UPDATE: View this event on Wisconsin Eye. UPDATE: A report on this event from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. ——– The Milwaukee Press Club will host the Open Government Traveling Show – a panel discussion about the Wisconsin open meetings and open records laws – at a Newsmaker Luncheon on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 as part of the national celebration of open government known as “Sunshine Week.” The public is invited to attend the event from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Newsr

Feb. 1, 2017 Your Right to Know / Mark Pitsch Two days before the new president’s inauguration, the Society of Professional Journalists and dozens of other media and government transparency groups sent a letter asking Donald Trump for a meeting to discuss his administration’s relationship with the press. Among other things, the groups wanted Trump to affirm his commitment to the First Amendment, assure media access to his presidential activities, and allow expert government e

MADISON — The Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will raise money for the David Maraniss and Elliott Maraniss Scholarship at its annual holiday party and raffle in December. The group is now seeking prizes from media companies, local businesses and journalists. The scholarship is awarded to UW-Madison graduate students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a focus on minority applicants. “In a modern culture flooded with misinformati

Celebrate summer – and journalism – at the Society of Professional Journalists’ inaugural “After Deadline” event Tuesday, June 21, at Ale Asylum in Madison. 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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mark Pitsch, 608-252-6145 MADISON, WI — Religious faith remains a key component of public and private life in the United States. Yet, America’s religious landscape is shifting, and as a result news coverage of religion has never been more important. The Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at UW-Madison, the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Students invited to submit writing, video and cartoon pieces on the meaning of the First Amendment MADISON, WIS — With personal freedoms being assaulted and abridged around the world, the Madison Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is sponsoring a high school publication contest, Freedom Ring, which will include editorial writing, video and editorial cartoon items. “Receiving a journalism award is more than a certificate and a line on a resume. It’s realizing t

Your Right to Know By Mark Pitsch As part of national Sunshine Week, March 16-22, members of the Madison student and professional chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists fanned out across the capital city, handing out fortune cookies. We dropped a handful in the offices of the elected officials, from Madison School Board to Gov. Scott Walker, as well as some unelected boards like the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. Each cookie contained a wise and

In a recent essay discussing the portrayal of Asians in mainstream media outlets, Tom Huang, Sunday and enterprise editor for the Dallas Morning News, suggests that “what’s missing in our coverage are the everyday acts and opinions, quirks and foibles, that make Asians individuals, that make them human.” He might very well have been talking about African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and members of other racial minority groups, too. Too often, stories involving racial

Shadid Ethics Award nominations sought Award expanding nationally Deadline: March 3 The Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists shares this press release from the UW-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Anthony Shadid Award will recognize ethical journalism MADISON – The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics seeks applications for the first national Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics. A graduate of the

Editorial cartoonists talk about their craft at a recent SPJ Madison event. From left to right, Mike Konopacki, Joe Heller, Phil Hands, and Alan Talaga. Hair styles. Nose shapes. Eye spacing. Ear size. The discussion at Brocach in downtown Madison on July 18 could have been confused with gossip at a beauty salon. Instead it was the musings of some of the state’s top political cartoonists explaining their craft (and their favorite targets) to about 30 people at a program spons

By Mark Pitsch The state’s Republican-led budget committee may have done no greater favor for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism than voting to evict it from two tiny offices in UW-Madison’s Vilas Hall. Since the early morning, back-room decision surfaced last week, the center has received the kind of national attention – from media and political sources of all ideological stripes – only winning a Pulitzer Prize might have generated. But that’s the good news. T

Mingle with journalists, help feed our community, win prizes MADISON – Join with other Madison journalists to commemorate the end of a dramatic year in Madison journalism and spread holiday cheer. The Madison Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is hosting its annual Holiday Mixer, raffle and food drive. The party will be held Thursday, Dec. 20, 6-8 p.m., at Brocach on the Capitol Square, 7 West Main Street, Madison, in the upstairs bar. All area journalists

The editors of Wisconsin’s two largest newspapers, a leading political reporter and a journalism ethics specialist will discuss ethical questions surrounding media coverage of recall elections at a forum Wednesday, May 30, sponsored by the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. “Journalism Ethics in the Time of Recall” will feature Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editor Martin Kaiser, Wisconsin State Journal editor John Smalley, Wisconsin Center for Invest

The Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) invited journalists from print, broadcast and digital to Google 101 for Journalists. This unique, free session led by Google’s Jake Parillo  introduced ways journalists can search smarter, keep better tabs on their beats, see what’s hot and what’s not, add a visual edge to online content, and use Google on the go when reporting in the field. Google 101 for Journalists was held Oct. 13, 7 pm, at the Vinta

The Society of Professional Journalists has named the Madison pro chapter one of three top small chapters in the country for its work this year. SPJ announced the award at a banquet Tuesday evening in New Orleans at the conclusion of its national convention. Other top small pro chapters are St. Louis pro and Utah pro, which earned highest honors this year for battling restrictions on their state’s open records law. The Madison pro chapter this year has increased membership, h

Delegates to the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual convention voted today to: — amend the bylaws to allow every member to vote in leadership elections. Currently, SPJ elects national officers through a delegate system in which chapter size determines the number of delegates eligible to vote for officers at the national convention. Other SPJ business will continue to be voted on via the delegate system. — reject a proposal to reinstate the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achie