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.

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.

Agenda

Jan. 4, 2016

1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes
3. Treasurer’s Report
4. Membership Report
5. President’s Report
   1. Holiday Party and Raffle, Dec. 17
   2. Open Government Traveling Show update
   3. Reporting on Religion planning
   4. Watchdog Awards update
6. Upcoming event ideas: Spotlight, Podcasting training, Meet the Media, Freelance event
7. Public Records Board: Transitory Records
8. Reimbursements
9. New Business
10. Adjourn

Votes could be taken on any Action or New Business item

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, and the Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation invite you to a major national conference on journalism and religion.

“Reporting on Religion: Media, Belief and Public Life” will give journalists an opportunity to explore one of the most important, sensitive and controversial topics in contemporary America.

The one-day conference – held Monday, March 14, 2016, in Madison WI — will feature journalists and scholars who will help journalists and students gain a deeper understanding of the role religion plays in public life, how religion is represented – or not – in the news media today, and how to improve reporting of this important subject. The conference will culminate in a keynote address, open to the public, by television journalist David Gregory, the author of “How’s Your Faith? An Unlikely Spiritual Journey” and the former moderator of Meet the Press.

Registration is now open. Click here for the conference website, and to register.

Follow us on Twitter @reportreligion.

The conference lineup includes sessions on:

• “America’s Changing Religious Landscape.” Besheer Mohamed, senior researcher for the Pew Center on Religion and Public Life, will present Pew’s groundbreaking research on religion in America. Cathy Lynn Grossman, senior reporter, Religion News Service, will comment.
• “How the Press Covers Religion and Spirituality” with Grossman, James Davis, contributor to GetReligion.org and The Florida Catholic, Chuck Stokes, editorial/public affairs director, WXYZ-TV, Detroit, and Jaweed Kaleem, senior religion reporter, Huffington Post.
• Some of the hottest issues surrounding religion and public life in the U.S., including the conservative and liberal divide in Catholicism and other Christian faiths, fast-growing U.S. religions, and religious extremism. With Doug Erickson, religion and education reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, Bob Smietana, news editor, Christianity Today, and Dilshad Ali, managing editor, Patheos Muslim Portal.
• “A Journey Through New York City Religions” with Tony Carnes. Carnes has documented religion in the nation’s largest city for the last five years.
• “Religious Freedom and Freedom of Conscience,” a wide-ranging discussion featuring religious advocates, with a response from David Gregory, former moderator, Meet the Press.

More information about the conference lineup, the conference organizers and logistical details can be found here.

The conference is generously underwritten by the Lubar Institute and the Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation, creators of Upper|House. It will be held at Upper|House, 365 East Campus Mall, adjacent to UW-Madison’s Vilas Hall.

Patron sponsors include the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the Wisconsin State Journal and WKOW-TV. The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is a supporting sponsor.

Registration includes lunch and is free for students, $15 for SPJ members, and $30 for non-SPJ members. The conference is aimed at journalists, but is open to the general public.
###

MADISON — The Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, in conjunction with the state Capitol press corps, will hold its annual Holiday Mixer and Raffle on Thursday, Dec. 17.

The event will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the Argus Bar, 123 E. Main St., just a block off the Capitol Square in Madison. All area journalists and journalism supporters are invited, and the event is free.

The party will feature a pot-luck meal, so please bring an appetizer, side dish, main dish or dessert to share.

Prizes include:

* $130 in gift certificates for Madison Originals restaurants, courtesy SPJ Madison

* two UW-Madison hockey tickets with access to a suite, Madison in Focus photography book, and a Phil Hands cartoon 2016 calendar ($150 value) courtesy Wisconsin State Journal

* two tickets to an American Players Theatre production and Book of Lore (minimum $110 value), courtesy, American Players Theatre

* two Isthmus Beer and Cheese festival tickets ($100 value), courtesy Isthmus

* Edgewood College gift package ($100 value), courtesy Edgewood College

* WKOW gift package, including Bucky Book and Chula Vista gift certificate ($80 value), courtesy WKOW

* $50 Brocach gift certificate, courtesy WORT

* three Capital Times hoodie/t-shirt packages ($50 value each)

* Wisconsin Public Television DVD package ($40 value), courtesy WPT

* Karben4 variety package, including growler, growler fill, t-shirt, pint glass ($40 value), courtesy Karben4

* 6-pack of craft beer curated by Beer Baron Chris Drosner ($40 value), courtesy Chris Drosner

* Signed copy, “Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story” by Madison author David Maraniss ($35 value), courtesy SPJ Madison and David Maraniss

* Coffee and mugs ($20 value), courtesy Dee J. Hall

* Various SPJ posters, glasses, and gear, courtesy SPJ Madison.

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Simpson Street Free Press. SSFP is a Madison-based nonprofit that teaches reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Middle and high school students publish news articles on a variety of platforms.

SPJ Madison is seeking raffle items. Individuals and news organizations that wish to donate items for the raffle should contact SPJ Madison president Mark Pitsch at [email protected]

Agenda

Dec. 7, 2015

1. Call to order
2. Approval of minutes
3. Treasurer’s Report
4. Membership Report
5. President’s Report: Holiday Party and Raffle, Dec. 17; Open Government Traveling Show update; Reporting on Religion planning; Watchdog Awards
6. Upcoming event ideas: Spotlight, Podcasting training, Meet the Media, Freelance event
7. Reimbursements
8. New Business
9. Adjourn

Votes could be taken on any Action or New Business item

The event will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the Argus Bar, 123 E. Main St., just a block off the Capitol Square in Madison. All area journalists and journalism supporters are invited, and the event is free.

The party will feature a pot-luck meal, so please bring an appetizer, side dish, main dish or dessert to share.

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Simpson Street Free Press. SSFP is a Madison-based nonprofit that teaches reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Middle and high school students publish news articles on a variety of platforms.

SPJ Madison is seeking raffle items. Individuals and news organizations that wish to donate items for the raffle should contact SPJ Madison president Mark Pitsch at [email protected]

To help Madison and Wisconsin journalists improve their data skills, the Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is offering a one-day training seminar on the subject Friday, May 8 at Capital Newspapers, 1901 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison.

The session features Urban Institute researcher and UW-Madison graduate Jon Schwabish and Madison-area journalists who use data. It is free for SPJ members and students; the cost is $30 for others. Lunch will be provided. To register, go to our Eventbrite page here.

The session lineup:

9-9:30 am: Registration

9:30-10:30 am: The Growing Importance of Data Visualization
We live in an era where the amount and importance of data is expanding swiftly. Changes in technology are changing the way people interact and consume that information and data. And as producers of content, we need to be visual because—simply put—people are visual. That visual content needs to pair well with our audience and their needs, striking the right balance between truth, beauty, and content. Effectively visualizing data is one means by which content producers, researchers, and storytellers can tap into this new wave of data and people’s changing ways of receiving information.

With Jon Schwabish, Urban Institute, @jschwabish

10:30-11:45 am: Teach Yourself to Be a Data Reporter
Learn how to build your data skills from scratch with the most essential tools necessary.

With Todd Milewski, data reporter, Capital Times, @ToddMilewski  and Nick Heynen, data reporter, Capital Newspapers, @NickHeynen

11:45-12:45 pm: Lunch and Networking

12:45-1:45 pm: Open Refine
Learn how to use this nifty program that helps you quickly and efficiently find and fix errors in your messy data. Find and root out data entry inconsistencies, misspellings and other mistakes with this powerful tool.  We’ll teach you how to get started, and point out where to go to learn more.

With Nick Heynen

1:45-3 pm: Tableau Public Demo
We’ll demonstrate how to use this free program for Mac or PC to make data visualizations — first to find out what the story is and what’s wrong with the data, and then to tell a story through a pretty interactive graphic. No programming skills required; mere mortals can learn this.

With Kate Golden, multimedia director and reporter, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, @wiswatchkate

To register, click here.

For more information contact Mark Pitsch, SPJ Madison president, at 608-252-6145.

Those are among the items you can win at the annual Holiday Mixer and Raffle hosted by the Madison pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in conjunction with the Capitol press corps. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Tom Mulhern Scholarship for Sports Journalism at UW-Madison. The first scholarship will be awarded in April.

The mixer and raffle will be held on Thursday, Dec. 18, from 6-10 p.m. at the Argus Bar, 123 E. Main St., just a block off the Capitol Square. The party will take place in the downstairs bar. All area journalists and journalism supporters are invited, and the event is free.

Once again the party will feature a pot-luck meal, so please bring an appetizer, side dish, main dish or dessert to share.

The raffle will take place at approximately 8 p.m. The Packers-Lions tickets will be raffled off separately.

Pre-sale of raffle chances for the Packers-Lions tickets only, at a cost of $15 for one chance and $25 for two chances, will begin Thursday, Dec. 11. Chances will be available in Madison from Mark Pitsch at Capital Newspapers, 1901 Fish Hatchery Road; Joe Radske at Channel 3 studios, 7025 Raymond Road; Lauren Fuhrmann at the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism offices at the UW-Madison School of Journalism, 5006 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave.; and Rebecca Wasieleski at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, K4/761, 600 Highland Ave.

The raffle features more than $750 in prizes, including:

* Two 35-yard-line tickets to the Packers-Lions game on Dec. 28, courtesy Aaron Popkey and the Green Bay Packers ($200 value)

* Aerial photograph of Lambeau Field, courtesy Andy Manis ($150 value)

* Two tickets to Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest, courtesy Isthmus ($100 value)

* Food Fight gift certificate, courtesy Wisconsin State Journal ($100 value)

* Two 6-bottle wine packages, courtesy Wisconsin Radio Network ($60 value, each)

* Gift certificate, Next Door Brewing, courtesy Madison SPJ ($50 value)

* Up to 90-minute “behind the scenes” tour of Camp Randall and the Kohl Center for four to eight people, courtesy Justin Doherty and UW Athletics. NOTE: High-school athletes are not eligible to participate in the tour.

* Three, $10 gift certificates to Madison breweries, courtesy Rebecca Wasieleski

* UW Health gift package, courtesy UW Health

* Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism beer stein, courtesy WCIJ

* WISC-TV coffee cup four-pack, courtesy WISC-TV

* 6-pack Beer Baron sampler, courtesy Chris Drosner, “aka” Beer Baron

* Numerous books by Wisconsin journalists and authors, courtesy Wisconsin State Journal

New raffle items may be added prior to the event.

SPJ members and journalists who renew their memberships or join the organization on the night of the party will receive a free drink. Journalists or news organizations that would like to donate raffle items should contact Mark Pitsch, [email protected].

The field of journalism education is changing, just as the field of journalism is changing but the need for people who can communicate continues because the hunger for information continues. The hunger remains even as the vehicles for information distribution continue to change and expand in number.

The September 24, 2014 panel discussion at Edgewood College, sponsored by the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Simpson Street Free Press, offered insights from college and high school level educators.

Download or Listen to the Audio of this Forum  (90 minutes)

Kim Hixson

Kim Hixson, chairman of the UW-Whitewater Communications Department, expressed the concern that downsizing in the news media is a danger to democracy. Thus it was important that journalists continue to be well-prepared for the jobs that they would hold. But because of the changes in news distribution, the UW-Whitewater Communications Department has added new courses covering journalism for the web, and social media.

Jon Netzler

Jon Netzler, journalism teacher at Stoughton High School and adviser for The Norse Star student newspaper, said that the Stoughton student journalists  are excited about working on their newspaper because they have the freedom to report on what they want. “That one thing is everything,” he said. He also observed, “Students are communcating in new ways that people don’t always understand.”

Deidre Green

Deirdre Green,  managing editor of the Simpson Street Free Press, noted that their journalism model for improving student performance is working well. “When kids write well they go to school motivated and prepared,” she said. “Students improving academic skills are learning job skills.”

Linda Frank

Linda Friend, adjunct faculty in the Edgewood College English Department and former public television producer, said that the Edgewood College student newspaper is no longer offered in print because it became too expensive. Students are now posting their stories online. Edgewood works with the Simpson Street Free Press and each SSFP student is mentored by an Edgewood college student, one on one.

Hemant Shah

Hemant Shah, director of the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said that journalism does have a future because journalism school grads are still getting hired. Studnets still need to receive sound training in the fundamental communcations skills. The University of Wisconsin is integrating journalism with strategic communications in order to offer a broader training to students.

In the question and answer session that followed the presentations, one educator in the audience noted that students who write well and love to write still have lots of outlets available. “Many organizations are news organizations that never were before, such as non-profits,” he said. Non-profiits are producing a lot more stories about their activities and need staff who can write those stories. There are still jobs for journalists.

Journalism Education Panel