SPJ wows media community in NYC
Convention brings together top dogs of journalism; reinvigorates mission to members
by Armando Manzanares
The Metropolitan
In a place known as the epicenter of American art, fashion and theatre, New York City is also home base for all major American media outlets. The city hosted The Society of Professional Journalists 2004 National Convention this past week. The convention offered over 38 seminars, some specifically for the student journalist, and three prominent keynote addresses, along with an opening night reception, awards luncheon and closing banquet.
Many panelists and speakers were editors from nationally recognized publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair and Newsweek. There were also producers and broadcast journalists from National Public Radio, “60 Minutes II” and “Dateline NBC.”
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a letter to convention attendees, “Journalism has been one of the strongest and most important industries (in the city) and has played a vital role in making (New York) the ‘World’s Second Home.’”
The first keynote included both former “CBS Evening News” anchor Walter Cronkite and soon to be “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams.
They both discussed the evolution of broadcast journalism, investigative journalism and how certain news organizations in journalism circles are being dubbed as state media organizations—in other words, spinning the news in favor of the current administration.
They also referred to how the integrity of journalism is being compromised by the use of Internet blogs where anyone with an Internet connection can deem themselves journalists.
One topic that dominated their discussion was how the national political party conventions have gone from providing raw, un-orchestrated material playing out on camera by convention delegates and attendees to modern conventions being described by Cronkite himself as pep rallies with balloons.
Williams said conventions are planned down to the minute and the media coordinators dictate the content that is aired.
He gave an example of NBC’s coverage of the Republican National Convention, which was in New York City two weeks earlier, the day California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his speech.
NBC began their coverage at 10 p.m. EST sharp and Schwarzenegger came on stage promptly at that time, which gave NBC anchor Tom Brokaw only seconds to introduce the coverage and did not allow any time for political commentary from Tim Russert, the network’s Washington bureau chief. “It was designed so that (Russert) couldn’t get analysis in,” Williams said.
Williams said there is a news network for every type of philosophy.
“The faithful now have their network, a network that matches their ideologies,” Williams said.
The second keynote was by journalist Bill Moyers, who hosts “NOW with Bill Moyers,” which airs on PBS.
He spoke on Saturday, Sept. 11, three years to the date from the attacks that occurred in New York City, at The Pentagon and in the countryside of Pennsylvania.
The Working Press, SPJ’s daily newspaper at the convention, reported that Moyers talked about the current administration’s push for secrecy and how that plays into the hands of the terrorists. He said there are new barriers being imposed on public access to information and this favors the “secret rule of government.”
To counter Moyers’ remarks, a current White House spokeswoman said the administration has been as “transparent as possible.”
Moyers talked about new measures that have taken place in certain parts of the country to make access to public records more difficult.
A town in Alabama has added more bureaucratic red tape to get access to public records that were readily available before the change took place, and also in Florida where the state has added 14 new exemptions to its open records laws. Of this Moyers said, “Secrecy is contagious, scandalous and toxic.”
Moyers served as press secretary for the White House during the Johnson administration and has received numerous Emmy Awards over the years.
SPJ – Locally and Nationally
Metro journalism professor Deb Hurley, won the post of Region 9 director for SPJ by more than 70 percent. The region includes Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.
“The Met Report,” Metro’s student newscast produced out of the Office of Student Publications, was nationally recognized as Best All-Around On-line Student Broadcast Station.
This was a Mark of Excellence award, which honors the best of student journalism across the nation in 45 categories including print, radio, television and online.
The road to the top started at the regional level last spring when “The Met Report” was awarded first-place. Following that, the “Report” was sent to the national level for competition.
Alex Brancard, “The Met Report’s” director, said the award is a great honor for everyone who has worked on it. “It’s always great to have something to show for your hard work,” he said.
Brancard said most of the people who work at the “The Met Report” are volunteers. He hopes to firmly establish the newscast so it will continue after he graduates.
“The only way ‘The Met Report’ will happen is if the student volunteers continue to be involved and work hard and continue to participate,” Brancard said. “They get first-hand experience by producing the newscast themselves.”
“The Met Report” is not a one-man operation, he said. Brancard recognizes the volunteers, the Media Center and Student Publications for their support in making it a success.
Christine Tatum, a business reporter for The Denver Post, comes to Denver from the Chicago Tribune where she was a consumer technology reporter. She has had a number of involvements in SPJ over the past five years, from being Chicago’s professional chapter president and sitting on the national board of directors for the Society, to serving as SPJ’s Legal Defense Fund chairwoman. On the board, she was a former director at-large and is now the newly elected secretary-treasurer.
Tatum’s new post has her diving into improving the communication among SPJ’s members, chapters and the 12 national regions, which are made up of 75 active professional chapters and 187 active student chapters. There are over 10,000 members in the Society nationwide.
Tatum has dedicated herself to the development and professional progression of the student journalist.
She said her interest is in working with students, connecting with them and, “it is important when leaving the classroom to understand why and what are the principles that guide us through our profession—it’s not for the money, that’s for sure.”
Over the course of the fall semester, Tatum is working in conjunction with SPJ’s Colorado Pro Chapter to offer workshops and group discussions on corporate ethics, culinary journalism and faith and politics and the effect it will have on this year’s presidential election.
Each of the three events is being lead by a working professional from The Denver Post and all are free.
Tatum said regardless of students being or wanting to become journalists, every student needs to be aware of the principles that guide them in their profession.
“It is important for everybody to understand the uniqueness, beauty and value of our first amendment. We take our right to speak and worship and assemble, and to petition and write for granted. It is time more people understand how that freedom affects them every day and the benefits from that and how SPJ helps explain—even to non-journalists—the importance of it,” Tatum said.
Metro’s SPJ chapter is having its student launch on Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. in Central classroom 209, where Tatum will speak about the benefits of joining SPJ and more about coming events.
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