A Magazine by the Society of Professional Journalists


2005 convention roundup

By Quill

By the numbers

18,409 dollars raised at the auctions for the Legal Defense Fund.

880 registered participants

566 registered professionals

314 registered students

200 tickets handed out to see the Vegas premiere of “Good Night, and Good Luck,” directed by George Clooney.

106 speakers/presenters in attendance

58 professional development sessions

3 individuals were honored with the Fellows of the Society distinction, Linda Deutsch, Bill Kovach, & Philip Meyer

1 Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement, Alan Walden

Jon Stewart a hot ticket

The Legal Defense Fund silent and live auctions at the recent national conference in Las Vegas raised $18,409.

The big item at the live auction was two tickets to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The tickets brought in just over $10,000. The hottest item in the silent auction was a foreign correspondence gift bag donated by Dan Kubiske. It sold for $250.

Add that money to what’s in the bank, and SPJ is about $22,000 closer to its $30,000 goal to rally support for a federal shield law. See how you can help SPJ raise the remaining funds by visiting http://www.spj.org/foia_shieldlaw.asp

Fellows of the society

Linda Deutsch, Bill Kovach and Philip Meyer were named Fellows of the Society, one of SPJ’s highest honors. Those named as Fellows of the Society are individuals who are

recognized for their achievements in the journalism profession.

* Linda Deutsch was named a special correspondent for The Associated Press in recognition of her long career as AP’s premier courtroom reporter. This designation has been bestowed on just 18 reporters in the news service’s history.

* Bill Kovach is the founding director and chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists. He has been a journalist and writer for 43 years, including 18 at The New York Times.

* Philip Meyer has had a 23-year career with Knight Ridder as a reporter, Washington correspondent, and corporate director of news and circulation research.

Award recepients

Wells Memorial Key: Gordon “Mac” McKerral

Fellows of the Society: Linda Deutsch, Bill Kovach, Philip Meyer

Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award: Alan Walden

Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award: Kate Martin and the Center for National Security Studies

Sunshine Award: J.W. August, KGTV San Diego; Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General

First Amendment Award: Judith Miller, The New York Times.

Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate: Trish Hartman, University of Maryland

David L. Eshelman Outstanding Campus Adviser: Ernest Wiggins, University of South Carolina

Distinguished Teaching in Journalism: Lisa Birkley, Highlands High School

Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member: Large chapter: Molly McDonough, Chicago Headline Club. Small chapter: Elizabeth Kelly-Klay, Southwest Missouri Pro Chapter

Regional Director of the Year: Dave Aeikens, Region 6 Director

Circle of Excellence Awards

First Amendment and Freedom of Information: Large chapter: Indiana Pro. Small chapter: Bluegrass Pro

Diversity: Northwest Arkansas Pro

Campus Relations: Large chapters: East Tennessee Pro; Minnesota Pro. Small chapter: Valley of the Sun Pro

Chapter Communication: Large chapter: Chicago Headline Club. Small chapter: Bluegrass Pro

Professional Development: Large chapter: Western Washington Pro. Small chapter: Madison Pro Chapter

Chapters of the Year: Large chapter: Chicago Headline Club. Small chapter: East Tennessee Pro. Campus chapter: University of Texas-Austin

Regional Chapters of the Year:

Large Pro Chapters (75 members or more):

Region 1- Connecticut Pro Chapter

Region 2- Virginia Pro Chapter

Region 4- Central Ohio Pro Chapter

Region 5- Chicago Headline Club

Region 6- Minnesota Pro Chapter

Region 7- Kansas City Press Club

Region 8- Fort Worth Pro Chapter

Region 9- Colorado Pro Chapter

Region 10- Western Washington Pro Chapter

Region 11-Valley of the Sun Pro Chapter

Small Pro Chapters (less than 75 members):

Region 3- East Tennessee Pro Chapter

Region 6- Madison Pro Chapter

Region 7- Southwest Missouri Pro Chapter

Region 8- Houston Pro Chapter

Region 9- Utah Headliners Club

Region 10- Greater Oregon Pro

Region 12- Arkansas Pro Chapter

Campus Chapters

Region 1: Stony Brook University

Region 2: Virginia Commonwealth University

Region 3: University of Florida

Region 4: Ohio University

Region 5: Western Kentucky University

Region 6: University of Minnesota

Region 7: University of Missouri

Region 8: University of Texas at Austin

Region 9: Weber State University

Region 10: Pacific Lutheran University

Region 11: University of Arizona

Region 12: Northwestern State University

President’s awards

Terry Harper; Jim Highland; Betsy Ashton; Joe Wessels. One other President’s award will be presented in the spring.

Mark of Excellence National Winners

This year’s winners were chosen from more then 3,200 entries in 45 categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism.

Editorial Writing: Rebecca Neal, University of Kentucky

Editorial Cartooning: Terrence L. Nowicki Jr., Western Washington University

General Column Writing: G. Chaise Nunnally, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Sports Column Writing: Joshua Scroggin, Fresno State

Spot News Reporting: J.J. Babb, Colorado State University

General News Reporting: Amy Resseguie, Colorado State University

In-Depth Reporting: Dori Berman, Carrie Lock, Richard Rainey and Lindsay Taub, Boston University

Feature Writing: Emily Johns, University of Minnesota

Sports Writing: Teddy Kider, Northwestern University

Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper:

(published 4-5 times per week)

Staff, Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana Daily Student

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper:

(published 2-3 times per week)

Staff, University of Idaho, The Argonaut

Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper:

(published 1 time per week)

Staff, California State University-Chico, The Orion

Magazine Non-Fiction Article: Frank McGovern, University of Idaho

Best Student Magazine (published once a year): Staff, Drake University, 515 Magazine

Best Student Magazine (published more than once a year):

Staff, Drake University, Drake Magazine

Spot News Photography: Jordin Thomas Althaus, San Francisco State University

General News Photography: Edward Linsmier, Western Kentucky University

Feature Photography: Mark Roberts, University of Texas-Arlington

Photo Illustration: David Zentz, University of Florida

Sports Photography: Matt Barnard, Oklahoma State University

Radio Spot News Reporting: Markia Krause, Baker Machado, Josh Huesby and Alex Hannum, Colorado State University

Radio Feature: Craig A. Layne, Lebanon Valley College

Radio In-Depth Reporting: William Pitts, Arizona State University

Radio Sports Reporting: Scott Reynolds, University of Florida

Radio Daily Newscast: Staff, California State University-Northridge, The Evening Update

Television Spot News Reporting: Jaime D. Weiss and Lawrence J. Shields, Ohio University

Television General News Reporting: Kent Erdahl, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Television Feature: Jeff Butera, University of Florida

Television In-Depth Reporting: Abby Rhodes and Sara Godwin, University of Illinois-Urbana

Television Sports Reporting: Brandon Ratcliff, Derrick Silvestri and Ben Dunsmoor, St. Cloud State University

Television News Photography: Lee Rieber, Minnesota State University-Moorhead

Television Feature Photography: Tyler Richter, University of Minnesota

Television Sports Photography: Lou Raguse, University of Minnesota

Television Daily Newscast: Staff, University of Maryland, Maryland Newsline

Television Non-Daily Newscast: Staff, Texas Christian University, TCU News Now

Online Spot News Reporting: Blue & White Online Staff, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Online General News Reporting: Jennifer Gilliam and CVC Multimedia Class, University of Miami

Online Feature Reporting: Anita Martin, Ohio University

Online In-Depth Reporting: Dateline Alabama Staff, University of Alabama

Online Sports Reporting: Mike Baker and Matt Grunlund, University of Washington

Online Opinion and Commentary: Lela Schwitzer, College of Menominee Nation

Best All-Around Online Student Newspaper: North Carolina Central University, Campus Echo Online

Best All-Around Online Student Magazine: Drake University, Drake Magazine

Best All-Around Online Student Broadcast Station: Metropolitan State College of Denver, The Met Report

Best All-Around Independent Online Student Publication: Ball State University, Ball Bearings

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