February 6th, 2012 • Quill Archives
Government Relations Toolbox
The financial pressures of the news industry have made journalists much more aware of the business side that supports our journalism. But some journalists need to know more about an important part of the business that also helps inform citizens and helps us find stories: public-notice advertising in newspapers.
October 6th, 2009 • Quill Archives
Kentucky chapters host program on Rick Pitino rape allegations
Kentucky journalists displayed remarkable restraint in handling the allegation of rape against University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, the leading reporters on the story said at an SPJ meeting on the University of Kentucky campus Sept. 21. Andrew Wolfson of The Courier-Journal and Candyce Clifft of Louisville’s WDRB-TV joined sports columnist Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader for a panel discussion sponsored by SPJ’s Bluegrass Professional chapter and the UK Campus chapter.
April 3rd, 2009 • Quill Archives
Learning to keep stereotypes at bay
When Diane Sawyer promoted her February “20/20” documentary, “A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains,” she told WTVQ-TV of Lexington, the main ABC network affiliate serving Eastern Kentucky, that she wanted to take the show beyond the stereotypes that often infect the information delivered to national audiences about Central Appalachia.
February 3rd, 2005 • Quill Archives
Journalists, entertainers harder to decipher
An outrageous hoax by a Lexington, Ky., radio station — which would want me to mention its name and/or frequency — offers an important lesson for those of us in journalism and the public we try to serve. The morning-drive personalities falsely reported that it had become illegal to smoke in a vehicle in the major city in the Bluegrass, where a new ban on indoor smoking in public places remains controversial.
May 13th, 2004 • Quill Archives
Russert:Force candidates to answer tough questions
WASHINGTON – Journalists covering this year’s elections should ask questions about the big issues that candidates want to avoid, such as the future of Social Security and Medicare, Tim Russert of NBC News said at an SPJ Legal Defense Fund luncheon held by the Washington Pro Chapter on April 5.
July 23rd, 2002 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the President: Training is important throughout career
If you see the phrase “Journalism Education” that adorns this issue of Quill, do you think of academics and students in classrooms and campus newspaper offices? Probably, but if you’re a working journalist, you should also think of yourself. The nature of our work means that we must educate ourselves every working day through the information that we gather.
June 19th, 2002 • Quill Archives
A powerful experiment
This issue of Quill celebrates some of the best examples of our craft, the winners of the Sigma Delta Chi Awards in Journalism. As SPJ was assembling the judges’ findings in April, I attended an event built around another set of awards – the James K.
May 1st, 2002 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the President: FOI contributions deserve recognition
One of the best things about being president of SPJ is the opportunity to meet exemplary journalists all over the nation and hear their stories. Most of these folks are not well-known reporters, photographers, editors or commentators. No, these are people who do the hard work of serving the public through journalism at the state and local level – people whose courage, dedication and public service usually aren’t reported in journalism reviews, cited in Supreme Court cases or mentioned in SPJ freedom-of-information alerts.
April 3rd, 2002 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the president: Ethics provide balance to profit pressures
One of my respected colleagues has long declined to join SPJ because the Society has a Code of Ethics, and he doesn’t like the idea of anyone telling journalists how to behave – even fellow journalists. It’s an absolutist free-press stand, and, while I don’t agree with it, I understand it.
March 5th, 2002 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the President: SPJ prepares to meet its many challenges
“May you live in interesting times” is an old saying in China. It was conceived as a curse, but most journalists would probably consider it a blessing. For the Society of Professional Journalists, these are very interesting times – which provide challenges that we must treat as opportunities to expand SPJ’s roles and influence.
February 6th, 2002 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the President: ‘New America’ may forget old values
Much has been written and said about the changes wrought upon America by Sept. 11 and the war on terrorism. How deep and how lasting is that change, and how will it affect journalism? The signs are troubling. In September and October, The Seattle Times ran a series subtitled “Dispatches from A New Nation.”
December 14th, 2001 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the President — It’s worth the fight to protect our open society
Last month in this space, I made you a promise and a prediction. The promise was that the Society of Professional Journalists would be a leader in fighting restrictions on journalism in covering the war on terrorism. We have kept that promise, and more.
November 14th, 2001 • Quill Archives, From the President
From the President: Society faces challenges, opportunity
This is a challenging time for journalism and for the Society. And not just because of current events. Even before Sept. 11, many of us were worried about the future of journalism in a world of multiplying media – where the market share of most companies was shrinking, news judgments were increasingly a function of marketing strategy, and the promise of a new world of online journalism had faded with the burst of the dot-com bubble.
