Dr. Bruce Merrill, ASU’s Cronkite/Eight pollster, tells journalists how to accurately report political poll results, Sept. 30

This timely presentation comes during this presidential election year, which finds journalists inundated with announcements of results of political polls. Bruce Merrill, professor emeritus at the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the Cronkite/Eight poll, will present Valley journalists and journalism students with ways to tell legitimate, scientifically produced polls from polls with an agenda.

Come to hear Merrill on the topic, “Journalism and the Role of Polls: An Election-Year Guide to Separating the Reliable from the Deniable.” 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, in Room 444 of the Cronkite School , 555 N. Central Ave. , Phoenix . This event is sponsored by the Valley of the Sun chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Parking available in the adjacent University Center garage.

From the Cronkite School Web site’s biography of Merrill: “A nationally recognized pollster, Bruce D. Merrill joined the ASU political science faculty in 1971, but his expertise as a researcher in political behavior and political media communications brought him to the Cronkite School in 1988. He founded a monthly statewide poll with KAET, the ASU-operated public television station, that surveys Arizona voters on a wide range of political and social issues.” Merrill received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan .

For more information on this event or the Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter, contact Mark Scarp, (480) 970-2351, or send e-mail to phoenixspj@cox.net.

Washington Post Editor to Deliver ASU’s Centennial Lecture

Leonard Downie Jr., who led The Washington Post to 25 Pulitzer Prizes during his 17 years as executive editor, will be the Flinn Foundation Centennial Lecturer this fall at Arizona State University .

Downie will spend a week at ASU in October, one month after stepping down from the Post. He will deliver the Flinn Foundation Centennial Lecture on Oct. 16 at the Galvin Playhouse on the Tempe campus and will visit with students and professors during the week.

“The Flinn Centennial Lecture was established to bring some of the world’s most influential intellects to ASU’s campus,” said Dean Mark Jacobs of the Barrett Honors College . “Len Downie’s remarkable record at the helm of one of the world’s best newspapers makes him a perfect choice for this lectureship.”

The lecture series was established in 1985 by the Flinn Foundation to commemorate ASU’s 100th year. Past Centennial lecturers include journalists Anna Quindlen, David Halberstam and James Fallows and playwrights Edward Albee and Susan Sontag as well as scientists, diplomats, poets and legal scholars.

“I'm looking forward to delivering the Flinn Centennial Lecture and visiting with students and faculty at Arizona State ,” Downie said. “With the November election only a few weeks away, it will be a good time to discuss the political, national security and economic challenges facing the nation as well as the news media’s crucial role in keeping Americans informed while the media are facing stiff challenges of their own.”

Courtesy of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Arizona State University, 555 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 85004-1248 | 602.496.5555 phone | 602.496.7041 fax

"After Deadline," SPJ's monthly happy hour
takes it downtown to Portland's, Aug. 20

An informal gathering (no speaker, no program, no agenda, free food) for happy hour. We’ll provide the appetizers and usual bar fare — and you provide the drinks, conversation and networking. Come tell your journalistic tale -- and hear a few while you're at it.

It’s 6 p.m. to ?, Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Portland's Restaurant and Wine Bar, 105 W. Portland St., Phoenix -- a few blocks from the Arizona Republic, the new ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Channels 10 and 12.

RSVP is not required but it is very much appreciated. Yes, you may bring a friend. No, you do not need to be an SPJ member. Questions? RSVP/ask away: noelle.bowman@pni.com, (602) 444-8658.

Sponsored by the Valley of the Sun chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Save the following dates for our next monthly After Deadline happy hours, on the third Wednesdays of each month, locations TBA:

Wednesday, Sept. 17
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Wednesday, Nov. 19

Valley of the Sun chapter donates to help Iowa journalists victimized by flooding

After hearing that media employees in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Vinton and Waterloo, Iowa, were facing significant damage to their own homes while continuing to provide top-level reporting of the recent devastating floods in that state, members of the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix) pro chapter board voted June 18 to donate $500 to a fund created to assist these journalists.

"We're inviting other SPJ chapters and individual SPJ members to also contribute to the Iowa Media Employees Disaster Relief Fund," said Valley of the Sun chapter immediate past president Mark Scarp. "These journalists are out there doing a tough job, many knowing that they themselves have no home to go home to."

Steve Buttry, editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, described the crisis situation to former colleagues at the American Press Institute this way: "Flood insurance is not available unless you live in the 100-year flood plain and this flood went beyond the 500-year flood plain, so it is truly a disaster of millennial proportions, with much of the damage uninsured," Buttry wrote. "While we know victims will receive FEMA assistance, we also know that is not enough. We will take steps to ensure that any aid we collect is used only for legitimate flood damage beyond any reimbursement from insurance, FEMA or other public assistance."

You can donate online at http://www.inanews.com/relief2.php, or send tax-deductible checks to: Iowa Media Employees Disaster Relief Fund, c/o Iowa Newspaper Foundation, 319 E. Fifth St., Des Moines, IA 50309.

Nominations Committee announces slate of nominees for 2008-09 chapter officers in June 19 election

Members of the Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter:

Below is the Nominations Committee’s recommended slate of candidates for officers of the chapter for the 2008-09 term beginning July 1, 2008, and ending June 30, 2009.

We will hold the election at the combined After Deadline happy hour and UNITY mixer, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19, poolside at the Hotel Clarendon, 401 W. Clarendon (two blocks south of Indian School Road, one block west of Third Avenue), Phoenix. The election will be held at approximately 7:15 p.m.

Members of the chapter in good standing who cannot attend the mixer may send their choices, no more than one candidate for each office, in an e-mail message to phoenixspj@cox.net. Such messages are to be received no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, June 19, 2008. You may “write in” a candidate who is not on the slate – such a candidate must be a member of the chapter in good standing and willing to serve if elected.

If you have any questions, please call me at (480) 970-2351. -- Mark Scarp , Chair, Nominations Committee. June 19, 2008

President: Teri Carnicelli, North Central News/Tempe Town News/Scottsdale Old Town News

Senior Vice President: Verina Palmer Martin, freelance writer

Vice President-Print: Geri Koeppel, freelance writer

Vice President-Broadcast: Rene Gutel, KJZZ-FM

Secretary: Debra Krol, Heard Museum

Treasurer: Nicole Beyer, KNXV-TV (ABC15)

Ex officio

Immediate Past President: Mark Scarp , East Valley Tribune

Scholarship dollars available
The Arizona Newspapers Foundation, Inc. has announced a new scholarship available to college students majoring in journalism. This summer, ANF will award two scholarships of $1,000 each to full-time undergraduate students who are attending Arizona State University , University of Arizona or Northern Arizona University.

Complete scholarship information, including award criteria and an application for Fall 2008 awards, are posted online at www.ananews.com/scholarship. The deadline for applications is June 6. Winners will be chosen by a selection committee and notified by mid-July if they are selected as a finalist.

If no one applies, we don’t get to award anyone…and that’s just money that’s wasted! Because of the limited number of applications we’ve received so far,the candidate pool is small and exceptional students have an excellent chance of being awarded this scholarship. We want to award this scholarship to deserving students, so if you know any, please encourage them to apply immediately.

For information contact Perri Collins, communications manager for the Arizona Newspapers Association at 1001 N. Central Ave., Suite 670, Phoenix , AZ 85004 or (602) 261-7655 ext. 110.

Arizona Reporter's Handbook on Media Law now available
Perkins Coie Brown & Bain announces that the sixth edition of the Arizona Reporter's Handbook on Media Law is now available.

Perkins Coie attorney Dan Barr led a team of 10 Perkins Coie attorneys in Phoenix and Seattle in revising the Handbook, which was last released in 2002. Topics covered include access to court proceedings, public records, open meetings, and public and private places. The new Handbook also addresses subpoenas issued against the news media, search warrants, gag orders, prior restraints, libel, invasion of privacy, promises of confidentiality to sources, copyright and trademark issues, and Section 230 immunity for online content.

The Arizona Reporter's Handbook on Media Law is being sold for $5 a copy. To order a copy, please contact Sharon Neilson at 602-351-8014 or SNeilson@perkinscoie.com.

For more information, please contact Dan Barr at 602-351-8085.

SPJ listserv is up and running!
In order to facilitate communication between members of the chapter who want to hear from other members, we have created a special e-mail group under Yahoo Groups. Simply go to Yahoo.com, select groups, and in the search window, type in "Phoenix_SPJ". You can then click on the link to subscribe to the e-mail list and be added as a member. Members of this group can send e-mails to those who have voluntarily chosen to participate.

In addition, new board member Sarah Bell Boggan will be working on creating a MySpace page for the chapter as an additional means to promote and contact the chapter, as well as for chapter members to communicate with each other.

If you have any questions about or problems with the new Phoenix_SPJ Yahoo Group, please e-mail Board President Teri Carnicelli at teri@northcentralnews.net.

SPJ's job bank growing fast
There are more than 100 listings currently on SPJ's online job bank. The site is updated every Friday with new listings for print, broadcast and online journalism jobs around the country. Check it out at: https://www.spjvideo.org/careers_search.asp.

Anyone can post a job, but only members can view the listings (you need to use your SPJ membership ID and password). Look for jobs, internships, fellowships and freelance opportunities, or hit the "See All Listings" button in the top right corner of the page and organize your search by media category, state, and date of posting.Take a moment to check your ethics
SPJ's Code of Ethics (www.spjvideo.org/ethics_code.asp) is the gold standard in the industry. Take a few moments to re-read the Code and consider its impact on journalism. Note: Exlporer works best.

In addition, SPJ member Chuck "The Grumpy Gourmet" Nelson has a Web site that provides ethics information to journalists involved in restaurant reviewing. Consider what he has to say at www.grumpygourmetusa.com.

Job postings for freelancers
Be sure to check the latest job postings for scriptwriter and photographer on Freelance Committee Chair Wendy Hoke's blog, The Independent reelancer(www.spjfreelancers.blogspot.com).

Ethics question? Call AdviceLine
The Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists, supported in part by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation and the Chicago Headline Club has taken hundreds of calls from journalists around the country with questions about ethical issues in reporting, editing, Internet-related items and more. Consider calling the toll-free line with your questions: 866-DILEMMA.