Photos from SPJ's national convention in Chicago, Aug. 24-26:

Terry Francke (left) of Californians Aware and Peter Scheer (right) of the California First Amendment Coalition share the 2006 Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award, presented by SPJ President David Carlson. The $10,000 was awarded for the combined efforts of Francke and Scheer to advocate for open meetings and records, defend journalists, push for laws favoring sunshine and raise public consciousness of freedom-of-information issues in California.

SPJ President Carlson announced the Legal Defense Fund award of $30,000 for the legal defense of Josh Wolf, the San Francisco freelance videographer imprisoned for refusing to turn over tapes of a protest to a federal grand jury. SPJ also launched an effort to collect more money during the convention to raise money for Wolf's personal needs while incarcerated.

Carlson presented an Ethics in Journalism Award to Jerry Roberts, who was one of nine staffers of the Santa Barbara News-Press who quit to protest editorial interference from the publisher that they believed constituted a violation of the SPJ Code of Ethics.

Carlson, Roberts and longtime News-Press columnist Barney Brantingham.

Eric Newton of the Knight Foundation, dining with Dori Maynard of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in Oakland.

Diversity leadership fellows Andrea Lewis (a Northern California SPJ board member) and Samaruddin Stewart.

SPJ NorCal stalwart Sally Lehrman and California First Amendment Coalition's Peter Scheer.