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| Next business meeting: Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Date: Wednesday, April 12 Place: Upstairs at the Springfield Brewing Co., 301 S. Market Ave. Cost: Lunch is order off the menu. $3.50 to $8.50 for appetizers; $7 to $12 for lunch entrees Info: Elizabeth Kelly Klay at eklay@news-leader.com or call 836-1194 The following people have expressed a willingness to run for chapter office: * President: Angie Weidinger * Vice president: Michael Brothers * Secretary: David Burton * Treasurer: Kim McCully Mobley * Web master: Andrew Cline Michelle Rose has agreed to help with planning programs. We still need others to assist with program planning and Freedom of Information projects. Programs * Reverse Press Conference: The public gets to ask a panel of print, online and broadcast journalists about how we do our job and how we make decisions. Date to be Announced. Being organized by: Michael Brothers and Elizabeth Kelly Klay. Note: If you would like to be on this panel, zip Mike and e-mail at mbrothers@News-Leader.com. * PR and the Press: We discussed the possibility of having a program about working with public relations professionals: What works for you, what works for them, how they can create press releases that are useful, what sometimes prevents us from working well together and how to overcome obstacles, etc. The local branch of the Public Relations Society of America has agreed to have a joint program with us in late May (details to follow soon). SPJ will also be inviting public relations professionals who are not part of that group. What we need from you: Any questions or comments you would like to see addressed during this program. This can range from what you need to see on press releases to why you run into roadblocks when seeking information. Also, if you run across a press release that works or one that does not before the end of April, send that to Michelle Rose at mrose@news-leader.com by April 30 so we can have concrete examples of the type of information useful to the media. Since I can only speak for newspaper offices, it would really help me to know what magazines and television need as well. Our hope is that this program can create a dialogue between journalists and public relations professionals in the area so we can form productive working relationships. * National Ethics in Journalism Week w/ You Be the Editor Forum: David Burton has agreed to organize a You Be the Editor program to coincide with Ethics Week April 24-29. We're still nailing down a place. The gist: The session invites journalists and the public to discuss ethics scenarios. This session will have two parts: breakout groups and then an overall discussion. We need everyone's help to submit hypothetical ethics dilemmas to be discussed. If you send in some based on past experiences, make sure they're your past experiences. E-mail burtond@missouri.edu.
SPJ Honors Molly McDonough Carson and Elizabeth Kelly Klay with Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Award SPJ NEWS 10/19/2005 LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Society of Professional Journalists awarded Molly McDonough Carson of the Chicago Headline Club and Elizabeth Kelly Klay of the Southwest Missouri Pro Chapter the Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Awards. Two awards are given annually; one from chapters of more than 75 members and one from chapters with fewer than 75 members. Carson and Klay will be recognized tonight during the President’s Installation Banquet at the 2005 SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference. The banquet was held at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. As a member of the Chicago Headline Club, Carson helped transform the non-profit status of the club to one able to receive donations and grants with tax deductible status. She then founded the club’s foundation to raise money and disperse grants and scholarships. Carson also recruited its first board of directors and served as its president. “None of the current officers could imagine putting on any event without her guidance and expertise to show us the way to get it done, and done well,” said Meg Tebo, the club’s president-elect. Carson is currently organizing a Holiday Book Bash fundraiser and spearheading the Watchdog Award and Watchdog Fund, acknowledging the journalist whose work best exemplifies the ideals of open and honest government through an investigative work. Klay is the award recipient from the Southwest Missouri Pro Chapter of less than 75 members. Under her leadership, the Chapter has earned three-star chapter status, was named the best small chapter in Region 7, and in 2004 won the national Circle of Excellence award for campus relations. The Chapter also held the regional conference for the first time in a decade. “She’s smart enough to recognize her strengths and the strengths of those around her,” said the Chapter’s Board of Directors. “She builds a team that is greater than the sum of all those parts. That’s what leadership is all about.” Klay has been a SPJ member since she was a student at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. She was president of the chapter the year it was named the best student group in the country and served as a student member of the national board. She has recently served on the professional development committee and presented at the Scripps Leadership Retreat in June of 2005. The Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Member Award salutes individual professional members who have made significant contributions to their SPJ chapter. Individuals must be nominated by their chapter’s board of directors. The Society of Professional Journalists works to improve and protect journalism. The organization is the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry, works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists, and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. ### Winner of Regional Students Essay Contest Takes Third in National ContestA submission by a freshman home schooled student from Walnut Shade, Mo. was the first-place selection in the 2005 First-Amendment essay contest sponsored by the Southwest Missouri Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The same essay was also named the third place entry in the national SPJ contest. Thirty-eight students in grades nine through 12 -- in public, private and home schools -- entered this year. Enteries represented the communities of Marshfield, Walnut Shade, Mansfield, Souder, Springfield, Dadeville, Jerico Springs, Stockton, Aurora, Crane and Verona, Mo. Those submissions were trimmed down to seven, which were then scored by four professional journalists who are members of the local SPJ chapter. Among the finalists were entries from Stockton (2), Aurora (3), Mansfield (1) and Walnut Shade (1). The top three submissions came from: 1st place: "Why Free News Media Are Important," by Katie Roberts, a 9th grade home schooled student from Walnut Shade, Mo. 2nd place: "Why Free News Media are Important," by Casey Lynette Morrow, an 11th grade home schooled student from Mansfield, Mo. Tie for 3rd place: "A Weapon in Every Pen," by Ryan Coulter, a 12th grade student at Stockton High School from Jerico Springs, Mo. Tie for 3rd place: "Why Free News Media are Important," Jessica Conn, a 12th grade student at Aurora High School from Aurora, Mo. Students placing first- through third-place in the southwest Missouri contest will receive award certificates from SPJ. The top three selections are also forwarded to the national competition where the winning student could earn a scholarship worth $1,000, $500 or $300. “The overall quality of the essays this year was great. In fact, the judge’s ballots were not in agreement this year, like they have been in the past, because there were at least six essays to pick from,” said David Burton, civic communication specialist, University of Missouri Extension. Read local winning submissions for 2005 HERE. |
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