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Call for Nominations: James Madison Freedom of Information Awards

December 7, 2011 in Awards by byeung | Comments closed

 

The James Madison Freedom of Information Awards recognize Northern California organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of freedom of information and expression in the spirit of James Madison, the creative force behind the First Amendment. The awards are presented by the Freedom of Information Committee of the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. There is no fee for submitting an entry. An awards ceremony and dinner will be held in March, during National Freedom of Information Week, near the anniversary of Madison’s birth.

Eligible for nomination are Northern California journalists, citizens, media organizations, or community groups who, during 2011, have defended public access to meetings, public records, or court proceedings or otherwise promoted the public’s right to know, publish and speak freely about issues of public concern.

Award Categories (awards may not be given in every category): Professional Journalist, Nonprofit Organization, Source/Whistle Blower, Career Achievement, Citizen, Public Official, Educator, Cartoonist, Legal Counsel, Student Journalist, Electronic Access, News Media.

* The Professional Journalist and Student Journalist awards recognize journalists who have been involved in fights for access to records, meetings or court proceedings, who have made exceptional use of public records in their reporting or who have promoted education on FOI issues through stories, editorials or other advocacy.

* The Public Official award is given to a governmental official who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to keeping public records or meetings public, or otherwise has taken exemplary leadership on FOI or First Amendment issues.

* The Beverly Kees Educator Award recognizes extraordinary efforts by educators to cultivate a devotion to the values of freedom of information.

The Norwin S. Yoffie Career Achievement Award is named in honor of a stalwart supporter of the chapter’s Freedom of Information Committee, who died in November 2000 after many years of distinguished service to SPJ and the cause of freedom of information.

Submit a nomination online. Entries must be submitted not later than Friday, January 6, 2012.

Questions: Please contact Geoff King or Rebecca Bowe at spjnorcalfoi@gmail.com. Please include “James Madison Awards Question” in the subject line.

Excellence in Journalism Awards Deadline Extended to Aug 30

August 15, 2011 in Uncategorized by byeung | Comments closed

The new deadline for submitting entries to the 2011 Excellence in Journalism Awards is: August 30. Submissions must be complete and paid for by the end of that day to be considered for awards.

The online system for submitting your work is: Awards.SPJNorCal.org

Complete details about the awards are at: 26th ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Excellence in Journalism Awards Online Submission System is Now Live

August 8, 2011 in Uncategorized by byeung | Comments closed

 

The site is at: Awards.SPJNorCal.org

Deadline for submitting entries: Aug. 19 Aug. 30. Winners will be announced in October.

For complete details see: 26th ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Good luck!

Excellence in Journalism Awards Online Submission System Will Go Live Aug 10

August 5, 2011 in Uncategorized by byeung | Comments closed

 

We are using a new system this year to allow you to submit your entries for the 26th Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards online. The site will go live on Wednesday, August 10. We will post the link here once it is live.

Reminder: The deadline for submitting entries is August 19 August 30.

More information on the awards, including categories and entry requirements, is here: 26th Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards: Call for Nominations. Winners will be announced in October.

26th ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

August 1, 2011 in Uncategorized by byeung | 3 comments

Know a deserving journalist who soldiers on through cutbacks to tell the truth? Get the story, photo or video? Whose dedication to our craft is second to none? Or is that journalist you? For the past 26 years, the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has selected from among the Bay Area’s best of the best for its acclaimed Excellence in Journalism Awards. These awards honor the journalists whose work best reflects the SPJ ideals of initiative, integrity, talent and compassion.

This year marks two significant changes to the awards: categories and entries. The board voted to realign the categories to reflect changes in journalism: Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia. Some categories will also be subdivided into daily and non-daily. The six special Board of Directors Awards will remain the same: Journalist of the Year, Career Achievement, Distinguished Service, Unsung Hero, Meritorious SPJ Service and the Silver Heart.

The change to an online-only format, a first for this chapter, is one that we hope will make the contest process easier and faster. We will no longer accept mailed entries. The contest entry site will feature a one-stop shop for all your contest needs, including a short video with detailed, step-by-step instructions. All entrants need to do is create an account, and the site will walk you through the rest. As with all product launches, however, we anticipate a few kinks along the way. We thank you in advance for your patience as we make this important transition and would appreciate your feedback. The site — awards.spjnorcal.org — is set to go live by Aug. 6.

Details and rules below. Deadline Aug. 19 Aug. 30. Best of luck!

Instructions:

Stories must have been published between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, by a news outlet or individuals based in Northern California.

DEADLINE: Aug. 19. Entries must be time-stamped by Aug. 19, 2011 Aug. 30, 2011.

QUESTIONS: Call chapter President Liz Enochs at (415) 323-0220.

CONTEST CATEGORIES

BREAKING NEWS

Honors individuals, teams or news organizations whose work demonstrates clear and accurate reporting and graceful writing on deadline. Judges will consider deadline pressure and complexity of subject.

Entry specifications: Submit up to three stories.

Categories: Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

Honors individuals or teams that identify important issues and demonstrate initiative, persistence and resourcefulness pursuing information that is restricted or not easily available.

Entry specifications: Submit one story or series of related stories.

Categories: Daily and non-daily in Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM

Honors journalists who increase readers’ and/or viewers’ understanding of significant or complex issues. Entries may add understanding to issues in the news or may focus on issues largely uncovered by the media.

Entry specifications: Submit one story or series of related stories.

Categories: Daily and non-daily in Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

COMMUNITY JOURNALISM

Honoring journalists and organizations whose primary focus is coverage of a well-defined small community or neighborhood. Entries may include print publications, news broadcasts or news sites. University-supported projects are not eligible. Entry specifications: This is for community-based outlets. Submit no more than five news stories or packages demonstrating the range and depth of local news coverage.

Categories: Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

FEATURE STORYTELLING

Honors journalists for exceptional writing that demonstrates originality of approach. Judges will consider humor or drama evoked, style, clarity of writing and suitability of the writing to the subject.

Entry specifications: Submit story or series.

Categories: Daily and non-daily in Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS

Honors individuals for exceptional writing of commentary, analysis and editorials. Print entries may include bylined or unsigned editorials and columns. Online entries may include news-related blogs. Judges will consider quality of writing, clarity of analysis and originality of approach.

Entry specifications: Submit up to three samples

Categories: Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

ARTS & CULTURE REPORTING

Honors journalists for incisive reporting about art, music, movies, theater, dance, books, restaurants, architecture or other public performance. May also include reviews. Judges will consider quality of analysis and persuasiveness of arguments.

Entry specifications: Submit up to three samples

Categories: Daily and non-daily in Print/Text, Radio/Audio, TV/Video and Multimedia.

JOURNALISM INNOVATION

Honors individuals or organizations that have demonstrated innovative ways to further the goals of journalism, using online tools, new funding strategies and/or other approaches; entrants should demonstrate how innovation has led to unique coverage.

Entry specifications: Submit up to three samples showing how this innovation works.

Categories: All media.

PHOTOJOURNALISM

Limited to 3 separate submissions of not more than 15 images each. Include the written story or explanation:

1) Newspaper stories/essays/features (for stories published either in print or on a paper’s website)

2) Magazine stories/essays/features (for stories published in print or on the magazine’s website)

3) Audio slideshow: Limited to 1 audio slideshow up to 3 minutes in length.

Limited to 1 submission not to exceed 10 images:

4) Newspaper single image/portfolio

OUTSTANDING EMERGING JOURNALIST

Honors a journalist with less than five years of professional experience whose work shows great promise. Entry specifications: Submit resume and three samples of work.

Categories: All media

STUDENT SPECIAL PROJECT

Honors individuals or classes of college-level students for exemplary reporting, writing, and/or photography produced by all forms of student media, including special projects that report local news. These should be student-generated and not part of an ongoing university-sponsored project. Entry specifications: Submit up to three samples.

Categories: All media

PUBLIC SERVICE

Honors individuals, teams, or news organizations that try to improve conditions for the benefit of society. Entries will be judged on the significance of the issues, evidence of initiative, effectiveness of presentation and results obtained or pledged.

Entry specifications: May include project articles, editorials, public service announcements, cartoons, photos, graphics and online material.

Categories: All media

NORCAL SPJ BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ AWARDS CATEGORIES:

(A nomination letter is required; also see online instructions)

Journalist of the Year: For extraordinary journalistic contributions in the past year.

Career Achievement: For extraordinary achievements exemplifying the highest standards of the profession.

Unsung Hero: A person whose contribution to journalism is often overlooked (e.g., copy editor, librarian, web producer).

Meritorious SPJ Service/The John Gothberg Award: For outstanding contributions to the NorCal Chapter of SPJ.

Distinguished Service: For distinguished service to journalism by a journalist or non-journalist.

The Silver Heart: Awarded to a journalist whose career reflects an extraordinary dedication to giving voice to the voiceless.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Stories must have been published between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, by a news outlet or individuals based in Northern California.

Deadline: Entries must be time-stamped by Aug. 19, 2011 Aug. 30, 2011.

Multiple entries: Only stories or projects entered in the Public Service category may also be entered in one other category.

Fee: $30 per entry for SPJ members*; $40 per entry for non-members.

*To be eligible for the $30 member entry fee, you must be a member of both the SPJ national organization (current price $72) AND the SPJ Northern California chapter ($20) at the time-stamp of entry. Membership is good for 12 months, based on the date you joined. Chapter membership entitles you to free or reduced member admission to NorCal chapter activities, including the Excellence in Journalism Awards dinner. See www.spj.org/join.asp to join SPJ and the NorCal chapter.

Submission website: awards.spjnorcal.org (will go live by Aug. 6)

Life After Journalism: An SPJ NorCal Panel Discussion

July 13, 2011 in Uncategorized by byeung | Comments closed

Where: Mechanic’s Institute, 57 Post St. (between Montgomery & Kearney), 4th Floor, San Francisco (BART/Muni Stop: Montgomery)
Date: Wed., July 20, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Discussion + Q&A: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
Price: $5 for SPJ members, $10 for nonmembers
Snacks and drinks (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) will be provided.
No cash? Send entry fee in advance by PayPal to jredhage(at)gmail.com.

Is there life after journalism? Former journalists now working in the public, private and nonprofit sectors talk about their experiences transitioning to new fields. How did their journalism training aid them in their next career? What other careers are good fits for journalists? What are the advantages and disadvantages of exiting journalism? And is the move permanent?

Featuring:

Linda Strean, Associate Director of Communications at the nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank Public Policy Institute of California, who was metro editor and deputy managing editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, managing editor at the Santa Barbara News-Press and managing editor of nonprofit website GreatSchools.net.

Lisa Bowman, a civil rights plaintiff lawyer at Schneider Wallace Cottrell Brayton Konecky LLP in San Francisco, who worked for nearly 10 years as a reporter for news outlets including CNET News, the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg and KQED Public Radio.

Joshua Peck, Senior Media Relations Manager at 700-attorney international law firm Duane Morris LLP, who reported for newspapers in Michigan and New York before working as press secretary for a Congressional campaign, press assistant in the New York State Senate and a lobbyist for the Jewish philanthropic organization UJA-Federation of New York.

Becky Bowman, Display Network specialist at Google Inc., who was a newspaper reporter at the Hearst Corporation, a fact-checker at Women’s Health magazine and a freelance writer for three years prior to joining the search giant as an optimizer in advertising sales.

Moderated by Jill Redhage, Staff Writer at the San Francisco Daily Journal and program committee member for the Society of Professional Journalists – Northern California Chapter.

Direct questions to jredhage(at)gmail.com.

Panel: Journalism in the Age of WikiLeaks

February 26, 2011 in Uncategorized by byeung | Comments closed

On February 24, SPJ-NorCal and CNET co-hosted a panel on how journalism changes in the age of WikiLeaks.

Complete description of the panel is here.

Panelists:

  • Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent, CNET
  • Caille Millner, San Francisco Chronicle
  • Evan Hansen, editor-in-chief, Wired.com
  • Jalal Ghazi, New America Media
  • Burt Herman, Hacks & Hackers, Storify

Moderator: E.B. Boyd, FastCompany.com and board member, SPJ-NorCal


Video courtesy of CNET Reporters’ Roundtable.

Journalism in the Age of WikiLeaks – Feb 24, 2011

February 16, 2011 in Events by byeung | Comments closed

The bean counters aren’t the only ones in journalism having to re-examine their game plans. The advent of third-party players like WikiLeaks is forcing editors to rethink traditional editorial practices. Historically, editors had as much time as they needed to study leaked documents. But in an age when anyone can access a (digital) printing press, editors no longer can count on controlling the timetable. While the Washington Post took two years to report “Top Secret America,” the New York Times, the Guardian, and Der Spiegel were given a mere three weeks to decide how to handle over 90,000 confidential documents on Afghanistan. (And only a little more to consider the handling of the subsequent documents on Iraq and the State Department cables.)

Join us as we discuss the challenges journalists face in the current environment, and consider questions like: How should news organizations handle situations like the ones the New York Times et al faced with WikiLeaks? And what’s the role of professional news organizations when anyone can publish the kind of information that previously was only the purview of journalism? And what do you think of how the New York Times handled WikiLeaks? (See Bill Keller’s “Dealing with Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets”)

Panelists:

  • Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent, CNET
  • Lance Williams, award-winning investigative reporter, California Watch
  • Steve Proctor, managing editor, San Francisco Chronicle
  • Evan Hansen, editor-in-chief, Wired.com
  • Burt Herman, Hacks & Hackers

Moderator: E.B. Boyd, FastCompany.com and board member, SPJ-NorCal

Date: Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011

Time: 6pm: Registration. 6:30: Panel begins.

Location: The panel will take place in the ground floor meeting room at CNET. Come to the front desk, and they will direct you.

Hosted by: The Society of Professional Journalists-Northern California and CNET, part of CBS Interactive.

Sign up at: http://spj-wikileaks-panel-eorg.eventbrite.com/

NORCAL SPJ CHAPTER ANNOUNCES JAMES MADISON AWARD WINNERS

February 11, 2011 in Awards, Events by byeung | 1 comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Feb. 11, 2011

NORCAL SPJ CHAPTER ANNOUNCES FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD WINNERS

On March 16, the Society of Professional Journalists Northern California chapter will honor champions of the First Amendment at the 26th Annual James Madison Awards.

For his tireless pursuit of public records, his perseverance in related legal battles, and the award-winning news coverage that he has provided through the information that he has set free, Tim Crews, the editor and publisher of the Sacramento Valley Mirror is to receive this year’s Norwin Yoffie Award for Career Achievement.  This award is named for one of the founders of SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee, who as an editor and publisher of the then-family-owned San Rafael Independent-Journal was a vigorous advocate for transparency and accountability in the public-services sector. Other honorees are:

●    Steve O’Donoghue, a retired teacher in the Oakland School District and co-founder of the Media Academy, who will be honored with the Beverly Kees Educator Award, named for a former SPJ NorCal president who was an educator and nationally recognized journalist.
●     Attorney Duffy Carolan of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, who will receive theLegal Counsel award for her 20 years of representing journalists and news organizations, defending defamation lawsuits, advocating for the release of public records, and protecting journalists against compelled disclosure of unpublished materials.
●     Investigative reporter Peter Byrne, whose multipart series on the websiteSpot.us outlined how several University of California (UC) Regents approved questionable UC investments in companies in which they had personal financial interests, will be honored with a Journalist award.
●    Ashli Briggs and Alicia Lewis, who recovered pages of Sarah Palin’s speaking contract with the California State University (CSU) from a campus dumpster in Stanislaus, will share a Citizen award.
●    The Associated Press Sacramento Bureau, which will receive a News Media award for a series of articles highlighting secrecy in the conduct of the Legislature.
●    Reporter Amy Standen of KQED, who will receive a Journalist award for her detailed inquiry into the integrity of the compromised scientific findings of California regulators who approved the pesticide methyl iodide.
●    Julia Prodis Sulek and Howard Mintz, of the San Jose Mercury News, who will share the Electronic Access award for their use of blogs and Twitter to provide compelling, real-time coverage of prominent court cases.
●    Lloyd Chapman of the American Small Business League, who wrested government documents from federal agencies to reveal that billions of dollars in federal contract money designated for small businesses had in fact been diverted to large corporations, is to receive an Organization award.

The banquet will be held at the New Delhi Restaurant, 160 Ellis St., in San Francisco, two blocks from the Powell Street BART/MUNI station. A no-host reception at 5:30 p.m. will be followed at 6:30 p.m. by the dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets are $50 for SPJ members and students, and $70 for other attendees. Tables and hosting opportunities are also available. Information about how to purchase tickets will be included in a separate announcement.

The James Madison Freedom of Information Awards is named for the creative force behind the First Amendment and honors local journalists, organizations, public officials and private citizens who have fought for public access to government meetings and records and promoted the public’s right to know and freedom of expression.

Award winners are selected by SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee. Additional information is available from committee co-chairs Rebecca Bowe or Mark Conrad, spjnorcalfoi@gmail.com.

2010 JAMES MADISON HONOREES

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but Sacramento Valley Mirror editor and publisher Tim Crews has found the California Public Records Act to be a rather effective weapon, too. Crews has been involved in more than 20 cases stemming from sunshine requests or uncovering violations of the state’s open meetings law. He runs the Mirror out of Willows, a tiny town off Interstate 5 in Glenn County. The investigative journalist has clashed with local government in countless memorable episodes, including one instance where he spent five days in jail for refusing to reveal the identity of a source. His paper ran a series using education board records detailing how a local school official had used taxpayer dollars for vacations and financial deals with friends. Another series, “Who killed Bud?” utilized CPRA records to investigate the killing of a district attorney’s brother-in-law, prompting a rare coroner’s jury to be convened. Crews’ tireless challenges to government secrecy have landed him in hot water with the legal system. The Mirror is currently facing steep legal fees arising out of a court sanction issued after a judge who was a target of one of Crews’ exposes ruled a lawsuit he had filed against a public agency was “frivolous.” Undeterred, Crews continues fighting, and he has garnered accolades. In 2010, the California Press Association named Crews Newspaper Executive of the Year.

EDUCATOR
Steve O’Donoghue taught for 33 years in Oakland, primarily at Fremont High School. In 1985, he founded the Media Academy at Fremont, which ultimately became a small school unto itself. He has served as an advisor for student yearbook, newspaper and magazine projects, and has taught courses in photography, desktop publishing, and journalism. In 1998, he established the High School Newspaper Support Program for the Bay Area. O’Donoghue has been recognized by numerous awards for his role in sustaining and advancing scholastic journalism.

LEGAL COUNSEL
This year marks Duffy Carolan’s 20th year of representing journalists and news organizations, defending defamation lawsuits, advocating for the release of public records and access to court proceedings, protecting journalists against compelled disclosure of unpublished materials, and numerous other matters.  As an attorney first with Crosby, Heafy, Roach and May and since 1998 with Davis, Wright & Tremaine, Duffy has represented the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, the Associated Press, the San Mateo County Times and many others. Since 2007, Duffy has served pro bono as the lead attorney for the Chauncey Bailey Project. She currently serves on both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the First Amendment Coalition.

JOURNALIST
Journalist Peter Byrne’s multi-part investigative series, “Investor’s Club: How the Regents of the University of California Spin Public Funds into Private Profit,” employed an exhaustive and innovative use of the California Public Records Act during an eight-month long investigation that determined that the University of California (UC) had invested billions of dollars into risky private equity funds and companies in which regents in charge of making investment policy (including then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) held significant financial interests. The story was reported from 12,000 pages of public records obtained from UC, the California Public Employees Retirement System, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the California Fair Political Practices Commission; one important transactions spreadsheet was made available only after high-level political intervention. Byrne’s reporting, alleging conflicts of interest, quickly led to the departure of Regent Richard Blum from the investment committee. The California Senate has ordered an audit of the regents’ financial practices. In addition, the regents have stated they intend to appoint a union member to sit on the investment advisory committee that oversees the university’s portfolio of more than $60 billion. The cost of Byrne’s $7,000, eight-month long investigation was covered by 144 people and a consortium of Northern California newsweeklies affiliated with the “crowd funding” journalism website, Spot.us.

CITIZEN
When GOP icon Sarah Palin was invited to speak at California State University (CSU) in Stanislaus, questions arose about how much she would be paid in such a lean budget year marked by furloughs and layoffs. Then when first-amendment advocates filed public-records requests to get the terms of her contract, university administrators denied having any responsive documents. Thanks to the efforts of CSU Stanislaus students, several pages of Palin’s speaking contract were uncovered anyhow, through unconventional tactics. Alicia Lewis and Ashli Briggs were among the students who found the discarded documents amidst a pile of shredded paperwork by rummaging through a campus dumpster. Their actions drew national media attention, but also brought consequences. They came under pressure from the campus administration, and Palin herself singled them out for criticism during her speech. Nevertheless, the students say they have no regrets for taking action to ensure that information wasn’t kept hidden from the student body and the public.

NEWS MEDIA
The Associated Press, Sacramento Bureau and its four reporters in 2011 shined a bright light on the often secretive way the state legislature conducts business. Reporters Judy Lin, Don Thompson, Juliet Williams and Samantha Young pressed for records and open meetings on an array of state stories. The AP was the only news organization to demand entry into a private lunch called by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for all 120 lawmakers to solicit ideas to get the state through troubled times. Despite being refused entry, The AP’s Lin and Williams kept up stories on the private meeting, eventually prompting the governor to pledge to open future meetings. Young pursued stories on a legislative sex scandal involving a lobbyist by requesting calendars of all 120 lawmakers. Despite being turned down, her efforts to shine a light on the Legislature’s ability to set its own rules for disclosure prompted political reporters to ask candidates if they would pledge to open records if elected. Thompson tracked lawmakers’ spending on themselves, including a $5 million perk, unique to California, of taxpayer-provided cars. Lin used the state Public Records Act to uncover the fact that one-third of state lawmakers failed to report gifts from lobbyists or stays at exclusive resorts.

JOURNALIST
Amy Standen of KQED Quest reported a series of stories on radio and print/online chronicling California’s scientific consideration of the use of methyl iodide. The central question was how California regulators had come to approve a pesticide that many scientists had cautioned was too dangerous for agricultural use. The trail led from the agency’s website to searches of public records—KQED filed a request under California’s Public Records Act—that revealed damning evidence about the process, including that state pesticide authorities had acted against the advice of their own staff scientists, as well as a pattern of violations concerning safety measures. Standen’s reporting, which required intense and careful scrutiny of scientific studies, led to coverage by other media and was included in testimony concerning the issue. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the scientific dispute and also there is a pending lawsuit challenging the scientific basis behind the approval.

ELECTRONIC ACCESS
Julia Prodis Sulek and Howard Mintz of the San Jose Mercury News will share the Electronic Access Award for their use of blogs and Twitter to provide compelling, minute-by-minute coverage of the historic same-sex marriage case and a Los Gatos murder-for-hire trial. Mintz, a longtime legal affairs reporter, kicked off the online effort by launching a daily trial blog of the federal challenge to Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. His posts quickly became the go-to source for people following the testimony and arguments in real time, drawing 400,000 page views during the trial. The Mercury News created a special web section that collected news stories, blog posts and trial documents, along with photos. Sulek, a veteran crime reporter, delivered more outstanding online coverage when she won consent from the judge to blog a love-triangle, murder-for-hire case. Using a touch-screen iPad to avoid the distraction of clicking computer keys in the courtroom, she updated testimony as much as 50 times a day during the two-month trial. The coverage included a mix of rapid-fire tweets and Facebook pages about the case. In the end, Sulek and Mintz participated in a panel discussion with the local bench to enhance judicial understanding of real-time media coverage and promote public access to the courts.

ORGANIZATION
Lloyd Chapman, president of the American Small Business League, will be recognized for unflagging work to wrest government documents from federal agencies to expose the diversion of billions of dollars in federal contract money to large corporations at the expense of small businesses. A passionate advocate for the small business community for 20 years, Chapman is founder of the American Small Business League. In 2010, he filed eight lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act against a wide variety of agencies. So far, three have resulted in the release of documents previously withheld from the public. Over the years, Chapman and ASBL have forced the federal government to remove as many as 600 large businesses from a government database, thus opening more federal dollars to true small business owners.

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Call for Nominations: 2010 James Madison Freedom of Information Awards

December 14, 2010 in Awards by byeung | Comments closed

***DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JAN. 14***

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Society of Professional Journalists Northern California Chapter
presents the 26th Annual James Madison Freedom of Information Awards

The James Madison Freedom of Information Awards recognize Northern California organizations and individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of freedom of information and expression in the spirit of James Madison, the creative force behind the First Amendment. The awards are presented at a ceremony in March during National Freedom of Information Week near the anniversary of Madison’s birth.

Eligible for nomination are Northern California journalists, citizens, media organizations, or community groups who, during 2010, have defended public access to meetings, public records, meetings or court proceedings or otherwise promoted the public’s right to know, publish and speak freely about issues of public concern.

Award Categories (awards may not be given in every category):
Professional Journalist
Nonprofit Organization
Source/Whistle Blower
Career Achievement
Citizen
Public Official
Educator
Cartoonist
Legal Counsel
Student Journalist
Electronic Access
News Media

· The Professional Journalist and Student Journalist awards recognize journalists who have been involved in fights for access to records, meetings or court proceedings, who have made exceptional use of public records in their reporting or who have promoted education on FOI issues through stories, editorials or other advocacy.

· The Public Official award is given to a governmental official who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to keeping public records or meetings public, or otherwise has taken exemplary leadership on FOI or First Amendment issues.

· The Beverly Kees Educator Award recognizes extraordinary efforts by educators to cultivate a devotion to the values of freedom of information.

· The Norwin S. Yoffie Career Achievement Award is named in honor of a stalwart supporter of the chapter’s Freedom of Information Committee, who died in November 2000 after many years of distinguished service to SPJ and the cause of freedom of information.

To see past award recipients, click here.

To Apply

All entries should be submitted no later than Friday, January 14. Please submit entries via email and online, using this form:

Instructions: For each entry, please submit the following:
A. Using the online form, please provide the award category, the nominee’s name and contact information, and the nominator’s name and contact information.
B. Using the online form, please submit a cover letter with the following information:
(i)A summary of the story, stories or action taken;
(ii) A description of the freedom of information aspect of the story or action, specifically explaining how freedom of information laws and tools were employed and/or how the story or actions shed light on governmental activities;
(iii)A discussion of major findings, achievements and subsequent results, i.e., whether the story received attention from other media outlets or effected new legislation, a regulatory change, or other public response; and
(iv)An account of the difficulty or uniqueness of effort in obtaining the story or pursuing the action;
(v)Any corrections, clarifications or retractions made after initial publication or broadcast of stories must be submitted as part of the entry; any challenges to the story’s accuracy,including but not limited to letters; and requests for corrections or retractions, as well as responses by the newspaper.
C. Supporting documents, including published stories and any other supporting material, that demonstrate the merit of nomination. Please email these materials to spjnorcalfoi@gmail.com.

Judges: Judges are the members of the Freedom of Information Committee of the Society
of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter.

Submission: Please send entries via the online entry form, plus any additional materials via email to spjnorcalfoi@gmail.com. Please include “James Madison Nomination” in the subject line.

Questions: Please contact Mark Conrad or Rebecca Bowe at spjnorcalfoi@gmail.com. Please include “James Madison Awards Question” in the subject line.

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