August 29, 2008 at 1:48 pm | Posted by Sarah Bauer
Minnesota Pro Chapter
Society of Professional Journalists
For Immediate Release
August 29, 2008
Police confiscating reporting equipment, prohibiting journalists from covering news events, and hassling photographers are definite warning signs as we head into the Republican National Convention. The Society of Professional Journalists is discouraged to learn of such tactics recently in the name of public safety. We hope these are isolated missteps by local law enforcement officials before the big event arrives and police have more important matters to attend to.
Three out-of-town citizen journalists, here to document events happening outside the Xcel Energy Center, had their belongings–including cameras and notebooks–confiscated by Minneapolis police while in Northeast Minneapolis. Police claim the three were trespassing, but no charges have yet been filed. The three who where detained maintain there was no such trespassing and their interaction with police was an attempt to intimidate them because the group they represent has documented police abuse in the past. Read the rest of this entry »
August 22, 2008 at 9:49 am | Posted by Sarah Bauer
National SPJ leaders chose the Minnesota Pro Chapter as the top chapter in the country for First Amendment and FOI contributions. Minnesota is one of five chapters the national journalist’s organization recognized in separate categories. In announcing the award, the committee made specific note of the state chapter’s efforts to educate and encourage local ethnic media outlets to improve their coverage of public officials through focused document research. A statement issued by the national group said such events “underscored the importance of journalists using FOI initiatives to strengthen the validity of published articles.”
“This is a great honor,” said Minnesota Pro Chapter President Nicole Garrison-Sprenger. “We put a lot of effort into reaching diverse populations to promote SPJ’s mission. We don’t do that for the awards but it’s gratifying to be recognized.” The award is one of several the Minnesota chapter has garnered in recent years, including the 2007 National Chapter of the Year.
The national Society salutes five chapters for their work each year in areas such as chapter communications, professional development and campus outreach.
July 1, 2008 at 3:10 pm | Posted by Scott Theisen
Society of Professional Journalists
Minnesota Pro Chapter
Board of Directors meeting
June 18, 2008
Sweeney’s, St. Paul
June 18, 2008 Meeting Minutes (PDF)
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June 13, 2008 at 9:54 am | Posted by Sarah Bauer
Two Citizens Win Freedom of Information Award from State’s Largest Journalism Group
Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists presents its Peter S. Popovich Award to two women working to keep public information available to all citizens
NOTE: All 2008 Page One Award Winners are listed below.
Reporters and First Amendment lawyers aren’t the only ones who fight for freedom of information. With that in mind, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists this year honored two non-journalists for their roles in keeping information public and available to all citizens.
Mary Flister, who has been recording Maplewood city meetings and making them available to the community, despite rebukes from to stop, and Robbie LaFleur, director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, who has been an unyielding advocate of information accessibility for the general public, both received the Peter S. Popovich Award. The award is given each year by the by MNSPJ to “the person or organization that exemplifies the fight for First Amendment Rights.”
The awards were presented Thursday evening at the SPJ’s annual Page One award banquet in St. Paul. The Minnesota chapter presented awards in more than 80 categories to the state’s top print, broadcast and online journalists for their work in 2007, including coverage of the I-35W bridge collapse. In a nod to the growing number of local news web sites, organizers expanded the number of online categories, including blogging and web-design awards.
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May 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm | Posted by Sarah Bauer
The 2008 Page One Awards Banquet will be held Thursday, June 12, and will honor the best in Minnesota journalism from 2007. The Minnesota Pro Chapter will also present the 2008 Peter S. Popovich Award as well as its 2008 student scholarship awards. The event will feature guest speaker Byron Pitts, a CBS News National Correspondent who recently was embedded with troops covering the Iraq war and served as CBS’ primary correspondent at Ground Zero following 9/11.
You are cordially invited to join us in celebrating our award winners.
When: Thursday, June 12, 2008
Reception begins at 6:00 p.m.
Dinner served at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Town & Country Club
300 Mississippi River Blvd. N.
St. Paul, MN 55104
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