SPJ/LA Wins Circle of Excellence Award

From Lauren M. Rochester, SPJ Nat’l Awards Coordinator:

Dear [SPJ/LA Chapter President] Linda [Bowen],

Congratulations! The Greater Los Angeles Pro Chapter has been selected to receive a Circle of Excellence Award for professional development. SPJ truly appreciates your dedication and hard work over the past year. The chapter will be recognized at the upcoming 2009 SPJ National Convention and Journalism Conference. The award will be presented during the closing business meeting.

Congratulations again on this achievement.

Best wishes,

Lauren

FOODIE Foodie alert! SPJ-LA Mixer to feature RUSS PARSONS and PAT SAPERSTEIN Tues, Aug. 25

If you like reading about food, writing about food or simply eating food, the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists invites you to join us for a mixer featuring food writers Russ Parsons and Pat Saperstein on Aug. 25 in downtown L.A.

Parsons is the food editor and columnist of the Los Angeles Times and has published two cookbooks, “How to Read a French Fry” and “How to Pick a Peach.”

Saperstein is senior editor of Variety and founder of the award-winning food blog Eating LA.

The mixer is free and open to all! Please let us know you’re coming by sending an e-mail to: spjlosangeles@gmail.com

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.

WHAT: SPJ-LA’s August Mixer

WHO: Our guests will be LA Times food columnist Russ Parsons and Eating LA’s Pat Saperstein

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25

WHERE: We’ll meet in the back room at the Redwood Bar and Grill, 316 W. 2nd Street in downtown L.A; 213-680-2600. Street and lot parking is available in the area. The bar is close to the Civic Center Red Line Metro stop.

COST: It’s free fun for all! (You’ll have to buy your own drinks. Happy hour ends at 7 p.m. so get your drinks early!)

SPJ’s National Convention Aug 27-30

SPJ’s national convention is Aug. 27-30 at the Westin Indianapolis.

You’ve heard of 12-step recovery programs. Now try SPJ’s eight-step program for career success! By registering for the 2009 SPJ convention, you’re automatically enrolled in the eight-step career enhancement program. Among the reasons to attend:

• Take part in top-flight programming to improve your journalism skills.
• Be part of the conversation about the future of news gathering.
• Make valuable connections to find work, find staff and get referrals.
• Network with hundreds of other journalists.
• Gather together with a shared goal to improve and protect journalism.
• Reflect on the past and look to the future.
• Choose from more than 60 sessions.
• Get exposed to new and fresh ideas.
• Make new friends and see old ones.
• Visit the Crossroads of America. Be a part of history for the next 100 years.

For more information, go to http://www.spj.org/convention.asp

SPJ Looking for Regional Director – Apply by June 18

SPJ Wants YOU … as our new regional director 

Region 11 SPJ members who may have said at least once, “If I ran SPJ, I would….” have the chance to put those ideas into action for a better Society.

Candidates are being sought to represent Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific Islands on the SPJ national board of directors for a two-year term that begins this August. Regional directors should receive employer support, although SPJ pays each director an annual stipend of $1,000 for each of the two years for travel, hotel and certain other expenses.

The regional director is in contact with chapter presidents and the national headquarters to help chapters be the best they can be, supervises the annual Mark of Excellence Awards competition for college journalists and oversees the host chapter’s efforts to put on the annual spring regional conference.

Interested? Contact Lauren Bartlett of the Greater Los Angeles chapter at lauren.bartlett@sbcglobal.net or Mark Scarp of the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix) chapter at phoenixspj@cox.net.

In Memory: Terry Harper

It is with great sadness that SPJ/LA shares the news that Terry Harper, executive director of SPJ for seven years, lost his battle with brain cancer and died on June 2.

Terry was devoted to SPJ. An official announcement about Terry is posted at: http://www.spj.org/harper.asp

Terry started a blog two years ago when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. His final post is at: http://melonthump.blogspot.com/2009/06/final-thump.html

Terry is survived by his wife Lee Ann and sons Dale and Jace.

If you would like to help the family, you can make a contribution to the Harper Family Fund and/or the Terry Harper Memorial Fund. Send a check, payable to the “Harper Family Fund,” to:

Harper Family Fund
3909 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208

Cards and letters of condolence may be sent to Terry’s family at:

680 Middle Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46201

Terry and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.

Blogging the Narco Wars

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Blogging the Narco Wars — June 3

SPJ/LA and the Los Angeles Library Foundation’s ALOUD Series present: Blogging the Narco Wars

Join the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Los Angeles Public Library for an in-depth talk with journalists from San Diego and Tijuana, as well as a long-time watchdog of border violence, to discuss how reporters are covering outbreaks of violence in connection to drug-smuggling in Tijuana.

The panelists will be:

Victor Clark Alfaro, Founder, Binational Human Rights Center in Tijuana

Vicente Calderon, Tijuana television reporter

Amy Isackson, reporter, KPBS San Diego

The event will be moderated by SPJ/LA board member Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, a reporter with KPCC 89.3 FM.

WHAT: Blogging the Narco-Wars

WHO: Victor Clark Alfaro, Founder, Binational Human Rights Center in Tijuana; Vicente Calderon, Tijuana TV reporter; Amy Isackson, border reporter, KPBS San Diego. Moderated by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, reporter, KPCC 89.3FM, SPJ/LA board member.

WHEN: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2009

WHERE: The Los Angeles Central Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071 http://www.lfla.org/aloud/visit.php

COST: Free, but reservations are highly recommended through the L.A. Public Library’s ALOUD Lecture Series. http://www.lfla.org/aloud/registration/

For more information, check o the library’s site at http://www.lfla.org/aloud/calendar/?month=06&year=2009&day=03.

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to promoting high standards of ethical behavior and encouraging the free practice of journalism. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.

Check out KPBS’s series on the issue here: http://www.kpbs.org/special-reports/border-battle/

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SPJ-LA’s Mammoth May Mixer – May 27

Take a trip back to Ice-Age Los Angeles at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mammoth Mixer on Wednesday, May 27! Our guest will be John M. Harris, chief curator of the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. He’ll be talking about the huge cache of fossils found near the museum that includes a nearly intact skeleton of a Columbian mammoth known as “Zed.”

 The mixer is free and open to all! Please let us know you’re coming by sending an e-mail to: spjlosangeles@gmail.com

 WHAT: SPJ-LA’s May Mixer

WHO: Our guest will be John M. Harris, chief curator of the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27

WHERE: We’ll meet in the back room at the Redwood Bar and Grill, 316 W. 2nd Street in downtown L.A; 213-680-2600. Street and lot parking is available in the area. The bar is close to the Civic Center Red Line Metro stop.

COST: It’s free fun for all! (You’ll have to buy your own drinks. Happy hour ends at 7 p.m. so get your drinks early!)

  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. To learn more about SPJ-LA, visit our Web site: spjla.wordpress.com

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Silent Auction Items

The Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will host a silent auction to raise money for chapter programs, including college scholarships. You can generously support SPJ/LA and journalism students on Wednesday, May 6, by bidding at the auction. Some of our fabulous auction items include: 

• Tickets to see the Los Angeles Dodgers

• A hike through Griffith Park with Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge

• Lunch with Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley

• A collection of Sounds Eclectic, courtesy of KCRW 89.9 FM

• A private tour of the city’s historical landmarks with the Los Angeles Conservancy

• Framed photographs from the Los Angeles Times, including Luis Sinco’s “Marlboro Man”

• A one-of-a-kind photo of actor Robert Blake, taken by Nick Ut for The Associated Press

• Front pages from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today that commemorate the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama

 

The auction will begin at 6 p.m. at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. All items must be paid for with cash or check.

SPJ Calls For Openness, Access In Los Angeles Courtrooms

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists believes freedom of the press is of paramount importance in maintaining a fair and effective judicial system. Members of the media have a right to attend hearings that occur in open session and access lawsuits filed with the court.

We are concerned by reports that a lawsuit filed by Sharon Stone was inappropriately placed under seal and reporters were temporarily barred from attending a hearing for Redmond O’Neal. It is inappropriate to bar reporters from covering court matters for no other reason than that celebrities are involved.

In light of these recent incidents, SPJ-LA is calling for increased vigilance in ensuring access within the Los Angeles Superior Court. Efforts to limit openness will only undermine the public’s faith in the legal system.

With about 9,000 members, the Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to promoting high standards of ethical behavior and encouraging the free practice of journalism. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists and protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.