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SPJ/LA Hosts Panel on Checkbook Journalism: An Old Dilemma for the New Media

The recent controversy around the Gizmodo tech blog’s decision to purchase a “lost” iPhone prototype for the sake of a scoop renewed the debate about the ethics and viability of checkbook journalism in today’s aggressive and competitive news environment.

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists invites the public to join in a dialogue with a distinguished panel of experts to examine how this old dilemma is playing out in the brave new media world.

WHO:

Panelists include:

• Marc Cooper, contributing editor, The Nation.
• Jon Healey, editorial writer, Los Angeles Times.
• Sharon Waxman, founding editor/publisher, “The Wrap” website.

Joel Bellman, press deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, will moderate.

WHAT:

Panel Discussion: “Ka-Ching! Checkbook Journalism: An Old Dilemma for the New Media”

WHEN:

7:30 – 9:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 27

WHERE:

Omni Hotel, Bradbury/Rose Room

251 S. Olive St. Los Angeles, CA

DIRECTIONS:

http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/LosAngelesCaliforniaPlaza/MapAndDirections.aspx

COST:

$20 for SPJ members, $23 for non-members.  Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP:

Seating is limited, so please let us know whether you’re coming by Friday, July 23.  E-mail spjlosangeles@gmail.com or call the SPJ/LA hotline at (323) 259-3350.

PARKING:

Validated parking will be available for $12 on Olive Street, or limited meter parking on Grand Avenue.

Details about the event will be posted on our Web site, https://spjla.wordpress.com/

Panelists include: Marc Cooper, USC Annenberg Journalism School senior lecturer who serves as contributing editor to The Nation, as columnist for L.A. Weekly, and as a frequent contributor to The Atlantic; Jon Healey, an opinion writer and a member of the editorial board at the Los Angeles Times who created the Bit Player blog in 2006, and Sharon Waxman, award-winning journalist and author who, as a long-time observer of the entertainment industry, has covered studio sales and corporate mergers, the Academy Awards, the film festivals and the unusual personalities that make up Hollywood.

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.

AAJA/LA Hosts Annual National Convention: Back to the Future

The Los Angeles chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association will host its 21^st Annual National Convention, “Back to the Future,” Aug. 4-7 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles. Participants will have access to AAJA’s Career Fair & Expo. In addition, special seminars will be offered by Online News Association, Microsoft and National Public Radio. For rates and event schedules, please visit http://www.aaja.org.

The Asian American Journalists Association is a nonprofit professional and educational organization serving Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by encouraging journalism as a career, developing managers in the media industry, and promoting fair and accurate news coverage. AAJA is an alliance partner in UNITY Journalists of Color.

Journalism groups applaud May Day verdict

We thank jurors for holding police accountable for violating the First Amendment rights of journalists covering the 2007 May Day rally at MacArthur Park. The jury’s decision upholds a founding principle of the United States and serves to protect journalists called on to act as the eyes and ears of the public.

Jurors ruled police interfered with the First Amendment rights of all three journalists — Fox 11 TV reporter Christina Gonzalez, Fox camerawoman Patti Ballaz and KPCC reporter Patricia Nazario. Jurors also found officers used unreasonable force when they struck Ballaz and Nazario with police batons from behind.

We commend these journalists for putting themselves in harm’s way in order to inform the public. They have shown great courage in acting to protect the First Amendment and hold police accountable in a public court of law.

As former LAPD Chief William Bratton reportedly said in the days following the rally, ‘clearly, something went wrong’ and police ‘should never be engaged in attacking anyone in the media.’

We hope the outcome of this case serves as a reminder to the City Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department to respect the vital constitutional rights of journalists as public servants.

SPJ/LA Automotive panel

The "Covering The Automotive Industry" panel was held at Edmunds.com Thursday, June 17 in Santa Monica. Panelists, from left to right, were: Mike Michels of Toyota, Chris Woodyard of USA Today, Richard Saxton - Moderator, Jeremy Anwyl of Edmunds.com and Chris Hosford of Hyundai. Photo credit: Shirley Thompson

The two-hour panel discussion had a wide range of topics. Panelist and audience members discussed: the complexity of the automotive industry, the wide choice of story topics, accessing resources for stories, how 2010 auto sales reflect a slowly improving U.S. economy.

The group also talked about: the top 10  things you should know about the auto industry, Toyota’s recall headlines, alternative fuel vehicles, how little car dealers and salesmen make, how car shoppers hunt hard to save $100 on a $25,000 purchase, how cars are part of everyone’s life and more. Approximately 30 people attended.

The panel adjourned in time to catch the deciding last 3 minutes of the Laker’s Championship win.

SPJ/LA panel on the automotive industry

What Company Will be the Next Toyota?

SPJ/LA Hosts Panel on Covering Breaking Issues in the Automotive Industry

Automotive news is bombarding front page headlines. The Toyota recalls happened on the heels of last year’s General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies and government bailouts. Join the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at this panel to learn how to cover the complex beat of automotive designs, defects, trends and technologies.

WHEN: 6-8 p.m., Thursday June 17

WHERE: Edmunds Inc.

1620 26th Street – Suite 400

Santa Monica, CA 90404

WHO: Panelists include:

· Jeremy Anwyl, CEO, Edmunds.com, a leading consumer automotive website.

· Chris Woodyard, automotive reporter, USA Today.

· Mike Michels, vice president, external communications, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.

· Chris Hosford, executive director, Corporate Communications, Hyundai Motors America.

Richard Saxton, freelance journalist, will moderate.

COST: The event is free. Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP: Space is limited; RSVPs are required. E-mail spjlosangeles@gmail.com or call the SPJ/LA hotline at (323) 259-3350.

PARKING: Validated parking will be available in the Edmunds parking lot.

SPJ Game Night – May 25

Embrace your inner geek and join the Society of Professional Journalists for an evening of drinks and board games on Tuesday, May 25 at the Redwood Bar in downtown LA!

Scrabble out of your cubicle and come use your cranium!

Got something better to do? Balderdash!

Don’t miss it or you’ll be sorry!

OK, enough with the puns. Just come by and bring your favorite board game!

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 May Mixer

WHO: No guest. Just games!

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 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!)

Results of City Hall Access Meeting

Note: KNX reporter and SPJ board member Claudia Peschiutta sent out email below following a meeting May 24 at Los Angeles City Hall regarding media access during City Council meetings.

Greetings!

We met with Councilmembers Perry, Garcetti and Zine for about an hour. This was an ON-the-record meeting. We made clear our opposition to the new rules. Garcetti insisted the rules are not aimed at the media. We talked about how the sergeants at arms, one in particular, can and have used the new rules to make it more difficult for us to do jobs. Garcetti said they will talk to the sergeants.

We told council leaders we want them to do away with the rules and said journalists can simply agree to not block the aisles and, if it’s going to be noisy, move interviews into the back hallways or media room (as has been our practice).

We also brought up problems with media access at committee meetings, which Garcetti said will be addressed.

Garcetti said his staff will come up with changes and send out a draft letter for us to review within the next week or so.

Some councilmembers apparently find a tap on the shoulder from reporters very disruptive during meetings. We said we don’t want a rule in place that prevents us from approaching councilmembers directly. Each person has their own style and journalists can make an effort to respect that.

I think the meeting was helpful and am cautiously optimistic council leaders will take steps to ease restrictions. Garcetti made it clear he wants some rules in place but said they will work with journalists to come up with something that works for all of us. We will continue to push for as much as media access as possible.

I’ve attached three bites from the meeting. Michael Linder may be able to post the audio of the entire meeting on his blog – linder.com

Thank you! – Claudia Peschiutta

Scholarship Deadline Extended to Friday, May 14.

Students at colleges and universities in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties have until midnight, May 14, 2010 to apply for a variety of scholarships awarded by the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Four awards, valued at up to $1,000 each, will be made to successful applicants in the following areas: journalists of color, broadcast journalism, investigative or political reporting, and general journalism majors.

Students can apply through an essay or propose a project for funding. Requirements include cover sheet, resume and journalism work samples. Applications will be accepted by regular mail or electronically. For application rules and additional details, click here.

Roxana Saberi to Speak at 34th Annual Distinguished Journalists Banquet

LOS ANGELES – Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who spent nearly four months in an Iranian prison on espionage charges, will be the speaker at an awards banquet hosted by the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The 34th Annual Distinguished Journalists banquet on April 27 will honor five local journalists. Honorees are Andrew Blankstein, a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times; Denise Nix, a staff writer at the Daily Breeze; Dave Lopez, Orange County Correspondent for CBS2/KCAL9 News; and Claudia Peschiutta, a reporter for KNX 1070 Newsradio. Celeste Fremon, creator and editor of WitnessLA.com, is the recipient of the chapter’s Distinguished Work in New Media Award.

Saberi, who had been working as a journalist in Iran since 2003, was dragged from her home by four men on Jan. 31, 2009, arrested, and accused of espionage, a charge she denied. She spent 11 days in jail before she was allowed to make a phone call to her parents. After a sham trial, she was sentenced to eight years in Iranian prison, but following broad-based international pressure, Saberi was released from Evin prison on appeal on May 11, 2009.

Saberi, who was born in New Jersey and raised in North Dakota, has written a book, “Between Two Worlds,” about her experiences, including stories of her fellow prisoners – who included supporters of a civil disobedience movement, a humanitarian worker, a student activist, and Baha’is, members of the largest religious minority in Iran.

Saberi has a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University, and a second master’s degree from Cambridge, in international relations. She has reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio and Fox News.

The awards banquet will be held April 27 at the Omni Hotel in Los Angeles. Tickets are $80 for members, $90 for non-members; tables of 10 are $800. To make a reservation, contact Roberta Wax at (818) 718-8184 or spjbanquet@hotmail.com.

SPJ/LA presents Distinguished Journalists awards to members of the profession who demonstrate good news judgment, a strong sense of ethics and a passion for getting the story right. Honorees are journalists who have achieved a record of accomplishments over the course of several years. For the past three decades, the chapter has recognized reporters, editors and photographers in print and broadcast journalism. In 1997, the chapter began honoring journalists in four categories: television, radio, newspapers with a circulation of less than 100,000 and newspapers with a circulation of 100,000 or more.

The Distinguished Work in New Media award was created in 2008 and is given to a journalist who uses the new media’s unique characteristics and capabilities while striving to uphold traditional journalism’s highest standards of honesty, accuracy, responsibility and accountability.

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.