The New England First Amendment Coalition announced its newest class of fellows for the New England First Amendment Institute this month.
Five of the 25 fellows this year are from Connecticut. They are Lindsay Boyle from The Day in New London, Suzanne Carlson from the Hartford Courant, Susan Haigh from the Associated Press, Esteban Hernandez from the New Haven Register and Patrick Skahill from WNPR.
“This free institute is open each year to 25 New England journalists and provides the support and training necessary to become accomplished investigative reporters, well-versed in the freedom of information laws that govern today’s difficult reporting landscape,” the coalition news release stated.
There’s a vacancy for the SPJ’s Region 1 director position following last month’s election of Rebebba Baker to the organization’s secretary/treasurer.
The region 1 position, which serves Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, central and eastern Pennslyvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, goes until Sept. 20, 2016.
Interested candidates must live in Region 1 territory and be a SPJ member and not a student nor associate member.
Interested candidates should fill out a form on SPJ’s website no later than Oct. 19.
Wesleyan University students senators want to defund the student newspaper, the Wesleyan Argus, after a column critiqued the Black Lives Matter movement. A meeting is scheduled for Sept. 27 to support the student senate’s petition.
Here’s what Connecticut SPJ president Paul Singley had to say in an Argus story:
Paul Singley, President of the Connecticut Society for Professional Journalists, said he believes that student publications should make a concerted effort to represent the perspectives of all students, but its First Amendment rights should not be threatened by publishing unpopular views.
“That’s what a good newspaper does,” he said. “It shares ideas, it shares opinions.”
Read the full story here.
Lynn Schnier works for Hearst Newspapers.
Shahid Abdul-Karim is an award-winning journalist and the community engagement editor for the New Haven Register and former managing editor for Muslim Journal.
His role as community engagement editor focuses on involving the community at every step of the process of local journalism; including outreach and partnerships with community organizations and readers. Among other responsibilities, Abdul-Karim has lead newsroom efforts of producing original content for all platforms relating to engagement, lead engagement efforts through liveblogs and live chats, and coached newsroom staff in the use of social media to improve journalism.
As managing editor, was directly responsible for the overall operations and news content of the weekly print publication.
His work as community engagement editor has given opportunity for the voice of the disenfranchised and less fortunate to be heard.
Through a series of stories about suffering and trauma many New Haven families endure, Abdul-Karim was able to draw the attention of the U.S. Congress to violence in New Haven and more specifically to the slayings of so many young people of color.
Further, it was the trust he developed in the scarred and grieving communities that led to the chance to tell these stories.
His stories and engagement have promoted change locally and nationally. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Sen Chris Murphy, both (D-Conn.) have addressed New Haven violence in speeches on the floor of the United States Senate. His work has also prompted Blumenthal and Murphy to hold community conversations on violence in New Haven, bringing national attention to the issue.
Abdul-Karim has been invited to the White House to cover President Barack Obama’s annual Iftar dinner celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
He is a graduate of Springfield College (MA) with a bachelor’s of science degree in human services. From 1999 to 2008 he was a national correspondent for Muslim Journal. He is a native of Baton Rouge, La.
Mike Savino is a staff writer with the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, where he covers the state capitol in Hartford. He previously covered superior and federal courts. Prior to his time with the Journal Inquirer, he worked for the Chronicle in Willimantic. He covered numerous towns in eastern Connecticut, as well as the University of Connecticut.
Mike has been on the Connecticut SPJ board of directors since 2014 and was elected as vice president in May.
He is a staunch advocate for FOI issues and is a member of the board’s Freedom of Information Committee. He is also active with the Connecticut Council on FOI.
He can be reached at msavino@ctspj.org.
Kat Schassler is a reporter at the Middletown Press.
Jordan Otero is a town news multimedia reporter at the Hartford Courant, covering the towns of South Windsor and East Hartford.
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