CT Journalism Hall of Fame: Cindy Simoneau

Cindy Simoneau

Cindy Simoneau, chair of the Journalism Department at Southern Connecticut State University, and associate professor of journalism, has a career that spans more than 30 years in newspapers and journalism education. Her lasting impact to the Connecticut journalism industry is measured in her work as a reporter, editor, teacher and mentor.

Simoneau started her career in Connecticut journalism in 1980, working as a town news reporter for the Newtown Bee. She moved to the Connecticut Post as a reporter then bureau chief in 1982. Simoneau founded the Post’s WomanWise section in 1991 and was named the assistant managing editor for the newspaper in 1997.

In 1991, Simoneau began work as an adjunct professor. She taught at Quinnipiac University, Fairfield University and Southern Connecticut State University – often all three in the same semester. In 2007, she was hired full-time as a professor in the journalism department at Southern Connecticut State University.

Simoneau founded and has served as adviser for CTTeens, a program for high school student journalists at the Connecticut Post, which is now in its 16th year and continuing through Southern Connecticut State University. Many of the program’s graduates have gone on to careers in journalism, business communication, publishing and teaching.

Simoneau’s reach into the Connecticut journalism industry also includes more than three decades of service to the Connecticut SPJ chapter and Board of Directors, where she has served three terms as president, more than a decade as the board’s treasurer and on various committees including nominations, finance, bylaws, scholarship and contest.

Simoneau chairs the SPJ Region 1 Conference Committee, which is planning a Connecticut journalism conference for 2016. She is a four-time winner of the CTSPJ President’s Award, and has won several awards for her reporting and editing.

Simoneau was inducted into the Connecticut Journalism Hall of Fame in 2015.

Photos by Vern Williams.

Storify: Minimize Harm in the Digital Age — Ethics discussion on 4/29/15

CTSPJ Excellence in Journalism Contest Finalists

Here are the finalists for the 2014 Excellence in Journalism Contest. Winners will be announced at the annual dinner on May 21, 2015.

2014 CTSPJ Contest Finalists

College Contest Finalist list 4-26-15

CTSPJ 2015-2016 Board of Directors Nominations

PROPOSED 2015-2016 CTSPJ BOARD

CCSU announces journalism scholarship program

Announcing The Sigrid Schultz Scholarship for Future Journalists

Two awards of $6,000 each.

American journalist Sigrid Schultz covered the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi regime during
World War II, and, as chief central Europe correspondent for The Chicago Tribune, was the first
woman to be named the foreign bureau chief of a major U.S. newspaper. This scholarship was
made possible by a bequest her estate made to Central Connecticut State University.

Two $6,000 four-year scholarships will be awarded in academic year 2015-2016 to two high
school seniors who matriculate at Central Connecticut State University, and pursue undergraduate
degrees in journalism.

The deadline to enter is January 16, 2015.

Learn more here.

SCSU student chapter tackles high school censorship

by Mackenzie Hurlbert
Southern Connecticut State University SPJ chapter president

High school newspapers have commonly been a place of intense censorship and
debate. Like a parent to a child, many high schools use the simple justification of
“Because I said so…” to cut, mold, or manipulate their student newspapers. The
Southern Connecticut State University Chapter of SPJ took an opportunity to ask
high school journalists about their thoughts on censorship in school media.

On Friday, Oct. 24, Southern Connecticut State University hosted their annual High
School Journalism Day and invited schools from across Connecticut to spend the day
attending journalism-oriented discussions, panels and guest speakers. Southern’s
SPJ set up a table with a big banner paper banner and asked high school students to
practice their freedom of speech by commenting on how censorship has affected
their student papers.

Some responses were specific complaints about experiences with censorship while
others were more broad statements about First Amendment freedoms.

Job posting — Waterbury Republican-American looking for Reporter

Reporter opening — 9.23.14

The Republican-American seeks energetic reporter for a challenging, four-town municipal beat. Cops, schools, Town Hall, town characters — you get them all, and face daily competition. Tell residents what they need to know, hold officials accountable, and capture the essence and issues of these towns. Daily news reporting experience required. Web and social media skills a must.

Send resume, clips, reasons why you’re the reporter for our team to ra-hr@rep-am.com. Include Reporter 4-14 in subject line.

Full-time positions have an excellent benefits package including health, vision, dental, life insurances, and 401(k) with company match.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Boston Globe seeks news interns for summer 2015

It’s rare to find an internship program that offers prestige, great real-world experience, AND money. That’s why we encourage students to apply to the Boston Globe Summer 2015 newsroom internship program.

The largest group of interns works in Metro on general assignment. Other intern reporters are assigned to Sports, Living/Arts, Health/Science and Business. We also have intern positions in the Photography and Editorial Design departments, and on the copy desk. The copy editing position may be filled by a Newspaper Fund* intern. Internships are NOT limited to students with undergraduate journalism majors. All students currently enrolled in an undergraduate program or who will be graduating in May or June may apply, as well as journalism graduate school students who have NOT had professional journalism experience.

 

An aptitude for newspaper work is the most important qualification for the internship. A previous internship at a daily newspaper is recommended. Applicants must have a driver’s license and should be comfortable driving.

Summer interns work as full-time employees for 12 weeks, between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  Interns are paid a weekly wage, and shifts vary.  An intern supervisor serves as a writing coach and there are weekly meetings with editors and staff members on a range of issues and topics pertaining to journalism.

Apply by November 1st at http://www.bostonglobe.com/newsintern.

SPJ National Convention poll

Take our poll:

Code of Ethics – Following a meeting last week, the board recommended that the delegates of EIJ14 adopt the latest revision of the Code of Ethics. It further recommends that the delegates vote to strike the following passage: “Be cautious about reporting suicides that do not involve a public person or public place.”
For more information on the Ethics Code revisions, click here.

Name Change – Regarding changing the name of Society of Professional Journalists to Society for Professional Journalism, the board recommended “Whereas, the name change task force concluded there is little support for the name change, this board recommends to the delegates that the name remains the Society of Professional Journalists.”

Meet Bruno Matarazzo Jr.

Bruno Matarazzo Jr. is the education and social services reporter at the Republican-American’s Torrington bureau.

Before joining the Republican-American in June 2012, he spent 10 years working in newspapers in New Hampshire and the North Shore of Massachusetts. He worked at Foster’s Daily Democrat and was part of the newspaper’s 2004 New Hampshire presidential primary coverage.

Bruno graduated from Northeastern University in Boston in 2002. A Connecticut native, Bruno started in journalism while a senior at Wethersfield High School when he worked in the Hartford Courant’s sports department as an editors’ assistant. He worked under the late Bo Kolinsky and he compiled box scores for the agate page.