Posts by Connecticut SPJ

Meet Zachary Janowski

Zachary Janowski is an investigative reporter for the Yankee Institute, Connecticut’s free-market think tank, where he is founding editor of the website Raising Hale.

He is a visiting member of The Courant’s editorial board, a 2012 Robert Novak Journalism Fellow and has been published by Philanthropy magazine and City Journal Online.

He represents SPJ on the board of the Connecticut Council for Freedom of Information and usually has more than a dozen pending document requests.

Meet Ricky Campbell

Ricky Campbell has been a press secretary at the Connecticut General Assembly since January 2013 where, as a liaison between lawmakers and media outlets, he is responsible for coverage of committee meetings, legislative debates, constituent impact and caucus messaging. He is treasurer at Connecticut SPJ.

Prior to his stint in state government, he worked as a general assignment reporter who dabbled in investigative work for the Torrington Register Citizen. It didn’t take long for Ricky to discover his niche in governmental affairs and politics reporting, which brought him into his new, current career move.

He is recently married, living in Hartford and has a dog named Carlos who is terrified of fireworks and thunderstorms.

Meet Paul Singley

Paul Singley, a senior reporter and Web content producer at the Waterbury  Republican-American, has worked in journalism full-time since 2004. He is the president of Connecticut SPJ.

His first full-time reporting job was at the Republican-American, where he covered Woodbury, Bethlehem and the Region 14 school system.

Two years later, he was asked to cover his hometown of Naugatuck, a community which he has covered since. Singley worked for three years at AOL’s local journalism platform, Patch.com, where he launched the Oxford, Conn., Patch site and became a senior local editor, where he became the first person the company to oversee two Patch sites – Oxford and Naugatuck. He returned to the Republican-American in 2013.

Singley reports and works with staffers to find interesting ways to tell stories online, as well as in print.Singley is also an adjunct professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, and at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.

He is on the communications committee for the United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls. He lives in Naugatuck with his wife, two children and their dog, Miles. He can be reached at psingley@ctspj.org.

SPJ names Newport a National Historic Site in Journalism

From an SPJ press release:

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists has named Washington Square in Newport, R.I., a National Historic Site in Journalism.

Since 1942, the Society has honored the people and places that have played important roles in the history of journalism through the Historic Sites program. Some honorees include: The Associated Press offices in Washington and New York City; Freedom’s Journal, the first Black newspaper published in the United States; and, most recently, the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.

Janine Weisman, editor of the Newport Mercury, nominated the historical section of Newport, which housed the town’s only printing press during the Revolutionary War. When the British arrived in 1776, they seized the printing press in order to print official military documents and a newspaper for British soldiers. Its owner Solomon Southwick had allegedly tried to bury it, but couldn’t hide it before it was discovered by troops.

READ MORE by clicking here.

The dedication ceremony will be held Thursday, June 19, at 11 a.m. at the Museum of Newport History, 127 Thames St., Newport, RI

Storytelling with data: Boston University workshop

Boston University is hosting Storytelling with Data, a summertime workshop designed for anyone interested in using data to tell more powerful stories.

Pricing is as follows:

• $950 for Session I (July 7-11, days)
• $750 for Session II (July 14-18, nights)
• $450 for two-day pass
• $250 for one-day pass
• $425 for students for full session
• $125 for students for 1-day pass

Seats for these sessions are limited, so reserve your space early.

Click here to find out more about the workshop, its speakers, the schedule and to register.

Winners — 2013 Excellence in Journalism contest

Below are the list of winners in the CTSPJ 2013 Excellence in Journalism contest. The awards were given out on May 22, 2014 during the annual CTSPJ awards banquet and annual meeting. Congratulations to all the winners! (Scroll down for the college winners)

2013 CTSPJ Excellence in Journalism Award Winners

2014 CTSPJ College Contest Winners

CTSPJ 2013 Excellence in Journalism Contest Finalists

Below is the list of finalists for the 2013 contest. The winners will be announced at the CTSPJ annual dinner on May 22nd. This year we are moving locations to the Seasons at the Tradition in Wallingford. Good luck to all finalists, and see you at the dinner!

CTSPJ 2013 Awards Finalist List

Yale hosts FOIA Bootcamp 2014

The Information Society Project at Yale is hosting a FOIA Bootcamp on Feb. 24 beginning at 6 p.m. It will feature Karen Keiser, General Counsel of the Associated Press, and Lisa Siegal, Staff Attorney CT Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC).

This program, designed for students, teachers, journalists and interested members of the public, offers “practical strategies for requesting government records through Freedom of Information laws,” focusing on both state and federal FOI statutes.

The bootcamp will be at the Yale Law School, 127 Wall St., Room 120, New Haven, CT 06520.

For more information, click here.

SCSU looking for freelance writers

Southern Connecticut State University is seeking long-term freelance writers for the Office of Public Affairs. The articles will be used for various publications including, but not limited to, Southern Alumni Magazine, SouthernLife (the university’s monthly newspaper), press releases, the President’s Annual Report, and a variety of marketing materials.

Interested applicants must use the bid/Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Download the RFP with more information here:

https://www.southernct.edu/offices/purchasing/bids/freelancewriter2014.pdf

Join the CTSPJ Board

CTSPJ needs your help. Members are needed to serve as chapter officers or on the Board of Directors for 2014-15. Positions open include: president, vice president, vice president if communications, treasurer, secretary, and one and two-year-terms on the board. Can you spare some time to help serve the Connecticut journalism community? Interested members should send a resume to Nominations Committee Chair Cindy Simoneau at csimoneau@ctspj.org by Feb. 26.