Posts by Connecticut SPJ

New London Day: Secrecy wins, but discussion continues

“Any erosion of the public’s right to know, any prohibition on access to evidence that can independently assess the fairness and thoroughness of criminal investigations, is reason for concern,” the New London Day wrote in a June 6 editorial. “We therefore object to the legislature’s decision to approve a blanket prohibition on the release of and access to photos of homicide victims. It is also objectionable that the legislation results from discussions that took place in secret and bypassed the normal committee and public hearing process. It is thick irony that elected leaders, including Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, used such backroom dealing to corrode Connecticut’s Freedom of Information law.”

Please click here to read the full editorial.

CTSPJ officers and board members elected for 2013-14

The following slate of officers and board of directors for the Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists was approved by the chapter membership for approval at the annual meeting on Thursday, May 23 at Fantasia, North Haven.

CTSPJ Officers — 2013-14
(All are one-year terms, expiring June 30, 2014)
 
President — Jodie Mozdzer Gil, SCSU
Vice President — Jamie DeLoma, Quinnipiac University
Vice President/Communications — Liz Glagowski, 1to1 Media
Treasurer, Cara Rosner, United Way, New Haven
Secretary — Ricky Campbell, CT House Republicans
 
Immediate Past President– Cindy Simoneau, SCSU/Hearst CT Newspapers (serves until president transitions out of office)
 
Board of Directors
(Terms are staggered for one and two years)
 
Lila Carney, QU — two-year term, expires 2015
Daniela Forte, Access Intelligence — one year remaining on two-year term, expires 2014
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant — two-year term, expires 2015
Zach Janowski, Yankee Institute — one year remaining on two-year term, expires 2014
NEW board members:
Paul Singley, PATCH — one-year term, expires 2014
Jesse Buchanan, Record-Journal, Meriden — two-year term, expires 2015

2012 Excellence in Journalism contest winners

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF WINNERS IN THE 2012 EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM CONTEST OF THE CONNECTICUT CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS

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2012-13 College Journalism Contest winners

WINNERS 2012-2013 COLLEGE JOURNALISM CONTEST OF THE CONNECTICUT PROFESSIONAL CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS

  Read more →

CCFOI asks legislature to tread carefully before limiting public access to Newtown documents

The Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, the advocate for transparent government in Connecticut, is asking the legislature to tread carefully before limiting public access to documents related to the tragedy in Newtown last year.

Read their letter to learn more about their concerns:
The Honorable Governor Dannel P. Malloy
Office of the Governor
State Capitol Building
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106

Dear Governor Malloy,

The undersigned here believe the tragedy that befell Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012 is one of the saddest days in this nation’s rich history.  The senseless murder of 27 innocent people, 20 of whom were children, is an unspeakable act of horror that will forever scar the hearts of our state and our nation.

In the wake of this tragedy, we are all seeking information that will help us understand how and why it occurred, so that we can take steps to ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again.  We understand the process of gathering information may have the unfortunate and unintended effect of reminding families and friends of the Sandy Hook victims of their terrible loss.  All agree that every reasonable step should be taken to minimize such painful reminders, while not depriving our local, state and federal governments – and the people in general – of information needed to assess the tragedy and develop appropriate legislative responses.

It’s with this in mind that we, the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association (CDNA), the Connecticut Broadcasters Association (CBA), and the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information (CCFOI) caution the Administration and the Legislature on a response that would restrict public access to information about what happened at Sandy Hook, or other crimes, regardless of scope, moving forward.

While many tragic events have made us question whether the disclosure of information is always in the best interest of a society, history has demonstrated repeatedly that governments must favor disclosure.  Only an informed society can make informed judgments on issues of great moment.

We believe, as the American Society of Newspaper Editors Ethics Code states, “…that journalists should respect the rights of people involved in the news, observe the common standards of decency and stand accountable to the public for the fairness and accuracy of news reports…the primary purpose of gathering and distributing news and opinion is to serve the general welfare by informing the people and enabling them to make judgments on the issues of the time.”

Knowing this, we for the benefit of open government and a free press, caution the government of the Great State of Connecticut as it deliberates changes to the Freedom of Information Act in response to the tragedy of Newtown.   We maintain that public access to investigative reports, 9-1-1 Emergency Call transcripts and recordings, death certificates, and the like, serve the public’s best interest by permitting the public to monitor the performance of its government. It was in this spirit that the First Amendment itself was adopted.

We look forward to discussing this issue with you as the Session comes to a close, and wish you the best in your delineation’s on these very important matters.

Sincerely,

Michael Schroeder
President
Connecticut Daily Newspaper’s Association

Michael Ryan
President
Connecticut Broadcasters Association

Jim Smith
President
Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information

Connecticut news organizations honored with prestigious Sigma Delta Chi awards

Three Connecticut news organizations were honored with prestigious 2012 Sigma Delta Chi awards.

Judges chose the winners from more than 1,700 entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online. The awards recognize outstanding work published or broadcast in 2012.

The winners will be honored at an awards banquet on June 21 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Area winners included:

Please click here to read the complete list.

Nominations Committee seeks chapter officers, board of directors

The Nominations Committee of the Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is seeking members interested in serving as a chapter officer or on the board of directors.

Nominations are sought for one-year terms as president, vice president, vice president/communications, treasurer, secretary. Positions for terms on the board of directors are also open.

To apply send your resume and a note on office or position you are seeking and why you wish to run for office. All nominees must be paid members of both national SPJ and CTSPJ.

Send nomination materials to: Cindy Simoneau, immediate past president and chair of Nominations Committee at: csimoneau@ctspj.org or clsimoneau@aol.com. Cell: 203-400-0454

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.

Connecticut SPJ presents: Weather reporting 101

By Lila Carney
Connecticut SPJ board member 

Weather is the most watched part of a TV newscast. It’s why people turn on their televisions at 4 a.m. It effects everyone.

I still remember last October’s snowstorm that trapped me in rainy Orlando with 12 college students, and left a good part of the Northeast without power for days.

How could we have planned better as reporters? How can we more effectively partner with our meteorologists? And most importantly, what will we be in for this winter — and fall?

The Connecticut Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists wants to help you be prepared to report on that next storm.

NBC Connecticut meteorologist Darren Sweeney will discuss how to better implement weather forecasts into your reporting.

Saturday, Oct. 27
10:15 a.m.
NBC Connecticut
1422 New Britain Ave.
West Hartford, CT 06110

Free for members, non-members and students

Larry Cohen, longtime journalist and former Connecticut SPJ president, dies at 64

Larry Cohen, a longtime journalist and former Connecticut SPJ president died suddenly on Aug. 27. He was 64.

Please share your memories about Larry in the comments section below.

Update on independent review into Paresh Jha’s contest entries

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

To the CT SPJ Members:

As planned in our previous action, the current and former CTSPJ presidents today consulted with Roy Gutterman, who has been hired by the Board of Directors to conduct an independent investigation of two award-winning contest entries by Paresh Jha.

Gutterman said he has directly contacted and interviewed most of the sources in both entries. He is continuing to reach out to other named sources in the packages, and to Jha himself.

He has also had multiple conversations with Hearst Connecticut Newpaper editors. They are cooperating with the investigation.

We anticipate his review and recommendations will be completed on time by July 31.

We will update you further after that report is issued, and any actions are taken on the entries by the current Board of Directors.

To continue to offer feedback on this, or other contest matters, email us at: contest@ctspj.org

Jodie Mozdzer
CTSPJ President

Cindy Simoneau
Immediate Past President


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