Posts by Connecticut SPJ

Travel grants available for national SPJ conference

The Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will again offer travel grants to the SPJ national conference.

Professional members of the CTSPJ chapter are eligible for reimbursements, with proof of receipt, of up to $1,100 toward conference expenses. Student members of SPJ in Connecticut are eligible for $500.

The Excellence in Journalism Conference will run from Sept. 7 – 9 in Anaheim, Calif. It’s hosted by SPJ, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Radio Television Digital News Association.

To apply, submit an essay of 500 words or less about why you want to attend the conference, and how you have been, or would like to become, involved in CTSPJ events. That could include anything from helping with judging swaps, supporting programming, or volunteering to select scholarship winners.

Send the short essay, along with your SPJ member number, to Cindy Simoneau, a past president of the CTSPJ board, at simoneauc1@southernct.edu.

Simoneau will prepare all entries for a blind review by the CTSPJ board.

One professional member and one student member will be selected. The winners must be members in good standing of CTSPJ. New members are welcome to apply.

To confirm your membership status, contact national Membership Coordinator Chrystal Parvin at cparvin@spj.org or 317-927-8000 ext. 213.

The deadline to apply for the grants is noon on Wednesday July 19.

For questions about the grants, contact Simoneau at the email provided. For more information about the conference itself, go to ExcellenceInJournalism.org.

2016 Contest Winners announced

The Connecticut Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists handed out more than 350 awards to journalists from around the state at its annual Excellence in Journalism dinner on Thursday, May 25.

A PDF of the full winners list can be downloaded here. *

The Hartford Courant, Norwich Bulletin and Connecticut Post took home the top three all-media awards.

First Amendment Award

Andrew Julien, the editor/publisher for the Hartford Courant, left, accepts the First Amendment Award from CTSPJ President Michael Savino, right, on behalf of winner Jon Lender. | Viktoria Sundqvist photo

The Courant’s Jon Lender won the First Amendment Award for his article “Malloy’s office demands daily memos from agencies on press calls.”

Judges said: “Love the lede. In an age where people routinely equate bad publicity with ‘fake news,’ this grabs your attention and makes it clear that this is a piece that speaks truth to power. The use of FOIA requests is effective to help paint a fuller picture of what’s going on.”

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen A. Collins Public Service Award

CTSPJ President Michael Savino congratulates Ryan Blessing of the Norwich Bulletin on winning the Stephen A. Collins Public Service Award. | Viktoria Sundqvist photo

Ryan Blessing of the Norwich Bulletin won the Stephen A. Collins Public Service Award for his reporting on “Derbygate:” public officials taking all-expenses-paid trips to the Kentucky Derby, funded by the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative.

Judges said: “This series of stories exposes a shocking level of ethical abuses.  Nice packaging and stellar reporting.  Ryan Blessing uncovered a wealth of public records and documents and supplemented his reporting with solid interviews.  Ryan’s investigation led to an FBI investigation and other changes to ethics policies.  The story uncovered a problem and generated results, all in the public interest.  This was an excellent piece of public interest journalism.”

 

 

Theodore Driscoll Award for Investigative Reporting

Barbara Roessner, the executive editor for Hearst Media Group, accepts the Theodore Driscoll Award for Investigative Reporting on behalf of Ken Dixon, Angela Carella and Neil Vigdor. | Viktoria Sundqvist photo

Ken Dixon, Angela Carella and Neil Vigdor from the Connecticut Post won the Theodore Driscoll Award for Investigative Reporting for their reporting on “Inside the money game,” which tracked the path of political donations toward Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s 2014 re-election campaign.

Judges said: “A meticulously reported story on how politics is for sale in Connecticut and how big-money contributors find ways to give to campaigns indirectly by getting around campaign-finance laws. This is a story that should alarm every voter in the state.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The College Contest General Reporting winners did not appear on the final winners list. The winners were:

(1) Cracks in the system: How a sex offender was able to go undetected; The Recorder; Analisa Novak
(2) Too little too late: How a CCSU’s student death could have been prevented; The Recorder; Analisa Novak
(3) Quinnipiac unveils new brand identity; Quinnipiac Chronicle; Thamar Bailey

CTSPJ Board of Directors 2014-15

Paul Singley
President

Lila Carney
Vice President

Liz Glagowski
Vice President for Communications

Ricky Campbell
Treasurer

Jesse Buchanan
Secretary

Jodie Mozdzer Gil
Immediate Past President

Board members
Jamie DeLoma
Zach Janowski
Bruno Matarazzo
Cara Rosner
Michael Savino
Don Stacom

CTSPJ Board of Directors 2015-16

2015-16 CTSPJ Board of Directors

Paul Singley
President

Michael Savino
Vice President

Bruno Matarazzo
Vice President for Communications

Jodie Mozdzer Gil
Treasurer

Zach Janowski
Secretary

Jamie DeLoma
Past President

Board members
Shahid Abdul-Karim
Elizabeth Glagowski
Jordan Otero
Cara Rosner
Kat Schussler
Lynn Schnier

CTSPJ Board of Directors 2016-17

2016-2017 Officers:

Michael Savino
President

Jordan Otero
Vice President

Bruno Matarazzo Jr.
Vice President for Communications

Jodie Mozdzer Gil
Treasurer

Cara Rosner
Secretary

Paul Singley
Immediate Past President

2016-17 Board of Directors:

Leslie Hutchison
Elizabeth Glagowski
Viktoria Sundqvist
Andrew Ragali
Ajhani Ayres
Lawrence Clark

Excellence in Journalism finalist list now available

The 2016 Excellence in Journalism Contest received more than 700 entries this year.

You can view a PDF of the finalists list here.

The winners of the contest will be announced during the annual Excellence in Journalism awards dinner on Thursday, May 25 at Grassy Hill Country Club.

You can purchase tickets for the dinner by clicking here, or by visiting our Dinner Page.

 

 

SPJ showcases drones and new photo tech

Vern Williams drone demonstration

Vern Williams, assistant professor of Journalism at Southern Connecticut State University, prepares to fly his DJI Mavic Pro drone at Southern Wednesday, April 19, as Richie Rathsack, digital content editor for the Record-Journal in Meriden, looks on. | Jodie Mozdzer Gil photo

Drones are getting smaller, and the cameras more powerful — and journalists continue to explore ways that can translate to better news coverage.

Read more →

Excellence in Journalism Contest Circulation Categories

The following is the list of circulation categories for the Excellence in Journalism contest, which is open for entries through Feb. 15, 2018. If you don’t see your media outlet listed here, please contact contest clerk Jessica Garin at jessica.garin.u@gmail.com, and we will add it.

These categories are based, in part, on media outlets’ advertised coverage areas and staffing levels. To petition for a change in circulation class, please contact Contest Chair Jodie Mozdzer Gil. The CTSPJ Board of Directors will consider all requests, and any approved changes will take effect in the next year’s contest season.

Regional A

  • Connecticut Health Investigative Team
  • Connecticut Mirror
  • Connecticut Post
  • Hartford Courant
  • New Haven Register
  • Waterbury Republican American
  • Any Hearst Connecticut collaboration

Regional B

  • Connecticut Law Tribune
  • CT News Junkie
  • Danbury News-Times
  • Manchester Journal-Inquirer
  • Meriden Record Journal
  • Norwich Bulletin
  • Stamford Advocate
  • The Day (New London)
  • CT Latino News
  • Greater New Milford Spectrum
  • Litchfield County Times
  • The Middletown Press
  • New Britain Herald
  • The Register Citizen
  • The Chronicle
  • The Hour
  • Fairfield County Business Journal

Regional C (Magazines)

  • AAA Journeys and AAA Horizons
  • Connecticut Magazine
  • Hartford Magazine
  • New Haven Living Magazine
  • Connecticut Parent Magazine
  • Catholic Transcript

Regional D (Broadcast)

  • WTNH
  • WFSB
  • WTIC
  • WNPR
  • WSHU
  • News12

Hyperlocal

  • Citizens News
  • CollinsvillePress.com
  • Hersam Acorn weeklies
  • Shore Publishing weeklies
  • TurleyCT publications
  • New Britain City Journal
  • NewCanaanite.com
  • Online Journalism Project publications
  • Hearst Connecticut weeklies

* Note: Any item that appeared in a higher circulation publication should be entered in that circulation class, not in the hyperlocal circulation.

2016 Excellence in Journalism Contest Open For Entries

The CTSPJ 2016 Excellence in Journalism Contest is now open for entries.

You can enter the contest here.

Last year, CTSPJ revised its contest to reflect changes in the industry. Based on feedback and entry numbers, we made one more adjustment in circulation classes this year. Magazines are in their own circulation class again, now called Region C (Magazines). The print and online publications that were in the old Regional C have been combined with Regional B for the 2016 contest. This decision was made based on the number of entries in the 2015 contest.

Please review the circulation class list before entering. If you do not see your media outlet on the list, please contact contest clerk Jessica Garin at Jessica.Garin.U.@gmail.com.

With the changing news industry and changes at individual news outlets, the CTSPJ board will continue to review the circulation classes each year. If you have feedback on the placement of your news outlet, please contact Contest Chair Jodie Mozdzer Gil at jmozdzer@gmail.com. Any requests for review will be considered by the full CTSPJ Board of Directors before the following year’s contest.

Categories

All media outlets compete against each other in the top three special awards categories. For the rest of the categories (below), media outlets will compete in one of five circulation classes.

Stephen A. Collins Public Service Award
This is a special award open to all media for a story or stories having a significant impact in the public interest. Entries must include supporting documentation such as letters, editorials, evidence of a change in public policy, showing how the entry had an impact. Please include a cover letter with the entry.
Theodore Driscoll Award for Investigative Reporting
This is a special award open to all media for a single story or formal series containing information, obtained through reporter initiative not readily available to the news media or public.
First Amendment Award
This is a special award open to all media for a single story, column or series which increases public understanding of the role of the press in a free society.


Editorial Cartoon | A single cartoon online or in print
Single Editorial | Represents the opinion of the publication, station or news website as an organization
General Column | A single (other than sports or humorous) that expresses an opinion or point of view on an issues or event
Humorous Column | A single column on any topic with the purpose to entertain
In-Depth | A single story that helps audience understand situation beyond information provided in a normal news story
Investigative | A single story containing information obtained through reporter initiative that was not readily available to the news media or the public
Feature | Any story written for a reason other than timeliness. (Please note, this was omitted from an earlier list in error)
Religion | A story dealing with religious topics
Government | A story dealing with government topics
Courts/Crime | Any story dealing with issues of the criminal justice system, except for breaking news
Arts & Entertainment | A single story dealing with the arts
Business | A single story dealing with business
Leisure | A story dealing with travel, food, gardening, or other leisure topics
Continuing Coverage | No more than 10 articles that follow the same topic over time
Diversity Coverage | Single story on a diversity issue
Education | A single story on an education issue
Reporting Series | A formal series of no more than 10 articles, including investigative, in-depth or feature series
Local Reporting | A story that shines light on an issue important to a single town or region. This category is meant for those stories that fulfill the mission of community journalism.
Breaking News | A single story or package of stories and social media updates that involves coverage of a spot news event written under an immediate deadline.
Sports News | A single story on a sports news topic
Sports Feature | A single story on a sports topic, written for a factor other than timeliness
Sports Column | A single column on a sports topic
Sports Photo | A single sports photo
Feature Photo | A single feature photo
News Photo | A single news photo
Photo Essay | A collection of photos, either in print or online, that together tell one story.
Page 1 Layout | A category for the person who arranged the text and images, not for the writers or photographers of the materials on the page.
Non-Page 1 Layout | Any single page design that was not on page 1
Headline | A single entry is made up of three headlines, all the work on a single individual
Infographic Design | The design of a single static or interactive graphic
Infographic Reporting | The reporting of a single static or interactive graphic
Video Storytelling | Use of video to tell a story alone or bolster written reporting
Audio Storytelling | Use of audio to tell a story alone or bolster written reporting

Journalism on Target program taught journalists about guns

SPJ President Mike Savino gets instruction from Chad Nye, Keene State journalism professor, during the Connecticut SPJ sponsored event, "Journalism on Target" held at the Greyson Guns firing range in Orange, Conn. Aug. 22, 2016. | Vern Williams photo

SPJ President Mike Savino gets instruction from Chad Nye, Keene State journalism professor, during the Connecticut SPJ sponsored event, “Journalism on Target” held at the Greyson Guns firing range in Orange, Conn. Aug. 22, 2016. | Vern Williams photo

Journalists from around the state received hands-on training Monday about how to more accurately report on firearms.

Keene State College Professors Mark Timney and Chad Nye traveled from New Hampshire to share their knowledge of both firearms and journalism, educating roughly a dozen reporters on the different types of firearms and how those variations can affect their work. The event was held at Greyson Guns in Orange, Conn.

Timney and Nye also cleared up a number of misconceptions among the general public, including the fact that the type of bullet only makes a marginally difference when fired from handguns, but can affect the performance of those from long guns. They also explained the difference between semi-automatic and automatic weapons, and how Connecticut’s gun laws actually affect the functionality of firearms available on the market today.

Reporters also had the chance to fire a handgun, shotgun, and semi-automatic rifle to feel the difference among each type. Reporters from the Record-Journal, New Haven Register, Journal Inquirer, Republican American, and the Day were present.

The event was organized by CTSPJ president Michael Savino and CTSPJ treasurer Jodie Mozdzer Gil, with help from Vern Williams, an assistant professor of Journalism at Southern Connecticut State University, and Peter Hvizdak, a New Haven Register photographer.

Chad Nye, an associate professor of journalism at Keene State, demonstrates a long rifle during the CTSPJ-sponsored event "Journalism on Target" held at Greyson Guns in Orange, Conn. Aug. 22. | Vern Williams photo

Chad Nye, an associate professor of journalism at Keene State, demonstrates a long rifle during the CTSPJ-sponsored event “Journalism on Target” held at Greyson Guns in Orange, Conn. Aug. 22. | Vern Williams photo

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