William O. Douglas Pro Chapter - Society of Professional Journalists

Accepting applications for scholarship worth $500

veronica619 — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:36:20 +0000

The chapter is now accepting applications for the Laurie J. Williams Scholarship. The scholarship, worth $500, is given annually to any student from Eastern Washington majoring in journalism at any college or university.

The application can be downloaded by clicking SPJScholarship2013.

The deadline for this year’s scholarship is June 3, 2013.

For questions, e-mail chapter board president Veronica Craker at vncraker@gmail.com.

SPJ Movie Night: Searching for Debra Winger

veronica619 — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:15:13 +0000

Join us for SPJ Movie Night, where we’ll be showing the documentary, Searching for Debra Winger.
The film was directed by Rosanna Arquette. In it Arquette speaks with various leading actresses about the pressures they face as women working in the film industry.

The event is scheduled for at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 7, at the Union Street branch of the Mid-Columbia Library, 1620 S. Union Street in Kennewick.

High School Essay Contest

veronica619 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:22:48 +0000

Know a student who is a great writer? Up to $1,000 in scholarship money is available for high school students who participate and are selected in the Society of Professional Journalists 2013 essay contest.
Entering is easy! Have the student write a 300- to 500-word essay on the topic, “Why is it important that we have news media that are independent of the government?”

The deadline for submissions is March 7, 2013. Learn more and enter at http://www.spj.org/a-hs.asp

SPJ Social

veronica619 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 23:19:43 +0000

Ready to unwind after a long week at work?
Then join members of the SPJ William O. Douglas Chapter for a fun night of socializing. Members and non-members who are interested in joining are invited to a night out at 8 p.m., Feb. 8 at McDougall Bay Steakhouse, 1705 Columbia Park Trail, Richland.
William O. Douglas board members will even provide free appetizers. Yum!

Whitman College to host political speaker series

veronica619 — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:22:46 +0000

Whitman College is hosting a special political speaker series in advance of the U.S. presidential election.
The series will feature veteran political commentators David Brooks and Ray Suarez.
Brooks is a political analyst best known for his op-eds in The New York Times. He will present at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Cordiner Hall. Suarez, a veteran broadcast journalist and senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour, is scheduled to speak at 5 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Maxey Auditorium. Both events are free and open to the public.
The men will touch on key issues in the upcoming election, including the economy, domestic policy, immigration and the relationship between politics and religion in America.
Whitman politics professors Paul Apostolidis and Shampa Biswas will serve as moderators. The lectures will be followed with a Q&A and book signing sessions.

Click here for more information.

Mental Health & the Media

veronica619 — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:51:54 +0000

The William O. Douglas SPJ Pro Chapter is having a question and answer session with local media, mental health professionals and advocates on how the media reports on mental illness. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 23 at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Dr.
The program is free and open the public.

Panelists Include:
Barbara Mead, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Lourdes Medical Center

Nan Bopp, President of the Tri-City chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Ken Robertson, Former Tri-City Herald Executive Editor.

Whitney Ward, KEPR TV news anchor.

Those who attend are asked to bring a nonperishable food to donate to the Tri-Cities Food Banks.

For information call Michelle Dupler 582-1543 or e-mail her at mdupler@tricityherald.com.

Freedom of Information program

spjwod — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 03:24:51 +0000

Get tips on how to access public records and use them to produce record-based stories from a Freedom of Information expert.

SPJ’s Ian Marquand will provide strategies for getting public records to help improve your reporting and how to overcome denials and exorbitant copy fees.

The program is at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17 at the Union-Bulletin, 112 S. First Ave., Walla Walla.

There’s no cost for journalists to attend. The only requirement is to RSVP by Aug. 10 by emailing spjwod.org.

Space is limited, so don’t delay!

See the FOI Program for more details.

Virtual Town Hall Meeting with SPJ president

spjwod — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:59:11 +0000

SPJ president John Ensslin is hosting an online Town Hall meeting on Sat., June 23 @ 12 pm (PST) for SPJ members in Region 10. Join us to get an update on SPJ and to voice your concerns, ask questions, etc

Here’s some info about the meetings from SPJ:

SPJ members will be able to talk directly with national leaders this summer when SPJ President John Ensslin hosts a series of virtual town hall meetings in every region.

“This is an attempt to hear what’s on the mind of SPJ members across the country,” Ensslin said. “It’s also a chance to talk with members about some of the national efforts we have underway.”

Candidates for SPJ offices also will be invited to discuss their ideas for SPJ and why they have chosen to run.

Podcasts of these discussions will also be posted later on the SPJ Election Central page.

These meetings will be held on SPJ’s gotomeeting platform, which can accommodate up to 25 people. The virtual “seats” are available of a first-come, first-serve basis.

You can dial into the meeting with your telephone. Or you can watch, listen and ask questions via your computer. If your computer has a webcam, you can participate face to face.

For more information on how to sign up, go to http://www.spj.org/townhall.asp

Join the Diversity Committee

veronica619 — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:34:47 +0000

The SPJ William O. Douglas chapter is currently looking for members to join its diversity committee. The committee will work to promote diversity in the newsroom and in news coverage. If you’re interested in joining the committee send an email with your contact information to vncraker@gmail.com.

Earth Day 2012

spjwod — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:08:21 +0000

William O. Douglas board President Paula Horton and Vice President Kristin M. Kraemer participate in a community service project on Earth Day helping clean the Skyline Trail on Badger Mountain. Longtime chapter member Laurie Williams and her son, Ryan, also joined the volunteer effort. The trail cleanup was organized by Friends of Badger Mountain and REI in Kennewick.Click to view slideshow.