Journalists worldwide interested in social media are encouraged to apply to the Kiplinger Fellowship at Ohio State University. The course runs from March 30 to April 6, and the deadline to apply is November 30.

The Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism is helping journalists discover new ways to tell important stories in the digital age.  In one intensive week – Wednesday, March 30 through Wednesday, April 6, 2011- you’ll learn how to use social media to build a following, develop sources and more effectively cover your beats…Twitter, deep web searches, digital footprints, SEO, the backchannel and more.

You’ll also learn how to tell powerful online stories that break through the noise and grab attention. Stories that help people understand why in-depth reporting matters more than ever. Stories that make a difference.

The week-long program will help journalists utilize Twitter, digital footprints, search engines, the backchannel and other media tools. The fellowship includes accommodation and a travel stipend.

Print, broadcast and online journalists with at least five years experience are eligible to apply.

For more information, click here.

Calling All Young’uns!

Young reporters in the Rio Grande Chapter region  (read:  ages 18 – 25)  interested in covering armed conflict and humanitarian action are invited to enter a competition sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The deadline is October 1.

The four selected candidates will have the opportunity to attend a one-week ICRC delegation in Georgia, Lebanon, Liberia or the Philippines. The mission will take place January or February 2011, and the candidates will present their resulting news reports in Geneva, Switzerland on May 8.

Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 25 and have demonstrated volunteer work in a humanitarian field. Candidates will be evaluated through a communications project, which can be submitted in English or French.  The communication project can be a video, photo essay, article or radio documentary.  More information on the competition, FAQ and an application can be found here.

The grant was announced Friday by the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Officials with the Missouri-based group say it’s the first grant awarded for a New Mexico case since the fund was established and the money will be used to defray the cost of the suit brought against the college and its Regents.

Posted by Betsy Model, President

On Friday, August 27 a group of SPJ members and guests gathered in Albuquerque for a lunch-hour seminar presented by Michael Corwin. The Albuquerque PI shared tips from the world of private investigation on how to get the information you need to flesh out stories. The event was organized by the Rio Grande Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists.

Nationally known for his bulldog tenacity and ability to dig out inconvenient facts, Corwin has worked on a number of political campaigns as well as conducting legal investigations in such areas as breach of contract, child abuse and fraud. The seminar was scheduled to run from 11:30 to 1:00, but due to interest from the participants many stayed around for an extra hour to discuss and share ideas and methods with Corwin. A pizza lunch was included in the modest cost of the event.

Corwin described how he builds rapport with clerks, learning to know them by name and always asking “can you help me,” instead of making demands. On the subject of time management, he said it’s important to group your work. In his case, that means planning visits to county or city clerk’s offices or courthouses to research several cases at one time. Among the sources he discussed were the use of Lexis/Nexis, social media (he likes MySpace because it’s a “party” site where subjects may let out secrets they would rather not have widely known) and others. He points out that “everything is local,” so follow the subject back to where he or she came from to learn about past events.

PI Michael Corwin presents a seminar on "Efficient Investigation" to a group of SPJ members and guests in Albuquerque.

Although he starts with on-line research, Corwin is a strong believer in using shoe leather to dig deep, both by examining public records in person and through face-to-face interviews. Paper documents are good, but he strives to get what he calls “walking, talking sources” through personal interviews with witnesses or subjects. He said he has conducted about 8000 interviews over the years. He prefers to show up without appointments, and usually doesn’t record the interviews because it tends to intimidate subjects. Another tip: “Learn to listen. The more you talk, the less they talk.” He generally prepares with only a list of topics rather than detailed questions. He added: “Silence is your best tool.” Ask leading questions such as “how?” and “how so?” and wait for the subject to respond. He also suggested being prepared to engage in give-and-take, willing to trade some non-confidential information in return for what he gets.

There was much more and participants took away new tools to make them more effective journalists. Corwin will repeat this program in El Paso on October 14, with details to be announced.

There are three new job openings at KOAT-TV, Albuquerque’s ABC affiliate. They are looking for news photojournalist/editors, a local manager, and a news videotape editor. For details and how to apply, click here to go to our Jobs & Gigs page.

The Rio Grande Chapter is delighted to welcome Taos resident and news veteran Rick Romancito to not only the chapter but to our board…

Rick brings a wealth of experience to all of us in the chapter.  He’s a 20-year plus veteran of The Taos News during which he covered a variety of beats before finally settling in as editor of Tempo, the paper’s arts and entertainment magazine. His experience as a fine artist, photographer, actor and filmmaker has served him well in his job, one he still considers the best in Northern New Mexico. In addition to putting out the weekly Tempo magazine, he also shoots, edits and composes some music for the short videos the newspaper posts on its website at www.taosnews.com. He’s a strong proponent of multimedia in journalism and was recently quoted as saying “I believe we all must be trained in using every aspect of news gathering at our command, whether it be words, pictures or video.”

Rick is of Taos and Zuni Pueblo Indian heritage, married to web wizard Melody Romancito and is father to a very talented 15 year old daughter named Ella.   Welcome aboard, Rick!

The John S. Knight Fellowship offers U.S. and international editors, journalists, reporters, photographers and radio and television broadcasters an academic year at Stanford University in California.  Deadline is December 15, 2010 for international applicants and February 1, 2011 for U.S. applicants.

The program consists of studying global economic and social trends to develop press freedoms, innovation and entrepreneurship. For more information, click here.

Rio Grande Chapter journalists who seek to develop an understanding of technology, science and the arts may apply for the Kyoto Prize Fellowship sponsored by the Inamori Foundation. Deadline is September 10, 2010.

Winning fellows travel to Japan from Nov. 7-14, 2010 to meet the latest Kyoto Prize Laureates and attend the 26th Annual Kyoto Prize Awards Ceremony.

Point Loma Nazarene University, in support of the San Diego-based Kyoto Prize Symposium, is offering a journalism fellowship to provide educational opportunities in the following Prize categories: Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and/or Arts and Philosophy. The fellowship covers travel and lodging expenses for one journalist to travel to Kyoto for a week of events.  The selected fellow will attend the Kyoto Prize Ceremony, laureate lectures and workshops, and associated functions, allowing the journalist a one-of-a-kind learning experience among international leaders in education, science, and the arts.  Applications may be obtained here and should be  returned to Dr. Ron Kirkemo, Point Loma Nazarene University, no later than September 10, 2010. For further information contact Dr. Kirkemo at 619-849-2631.