ENTER THE JOURNALISM CENTER ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES’
16TH ANNUAL NATIONAL AWARDS COMPETITION

2010 Casey Medals Expand to Include
Digital Journalists, Citizen Media

This year’s Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism mark a new era as the
Journalism Center on Children & Families enters the 16th year of the
national awards competition and the Center is inviting all SPJ New Mexico
members to enter.

The Casey Medals honor exemplary reporting on children, youth and families
and are funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. In recognition of
significant changes in online news delivery, JCCF revamped several
categories and expanded eligibility.

For the first time, citizen journalists and reporters from online-only news
sites are eligible to apply in all categories. The “Television” and “Radio”
categories are restructured as “Video” and “Audio,” expanded to include both
broadcast media and the advent of Web-only audio and video entries.

“It’s clear that 2009 brought innovative reporting on child and family
issues across the board in all forms of media,” said executive director Gena
Fitzgerald. “We’re thrilled to see this fresh surge in reporting on these
critical issues, so we wanted to create innovative categories and fresh
change for the digital age.”

Read more…

Participants agreed that the chapter’s first public event was a rousing success. On Friday, January 15 the National Board and key staff members of the Society of Professional Journalists came to the Land of Enchantment … and the New Mexico Chapter was there to greet them in style.

A highlight of the informal reception, which drew attendance of about 50, was the swearing in of the new permanent officers and board of the New Mexico Chapter. National President Kevin Smith conducted the ceremony, with all but one board member in attendance.

Members of the New Mexico Chapter are sworn in during the reception held January 15 to greet the national board and staff. From left are Betsy Model, president; Dan Vukelich, director; Dennis Roberts, director; Pilar Armstrong, director; Staci Matlock, director; Julie Ann Grimm, treasurer; Gwenyth Doland, director; Bill Diven, director; and David L. Brown, VP-Communications. (Photos: Mark Bralley)

National SPJ President Kevin Smith swears in the New Mexico Chapter officers and directors.

It was a busy day for National President  Smith. First, he traveled to Santa Fe to pay a call on the Santa Fe New Mexican, invited by Chapter members Staci Matlock and Julie Ann Grimm. After touring the editorial and business facility in downtown Santa Fe, Kevin joined Julie Ann, Chapter President Betsy Model and VP-Communications David L. Brown for lunch at a trendy cafe near the Old Plaza. After lunch he toured the mechanical plant located at the edge of Santa Fe. This modern production facility not only prints the New Mexican but several other papers. Later, he toured the studios of KOAT-TV, the ABC affiliate in Albuquerque. Chapter officers Betsy Model and David L. Brown split the pleasant duty of shepherding Kevin between his appointments.

Then it was on to a gala reception in the grand Atrium of the Marriott Pyramid, Journal Center, Albuquerque, arranged by our Chapter to welcome the visiting National Board. Members of our New Mexico Chapter were on hand to meet and mingle, along with other guests from the journalism community.

The evening continued at the nearby Courtyards of Marriott, headquarters for the National Board meeting. Arranged by our Chapter, the Courtyards staff put on a gala dinner with a New Mexican theme for members of both the National and Chapter boards and National staff in attendance. It was a nice end to a successful day.

To view a photo report on the informal reception, go to this page in the Features section.

The International Reporting Project is Taking Applications Now for 2010 IRP Fellowships…

Up to 10 IRP reporting grants will be awarded to US journalists to undertake
a five-week international reporting project.

Fall 2008 IRP Fellow Katie Thomas reports from the Republic of the Congo.

The IRP Fellowships allow U.S. journalists to do original, in-depth reporting projects overseas. While much of the mainstream media have reduced their coverage of international issues, the International Reporting Project (IRP) is offering journalists exciting opportunities to do reporting overseas.

The IRP Fellowships allow U.S. journalists to do original, in-depth reporting projects  verseas. Since the program was created in 1998, more than 160 U.S. journalists have been awarded IRP Fellowships to report from more than 90 countries around the world.

A chief aim of the program is to encourage journalists to cover neglected,”under-reported” stories of global importance. As much of the mainstreammedia have reduced their coverage of international issues, the International Reporting Project (IRP) seeks to fill some of the void.

Washington D.C. for two weeks where they prepare for their five-week overseas reporting projects. In Washington the journalists have offices at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of The Johns Hopkins University, home of some of the world’s leading specialists in international issues. IRP Fellows also spend two weeks in Washington on returning from overseas.

Read more…

The International Reporting Project (IRP) is pleased to announce a two-week
Gatekeeper Editors Trip to China May 8-22, 2010, for senior U.S. editors and
producers interested in learning more about this important country.
Deadline for submitting an application form for this trip is March 1, 2010.
Gatekeepers are any senior journalists – publishers, executive editors,
managing editors, broadcast producers, online editors, editorial page
editors, business editors, op-ed page editors and others – who determine
editorial content at any type of media organization. Gatekeepers must have
at least seven years of editorial experience and must supervise staff at a
fulltime job at their organization. Gatekeepers must be U.S. citizens or
else working as staff editors in the U.S. for a U.S.-based news
organization.

Read more…

Patricia Dobson, one of our newest members, has a BS in
Communications/Journalism and an MA in Communications/Public Relations from
Eastern New Mexico University and a recent PhD from Capella in Education.
Serious on focusing on communications, Patricia was able to tailor even her
doctoral studies to fit within the realm of communications…her passion.

Patricia was the promotions coordinator for the College of Fine Arts from
1991 to 2001 and has been teaching journalism and public relations part-time
since 1992.  She has been teaching full-time since 2001.  Patricia is also a
youth minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church and has an adult/youth
puppet troupe.

Well, maybe a little fame anyway. The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are open now to pro members. Deadline for entries is February 12. You can read the rules at the link above. View Quill magazine here to read about previous winners — the ones that are already basking in their fifteen minutes of fame.

Read about categories here, and you can even enter on-line just by making one more silly little click here to go to the entry page.

PLUS … there’s even more opportunities through “The New America Award, honoring public service journalism that explores and exposes an issue of importance to immigrant or ethnic communities in the U.S., To be eligible, work must have been published or broadcast during the 2009 calendar year. SPJ welcomes nominations from media outlets, journalists, community and issue advocacy groups, individuals and others concerned with ethnic issues. Deadline to submit is February 12, and you can read all about it here.

Don’t let fame slip through your fingers — if you don’t enter, you probably won’t win!

The New Mexico Independent is looking for a reporter to cover the statehouse during the upcoming legislative session, and live bloggers too. For details, go here to see the new listing in the Jobs & Gigs section.

By Betsy Model, President

Wow, we just keep adding fascinating people to our chapter…

David Fryxell, owner with his wife Lisa of the monthly feature magazine Desert Exposure, joined the SPJ New Mexico chapter last month and he’s got a heck of a background.  David and Lisa purchased the fourteen year-old publication seven years ago and the Alternative Weekly-style magazine (which is published monthly) is based out of Silver City and services a wide range of communities including all of Grant County, Deming, Lordsburg and the Las Cruces area.

David was previously editor-in-chief at F&W Publications in Cincinnati, where he oversaw nationally circulated magazines including Writer’s Digest and The Artist’s Magazine.  He founded Family Tree Magazine, America’s number-one genealogy publication and he’s won more than 100 awards for his writing and editing, including community and arts coverage as features editor of the St. Paul, MN-based Pioneer Press, as editor of Milwaukee Magazine and as a roving newspaper columnist in Dubuque, Iowa. He’s the author of three books of writing instruction, most recently Write Better, Write Faster, and a collection of small-town humor.

You can visit Desert Exposure at www.desertexposure.com.

Secretary Christina Durano has posted the minutes from the last meeting of the Interim Board. You can read them at the Secretary’s Soapbox, here.

Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism:

Apply Now!

The Center for Environmental Journalism/School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Colorado is currently inviting applications from members of the Society of Professional Journalists, New Mexico Chapter for the Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism 2010-2011 academic year.  The fellowships are designed to “enhance your journalism skills and deepen your understanding of environmental science and policy” and the program is open to full-time US print or broadcast journalists with a minimum of five years professional experience.  Applicants may include reporters, editors, producers and full-time freelancers.   Prior experience covering the environment is not necessary.

The program covers tuition and fees and provides a $48,000 stipend.

The application deadline is March 1.  For applications and more information, see www.colorado.edu/journalism/ccj.