Happy birthday, George Mason!

           At the invitation of SPJ Region 2 Director Brian Eckert, SPJ-DC president Julie Asher joined members of the Maryland and Virginia pro chapters Dec. 11 for a birthday tribute to George Mason, one of the nation’s Founding Fathers. He was born Dec. 11, 1725, and died Oct. 7, 1792.

            As author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Mason was among the first to call for freedom of the press, religious tolerance and other fundamental American liberties. He also attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

            After remarks by Paul Fletcher, president of SPJ Virginia Pro, the group had a small wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to Mason in Washington D.C., followed by SPJ members reading portions of the Declaration of Rights.

            The memorial, dedicated on April 9, 2002, is in West Potomac Park, just to the east and south of the Jefferson Memorial.

            Jefferson once referred to Mason as “a man of the first order of wisdom.”

            “When it finally got down to brass tacks, he refused to sign the Constitution,” Fletcher said. “He was one of three delegates who dissented. His reasons? Two reasons: It lacked a bill of rights, and it did not prohibit the slave trade. This was quite a stand for him to take -- he was a plantation owner down in Fairfax, and a slave owner himself.

            “He felt slavery was a poison on the morals and minds of the people. It got a lot of attention. It galvanized his contemporary and friend James Madison, the father of the Constitution, he pushed for a bill of rights, which of course was adopted as the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.”

            Members of the SPJ gathering took turns reading from the Virginia Declaration of Rights. After the ceremony, most members visited Mason’s home, Gunston Hall.

            Check out the video posted by the Virginia pro chapter.

Veteran freelancers share tips

            “Network with other freelancers” is one essential tip veteran freelance journalist Katherine Reynolds Lewis gave in her presentation at the National Press Club in November.

            “Nobody can take on every assignment and you’ll benefit from comparing marketing and negotiation strategies and problem clients,” Lewis told about 50 people attending the Nov. 18 program. The half-day program was sponsored by SPJ-DC and the National Press Club’s freelance committee, headed by Peggy Orchowski.

            Lewis recommended that freelancers “turn down poor-paying gigs,” and advised: “don’t count on your stable of clients remaining the same. Always be seeking new clients and planning for the possibility of losing an anchor client.”  An anchor client provides a set weekly or monthly income that a freelancer can count on to cover minimum expenses.

            Hazel Becker, co-coordinator of the D.C. chapter’s freelance group, stressed thinking like a business owner. In her presentation she discussed how to track income and expenses, budget, set rates and manage clients.

            Have an agreement or contract covering every job and client, Becker recommended, even if it is just an informal agreement, such as an email confirming the details the assignment.

            Keep good records, “find out if you need a business license in your jurisdiction” and “know the tax rules that apply to your business – federal, state and local,” she said.

            Stephenie Overman, co-coordinator of the D.C. chapter’s freelance group, moderated a panel discussion on what editors are looking for from freelancers.

            The editors who took part in the discussion were:

• Ben Pauker, senior editor at Foreign Policy, a global magazine of politics and economics.
• Gordon Witkin, senior managing editor of iWatch News, the online publication of The Center for Public Integrity. iWatch News provides original and exclusive daily stories as well as in-depth investigations and commentary.
• Holly J. Morris, a founding editor of the Washington Post Express, which launched in 2003. As an AME, Morris oversees digital development and most of the original content sections.

            The D.C. chapter and the National Press Club freelance committee plan to collaborate again on a program some time in the spring. The next topic will be on marketing yourself as a professional freelancer.

Methvin, HOF member, dies at age 77

            Eugene H. Methvin, a veteran journalist and member of the SPJ-DC chapter’s Hall of Fame, died Jan. 19 at his home in McLean, Va. He was 77 years old.

            A native of Vienna, Ga., he earned a journalism degree from the University of Georgia School of Journalism. As a student he belonged to the campus chapter of Sigma Delta Chi (now the Society of Professional Journalists), which named him the “outstanding male graduate of 1955.”

            Methvin, who spent 42 years at Reader’s Digest as a reporter, editor and then senior editor before he retired in 2002, was a past president of the Washington pro chapter. He also served on SPJ’s national board of directors.

            In 1995, the Washington chapter inducted him into its Hall of Fame for “exemplary professional achievements, outstanding service to other members of the profession and lifelong dedication to the highest standards of journalism.”

SAVE THE DATE: SPJ-DC Dateline Awards dinner

            The SPJ-DC chapter’s 2011 Dateline Awards dinner will be held Tuesday, June 12, at the National Press Club. Open to SPJ members and nonmembers, this is the annual event where the chapter presents the winners of its 2012 Dateline Awards contest and inducts new members into the chapter’s Hall of Fame. Please mark your calendar and look for more details to come!

Call for entries for SPJ-DC annual Dateline Awards Contest

           SPJ-DC is now accepting applications for its 2011 Dateline Awards Contest.

            It is open to SPJ members and non-members alike and to both print and broadcast media outlets throughout the D.C. metropolitan area. This includes the District of Columbia; Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudon, Stafford and Prince William counties in Virginia; and counties throughout Maryland.

            The “Online Only” category and the “Blog” category were both introduced in the last two years in an effort to better represent the changes in the industry.

            Entries will be judged by journalists and related professionals whose primary assignments do not include local news. These judges will nominate entries worthy of the Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award, which is presented to an applicant in any award classification whose entry best exemplifies journalism aimed at protecting the public from abuses by those who would betray the public trust.

            All entries must be postmarked by February 24, 2012. Awards will be presented to the winners at the Annual Dateline Awards Dinner, which will be held June 12 at the National Press Club. (Details on the dinner itself will be coming soon!)

            For a complete list of guidelines, rules and entry categories, visit www.spjdc.org.

            Questions about the contest can be directed in an email to the contest coordinator, Joel Whitaker: bevnews@verizon.net.

SAVE THE DATE: Region 2 conference March 30-31

            The student SPJ chapter at Elon University in Burlington, N.C., will host the 2012 Region Conference March 30-31. Program information will be released soon.

            SPJ Region 2 director Brian Eckert has looked into Amtrak group travel, where members can board the train March 30 at the station of their choice. (Baltimore or BWI around 10 a.m., D.C. Union Station around 11:30 a.m., Richmond around 1:30 p.m., Petersburg around 2 p.m., Durham and Raleigh around 5 p.m. and arriving at Burlington at 6 p.m.) The conference is expected to start with an evening reception, with a full day’s program on March 31. Return trip would be Sunday, April 1, at 10 a.m. from Burlington.

            The cost would be around $100 roundtrip boarding in Md. and D.C., probably somewhat less boarding in Virginia. According to Eckert, a charter bus following the same route is much more expensive. Please let chapter president Julie Asher know if this is of interest for traveling to the regional conference. She can be reached at (202) 541-3266 (work) or through email at jasher@spjdc.org.

            Eckert is trying to gauge interest now, because the event requires a commitment by a critical mass of members. Another possibility is arranging carpools to make the trip.

ISO: SPJ-DC chapter seeks volunteers, future board members

            Your SPJ chapter is in need of volunteers to help with everything from program planning to membership recruitment/retention to coverage of events for the chapter newsletter. Also, early next year our nominations committee will begin a search for people to serve on the board. If you have a couple spare hours to give to the chapter for committee work or to serve on our board, contact chapter president Julie Asher at jasher@spjdc.org or call her at 202-541-3266 With your help we can make one of the country’s strongest chapters stronger!

D.C. ethics bill includes Open Government Office

The D.C. Council Dec. 20 took its final vote on sweeping ethics reform legislation that includes establishment of an Open Government Office to oversee and enforce the Open Meetings and Freedom of Information acts. Council Member Muriel Bowser (Ward 4), chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, introduced the bill in late November.

It is unclear when the Open Government Office will begin operation because the bill must be signed by the mayor and sent to Congress for review. The earliest the new law could take effect is late March, but then several events must occur, including appropriation of funding for the new board and appointment of board members.

Newsletter publisher will supervise chapter's Dateline Awards

      Joel Whitaker has taken on the position of Contest Coordinator for the DC Chapter's prestigious Dateline Awards for excellence in journalism. He succeeds Brooke Kenny, who resigned from the paid position after four successful years running the competition.

      Whitaker, of Burtonsville, Md., is publisher of Kane's Beverage News and other online newsletters covering the beverage industry. He was an officer of the New Jersey Pro chapter of SPJ and has experience with awards competitions in the newsletter industry. In addition, he is the treasurer of the National Press Club. Kenny, of Greenbelt, Md., directs recreation programs at a retirement community in Kensington, Md.

      The Dateline Awards are handed out at the DC Pro Chapter’s annual banquet, usually held in early to mid-June. The contest coordinator takes on the part-time responsibility of soliciting and coordinating entries, collecting entry fees, organizing volunteer judges, processing judges’ choices and announcing competition winners in a news release. Most of the work takes place from January through mid-June. -- Steve Taylor

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D.C. Pro again part of SPJ's national essay contest

      After a year off, the D.C. Pro chapter is again taking part in SPJ’s national high school essay contest in 2012.

      The topic will be: “Why is it important that we have news media that are independent of the government?” http://www.spj.org/a-hs.asp

      SPJ chapters across the country will have local winners. A national winner will be chosen from the local winners and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

      Second place will get a $500 scholarship and third place will get a $300 scholarship.

      The winner in the D.C. region will receive two free tickets to the chapter’s annual Hall of Fame dinner in June.

      The contest is open to public, private and home-schooled students in grades 9 through 12 in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland.

      Essays should be 300 to 500 words, typed or neatly handwritten, double-spaced and must be accompanied by the official contest form.

      Mail entries to: Andy Schotz, 615 Bentley Court, Hagerstown, MD 21740. Do not send them so that a signature is required for delivery.

Past president of SPJ-DC chapter coordinator 2012 MOE contest

      Andy Schotz, the past president of the D.C. Pro chapter, will be coordinating Mark of Excellence contest judging this year in Region 2.

      The Mark of Excellence Awards are for student journalists, who will submit entries by the end of January.

      Judging is expected to take place from February to April.

     Schotz has had good response from chapter members who want to volunteer to be a judge -- including some of the 2011 judges -- but he can always use a backup list so if you are interested please email him at LawnGyland@aol.com. 

      MOE contest categories are listed at here. It will be easier to match judges to categories if you list a few categories you’d like to judge. 

Celebrating the holidays and recognizing some longtime members

      The SPJ-DC chapter’s holiday party Dec. 5 brought together longtime members with some newcomers and a few journalists-in-training, including some students from Howard University. The setting was the Gordon Biersch brewery in downtown D.C. –- a repeat location for the chapter that has proved to be a popular draw. The crowd numbered at least 30. While there was no formal program, chapter president Julie Asher took the opportunity to present year pins to those members marking a milestone in their SPJ membership in 2011.

      The national SPJ office had forwarded a pin and a letter of recognition for 16 chapter members; the letter highlighted what was happening in the country the year the members joined SPJ, thanked them for contributions to the organization and noted that SPJ’s mission “is needed now more than ever.” Those on hand to receive pins were: 35 years, Mary Crowley, an newsletter editor and former SPJ-DC chapter president (1989-90), and John C. Henry, retired from The Associated Press; 15 years, Tony Spence, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service; and 10 years, Amy Reinink, freelancer and current SPJ-DC chapter board member.

Georgetown student had 'renewed purpose' after attending convention on Thomas scholarship

      In 2011, the D.C. Pro chapter revived its Helen Thomas Scholarship, a $500 stipend to help a local student SPJ chapter send one or more of its members to the national conference. In addition, the chapter also added a bonus award: a free early-bird conference registration, a $225 value, thanks to two free registrations the chapter won in a contest to see which SPJ chapters recruited and retained the most new members in one year. Allison Brennan received this year’s Helen Thomas Scholarship and free registration.

      She was recommended by Region 2 Director Brian Eckert for her work on launching a new SPJ chapter at Georgetown University. -- Andy Schotz

Here is what Brennan wrote about her experience at this year’s national convention:

      I am poor. I think all students are unless they are very lucky. Therefore, it is a must that I be conservative with my funds. This precludes doing just about anything that is outside my monthly budget, even if they are as valuable to my career development as I found the SPJ conference to be this year (2011) in New Orleans. I sincerely thank the D.C. Pro Chapter of SPJ for the opportunity to attend the SPJ Conference this year on the Helen Thomas Scholarship.

Retirement of Helen Thomas award upheld by convention delegates

      SPJ delegates voted 85-71 in October to uphold the national board’s decision to retire the Helen Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award.

      The issue resurfaced at this year’s SPJ convention in New Orleans through a resolution proposing that the award be reinstated.

      A group of SPJ members from various chapters submitted the resolution.

      SPJ created a lifetime achievement award in 2000 and named it after Thomas, a White House correspondent for decades.

      In January 2011, the national board voted 14-7 to retire the award because of the controversy surrounding two rounds of comments Thomas made.

      The first time, in an interview that was recorded on video, Thomas urged Israel to “get the hell out of Palestine” and Jews can go back to other countries. She later apologized.

      The second time, in a speech, Thomas said, “Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by Zionists. No question, in my opinion.”

      Those who supported retiring the award said Thomas’ comments were offensive.

The media and the military: An evolving relationship

      The relationship between the media and the military is always evolving, but many themes persist. In the 10 years since the 9/11 attacks, the strength of that relationship has wavered at times, but both sides recognize the symbiotic nature of the relationship.

      On Nov. 17, SPJ DC Pro and American University’s School of Communication hosted a program discussing how the relationship has changed and how the media and military can help each other.

      The program opened with an “Inside the Actor’s Studio” style Q&A with Georgetown journalism grad student Allie Brennan interviewing Dan Kapavik, a Marine who led 52 Marines during a deployment to Afghanistan. He lost three of his men, a loss that was hard on his unit and on Kapavik as a leader.

      The young Marine discussed his experiences with embedded reporters and his deployment experiences. He said that service members can have vastly different experiences depending on their deployed locations. His unit was involved in a shooting at a detention facility in Afghanistan when two detainees escaped last summer and used a grenade launcher to target an MV-22 Osprey with a 3-star Navy SEAL on board.

Program on journalism ethics brings together press, public

      Roughly two dozen people attended SPJ-DC’s “The Press and the Public,” a panel discussion about journalistic ethics on Oct. 27 in downtown Silver Spring.

      The event, held in the Fenton Room at the Silver Spring Civic Building, aimed to engage journalists and the public in a discussion about the importance of ethical news coverage. It was the last of three programs in DC-SPJ’s “Press and the Public” series, which was funded through a $2,500 grant from the SDX Foundation, the educational foundation of SPJ. All three programs, held at various locations throughout the D.C. area, focused on journalistic ethics, and why ethical news coverage is important.

      The panel discussion was moderated by SPJ-DC board member Amy Reinink, a freelancer who has written for The Washington Post and other media outlets. Panelists included Diana Huffman, a former editor and reporter who currently is the Baltimore Sun distinguished lecturer at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism; Craig Terrill, media specialist for the city of Takoma Park; and David Moon, a Washington-based policy attorney and political consultant, and editor of the Maryland Juice political blog.

Reminder: SPJ's national dues increase Jan. 1

      The dues increase was approved by the SPJ board of directors Sept. 25 at their meeting in New Orleans.

      SPJ-DC chapter members should have received from SPJ’s national headquarters a reminder about the increase and an explanation as to why it was needed. But just to make sure everyone is informed, here’s a list of the new fee structure:

- Pro Members: $3 (up to $75)

- Retired: $1.50 (up to $37.50)

- Household: $1.50 (up to $37.50)

- Post-Graduate: $1.50 (up to $37.50)

- Student: $1.50 (up to $37.50)

- Associate: $4 (up to $94)

      If you have questions here’s a short Q&A about why the increase was put in place and what authority the board had to do so.

ISO: SPJ-DC chapter seeks volunteers, future board members

      Your SPJ chapter is in need of volunteers to help with everything from program planning to membership recruitment/retention to coverage of events for the chapter newsletter. Also, early next year our nominations committee will begin a search for people to serve on the board. If you have a couple spare hours to give to the chapter for committee work or to serve on our board, contact chapter president Julie Asher at jasher@spjdc.org or call her at 202-541-3266. With your help we can make one of the country’s strongest chapters stronger!

Get Hall of Fame dinner tickets ASAP

  Time is running short for anyone who still needs a ticket for this year's D.C. Pro Hall of Fame dinner, which will be held June 15 at Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant, 5222 Wisconsin Ave., Washington, D.C.

  We'll also give out our annual Dateline Awards for editorial excellence. We had a very good turnout for this year's contest, which included new categories for online journalism and blogging.

  Westwood One radio host Jim Bohannon, Radio-Television Digital News Association [RTDNA] President Emeritus Barbara Cochran, Editor-at-Large Jack Limpert of Washingtonian magazine and former Newsweek magazine Washington Bureau Chief Mel Elfin will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on June 15.

  On the same evening, the chapter’s 2010 Distinguished Service Award will go to Sue Kopen Katcef of the University of Maryland’s Phillip Merrill College of Journalism, the D.C. Pro corresponding secretary.

Dateline Awards Dinner parking options

  The venue for SPJ's annual awards dinner offers several transportation and parking options. The restaurant is located two blocks from the Friendship Heights terminal for several Metrobus and RideOn (Montgomery County) bus lines. The Metrobus 30 series stop almost directly in front of Maggiano's at 5333 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. in the District. (MAP)

  Metrorail's red line runs into the building. Exit the Friendship Heights train station at the Western Ave. end of the platform and turn right after the fare card machines to go up the elevator. The elevator at street level is just paces away from the restaurant.

  Valet parking begins at 6:30 p.m. (the event starts at 6) and costs $7.00.

Unopposed candidates win new board terms

  All of the candidates on this year's D.C. Pro ballot have won re-election to the board. All ran unopposed.

  In the annual election held in May, 23 people voted - roughly 7 percent of the chapter. Nineteen votes were cast electronically and four by paper ballot.

  Andy Schotz, who is finishing his second one-year term as president, was chosen to serve a third year.

  Julie Asher will remain vice president, Amy Fickling will continue as treasurer, Sue Kopen Katcef will stay on as corresponding secretary and Ben Shlesinger will retain his position as recording secretary.

  Bill McCloskey, Bob Becker and Steve Taylor were approved for two-year board terms.

Council members promote transparency bills

  At a forum organized by the D.C. Open Government Coalition May 20, City Council members Mary Cheh (Ward 3) and Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) promoted their bills to make the city government more transparent.

  Cheh's bill, the Open Government Act of 2010, would create an independent office to oversee agency compliance with the city's Freedom of Information Act, and would amend the FOI Act, the Administrative Procedures Act, and several other statutes. Bowser's bill, the Open Government is Good Government Act, would overhaul the city's antiquated open meetings statute, which permits the City Council and more than 60 government boards and commissions to conduct their business in secrecy, requiring open sessions only when the bodies must take formal votes.

FOI 'Access' tour made a D.C. stop

  On May 24, SPJ's Access Across America tour rolled into Washington, D.C., and 75 people learned Freedom of Information tricks from SPJ FOI Committee Chairman David Cuillier.

  The "sold out" crowd of SPJ, National Press Club and Regional Reporters Association journalists heard Cuillier encourage them to be passionate about getting public information out of government file cabinets and into the public domain. He urged journalists to set aside a specific time each week to work on FOI activities, file a request, follow up on requests or just think about what requests to make.

  Those in the room shared stories of successes and failures in trying to get access to information that is supposed to be in the public domain.

  Law enforcement agencies, Cuillier explained, are the most frequent violators of Freedom of Information laws.

Leinwand prepared for disaster on a moment's notice

  Journalists are used to weird working hours and conditions, but few could top USA Today's Donna Leinwand in that regard.

  As disaster reporter for USA Today, she travels the country and the world covering hurricanes, tsunamis and, lately, earthquakes — in Haiti and Chile. That means she can be summoned at a moment's notice to cover, say, Hurricane Katrina or the Southeast Asia tsunami that struck Indonesia in 2004. She'd been well trained by her years at the Miami Herald covering hurricanes.

  Tracing her career for D.C. Pro SPJ members and guests over lunch April 15 at the National Press Club, Leinwand recalled the first word she had of the Asian tsunami. She said it was thought to be a minor disturbance but experience taught her to prepare for the worst.

Press freedom award goes to Sri Lankan journalist in murdered husband's honor

  For Sri Lankan journalist Sonali Samarasinghe, April 21 was a night to remember when she accepted, on behalf of her late husband, Lasantha Wickramatunga, the 2009 Freedom of the Press award from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

  He was murdered on Jan. 8, 2009, after predicting it in a now-famous editorial to run, as it was, after his death. He had been relentless in exposing wrongdoing in the government as editor-in-chief of the Sunday Leader in Colombo.

  The event was co-sponsored by the ICF’s American chapter. Other sponsors of the occasion were the NPC’s Freedom of the Press and International Correspondents committees. The NPC videotaped the program, which is now at www.press.org.

Md. Attorney General issues FERPA opinion

  There was a victory for the public in the battle for records at the University of Maryland this spring.

  An opinion issued by the Maryland Attorney General in March is going to mean a change in the way the University of Maryland, College Park (and, quite likely, the entire University System of Maryland), handles requests for the identities of individuals found to have violated the university’s Code of Student Conduct on charges related to sexual assault.

  In the past, the University had declined to identify such individuals, citing FERPA — the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Many universities use FERPA to deny the release of what they broadly interpret as “education records,” defined as “information directly related to a student.” Colleges and universities claim the release of student information — without the consent of the student — would violate the law and could mean a loss of federal funds.

U. of Md. offers new media certificate

  Looking to learn the skills necessary to stay ahead of the new media curve? The Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland is introducing a Graduate Certificate in Multimedia program to help you get there — and stay there.

  Starting on Saturdays this fall, the two-semester, 12-credit program will blend practical training in video, audio, photography, blogging, and interactive Web publishing with the critical application of editorial, ethical and legal principles in digital media contexts.

  Courses will be designed to help professional journalists and communicators learn the skills and concepts needed for digital storytelling across media platforms, particularly the Internet and mobile devices.