eChaser: May 2010 / p2

Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas update: There’s still time to sign up for free open government training this year. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Office of the Attorney General are co-sponsoring two more seminars to develop and enhance understanding of the changing landscape of open government. The free morning session provides legal information that meets the criteria for SB286, which requires all elected and appointed officials to take a class on the Texas Public Information Act and the Texas Open Meetings Act. The afternoon session costs $50 and provides more in-depth information.

SPJ national update: Presdent Obama and the media have a surprisingly hostile relationship — as contentious on a day-to-day basis as any between press and president in the past decade, reporters who cover the White House say. Those reporters say the White House is thin-skinned, controlling, eager to go over their heads and stingy with even basic information. This White House has pledged to be more open than its predecessors, and reporters believe it doesn’t live up to that in several key areas. More here and here.

SPJ national update II: Police on April 20 chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” A reporter can be seen in a YouTube video calling the move “outrageous” and “ridiculous.” U.S. Park Police spokesman David Schlosser said his service erred in pushing the reporters back; he stressed that the White House played no role in the move. More here.

SPJ national update III: A real turnaround or a fake-out? Gannett doubles Q1 profit as revenue decline moderates. Moody’s removes negative outlook on newspapers. Study finds more people reading each newspaper copy. Amid wrenching change, some hopeful signs for journalism. McClatchy turns to profit in Q1 on improving ad environment. McClatchy owns the Star-Telegram.

SPJ national update IV: SPJ offered support to the student newspaper at James Madison University after local police and a Virginia prosecutor seized more than 900 pictures of an off-campus riot, and to the Student Press Law Center, which provided legal assistance. An SPJ letter to the prosecutor demanded that the photographs be returned to The Breeze. SPLC executive director Frank LoMonte said the search likely violated the Privacy Protection Act, a “federal anti-newsroom search law” that generally makes it illegal for government officials to search news organizations without a subpoena. More here and here.

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PEOPLE & PLACES

Fort Worth Country Day received two CASE Southwest District IV Awards at the district conference in Austin in March. FWCD was one of only two independent schools recognized with a Grand Award in a group that included mostly colleges and universities in the district. (Only five other independent schools in the Southwest District earned awards.) The projects were created and produced by the Advancement Department at Fort Worth Country Day, headed by Holly Ellman. She, Barbara Jiongo, Lisa Koger, Paula Parrish, Kristin Vaughn, Steve Uhr, Darlene Ignagni, Joe Breedlove and Jeff Rozanski all had a hand in the winning entries. ...

Tarrant County College’s weekly student newspaper, The Collegian, scored top honors in state and regional competitions this spring on work by Steve Knight, Jonathan Resendez, Jennifer Covington, Matt Moyer, Danilynn Welniak, Shelly Williams, John Harden and Daniel Worthington. In Austin at its annual convention, the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors awarded The Collegian second place in the best non-daily college paper category. Collegian staffers won numerous awards in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition in Kerrville, including first place for op/ed page design and general web site excellence, and Newspaper Division 2 sweepstakes. Editor-in-chief Shelly Williams won TIPA’s Mike Warms Scholarship and was named 2010 Journalist of the Year by the Texas Community College Journalism Association. She also landed a paid summer internship at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times — a rare honor for a sophomore. At the SPJ Region 8 (Texas and Oklahoma) conference in Austn, The Collegian took first place in best all-around non-daily two-year student newspaper and second place in two-year best affiliated web site. Staffers’ first-place work advanced to national competition. National winners will be announced in mid-May. ...