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Early-bird tickets available for SPJ Region 2 Spring Conference April 19-20

March 22, 2013 by kane804

Congratulations to all student journalists on their wins in the 2012 Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards! Students and professionals alike can now take advantage of early-bird discount rates for the upcoming Region 2 Spring Conference April 19-20 in Norfolk, Va. Students will learn how they placed during our event, and winners of the region will contend for the national prizes announced at the Excellence in Journalism Conference this August in Anaheim, Calif.

Early-bird tickets for the conference are available for $50 for students and $70 for pros through Friday, April 5. Ticket prices will go up to $70 and $90, respectively, so act soon to join us! A special Virginia Press Association rate of $136 per night is available through Thursday, March 28 by calling the Norfolk Waterside Marriott at 1-800-874-0264. There are several other hotels within walking distance, as well.

We will kick off the weekend with a cash bar reception (21 and up, please) at Trilogy Bistro near the hotel in downtown Norfolk on Friday evening.

On Saturday, plan on an event packed with compelling speakers, panels, workshops and networking opportunities. During three sets of sessions, panelists and presenters will address the pressing issues of journalism, including social media practices, data journalism, how to navigate the tough job market and more. Registrants are also welcome to attend all non-meal events during the Virginia Press Association’s concurrent program Saturday.

We will recognize regional winners during an included luncheon sponsored by Regent University. Mark Coatney from Tumblr will present the keynote speech. Coatney worked for Time and Newsweek before becoming Tumblr’s “media evangelist.”

Posted in Updates |

SPJVA gives Tech students tips on getting that first job

February 23, 2013 by Paul Fletcher

BLACKSBURG—SPJVA chapter members Cara Modisett of Roanoke and Brian Eckert of Richmond gave a program on finding the first job in journalist to the Virginia Tech campus chapter Oct. 28.

They advised the 16 Tech chapter members that journalism is a “show ’em what you can do” profession. To stand out from the crowd of college grads seeking jobs, Modisett and Eckert advised the students to try to publish free-lance work while still in school.

A college degree and work for the campus newspaper are expected, but not enough, they counseled. 

Both Modisett and Eckert provided examples from their varied careers to how they made contacts and got hired.

Posted in Programs |

Public notice bills: SPJVA works to protect right to know

February 23, 2013 by Paul Fletcher

The Virginia Pro chapter of SPJ was active during the 2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly, working to defeat public notice legislation that would curtail the public’s right to know.

The Code of Virginia requires the publication of public notices for a number of government activities, including requests for proposals for building projects, zoning matters or public meetings.

Such notices must be published in newspapers; the papers provide a widely distributed means to get the required information to the public in a timely fashion.

Six different bills this session would have removed such notices from newspapers and allowed instead postings on websites maintained by the state or by a locality.

The chapter, following the lead of the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, worked against these measures and to maintain the public’s right to know.

SPJVA president Paul Fletcher appeared before committees in the House and Senate three times, providing testimony against several of the bills. The chapter also mounted three email campaigns on the public notice bills.

Several of the bills died in committee. The last of the measures, House Bill 1823, essentially would have moved RFPs filed by localities to the state procurement site, eVA. It passed the House by a 3-1 margin.

But on Feb. 18, it was defeated by a 10-3 vote in the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee.

For more information about the bills, see the scorecard maintained by the VPA at its website.

Posted in General Assembly |

Twitter for Journalists workshop Thursday, Feb. 28

February 20, 2013 by kane804

140 characters at a time, journalists are finding sources, uncovering story leads and breaking news. The Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro Chapter is offering a free Twitter for Journalists workshop Thursday, Feb. 28 in Richmond.
Learn the ins and outs of using Twitter in your day-to-day reporting from Robyn Sidersky, city hall reporter(@fxbgcitybeat) for The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg. Bring your smartphone, laptop or tablet for hands-on help!
The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room of the Eighth and Main Building on Main Street in Richmond. Pizza will be provided by the chapter. Please RSVP to virginiaprospj@gmail.com or Tweet @SPJVA. See you there!

Posted in Programs, Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ, Updates | Tagged , , , , |

Region 2 Spring Conference April 19-20

February 11, 2013 by kane804

The Virginia Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce the Region 2 Spring Conference April 19-20 at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott in Norfolk, Va. Registration with special early-bird pricing for pros and students is now open at http://2013spjregion2.eventbrite.com .

We will kick off the weekend with a cash bar reception just down the street from the hotel in on Friday night.

Saturday, plan on an event packed with compelling speakers, panels, workshops and networking opportunities. During sessions, panelists and presenters will address the pressing issues of journalism, including social media, data journalism, how to navigate jobs in the tough market and more. We will close out the day with a set of small-group workshops on topics such as mobile phone photography, coding for journalists and more.

We will recognize regional winners of the collegiate Mark of Excellence Awards during an included luncheon. Luncheon-only tickets for parents and supporters will be released closer to the event. Registrants of the Region 2 conference are also welcome to attend all non-meal events during the Virginia Press Association’s News Conference at the hotel Saturday.

If you or your organization are interested in taking part in a panel or workshop, learning about sponsorship opportunities or have other questions please contact Conference Co-Chairs Pat Kane and Robyn Sidersky by phone at (804) 986-6804 or e-mail at virginiaprospj at gmail.com

Posted in Programs, Society of Professional Journalists, SPJ, SPJ Region 2, Updates | Tagged , , , , |

SPJVA hosts tribute to George Mason, 1st Amendment talk Dec. 16

December 6, 2012 by kane804

Image

Left to right, Julie Asher, Paul Fletcher, Caroline Cardwell and Brian Eckert read during a wreath-laying ceremony at the George Mason Memorial Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011.

The Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro chapter, will hold its annual tribute to George Mason, founder and the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the model for the Bill of Rights, Dec. 16.

Honoring Mason around his birthday (Dec. 11) has become a tradition at SPJVA, and this year’s program has two parts:

WREATH-LAYING. At 11 a.m. we will hold a wreath-laying ceremony, including a public reading of the Virginia Declaration, at the beautiful George Mason Memorial in West Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. There is plenty of parking, and the walkway to the memorial is well-marked. Information about the memorial, including directions, can be found at http://www.nps.gov/gemm/index.htm

NPR COUNSEL’S TALK. At 2 p.m., Ashley Messenger, associate general counsel of National Public Radio and 1st Amendment expert, will speak at Gunston Hall, Mason’s historic plantation, 10709 Gunston Rd., Mason’s Neck, Va. (near Lorton). Gunston Hall information and directions can be found at http://www.gunstonhall.org.

In addition to the program, SPJ members may tour the preserved plantation house and grounds and shop for holiday gifts at Gunston Hall’s outstanding museum store. Admission will not be charged to SPJ members, although a $10 donation is recommended.

In between the wreath-laying in D.C. and the program at Gunston Hall, SPJVA members and guests will stop for lunch in the Lorton area, just off I-95.

Transportation from Richmond will be by carpool from (???), leaving at 8:30 a.m. sharp and returning around 6 p.m. All SPJ members and friends are invited to meet up with the Richmond group at the Mason Memorial.

Mason is sometimes called the “forgotten founder,” because he refused to vote for or sign the Constitution because it lacked a Bill of Rights. Mason’s call for abolishing slavery under the Constitution left him an outcast among Southern political leaders. The Virginia Pro chapter gives an annual award named for Mason to someone who has made a lasting contribution to journalism in the commonwealth.

For more information, please contact SPJVA President Paul Fletcher at paul.fletcher@valawyersmedia.com or 804-783-0770, x 14016.

Posted in Updates | Tagged , , , , |

Register by Wednesday, Nov. 28, for AP Day at the Capitol

November 26, 2012 by Paul Fletcher

The agenda for 2012’s AP Day at the Capitol is complete: the Dec. 6 program features a talk with U.S. Sen.-elect Tim Kaine, lunch with Gov. Bob McDonnell and panel discussions on uranium mining, state and national elections and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

 AP Day is organized by Virginia AP Managing Editors, the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro chapter.

 Here is the agenda, with a list of featured speakers:

 9 a.m. – registration and coffee.

 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Uranium mining.

 Moderator: Steve Szkotak, The Associated Press

 Panelists:

  • Del. Donald W. Merricks, R-Pittsylvania
  • Paul Locke, director, doctor of Public Health Program at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, chairman of National Academy of Sciences panel on Uranium Mining in Virginia.
  • Patrick Wales, project manager, geologist and principal spokesman for Virginia Uranium, Inc.
  • Cale Jaffe, senior attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center

 11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. – U.S. Sen.-elect Tim Kaine.

 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – An analysis of state and national politics.

 Moderator: Bob Lewis, The Associated Press

 Panelists:

  • Democratic political strategist Mo Elleithee.
  • Republican political strategist Chris LaCivita
  • Jonathan Martin of POLITICO

 12:30 to 1:30 – Lunch with Gov. Bob McDonnell

 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Health care and the Affordable Care Act.

 Moderator: Michael Martz, Richmond Times-Dispatch

 Panelists:

  • Bill Hazel, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources
  • Del. John O’Bannon, R-Henrico
  • Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk
  • Susan Rash, vice president of BB&T Benefit Consultants
  • Doug Gray, executive director and chief lobbyist for the Virginia Association of Health Plans.

 The registration deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 28. The registration fee is $15 and includes lunch. You can register by contacting Patti Baker at pbaker@ap.org. Include the name of your news organization and the names and titles of everyone attending from your staff.

 

Posted in Updates |

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