Five experts in freedom of information are traveling the country this summer as part of Access Across America II, providing SPJ pro chapters and newsrooms a special session on accessing public records, including great ideas for record-based stories, effective requests, and how to use tactical strategies to overcome denials and exorbitant copy fees.
Charles Davis, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, is travelling the southeast. The SPJ, Virginia Pro chapter will host his visit in Richmond July 12.
His talk will be held at 7:00 p.m. that Thursday at 707 East Main Street, in downtown Richmond, in the 2nd floor conference room. Members of SPJVA will be gathering for dinner with Davis about 5:30 p.m. beforehand at Capital Ale House, just a block from the meeting. (For directions/more info, contact SPJVA President Paul Fletcher by email at paul.fletcher@valawyersmedia.com, or by phone at 804-783-0770).
Davis was SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee chair for five years and is co-author of “The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records.”
He is a winner of SPJ’s Sunshine Award and was named the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Teacher of the Year. Before academia, he worked for newspapers and as a national correspondent for Lafferty Publications, a Dublin-based news wire service for financial publications.
This summer training, funded by the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation and The Associated Press, is a follow-up from the 45-day 2010 Access Across America road tour, where SPJ FOI trainer David Cuillier talked with 1,009 people at 56 sessions in 32 states.
The July 12 program is free and promises to be a great start to the new SPJVA year – we’ll look forward to seeing you there!
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