In this edition:

• SPJ Welcomes John Shertzer as Executive Director
• Order a "Words Matter" T-Shirt and Support Local Journalism
• Input Needed for 2020 EIJ Contest Categories
• Save the Date: SPJ/GCABJ/ONA Annual Holiday Mixer
• EIJ ’19 Recap
• Highlights from EIJ '19 in Photos
• New SPJ National President from Cincinnati
• Hall of Fame Call for Nominations
• SPJ x CPD
• Greater Cincinnati SPJ Board Members Available for School Programs on the Importance of Quality Journalism
• Join SPJ
• Newsletter Staff

SPJ Welcomes John Shertzer as Executive Director

Order a "Words Matter" T-Shirt and Support Local Journalism

Input Needed for 2020 EIJ Contest Categories

EIJ ’19 Recap

by Tom McKee

Journalists from around the world received a stark warning from one of their own in San Antonio in September.

“Take advantage of fact that Americans are not well educated on complex issues,” said Scott Pelley of CBS News.  “It’s now costing lives. It always does.”

Pelley’s comments came as he accepted the Paul White Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) during the Excellence In Journalism ’19 convention in San Antonio.

More than 1,800 journalists from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and RTDNA converged on the Texas city famed for its Riverwalk. Temperatures soared into the 100’s during the three-day gathering.

While praising the work of every journalist at the convention, Pelley said, “We can do better.”

The San Antonio native recalled watching a local television newscast that led with a story focused on surveillance video of a robbery and he had a question.

“Why not begin with a story about lead pipes or the VA hospital or the firefighter pension fund or teachers paying for their own supplies?” he said. “When journalists stop caring about public service, the public stops caring about journalism.”

President Trump has called the media the enemy of the people, but Pelley refused that rhetoric.

“If we commit to public service, nobody can get away with calling us the enemy of the people again,” he added.

RTDNA’s John F. Hogan Award went to another San Antonio native, John Quniones of ABC News, the first Latino and Spanish speaker hired by the network.

Quinones recalled how his parents had only elementary school educations and cleaned houses and buildings. The family became migrant farm workers. They picked tomatoes near Toledo, Ohio, and cherries in Traverse City, Michigan.  

Wanting to avoid that lifestyle, Quinones said he went back to his teachers and asked how to become a journalist. The response was he should try woodworking or auto shop.

But, Quinones persisted and pushed by his mother got into the Upward Bound program and college, which led to a radio internship.  A fellowship to Columbia followed and a speech by CBS News President Richard Salant prompted him to purse a network job.  He got one, was assigned to Chicago and won an Emmy for a story about posing as an immigrant coming to the United States.

Another story involved restaurant workers who weren’t being paid. Using a hidden camera, he was able to document the the problem. The day after the story aired, the workers got their back pay and the restaurant was shut down.

“Journalism is a candle in the darkness,” he said. “When done right, these are the kinds of stories to tell.”

Highlights from EIJ '19 in Photos

New SPJ National President from Cincinnati

By Tom McKee

The new national president of SPJ is someone very familiar to Greater Cincinnati area journalists.

Patti Newberry took the oath for the position during the President’s Installation Banquet at EIJ’19 in San Antonio.

Newberry is currently an instructor at Miami University in Oxford, teaching courses in journalism and ethics.  Prior to that, she was a business reporter, editor and columnist for 10 newspapers in seven states, including The Cincinnati Enquirer.

She’s a member of the Greater Cincinnati SPJ Pro Chapter, a former Region 4 Director and national secretary treasurer. 

Her elevation to the society’s top spot continues a tradition of society leaders coming from the region. Hagit Limor, Kevin Smith and Lynn Walsh are all former national presidents with ties to Cincinnati and/or Region 4.

When the decision was made to reduce the size of the SPJ board, Newberry chaired the task force and worked to get the SPJ membership to approve the measure. It was designed to make the board more strategic and more nimble in making decisions for the organization. The change brought the number of national board members from 22 to nine — a change that took effect with Newberry’s inauguration.

Her goals for her term include advocating for press rights, collaborating with media advocacy groups, increasing Legal Defense Fund efforts and establishing clearer lines of communication between SPJ leaders and members.

Matthew Hall was voted President-elect by the delegates and Rebecca Aguilar was elected as Secretary-Treasurer.  

Hall of Fame Call for Nominations

The Greater Cincinnati SPJ Pro Chapter is now accepting  nominations for the Greater Cincinnati Journalism Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

Applications should be sent to chapter president Ginny McCabe at ginnymccabe1@gmail.com. The deadline for applications to be received is February 15, 2020.

The Hall of Fame honors journalists from print and broadcast who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and Greater Cincinnati.  

A nominee should be a retired veteran journalism practitioner (or nearly retired) who has achieved a high measure of professional achievement in journalism in the Cincinnati area and some national prominence.

Posthumous applications are acceptable.

The 2019 inductees were former Cincinnati and Kentucky Post Editor and Scripps Howard Foundation President Mike Philipps plus former WCPO-TV News anchors Clyde Gray and Carol Williams, in addition to Charles Brough and John Brough.

SPJ x CPD

By Tom McKee

It’s an event unique in the United States — journalists and police officers talking about how to make the other’s job easier and more transparent.

That’s the essence of the partnership between the Greater Cincinnati SPJ Pro Chapter and the Cincinnati Police Department.

It’s a seminar where journalists learn about Cincy Insights, a City of Cincinnati web site that contains a myriad of information on city services, including police reports.

The fourth edition of a seminar was held in early October at the Cincinnati Police Academy with two sessions — morning and afternoon — drawing over two dozen participants.  

That included a number of attorneys from the Hamilton County Public Defemders office.

CPD Lt. Steve Saunders and Sgt. Eric Franz joined Cincinnati IT professionals in explaining the system and how it can be easily used to research stories.

Dave Daugherty, PIO for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, detailed procedures for contacting his department and securing interviews with top personnel.

When these sessions are mentioned to other journalists across the country, the typical response is, “You do what with the police?”

Cincinnati SPJ is proud to partner with the Cincinnati Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and other Cincinnati officials on this tremendous initiative. Thank you for this amazing opportunity. 

Greater Cincinnati SPJ Board Members Available for School Programs on the Importance of Quality Journalism

Newsletter Staff