News from Central Ohio SPJ

2018 Ohio SPJ Awards Winners

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COLUMBUS – Ohio’s Best Journalism Contest, sponsored by the Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) chapters statewide, announced its 2018 awards. There were 308 awards announced out of 645 entries submitted.

The categories include large circulation print (75,000 or greater), small circulation print (fewer than 75,000), radio, television, digital media, trade organizations, freelance and college. Click here for a full list of categories.

Best of Show distinctions are awarded in all categories except college. Entries were for work done in 2017. Journalists from The Top of the Rockies awards contest (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming) served as judges.

Save the date for a luncheon celebration to honor the winners, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018, at noon in Cincinnati with a riverboat cruise luncheon on the Ohio River. Registration is available on Eventbrite.

Journalists, who work for newspaper, magazines, radio, television, trade, online and college media in Ohio and adjacent states that have significant reach into Ohio were eligible to submit entries, as well as freelance journalists, who are Ohio residents, regardless of where their work is published, broadcast or webcast. Entrants did not need to be members of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Ohio’s Best Journalism is the only Ohio competition that honors journalists who fulfill the SPJ mission: defense of the First Amendment, support of literacy, resistance to censorship, advocacy for openness of public records and meetings, media self-criticism and community service.

Top print winners were The Columbus Dispatch with 33 awards; The Cincinnati Enquirer with 20 awards; The Akron Beacon Journal with 17 awards; The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com with 10 awards; Crain’s Cleveland Business with 10 awards; and Columbus Alive with 10 awards. Top broadcast winners were WKSU Radio with 13 awards; WVXU 91.7 Radio with 12 awards; WCPN Radio with eight awards; WBNS-TV with eight awards; WOSU with seven awards; and WVIZ/PBS ideastream with seven awards.

In the Large Circulation Print (75,000 or greater), Best of Show category, top winners included:

  • Best Page One Design, First Place, Alan Miller, The Columbus Dispatch
  • Best Columnist in Ohio, First Place, Theodore Decker, The Columbus Dispatch
  • Best Reporter in Ohio, First Place, Amanda Garrett, The Akron Beacon Journal
  • Best Photographer in Ohio, First Place, Kyle Robertson, The Columbus Dispatch
  • Best Daily Newspaper, First Place, The Columbus Dispatch

In the Small Circulation Print (Fewer than 75,000), Best of Show category, top winners included:

  • Best Photographer, First Place, Tim Johnson, Columbus Monthly
  • Best Weekly Newspaper, First Place, Cincinnati Business Courier
  • Best Reporter in Ohio, First Place, Sheehan Hannan, Cleveland Magazine
  • Best Columnist, First Place, Regina Brett, Cleveland Jewish News
  • Best Monthly, First Place, Cleveland Magazine
  • Best Special Publication, First Place, 614 Magazine

In the Trade Publications, Best of Show category, winners included:

  • Best Trade Publication, First Place, The College Store
  • Best Trade Columnist, First Place, Susan Crowell, Farm and Dairy

In the Television, Best of Show category, winners included:

  • Best Anchor, Rick Jackson, WVIZ/PBS ideastream
  • Best Reporter, First Place, Duane Pohlman, WKRC-TV
  • Best Newscast, First Place, WCMH NBC4

In the Radio, Best of Show category, winners included:

  • Best Reporter, First Place, M.L. Schultze, WKSU
  • Best Anchor, First Place, Amanda Rabinowitz, WKSU

In the Digital Media, Best of Show category, winners included:

  • Best General News Site, First Place, ideastream
  • Best Online Still Photographer in Ohio, First Place, Matt Ellis, ColumbusUnderground.com

In the Freelance, Best of Show, categories, winners included:

  • Large Circulation Print (+75,000), Best Freelance Writer, Ginny McCabe
  • Digital Media, Best Freelance Writer, Jeff Regensburger, ColumbusUnderground.com

In the College category, winners included:

  • Best College Non-Daily Newspaper, The Lantern, The Ohio State University
  • Best College Opinion Writing, Lucas Misera, The Kent Stater

Click here to view the full list of award winners. 

SPJ Celebrates Local Journalism at 69th Annual Founders’ Day

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Central Ohio SPJ celebrates its 69th annual Founders’ Day on Wednesday, April 18 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Join us for an evening of professional camaraderie and the celebration of good journalism at the Amelito Mirolo Barn in Upper Arlington.

We will celebrate the best of central Ohio journalism by awarding our First Amendment Award along with Appreciation, Distinguished Service and an unprecedented four Lifetime Achievement Awards. We will also hand out the dubious Brick Wall Award for obstruction of public access to information.

This year’s award recipients include: WBNS TV 10, former Columbus Dispatch sportswriter Todd Jones, SPJ board member Bruce Cadwallader and lifetime achievements for Dispatch retirees Barb Carmen, Alan Johnson, John Switzer and WSYX TV 6’s Carol Luper.

Speaking to a bright future for journalism, we are also handing out scholarships to a number of deserving college and high school students whose work has been deemed outstanding over the past year.

Tickets are $45. Social hour beings at 5:30 p.m. with an open bar and hor d’oeuvres. Programming begins at 6 p.m. A silent auction will also be held with proceeds to benefit the chapter’s numerous scholarships.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

Click here to register on Eventbrite!

At the 2017 Central Ohio SPJ Founders’ Day celebration, Dominic Cappa of Columbus Business First was the recipient of the SPJ chapter’s Appreciation Award for his long-term dedication to SPJ and supporting local journalism programming. Doug Buchanan of Columbus Business First was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for serving as president of the SPJ chapter.

During the 68th Annual Founders’ Day celebration on April 6, 2017, the chapter honored Jerry Revish with a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors individuals for their lifetime of contribution to the journalism profession. SPJ is excited to recognize Jerry’s outstanding work and successful career with WBNS-10TV.

Register for an Evening with David Brooks

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The Stanley D. and Joan H. Ross Center for Brain Health and Performance at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center presents An Evening with David Brooks.

Best-selling author and New York Times columnist, Brooks will discuss the importance of neuroscience and sociology in understanding America’s politics, culture and future on Friday, April 6.

When: Friday, April 6 at 7 p.m.

Where: Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center
The Ohio State University
2201 Fred Taylor Drive
Columbus, OH 43210

For more information, click here.
Free tickets are available for journalists. Please email Kevin Smith – smith.10002@osu.edu – for details on registration.

Join Central Ohio SPJ for a Panel Discussion on Covering Professional Sports

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After Work SPJ Special!

Please join the Central Ohio Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for a panel discussion on covering professional sports teams in Ohio on Tuesday, March 13. Panelists will discuss the ups and downs of covering the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Cavaliers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Join local journalists and enjoy light appetizers and a cash bar as we go into the locker rooms and behind the scenes of your favorite teams and players. Hear from broadcaster Audrey Hasson of NBC4 and a panel of grizzled print journalists: Tom Reed, Mike Arace, Todd Jones and Aaron Portzline.

When: Tuesday, March 13 2018

Where: Chammps
1827 Olentangy River Rd.
Columbus, OH 43212

REGISTER HERE

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Call for Entries for Ohio’s Best Journalism – 2018

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Competition Call for Entries

Honoring the Best of Ohio’s Print, Broadcasting, Digital Media, Freelance, Trade and College Journalism

Ohio’s Best Journalism contest is accepting submissions for 2018. Based upon great success last year, we will once again use the software program OpenWater to manage our contest. According to you and our judges, the portal provides an efficient and intuitive experience. View the “Rules” and “Help” tabs in the header of the contest home page for complete directions and explanations to help you submit entries. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at contact@ohiospjawards.org.

The deadline for entries is midnight March 30, 2018

Please take note of the following highlights when submitting entries:

  • If you’re a returning applicant from our 2017 contest, you can use your 2017 account for this year’s contest.
  • There is a field asking whose name(s) should appear on any award, as well as the name of the media outlet, should your entry receive an award. Thank you for paying close attention to this field and entering the information correctly. This will help avoid any errors when awards are created.
  • Please be sure to submit your entry in the correct category. Large print categories are reserved for publications with circulation of 75,000 and higher; small print categories are reserved for publications with circulation of less than 75,000.

Our annual statewide contest is presented collaboratively by the Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland Pro Chapters of The Society of Professional Journalists and honors print, broadcast, digital, trade, freelance and college journalists in Ohio for their best work during 2017. Our contest is the only Ohio competition that honors journalists who fulfill the SPJ mission: defense of the First Amendment, support of literacy, resistance to censorship, advocacy for openness of public records and meetings, media self-criticism and community service. Our contest also recognizes the best college daily and weekly newspapers.

ELIGIBILITY: Journalists are eligible who work for newspaper, magazine, radio, television, trade, digital and college media in Ohio and adjacent states that have significant reach into Ohio. Freelance journalists, who are Ohio residents, are eligible, regardless of where their work is published, broadcast or webcast. We recently added numerous freelance categories in response to the growing number of freelance journalists. Click here for Freelance categories. Newsletter and blog submissions also are welcome. Entrants need not be members of the Society of Professional Journalists. Submitted work must have been published or broadcast in 2017.

FEES: A $30 entry fee must accompany each submission, except college entries. College students pay a $10 entry fee for writing of news, feature, sports and opinion. College newspapers may enter the best college daily and weekly newspaper categories for free. There is a $5 discount per entry for work by SPJ members. You may submit any given article in as many relevant categories as you wish. Not an SPJ member? Join here and save.

SPREAD THE WORD: Please share this message to anyone you think would like to participate in Ohio’s Best Journalism contest! OpenWater makes it easy to share the contest site with your colleagues and friends. Look for the social media icons (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) on the left side of the contest site landing page.

QUESTIONS: For additional information, please visit our website – www.ohiospjawards.org – or contact:

Sarah Mills Bacha
614.563.1066
contact@ohiospjawards.org

Register for Building Bridges: Society of Professional Journalists Region 4 Conference

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Building Bridges: Navigating the Ever-Changing World of Journalism
SPJ Region 4 Conference Programming
Point Park University, Pittsburgh, March 9-10, 2018

Sexual assault, truth in journalism and the future of media outlets in uncertain financial times are all important issues facing journalists in 2018.

Each of those issues will be in the spotlight with distinguished panels of experts during the Society of Professional Journalist Region 4 Spring Conference.

The conference — “Building Bridges: Navigating The Ever-Changing World of Journalism” — is March 9-10 at Point Park University in Pittsburgh.

Over 100 professional and student journalists are expected from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia.

Registration and a networking reception are planned for Friday, March 9. Registration continues on Saturday, March 10 followed by more than a dozen seminars.

  • Countering Assault in the Newsroom: Sexual Harassment Hits Home
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette vs. Unions
  • Running the Newsroom: Student Editors vs. Administrators
  • Reporting on Crisis: Staying Safe; Getting the Story
  • Job Talk: Landing Internships and Early-Career Jobs
  • Truth Matters, Facts Matter: Resisting the Assault
  • You Don’t Have to Sell Your Soul: PR for Non-Profits
  • Future Focus: Paying For Journalism
  • Perfecting The Podcast
  • Mock Trial: Role-Play Your Way Through Libel and Slander Law
  • Multi-Media Journalism Today
  • Covering Trauma: The Human Costs of Journalism

The keynote speaker for the Saturday luncheon is Don Heyman, a reporter with the West Virginia Public News Service. He was arrested for allegedly asking overly aggressive questions of former Health & Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

Charges were ultimately dropped against Heyman with investigators saying that while he was engaged in aggressive journalism, it did not violate the law — “willfully disrupting a State government process or meeting.”

“Mark of Excellence” Awards will be presented to student journalists from over two dozen colleges and universities within SPJ’s Region 4.

Registration fees prior to March 2 are $75 for SPJ Professional Members and $55 for SPJ Student Members. Non-member rates are $130 for professionals and $75 for students. After March 2, each of the rates will increase by $20.

Anyone wanting to attend can register at EventBrite —
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buildingbridges

There’s more information available on the conference web site —
https://2018spjregional.weebly.com

SPJ Award Nominations Open for Founders’ Day 2018

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Each spring the Central Ohio Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists caps off its year of programming with the annual Founders’ Day Dinner.

The banquet and awards ceremonies pay tribute to the history of the chapter which was founded in 1949 and it honors those who have helped make it a success. During the night’s festivities, chapter leaders are sworn into office, awards are presented to the area’s top journalists who uphold SPJ’s ideals and we invest in the future with scholarships for college and high school students.

This year, we’d like to hear from you in determining the honorees for our annual awards. We’re seeking your nominations for who you think is most deserving in the following categories.

FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD: This award recognizes significant contributions to the First Amendment rights of freedom of expression. Individuals and organizations both inside and outside of journalism are eligible.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: This award is for a member of the chapter who demonstrates professional excellence and dedication to the Central Ohio Society of Professional Journalists.

APPRECIATION AWARD: This award is presented to individuals or organizations for their outstanding contributions to journalism in central Ohio.

BRICK WALL AWARD: Started in 2001, this dubious distinction is presented to the individual or organization that, according to chapter members, did the most to block citizen access to public records and proceedings or otherwise violated the spirit of the First Amendment or the Ohio Open Records and Open Meetings laws during the past year. Anyone is eligible, but special consideration will be given to public officials and tax-funded agencies that fail to follow the law.

Please include the name of the person you’d like to nominate, along with a brief description why, and forward your nominations to: hunt.754@osu.edu by Thursday, Feb. 22
.
Save the date! This year’s event, our 69th, will again take place at the Amelita Mirolo Barn in Upper Arlington on Wednesday, April 18. The night will begin at 5:30 p.m. with Hors D’ Oeuvres and cocktails while hand out awards. Additional details will be announced soon.

Longtime Dispatch Journalist David Lore Passes Away

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Longtime Journalist with The Columbus Dispatch David Lore died earlier this week at the age of 77. Lore spent 37 years at the Dispatch and was active in the Central Ohio SPJ chapter, serving as past president, former national convention chair and winner of the Distinguished Service Award in 1982.

Read more about the local legend’s career on The Columbus Dispatch.

Chapter Invites Journalists to Screening of The Post

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SPJ members, local journalists and guests are invited to the 7:10 p.m. screening of The Post on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 at Cinemark Movies 12 – Carriage Place, 2570 Bethel Rd. Just show us an ID from a working-media organization or your SPJ membership card for free entry to the movie! Guests can join for $5.

Relax in the new theater reclining seats while watching a movie that already has won the AFI Movie of the Year and several other best picture awards and is nominated for many others yet to be given. Attendees are invited to an informal discussion about the film at Winking Lizard, 1380 Bethel Rd., anytime after 9:30 p.m.

Please RSVP so we can reserve enough tickets! Click here to reserve your seat on Eventbrite.

The movie starts at 7:10 p.m., but please plan to arrive starting at 6:45 p.m. to pick up your tickets and get seated!

Chapter plans reception for international journalists

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The Central Ohio Society of Professional Journalists is hosting a reception Nov. 2 for a delegation of international journalists visiting Columbus.

Buckeye Bourbon House photo

SPJ members and prospective members are invited to join us for the event set for 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Buckeye Bourbon House, 36 E Gay St, Columbus 43215.

The delegation of international journalists is participating in a U.S. Department of State program. The delegation’s local stop is being hosted by the International Visitors Council in Columbus. The Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State University is providing a day of training for the international journalists.

Central Ohio SPJ is providing light appetizers and a first round of drinks at the Nov. 2 reception. The Buckeye Bourbon House is located in the Residence Inn by Marriott Columbus Downtown.

Members and prospective members are invited to join us to mix, mingle and network with colleagues and our 23 international guests.

The Department of State has outlined the following specific objectives for the project for the visiting journalists:

  • Examine the rights and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy and the principles and laws governing the press in the United States;
  • Gain an understanding of the evolution, current status, and trends in investigative journalism in the United States;
  • Explore unique aspects that distinguish investigative reporting from traditional journalism;
  • Understand the role that investigative journalists play in U.S. society as they raise awareness of issues of social concern and report on illegal, irregular, or abusive actions on behalf of government, politicians, criminals or corporations; and
  • Assess the impact of social media, new communication technologies, citizen journalism, and alternative forms of investigative reporting.

Those attending should RSVP to Central Ohio SPJ with an email to gpawcaddy@gmail.com.

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