SPJ Blogs

Brian and I are taking the day off from News Gems to celebrate our country's birthday. If you have a hankering to see some good journalism while we're gone, check out our archives on the left rail. We hope you all have a great holiday. See you back...

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: Nat'l. Committee on Diversity       When referring to diversity, the SPJ uses a broad-stroke definition; meaning ethnic minorities, Gays and the disabled.       But,...

On the eve of the 42nd anniversary of the federal Freedom of Information Act, signed into law July 4, 1966, the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government released its annual report on FOIA performance, titled "An Opportunity Lost." According to the...

NPR is running some inspiring stories about athletes who hope to compete in this summer's Olympics. "Olympic Profiles: Bound for Beijing" stories describing the Iraqi sprinter who dodges sniper fire as she trains, a shot-putter...

by Leo E. Laurence; Member: SPJ Nat'l. Committee on Diversity       We can learn about American patriotism from immigrants, including those some improperly call "illegal."       I wrote the...

Police in Mississippi now must provide basic incident reports daily, including the offense, suspects and where and when a crime took place. According to news reports, compliance was been mixed Tuesday when the new law went into effect.Twenty years ago...

   On June 14, SPJ held a Narrative Writing Workshop at the University of Florida.  This was the twelfth workshop we’ve held since funding was approved in 2006.  Thirty-four participants joined us for the day of training, which focused...

Adam Thompson penned this piece for the Wall Street Journal that posits the question:  is 2008 the best year for sports so far?  He points out a number of stories that have been covered by the nation's sportswriters (and devoured by fans across...

Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden connects Andrew Wheating's inspiring performance in the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials with that of Steve Prefontaine.  "(I)t was Wheating who produced the loudest roar, as he has done throughout the meet,"...

Marc Stein broke the story on ESPN.com that Baron Davis had signed a 5-year, $65 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, leaving approximately $18M on the table had he decided to stay in Oakland with the Golden State Warriors. ...

Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post has written a revealing two-part series on the Mid-East media campaigns of the U.S. government and al-Qaeda. It's fascinating to compare the campaigns' structures and their results. The centerpiece of Washington's...

Student editors at Armstrong Atlantic State University's paper, The Inkwell, filed suit Monday against the university, saying the university slashed the newspaper's budget in retaliation for criticizing the administration. In March, the budget was cut...

Ever feel like public officials don't take you or your records request seriously? Ever run across discrimination because you are a woman, nonwhite, short, obese, or just plain different than the white male officials you deal with? You aren't alone. At...

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: SPJ Nat'l. Committee on Diversity and CCNMA - Latino Journalists of California    Racial minorities have been hit especially hard by the housing crisis, and some newspapers - like The San Diego Union Tribune...

In a major setback for access to information in criminal cases, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that police can withhold documents in investigations that are still open, even if they've been unsolved for decades, reports Georgia SPJ Sunshine Chair Johnny...

by Leo E. Laurence, Member: National Committee on Diversity       Stories and photos of gay civil-rights events are in the news more than ever, particularly with the California Supreme Court legalizing gay marriages. Summertime,...

Hi guys, how's everyone doing?How are things going? Made a big sale recently? Would you like share how you did it? Perhaps you have a question or problem, and you'd like to share your experience and gain some feedback. Ideally I'd like this site to become...

A number of international journalism groups have pooled resources to come up with a one-stop site for journalists heading to China to cover the Olympics. http://playthegameforopenjournalism.org/...

Bill Reiter, sports reporter at The Kansas City Star, visited storm-ravaged Iowa to report on the recovery efforts. The result, "Iowans Are Reclaiming Their Lives and Their Sports," uses scenes from Des Moines, Parkersburg, West Des Moines, Ames, Waterloo...

One of the blessings/curses about my job at SPJ headquarters is that I get to see things from the top of the journalism umbrella. Our educational programs, Quill content, membership efforts, public relations and the rest our business is usually conducted...

I am looking for a columnist for the next issue of Quill, SPJ's magazine for members. The column would be for freelancers, giving quality how-to advice while sticking with the issue's theme, freedom of information. If you are a freelancer, have experience...

Seymour Hersh has a long history of helping break important stories: the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, the C.I.A.'s illegal spying against Americans, the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, and many more. In the July 7 New Yorker, Hersh returns with another...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to put American lives at risk by keeping dam inventory secret, even after the recent Midwest flooding. The Corps used to provide the National Inventory of Dams online for anyone to download and find out if they...

It appears former USA Today reporter Toni Locy won't have to cough up $50,000 or go to jail to protect her confidential sources, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The U.S. Department of Justice settled the Privacy Act suit...

The Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, led for four years by Pete Weitzel, will be closing its doors this summer as its funding runs out. The organization (see www.cjog.org) has helped build Sunshine Week and the Sunshing in Government...