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March/April 2013
Volume 101 | Number 2
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From the President
On March 13, a member of Vice President Joe Biden’s press office staff demanded that a student journalist delete photos he had taken during a university-sponsored event featuring Biden.

Drone Journalism: Is Resistance Futile?
Unmanned aircraft could soon get their debut as the newest journalistic tool, raising new legal and ethical issues related to privacy and newsgathering. But as journalists start to ask questions about how to legally and ethically fly drones, the Federal Aviation Administration is already behind schedule ...

Ethics Case Studies
You won't read this very often in a magazine or from any news outlet: Whatever you read in this section, steal it. That's right, take the words, work, ideas, and use them yourself. Make copies, pass them out at work and in class, disseminate far and wide. Then, do it again. The ...

Case Study: The Pirates and the Press
Almost one month prior to the release of pop-rock band The Ting Tings’ new album, “Sounds From Nowheresville,” all 10 songs from the album were leaked online. Once all figures have been tallied, the leak will likely cause The Ting Tings’ record label, Roc Nation, to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars ...

Case Study: Naming Victims of Sex Crimes
On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah. Elizabeth’s parents worked with local and national media to increase visibility of the case; public interest in the kidnapping of the attractive, accomplished blonde teenager was immense. Nine months ...

What's Your Personal Code of Ethics?
SPJ’s Code of Ethics is among the most cited codes for journalism professionals, but there are certainly more from other organizations and news outlets. These codes are mostly starting ...

Ten with Erin Polgreen
At 30 years old, Erin Polgreen is among many noteworthy entrepreneurs in the journalism landscape who are striking out on their own. She also really enjoys a good bourbon and will talk in depth about the merits of top-shelf brands, and the drawbacks of mid-level brands that really aren’t that good ...

Member Profile: Jason Parsley
Meet Jason Parsley: He is the associate publisher and former editor-in-chief of the South Florida Gay News and president of the SPJ South Florida Pro chapter. Side note: He’s only six years out of college. “I always ask the students, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” ...

Letters to the Editor
Send letters/comments/feedback to Quill at quill@spj.org. Misguided advice in FOI column In his effort to mix sarcasm with advice in his Quill column (FOI Toolbox, January/February), David Chartrand misguides journalists about the importance of covering public meetings. Inexperienced ...

Obituary: James R. Yoder
James R. Yoder, a 70-year member of SPJ, died Nov. 25, 2012, from complications of a hip fracture. He was 90. Yoder grew up in the newspaper business. His father, Robert Yoder, bought the Weimar Mercury in 1913, and the paper remained in the family until the 1990s. “He was a ...

Narrative Writing Toolbox
Since my teammates were working on other stories, it fell to me to grab the press release, scan the information and write something to post to the Web. I made a call, got a quote and within 15 minutes had this on the paper’s site: Authorities took a 2-year-old boy into protective custody ...

Words and Language Toolbox
There's an old Bill Trader song I like a lot. It’s been recorded by artists as various as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jo Stafford, Hank Snow — even by Petula Clark, in French. It goes: Pardon me, if I’m sentimental When we say goodbye Don’t be angry with me should I cry When you’re gone, ...

FOI Toolbox
Check out five federal databases that you can download for free, pull into Microsoft Excel, and analyze to identify trends and problems in your community. Start with these easily obtainable databases and then use your FOI skills to request more public data specific to your beat. TRAIN ...

Freelance Toolbox
Twenty-one years. That’s how long I’ve been writing professionally. But “writing professionally” might be a misnomer if you subscribe to the strict definitions regarding professional versus amateur. In the Olympics, the lines have sadly blurred. Where we once only awarded accolades and ... ...

Generation J Toolbox
With all of the Facebook posting and Twitter updating (not to mention getting your stories to air or publish and, oh yeah, eating and trying to have a social life), who has time to think about the future? Believe me, I get it. We are all busy living in the present. And that’s a good thing. But soon ...

Global Toolbox
May 3 is not just another day. This first Friday of the month will mark the 20th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. There are hundreds of reasons why we need to pause and reflect. Here are 10 reasons taken from the recent ...

Digital Media Toolbox
If you haven't seen The New York Times’ amazing online package from Dec. 20 titled “Snow Fall,” you should. The article is about a devastating avalanche in February 2012 at the Tunnel Creek section ...

Diversity Toolbox
The Supreme Court hearing cases this year on same-sex marriage have thrust gay rights issues to the forefront again. One dominant voice continues to reflect the perspective of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in news: the white male. “Mainstream (media) organizations will ...

Education Toolbox
Many journalism teachers say the linchpin of their program is the coaching of critical thinking skills. Some high school teachers say the teaching of critical thinking can help save their program in the face of budget cuts. But how does one teach thinking? On its face, it seems a bit odd ...

Ethics Toolbox
The SPJ Code of Ethics provides valuable guidelines to journalists for handling sticky issues that inevitably arise. SPJ’s Ethics Committee has noted in one of its position papers