Florida Atlantic University’s Dylan Bouscher and Georgia Perimeter College’s David Schick have spent months trying to obtain obviously public records as they investigate campus crime and budget shortfalls, respectively. Yet the institutions they petitioned have responded with demands for huge amounts of money or simply stalled.

The full stories of these efforts are on the Region 3 blog, Southern Drawl. You can read about them here.

Let’s rally behind them, fellow student journalists.  They’re not alone in this fight.

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s newly independent student news outlet needs help copy editing.

After FAMU’s journalism school shut down the campus newspaper, student editors launched an unofficial news site, Ink and Fangs. Now they need help proofing copy.

SPJ and Region 3 director Michael Koretzky are giving volunteers free registration to MediAtlanta, a First Amendment Free Food Festival T-shirt and a resume critique by Mr. Koretzky himself, a hiring editor at a chain of city magazines.

To quote the Region 3 blog, you’ll also receive, “of course, lots of good karma.”

Check out SPJ Region 3’s Southern Drawl blog to apply.

PULLIAM/KILGORE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION INTERNSHIPS

POSTMARK DEADLINE: JANUARY 18, 2012

SPJ annually awards two Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information Internships. One intern works in the offices of the Society’s First Amendment legal counsel in Washington, D.C. The other intern works at the Society’s National Headquarters in Indianapolis.

The interns research and write about freedom of information issues while assisting the Society’s Freedom of Information Committee and First Amendment legal counsel in preparing SPJ’s annual Freedom of Information Report. Other responsibilities may include working on the SPJ Web site and assisting with SPJ programs and initiatives.

Interns receive a stipend of $400 per week and work during a mutually agreeable 10-week period during the summer. Recipients are notified in February and should arrange to start their internships in late May or early June.

HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST

POSTMARK DEADLINE: March 8, 2012

Essay Topic: ““Why is it important that we have news media that are independent of the government?”

SPJ wants to increase high school students’ knowledge and understanding of the importance of independent media to our lives. National winners of this essay contest receive scholarship awards.

The contest is open to all students enrolled in grades 9-12 in U.S. public, private and home schools. Students must submit original work and have a sponsoring teacher sign the contest entry form.

The essay should be 300-500 words and must include an entry form. Entries may be typed or  handwritten but must be double-spaced. Send all entries to the participating chapter in your state.

You can download the entry form and read the contest rules here: http://www.spj.org/a-hs.asp

TED SCRIPPS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: JUNE 1-3, 2012

POSTMARK DEADLINE: March 15, 2012

For SPJ student and professional chapters to be successful, they must do the right thing in the right way.

The Ted Scripps Leadership Institute helps participants learn how to do just that by offering a mix of sessions focused on interpersonal and organizational leadership skills, as well as sound chapter management practices. The program was established in 1996 and is funded through a generous grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation.

The program is open to those who will be serving as chapter president during the 2012-2013 school year. This is an invitation-only program. Applications will be reviewed and invitations will be extended to no more than 50 participants. A submitted application does not guarantee an invitation for this program. All applications must be submitted using the online application form.

Participants’ travel, lodging, and meal costs are provided. Incidentals and spending money are the responsibility of the participant.

Each selected participant will be required to make an investment of $100 in their training upon acceptance into the program. If you are accepted into the program, you must participate in all training sessions/activities held during the Institute.

Here is a detailed program schedule: http://www.spj.org/scrippslt-schedule.asp

For more information about participating in this program, contact Heather Dunn at 317/927-8000 ext. 204 or via e-mail.

As you spent the first week of 2012 writing your New Year’s resolutions, what did you include on your list?  Hit the gym? Eat healthy? Quit procrastinating? Well, surely you’ve remembered to add this: Become an award-winning journalist. If not, you’ve got just a few more weeks to add it to your list!

Each year the Society of Professional Journalists presents the Mark of Excellence Awards, which honors the best in student journalism. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism. This year’s deadline is on January 25, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time).

The contest is open to anyone enrolled in a college or university in the U.S. studying for an academic degree in 2011. The entrant must have been enrolled as a student at the time of publication or broadcast. Students who have had full-time, professional journalism experience, outside of internships, are not eligible. Entries must have been published or broadcast during 2011.

Entries are first judged on the regional level. First place regional winners advance to the national competition and are recognized at SPJ spring conferences. National winners will be showcased on spj.org.

Ready to apply? Make sure you read the Mark of Excellence rules before submitting your entry!

What should a winning entry look like? Review the work of the 2010 National MOE Winners and Finalists: http://www.spj.org/moe10.asp

Frequently Asked Questions: http://awards.spj.org/frequently-asked-questions.aspx

Got a question that’s not included above? Contact SPJ at 317/927-8000 or e-mail awards@spj.org.

The chapter has been recording these musical minutes for three months. It all started with this one:

They’ve now made a total of 12 videos with wide-ranging themes — Halloween minutes, Thanksgiving minutes,  and even SPJ workout! minutes

And just in time for the holidays…

Want to see more? Check out the Columbia J-School SPJ chapter’s Vimeo page.

SPJ’s Region 3 Director Michael Koretzky recently interviewed Columbia SPJ’s chapter leaders about the minutes. Read the Q&A interview here.

We hope this SPJ chapter has inspired you to think creatively when operating your campus chapter. If you’re already doing something creative, we want to hear about it! E-mail tmirfendereski@spj.org with details.

I hope you join me for what is sure to be a memorable end to your September and a great start to your school year. Be sure to register by August 31, 2011 to get the cheapest rate! Check out the convention website for more information or read below.

A FEW CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS

1.) Resume, Video, and Writing Critiques: Bring your resume and/or work samples to receive helpful tips that will help you land a job and improve your journalistic skills.

2.) Pre-Conference Workshops: SPJ and RTDNA are offering a handful of half-day and all-day Pre-Conference Workshops on Sunday, Sept 25. The workshops include video storytelling bootcamp, great bosses bootcamp, business journalism, backpack journalism, and mobile tools for journalists. Read more about each pre-conference workshop and register here.

3.) The Student Union: On Monday Sept. 26 from 1-2:30 p.m., SPJ will host a free event focused on student networking. At the event, the McCormick Foundation will present awards to national honors to collegiate winners of its Freedom of Speech PSA contest, the National Mark of Excellence Award first-place winners will be recognized, SPJ will present awards to national honors recipients, and students will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with other student journalists from across the country. This is the perfect opportunity to forge relationships with other SPJ students and  learn from collegiate award-winners about how they produced award-winning work.

4.) Featured Speakers: Learn and hear from  some of the best in the business! Convention speakers include Andy Carvin (NPR), Al Tompkins (The Poynter Institute), Victor Hernandez (CNN), Vadim Lavrusik (Facebook), Jan Schaffer (J-Lab), Lara Salah (ABC News), Victoria LIm (Bright House Sports Network), Steve Berkowitz (USA Today), Paula Lavigne (ESPN), Todd Petr (NCAA), Lane DeGregory (St. Petersburg Times), Boyt Huppert (KARE-TV),  Hill Geisler (The Poynter Institute), Kevin Sites (NBC, CNN, Yahoo!’s Hot Zone), and more! Visit the conference website for the complete list and for biographical information.

5.) Breakout Sessions: Topics include: j-school in the New Media World, Mobile Journalism: The Revolution of Capturing News Media, Ten Things Great Bosses Know, Creating Multiplatform Stories, Social Media Ethics: Making It Work for You, What Journalists Can Learn From Radio Peeps, Google 101 for Journalists, Records of Disaster, Cool Free Tools for Online Journalism, More Than 140 Characters, Follow the Money: College Sports in America, Just Who Do You Think You Are? Launch Your Personal Brand, Facebook and Journalism, 20 Tips Your Editor Won’t Tell You, The 10 Commandments of Video, and more! See the complete list here.

REGISTER

If you’re anything like me, being a college student means that money is tight! Register for the convention before August 31, 2011 to save yourself some money. You can register online.

HOTEL AND TRAVEL INFORMATION

1.) The official conference hotel is the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. Call 1-888-627-7033 to make a reservation and be sure to mention “SPJ/RTDNA 2011″ to receive the special rates. The cut-off date for special convention hotel rates is Sept. 4, 2011. Visit the convention website for pricing information.

2.) Ground Transportation: The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel does not provide ground transportation to and from airports. Visit the convention website for a list of transportation options available to you.

3.) Parking and Driving Directions: Visit the convention website for parking rates and driving directions.

4.) If you’re trying to save yourself some money, consider sharing a room with others from your school or with other SPJ students around the country!

Can’t wait to meet you at Excellence in Journalism 2011 in New Orleans. Be sure to say hello!

We’ve compiled a list of twenty of the best online resources for journalists. The following links are ranked in no particular order, so be sure to give equal weight and attention to each website. Enjoy!

1.) The Journalist’s Toolbox: www.journaliststoolbox.org

This journalism toolbox is presented by SPJ. The website is a compilation of hundreds of useful links for journalists and is updated frequently. Topics include (but are not limited to) global journalism, college media, high school journalism, fact checking resources, mobile journalism, state and local government, school violence, religion, and Twitter resources.

2.) Journalist’s Resource: www.journalistsresource.org

This website contains information on core journalism skills (AP Style, Interviewing, Math for Journalists,etc), links to online tutorials, and policy studies about a variety of subjects pertaining to the environment, economics, society and government.

3.) Media Bistro: www.mediabistro.com

Media Bistro is the home of many media related blogs such as  TVNewser, TVSpy, MediaJobsDaily and 10,000 Words. The website contains a variety of how to videos with a diverse range of topics. Videos include but are not limited to “How to Build an Online Portfolio,” “How to Write a Cover Letter,” “LinkedIn for Journalists” “Using YouTube Effectively,” and “How To Write a Resume.” The website also offers resources for freelancers and people searching for media-related jobs.

4.) Society of Professional Journalists: www.spj.org

SPJ’s website includes on-demand training videos for members and a variety of other useful tools and guides about topics like freedom of information, diversity, and ethics.

5.) Mashable: www.mashable.com

Mashable is an independent news source dedicated to covering digital culture, social media, and technology. This website is useful to journalists, as it keeps up with the latest trends in technology and the media.

6.) Cyber Journalist: www.cyberjournalist.net

This news and resource website focuses on how digital technology is transforming the media. The site contains a variety of articles about the future of media, innovation and social media. It also includes a gallery of great journalistic work and a few tips & tools for journalists.

7.) Digital News Journalist: digitalnewsjournalist.com

Digital News Journalist is a service of the CUNY Graduated School of Journalism dedicated to providing students and professionals with tips, tools and resources crucial to producing leading-edge multimedia journalism. The website contains articles about miscellaneous journalism & technology related topics and also includes a guide to “Twitter for Journalists.”

8.) Investigative Reporters and Editors: www.ire.org

This website is useful for journalists utilize computer assisted reporting. The IRE Resource center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories and more than 3,000 tip sheets on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories. The website also contains a comprehensive database library  with spreadsheets relating top topics like business, elections, public safety, transportation, and health. These records can be very useful to you when producing an investigative piece or searching for the perfect story.

9.) Poynter Institute: www.poynter.org

The Poynter Institute is a school dedicated to teaching and inspiring journalists and media leaders. Seminars and training sessions conducted by the institute are not free, but the website does contains some valuable information and perspective that is free of charge, including news and blogs about the industry and a small “how to” section on the website.

10.) Knight Digital Media Center (Tutorials): http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials

This tutorial website is one of the best around! It contains tutorials about both core concepts and skills. The interface is easily accessible and the descriptions in the tutorials are accompanied by photos.

11.) Nieman Journalism Lab: www.niemanlab.org

The Neiman Journalism Lab is a project of the Neiman Foundation at Harvard University. The website contains articles about the future of journalism in an Internet age.

12.) Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press Open Government: http://rcfp.org/ogg

The Open Government Guide is a complete compendium of information on every state’s open records and open meetings laws. Each state’s section is arranged according to a standard outline, making it easy to compare laws in various states. If you’re a new user of this guide, be sure to read the Introductory Note and User’s Guide.

13.) Student Press Law Center: www.splc.org

An excellent resource for learning your rights as a journalist. The website has many handouts and presentations about topics like libel and privacy, the First Amendment, censorship, and shield laws. If you need guidance writing a letter requesting public records, check out SPLC’s FOI letter generator!

14.) Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism: www.journalism.org

This is a great website for keeping up with the latest news in the media industry. It also contains several data sets under the “Numbers” tab, a list of tools for journalists, and a list of ethic codes from multiple journalism organizations.

15.) National Freedom of Information Coalition: www.nfoic.org

NFOIC strives to ensure everyone’s right to information. The website includes information about state and federal FOI laws and also contains resources for both levels.

16.) 10,000 Words: www.mediabistro.com/10000words

10,000 Words is a blog owned by Media Bistro. The blog specifically focuses on journalism and technology. The website is divided into a “Writing” section, a “Blogging” section,  a “Videos” section, a “Photos” section, a “Social Media” section, and a “Jobs” section.

17.) J-Lab: www.j-lab.org

J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism intends to help journalists and citizens use digital technologies to develop new ways for people to participate in public life through the media. While this website does not contain many tangible resources for journalists, it includes some interesting articles about innovation in the field.

18.) Will Sullivan’s and Reynolds Journalism Center’s Mobile Journalism Reporting Tools Guide: http://www.rjionline.org/news/mobile-journalism-reporting-tools-guide

This website contains mobile journalism reporting tools. It includes lists of audio editing apps, file transmission apps, live streaming apps, micro-reporting apps, photo editing apps, video editing apps, note-taking apps, and more.

19.) NewsLab: http://www.newslab.org

NewsLab is an online resource and training center for journalists in all media that has one simple goal: to help journalists do better work by building their skills and broadening their thinking. The website offers offers storytelling strategies, tip sheets, and other tools for journalists.

20.) The Maynard Institute: http://mije.org

The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (MIJE) helps the nation’s news media reflect America’s diversity in staffing, content and business operations. Through its professional development programs, the institute prepares managers for careers in both business — and news — sides of the journalism industry.

PROGRAM IN A BOX

The Society of Professional Journalists has recently created Programs in a Box to help accommodate your chapter’s programming needs.  We understand that sometimes the clock moves too fast and budgets are just too small, so this new initiative is intended to help you implement a successful program with little planning and little cash.

“PIB” contains a variety of pre-planned programs for your chapter to utilize at any time. Each program includes nearly all materials that you’ll need — even fliers! Just choose a program that interests you, download the “stuff,” and watch it come to life.

The first of many “PIB’s” to come is Journalism Movie Night. The only thing we can’t do? Pop the popcorn!

Once your chapter has used one of the programs included in “PIB,” we would love to know how it turned out! Please share both successes and failures so we can continue to build and improve.

Additionally, if your chapter has held a successful program that you think another chapter could benefit from or if you just have something to add to our list, please let us know.

Direct all feedback about “PIB” to SPJ National Student Representatives Tara Puckey and Taylor Mirfendereski.

SPJ’s SPRING CONFERENCES

The 2011 SPJ/RTDNA conference, “Excellence in Journalism” may be more than six-months away, but there’s no reason why  you can’t get a taste of professional development in just a few weeks.

Each spring (between March and April), SPJ holds day-long conferences across the United States, bringing area journalists, students and journalism educators together in one place to hear from industry experts on topics impacting today’s journalists.

Regional conferences create excellent opportunities for students to network with professionals and fellow SPJ students from your region. You’ll build relationships that can lead to mentorships, internships, and even jobs.

Click here to read details about your region’s spring convention.

FIRST AMENDMENT FREE FOOD FESTIVAL

It’s a well-known fact that SPJ fights for a free press and strives to educate students about the First Amendment. But what you may not know is that SPJ offers $250 grants to student chapters willing to host a unique educational event that’s literally a food fight.

The First Amendment Free Food Festival (FAFFF) is a program in which students symbolically sign away their First Amendment rights in exchange for a free lunch. Since it was created in 2006, more than 20 FAFFF’s have been hosted around the country.

SPJ will award $250 grants to 10 chapters who want to host a FAFFF on their own campuses. While there’s no deadline to apply, you must host your FAFFF by May 31, 2011.

Visit http://www.spj.org/fafff.asp  and koretzky.com/free for more details about this perfect spring event.

Like some news stories, a resume seems to be something that is never perfect and that you are never done writing.

The good news is that a resume should be a “working document” that needs to be tweaked and changed from time to time. Here are 10 tips to help you create or improve your resume.

1. Use updated contact information. Will you be moving back home after graduation? Make sure all contact information will be current for at least six months after sending out a resume. Do not include a school address you will not be living at after graduation or a school e-mail address that may not be active six months after graduation. Also make sure all the contact information for your references is up-to-date and be sure to give all references a heads-up before adding them to your resume.

2. Experience means experience. Whether it was an internship or job, whether you got paid or you did not, if you gained experience that will help you in a future job, it should be included. This includes a website or podcast you do as a side project or the Pulliam/Kilgore FOI Internship.

3. Awards and honors are more than statues. It is important to include examples of when your work was recognized. Most of the time this includes awards like the SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards, but do not forget other honors like scholarships or a training/conference you were selected to attend.

4. Chronological order may not always be the best. Just because it is the most recent position does not mean it should always go first. Lead with what will show a potential employer why you are the most qualified for the job you are applying for. If your last position was as a copy editor, but you are applying for a reporter position and have four years of reporting experience, lead with the reporting experience.

5. Don’t hide the lead. Potential employers know what interns do so leave the boring details for the end or completely off. Were you put in charge of all the news interns at a station? Did something you wrote get published? Did you win an award while working for the publication? Say you are an award-winning journalist, say you were in charge. Always lead with what sets you apart from other candidates. Leave the transcribing details for the very end or off the page.

6. Make sure skills are skills. A section dedicated to the skills you have can be valuable if utilized correctly. Lead with what sets you apart. Do you know HTML? Flash? Make sure those skills are at the top and leave Microsoft Word and Windows toward the end of the list.

7. Cater your resume. It is a great idea to have a basic resume ready at all times. But, when applying for jobs, you should not be sending the same resume to two difference places. If you are applying for an online position you will want to showcase your online experience; if you are applying for a producing position, showcase your producing experience, etc.

8. Don’t get lost in titles. Whether it is an award or a publication you worked for, if it is not easily recognizable, come up with an alternative way of saying it on first reference. Names of publications and news stations may ring-a-bell in that particular city, but across the country or the world they will probably not mean much. Use call letters instead of station names. Describe the scholarship as a journalism scholarship from your school then follow with the title.

9. Presentation is everything. First, your resume should always be one page. I know we all have done a lot, but at this point in your career it needs to be only one page. Second, make sure the font is legible and not too small. A few other things: make sure the paper you are using is not distracting, do not be afraid to use boxes to separate some accomplishments and do not be afraid to bold or italicize key words.

10. List and use social media. If you use Twitter professionally, make sure you include your username prominently on the resume. On a paper resume I would leave off Facebook and LinkedIn URLs because they are too long – but ALWAYS include them electronically and mention you are on them. Send people to your personal website or blog and make sure it is updated. If your accounts are not professional, do not link to them and it is probably a good idea to clean them up before applying for jobs.

Lynn Walsh is an investigative video journalist with Texas Watchdog and chairwoman of the SPJ Generation J Committee.

Neil Ralston

Welcome back to Neil Ralston, George Daniels and Tara Puckey, the returning campus members of the national board.

Neil Ralston

Vice President, Campus Chapter Affairs
Neil Ralston serves as a campus adviser at large for SPJ’s national board of directors. He is an assistant professor of journalism at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky. Ralston has bachelor’s degrees in communication and industrial technology from Northeast Missouri State University and a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University where he was a fellow in the Kiplinger Program of Public Affairs Reporting. He earned a doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2002. Additionally, Ralston was named SPJ’s campus chapter adviser of the year for the 1998-99 school year. He has been a member of the SPJ board since 2003.

George Daniels

George Daniels

Campus Adviser At-Large
Having served previous as Journalism Education Committee chair, George Daniels is the newest Campus Adviser At-Large. He’s looking forward to working with the senior Campus Adviser At-Large, Sue Kopen Katcef to provide assistance to campus chapters and to represent their interests in SPJ national affairs. Locally, Daniels is the co-adviser for the University of Alabama chapter in Tuscaloosa. He teaches multimedia reporting and several other classes at University of Alabama. In SPJ, Daniels is also working this year with the Diversity Committee and the Government Relations Committee.

Tara Puckey

Tara Puckey

Student Representative
Tara Puckey is a senior journalism student at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. She also produces freelance work for Broadway Magazine and Ameriforce Publishing, as well as being very involved in the Woman’s Press Club of Indiana and other community organizations. A non-traditional student, she is married with two little girls.
As a student representative, Puckey hopes to put students together with professional journalists who can answer questions and offer support. Student members are the future of journalism and she hopes to help bring more members to the organization, assist in starting new chapters nationwide and work toward continued support of the First Amendment.