Keem Muhammad

A rising young star in the SPJ firmament is a student and leader already – Keem Muhammad. Congratulations, Keem! 

He has just finished a year and a half on the SPJ National Board of Directors as Campus Representative. He was an active and committed member of the board during this time.

Dori Zinn, previous chair of the Diversity Committee, nominated Keem as Member of the Month in August. Dori says, “He helped update the Dori Maynard Diversity Fellowship application and qualifications, which saw the most applicants in the last 10 years. Even for his first year as a national board member, Keem is driven to make SPJ better for all.”

Muhammad is a full-time performance studies and art and public policy senior at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is from East St. Louis, Ill. While previously enrolled at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, Keem served as Editor-in-Chief of LEGACY Magazine, an award-winning publication of LSU Student Media. He has since worked as a Digital Media Consultant with the Associated Press and Global Editorial Director with Equality for HER, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit committed to global social equity and femme spectrum rights. 

While SPJ Campus Representative, he helped revitalize the diversity fellowship, assisted in the selection of scholarship winners, established new relationships with other associations, brainstormed new ways to include student members in SPJ governance, and began chartering an all-new student chapter in New York City. 

He is not finished. ‘’SPJ has demonstrated an inability to meet and maintain engagement with broader emerging audiences. What’s more — our response to this inability is concerning.’’ 

‘’The biggest opportunity SPJ faces is, in both the short and long term, in the future of Quill magazine. As the oldest and one of the largest journalism organizations of its kind, the less than stellar performance of SPJ’s official publication is also concerning. It is also energizing, as it presents a new chance for SPJ and SDX to reintroduce its journo-education efforts to members and the public at large. 

‘’I see the magazine as a vehicle through which other issues SPJ faces can be tamed (membership, diversity, engagement, sustainable revenue, etc.). In other words, Quill needs a major rebrand, and if the Society’s leadership gets it right, the fruits of that labor stretch far beyond quality content.’’ 

He also is concerned about media literacy. 

‘’Active and unbiased inclusivity is an integral part of 21st-century journalism and I care about SPJ because it has the resources necessary for increasing media literacy at all levels of the multimedia community.’’ 

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan S. Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th. 

Bob and Hazel Becker

A class at George Washington University in 1965 brought together Robert and Hazel Becker, who you will undoubtedly see and probably learn from at Excellence in Journalism 2017 if you attend the national conference. Congratulations to the Beckers — SPJ members of the months for August!

The Beckers married in 1970 and have spent more than 30 of those years involved in the DC Pro Chapter. Plus, national organization work.

Bob has been SPJ Bylaws Committee chairman since 2007 “and I sort of hang out with the FOI Committee.” He also was involved in the International Committee before there was an International Community. “At the moment, I’m trying to figure out how to get a community interested in FOI and open government going. If it comes to pass, it will be called the Sunshine Community.”

Hazel started as a freelance journalist, spent 30 years at the Bureau of National Affairs, and then resumed freelancing. Bob was a reporter for 12 years, then went to law school, then joined the staff of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. He has been a solo practitioner since 1992.

Hazel started training other freelancers eight years ago to help them understand the business side. In DC, she helps run a regular lunch group – sometimes a happy hour – for freelancers. “If someone comes in with a problem, there’s always someone to talk them through it.”

Out of this, came her involvement with SPJ’s Freelance Community, which she now chairs. The Community hosts about 700 in a Facebook group, that promotes SPJ to nonmembers, and its Twitter feed has 2,140 followers. And a freelance directory and freelance guide has new listings and content all the time.

At EIJ17, Bob will be the leader every time a meeting concerns bylaws and Hazel will be available to answer freelancers’ questions.

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan S. Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

But we can deliver thanks to one member whose name pops up time after time when contests are mentioned and judges are sought. She is Sarah Bauer Jackson of Minneapolis. Congratulations, Sarah. You are SPJ’s Member of the Month!

Here is Sarah’s take on SPJ:

I have been involved with SPJ since I was a sophomore in college. I had just declared journalism as my major and wanted to get more involved. I became president of the University of Minnesota’s student chapter, and soon after graduation joined the board of the Minnesota Pro Chapter. In 2010, I was president of the Pro Chapter, and over the years, I’ve worn many different SPJ hats … local contest coordinator, chair of the national membership committee and today, I’m serving as co-chair of the national awards and honors committee. What first brought me to SPJ is what has kept me paying dues for more than a decade: its steadfast commitment to journalism, FOI and the First Amendment. Today, that mission is more important than ever before.

When I’m not busy “working” for SPJ, I am the Program Director for the Minnesota Newspaper Association, the trade association representing the interests of more than 325 daily and weekly newspapers across the state.

SPJ has provided me with lots of training, leadership development experience, friendships and countless memories. I’ve been able to travel across the country for Excellence in Journalism conventions, the Scripps Leadership Institute, and have had the opportunity to tour newsrooms and meet journalism heroes, all the while spreading the good news of the good work of SPJ. I’ve been honored to dedicate time and talent to SPJ over the years and commend others for doing the same. We wouldn’t be where we are today without our volunteers, members, leaders and staff!

Next time you are asked to be a judge, please say “yes” – just as Sarah does!

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan S. Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

Colin Donohue and Anthony Hatcher at Elon University in North Carolina

Colin Donohue, director of student media and instructor of Communications at Elon University in North Carolina, and Anthony Hatcher, associate professor of Communications and adviser to Elon’s campus SPJ chapter, are SPJ’s Members of the Month for April and May. Congratulations to Anthony and Colin!

They just wound up a successful Region 2 Conference at Elon, their second time around hosting the regional conference.

“I have been a staunch advocate of SPJ since I was a student at Elon,” Donohue said. “As a student, I served in a leadership role in our campus chapter. Since returning to work at Elon 10 years ago, I’ve supported our chapter whenever asked.”

Hatcher brought experience with a pro chapter to Elon. “I took over as adviser of the Elon University SPJ campus chapter in 2003, my second year at Elon. I am also a former treasurer for the North Carolina Pro Chapter of SPJ.”

“Organizing the regional conference has twice been a joy because of the educational opportunities we’ve been able to provide to professionals, students, faculty and staff throughout our region,” Donohue said. “Hosting the conference also strengthens our chapter. We’re able to raise funds and generate excitement about SPJ, which allows us to offer more networking, programming and travel opportunities to our students. We’re in for an exciting next couple of years.”

“Elon’s SPJ chapter was fortunate to have strong student leadership in 2016-2017,” Hatcher said. “Despite their intense involvement with student media, or perhaps because of it, some of our top students became SPJ leaders this year. Several of these young journalists have traveled with me to national Excellence in Journalism conferences.

“I look forward to strengthening our campus SPJ chapter in order to benefit our students both now and after graduation.”

Donohue and Hatcher were nominated by Region 2 Director Andy Schotz. Here’s what Andy says about the award-winning duo:

“The geography of Region 2 makes it easy to attract people to a conference in the north (Maryland, D.C.) and harder in the south (North Carolina).

“But with just a few tips and guidelines, they dove in and put together a superb conference. I don’t remember us having four choices of sessions in certain time slots, but this year’s conference did, and all were excellent.

“Attendees learned about helpful apps for using a smartphone for reporting, background to know when reporting on Muslims and Arabs, working the sports beat and a lot more. There was a great balance of SPJ core priorities of FOI, diversity, and ethics (one of the liveliest discussions we’ve had a regional conference), as well as social media and a timely, thoughtful panel discussion on the proliferation of fake news. There were résumé, portfolio and reel critiques. On short notice, they put together a silent auction that produced numerous bidding wars and raised several hundred dollars for the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

“Amazingly, they didn’t panic when the keynote speaker backed out because of health problems a few days before the conference. They found another speaker who shared the story of his harrowing path from artist to interpreter to journalist in his home country of Iraq during the war and how he had to flee the country with his family because of threats. It was memorable.

“Throughout the year, Colin and Anthony support SPJ, helping SPJ flourish in North Carolina. I commend them for their work and commitment.”

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan S. Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

Claire Regan

SPJ’s Member of the Month for March is New York Deadline Club mainstay Claire Regan, who in addition to numerous other things arranges awards dinners and now the Region 1 spring conference. Congratulations Claire!

Here’s what Claire has to say about herself:

They say journalism is all about connections.

One of my best connections has been Betsy Ashton, who inspired me to join SPJ’s New York City Deadline Club some 25 years ago.

Actually, it was her voice that drew me in. As I accompanied colleagues from the Staten Island Advance to my first Deadline Club awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, Betsy stood out on the dais. I noticed how prepared and professional she was as she called up the winners.

She was well-rehearsed, pronouncing every name perfectly. No wonder, since Betsy’s successful career was in radio and television news.

I approached her at the dais and asked how I could get involved in the club. She was cordial and encouraging, and invited me to the next Deadline Club meeting.

A great connection had begun.

During Betsy’s terms as Deadline Club president, I served as newsletter editor and designer. She was the perfect mentor, tapping the talents of new members like me. I quickly earned an elected position and haven’t left the board since.

For the past three years, I’ve served as vice president of the awards dinner – the event that first attracted me to SPJ.

I design items for club events, including invitations, flyers, save-the-date cards, program books and Hall of Fame medals. I’m a longtime newspaper designer – I have two Deadline Club “Rube” awards for best page design to show for it — so these projects are pleasures rather than challenges.

I also chair the scholarship committee, which gives up to four $2,500 prizes to metro area college students each year. My experience as an assistant professor at Wagner College on Staten Island helps me here. Thanks to SPJ, these young journalists get an extra boost.

By far the biggest project I’ve handled for the club is chairing the Region 1 Conference, scheduled for April 7 and 8 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. We’ve got a great line-up of speakers under the theme, “Practicing Journalism in Dangerous Times.”

I’ve been tapping all my connections to make the conference a success. As with every SPJ event, it will give journalists an opportunity to dialogue about critical issues.

My 35-year career at my hometown newspaper was recently impacted by a reorganization. As I transition out of the newsroom, I appreciate the camaraderie – and connections — of the Deadline Club more than ever.

I salute SPJ for keeping us all connected.

Region 1 Director Jane Primerano nominated Claire.

Says Jane: “A conference in Manhattan is complicated. Claire has successfully brought in presented and panels representing the wide variety of New York media, creating a schedule that works around the lives of busy professionals. She is also using her exemplary graphics skills to create the program book. Anyone who has ever worked on a conference knows the million little details that must be attended to and the incessant fires that must be doused. Claire is doing all this while teaching at Wagner College on Staten Island and writing for the Staten Island Advance.”

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan S. Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

Kathryn Foxhall

A longtime battler for government transparency, Kathryn Foxhall, is SPJ’s Member of the Month. Congratulations Kathryn!

Kathryn has covered health in Washington for 40 years, including 14 years (1978-1992) as editor of the American Public Health Association’s newspaper. After years of getting a dynamic education by speaking frankly with sources on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies, she became alarmed when, 20 to 25 years ago, federal workers gradually came under rules prohibiting them from communicating with journalists without the oversight of public relations offices—in reality, censorship coming down from the people in power.

“As SPJ surveys would later show, these restrictions have become entrenched through much of the U.S. culture with government staff, teachers, scientists, police officers and many other employees under coercion either to never speak to the press, or to never speak without notifying the authorities,” she said.

Kathryn approached SPJ about it and the society responded although many in the press just said nothing can be done about it. Among other things, that led to a 2015 letter to President Obama from over 50 journalism and other groups. It then led to a meeting of an SPJ-led delegation at the White House with Obama’s Press Secretary, Josh Earnest.

The fight continues, with a recent SPJ-led letter to the Trump Administration from over 60 groups and a visit to Capitol Hill by Kathryn and SPJ president Lynn Walsh.

“One question I have for journalists is whether this is not corrupting us as much it is the leadership in government and elsewhere. We are watching intense suppression of information, but assuming we are not getting a very skewed picture. But gagged staff and closed doors will sooner or later mean bad situations and people being hurt,” Kathryn said.

SPJ President Lynn Walsh nominated her. Here is what Lynn says:

“Kathryn works tirelessly, contacting lawmakers, journalism advocates and the editorial board members for national news organizations, sharing SPJ’s push for journalists having more access to government employees. Kathryn, with the help of [former SPJ President] Carolyn Carlson, have brought the issue of government public information officers interfering with reporting to the forefront. She has been the driving force behind the momentum of support SPJ has been able to secure about this issue. I am grateful for her passion to push-back against this growing trend that is dangerous for the public and obtaining accurate information from the government.”

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan S. Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

A fixture at national and regional conferences, you might know Emil for his sharp commentaries on the state of our profession. Or, you might have purchased one of his ceramic paperboys at a silent auction. Or, if you live in Ohio, Kentucky or Illinois, you might know him for unceasing work in your chapter.

We’re grateful for the nomination of Emil from the Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter. Read on:

Emil Dansker

Sixty-six year ago, a young student at Northwestern University decided to dedicate his life to the practice of high quality, ethical journalism.

He joined Sigma Delta Chi, the forerunner of the Society of Professional Journalists.  Since then, neither the profession nor SPJ has been the same.

His name is Emil Dansker, now 86 years old and still active as a board member of the Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter.  In fact, he was one of the chapter’s founding members in 1967.

He worked as a reporter and editor at The (Toledo) Blade, Dayton Daily News and Cincinnati Enquirer before moving on to academia. He then spent 16 years at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University and 10 years at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.

During his time at BGSU, Dansker launched the National Conventions Project, a program for students to cover national political conventions and inaugurations.  He also, with SPJ support, co-produced a documentary on the coverage of the Kent State University shootings of May of 1970. During his years in the classroom, he served as an SPJ adviser. For his work there and in Cincinnati, he was named to the Cincinnati SPJ Hall of Fame in 2003 and awarded the Howard Dubin Outstanding Professional Member Award in 2006.

On Dec. 3, 2016, dozens of people gathered in Cincinnati to pay tribute to Dansker’s contributions. Family members, long-time friends, former students and SPJ members were part of the crowd.

Person after person told story after story about Emil Dansker being a huge part of their life. Among them was Dubin, a classmate from Northwestern. When all the words had been spoken, all he could do was say, “Thanks.” He was speechless.

“Causes come and causes go for people as they live their lives,” said Cincinnati SPJ President Tom McKee, who organized the tribute with former SPJ national president Hagit Limor. “Emil Dansker took up the cause of good journalism in the 1950s, is still practicing it today and will be doing it well into the future.”

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

Gideon Grudo

A hard-working SPJ member in Florida who relocated to Washington, D.C., and now serves as SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee chairman, Gideon Grudo, is SPJ’s Member of the Month for December. Congratulations Gideon!

He is the digital platforms editor at Air Force Magazine, an independent monthly, in Washington. He was previously the editor of South Florida Gay News. When he moved from the SPJ Florida chapter in 2013, he joined the D.C. chapter board, then took up as the national FOI Committee’s chair in September. He previously served on SPJ National Board and as VP for SPJ Florida.

Here’s what Gideon has to say about our organization: “SPJ has always given me the strangest opportunities to get involved with journalism in the strangest ways, from interviewing zombies to pretending I’m dead. It’s also given me opportunities to fight obsolete bureaucracy in an aging organization that only sometimes wants to modernize, and I’ve even won some of those fights. Can’t help myself anymore with the society. Couldn’t drop it even if I wanted to. I feel compelled to help other budding journos know they have a home and can have a real effect on this metaphysical thing we call journalism.”

Gideon was nominated by a previous Member of the Month, Dori Zinn of Blossomers Media, SPJ Diversity Chair and Florida Pro chapter president. Here’s what Dori had to say about our newest one:

“I’m honored to nominate Gideon Grudo as SPJ’s member of the month. Gideon joined SPJ a year or two after I did and somehow has accomplished much, much more than me in a shorter amount of time. He originally joined as a student and served as a national student representative after winning over dozens of SPJers the way he won us over: with hard work, dedication, attention to detail and a fantastic ability to make everyone feel included.

“He was part of SPJ Florida when we won a chapter of year award a couple years ago, jump-starting our chapter communications and online content to bring more eyes to our website. He got a job in D.C. shortly after and joined the SPJ chapter there, being hands-on and helpful even though he wasn’t a board member. He brought forth great programming ideas and even took charge of revamping the chapter’s extremely dated website. Today, he serves as chair of the national FOI committee and despite being only a couple months into this new position, I’m confident he’ll be one of the best.”

Do you know an outstanding SPJ volunteer? Nominate that person for Volunteer of the Month by contacting Susan Stevens, Membership Committee member, at susanstevens@aol.com. Please tell us briefly why you are nominating the person and why your nominee is worthy of recognition. Nominations are due the 5th of each month and announced by the 15th.

John shared with me and past president Dana Neuts that his publication eliminated jobs through a round of layoffs. He’s getting a new job at the same publication, and this is largely due to the training and learning opportunities he’s had through SPJ. 

I asked John to write a short piece explaining how SPJ had helped him gain skills, stay employed and enjoy his journalism career more, and he was happy to do so. Thanks, John! Read his thoughts below. 

By John Ensslin

John Ensslin

For years, I’ve been touting the merits of SPJ membership.

Extra editor’s note: If you’re a student or recent graduate (or anyone, really!) and you want to get involved in a pro chapter, you can find listings of chapters by state here. If you’d like some other kind of SPJ volunteer role, contact me, Robyn Davis Sekula, at robynds@live.com. I’ll be glad to talk to you.

By Kathleen Devaney

Kathleen Devaney

I went to college at Florida International University, a unique institution in sunny Miami with a soft spot for cafe con leche and the concept of living at home until you’re 25.

But I attended the docile Biscayne Bay Campus, a subset of the main school, which probably matched my then-meek persona.

When I decided that I wanted to switch over from studying English to Journalism at the beginning of my junior year, I gained some help from an unexpected place.

Embarrassingly enough, I’ll admit that I applied for an internship at The Miami Herald without having much experience under my belt. So I received a call from a woman named Chris Delboni, an instructor at FIU who was the director of The South Florida News Service, a classroom-run wire service which produced stories for local mainstream media outlets.

The truth stings at first, but she told me I wasn’t ready to intern at The Herald just yet, but if I started writing for the SFNS, she might be able to recommend me someday in the future. But most importantly, she also told me to join SPJ, an organization that I had never heard about, which she advised.

So I took her word for it and showed up at SPJ FIU’s first meeting. And in no time, I was overstepping my bounds as usual. I found myself sitting in on the executive board meetings, when I was just a regular member, chiming in with my opinions and ideas for events they were planning.

That’s why the next semester, I got voted in to be the events coordinator, a position which I held with so much pride.

Quickly, I found myself planning roundtable discussions and building the framework for our first ever Listen, Learn, Connect conference, which has since become an annual event. I even helped plan zany events like how to write an obituary from within a funeral home. (In fact, I credit our kooky ideas in helping us win best collegiate chapter in Region 3 for the past four years.)

And once again I was promoted, this time to chapter president. Things were sailing full force for me as I was beginning my senior year and now interning at The Miami Herald. None of this would have been made possible without the guidance of Chris Delboni, who helped give me a pep in my step and shaped me into being a poised female journalist.

During my last year, most of my efforts in SPJ FIU were focused on creating two mentorship programs with a local middle school and high school.

But when it was time for me to graduate, I felt so sad to leave behind SPJ. That chapter gave me wonderful friendships on a campus that can sometimes feel community-less and it provided me with a foundation for leadership, a trait I hope I never give up.

After seven long months of searching for a job and searching for myself, I finally got a job as a Social Media Producer for The Palm Beach Post, two counties up from my FIU campus. In addition, I also nerved up to join SPJ Florida. (By the way, it should be noted that I was able to move out of the house before 25.)

The idea of joining a professional chapter was something I had played around with for a while, and lucky for me, I joined the perfect one with prestige and a whole lot of gusto. SPJ Florida was voted as best large chapter of the year in 2010, 2014 and again in 2016.

I was quickly voted in as the VP of Programming, as I had already formed connections with some of the chapter’s members throughout the past couple years.

Currently, I’m working on planning Muslimedia alongside Region 3 Director, Michael Koretzky. This semi-controversial event will bring together Florida journalists with Muslim leaders from Boca Raton to debate the media’s best and worst practices when reporting about the Muslim community in America.

I also recently attended this year’s Excellence in Journalism conference in New Orleans. Most of the panels I attended expanded my mind on how to be culturally sensitive when covering different communities. But they have something for everybody, whether it be tech, ethics, journalism education, and more. I’ve found the most rewarding part of attending EIJ over the past few years is getting to network with fellow journos. SPJ and the array of alphabet soup journalism organizations that participate in the conference are all there for the same reason – our love for journalism. And just when you’ve thought the newsroom as we’ve known it is headed down a dark path, the passion and drive for learning new skills at EIJ makes the future seem brighter.