Friday, March 30, 2012
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
VIP SPJ-Members Only Reception
Go Inside the Amanda Knox Case with Candace Dempsey, author of “Murder in Italy”
[Garfield Bookstore, Bistro (lobby level), 208 Garfield, Tacoma, WA]

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Opening Night Reception
Meet, Greet and Network with Student and Professional Journalists
[Garfield Bookstore, Commons (upper level), 208 Garfield, Tacoma, WA]

Saturday, March 31, 2012

8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Registration
[PLU Campus, University Center, Lobby Level]
Continental Breakfast including fresh fruit, coffee and tea will be served.

8:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Résumé & Clip Critiques (pre-scheduled) – Schedule is available at the Registration Desk.
[The Mast Office, Lower Level]

8:30 – 9:55 a.m.
Super Session including Welcome & Occupy Panel
Welcome by Dana Neuts, SPJ and Cliff Rowe, PLU Occupy Panel:  John Ensslin, SPJ president; Josh Wolf (Occupy Oakland); Josh Trujillo (Occupy Seattle); Hannah Hoffman (Occupy Portland); moderated by Ian Marquand, SPJ, Montana Pro Chapter President. [Regency Room, Lobby Level]

10:00 – 10:55 a.m.  (Concurrent Sessions)
How to Build What’s Next for News:  Entrepreneurial Journalism
Author Mark Briggs will discuss the intersection of journalism and entrepreneurship. It’s about the new business models for news and the startups and new projects that are flourishing around us, giving us a preview of what’s next for news. [Regency, Lobby Level]

Getting Ready for the Real World
Journalist Pia Hallenberg discusses how to prepare for your first journalism job, sharing insights into what you need to know to survive and thrive in today’s journalism world. [UC133, Lower Level]

11:00 – 11:55 a.m.  (Concurrent Sessions)
Finding a Job in the 21st Century:  What You Need to Know
Lisa Voso of The Voso Impact discusses résumé formats, video interviews, online portfolios, face-to-face communication, interview techniques and more. [Regency, Lobby Level]

Free, Cheap & Cool:  Online Tools to Enhance Your Site
Andy Perdue, Tri-City Herald, shares cool tools to draw and retain visitors to your site. [UC133, Lower Level]

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon
Emceed by PLU student Jack Sorensen, Josh Wolf will give the keynote address followed by the regional Mark of Excellence Awards presentations by Dana Neuts and John Ensslin. [Scandinavian Cultural Center, Lower Level]

1:30 – 2:25 p.m.  (Concurrent Sessions)
The Eyes Have It:  Using Nonverbal Communication in Journalism
Retired professor Nils Rosdahl, North Idaho College [Regency, Lobby Level]

Conflict Sensitive Reporting
In this panel discussion, we’ll discuss how to properly report stories while being sensitive to newsmakers, victims and readers and staying true to the SPJ Code of Ethics “do no harm.” Cliff Rowe, PLU; author Candace Dempsey; and Paula Horton, Tri-City Herald. Moderated by Clay Holtzman, SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter President. [UC133, Lower Level]

2:30 – 3:25 p.m.  (Concurrent Sessions)
Successfully Negotiate the Roles between Business & Journalistic Roles in Small News Organizations
Cliff Rowe, PLU; Rebecca Lovell, GeekWire; Brent Champaco, Patch.com; and Jill Russell, Fisher Communications.
[Regency, Lobby Level]

What I Wish I’d Learned in J School
Video journalist Josh Wolf initiates a Q&A session to field students’ most frequently asked questions about transitioning from journalism school to working in the journalism industry. [UC133, Lower Level]

3:30 – 4:25 p.m.  (Concurrent Sessions)
Freelancing at Different Stages of Your Career
Freelancers Barbara Clements (PLU) and Breanne Coats (Business Examiner) and Laurie Williams, executive editor of the Tri-City Herald. Moderated by freelancer Dana Neuts. [Regency, Lobby Level]

Journalism Ethics in the 21st Century
Mark Morris, photo editor, Sacramento Bee [UC133, Lower Level]

4:30 – 5:25 p.m.  (Concurrent Sessions)
Branding Yourself as a Journalist
Pia Hallenberg of The Spokesman-Review will offer tips and ideas for using social media to brand yourself as a journalist. [Regency, Lobby Level]

Covering Health Care:  Untold Stories, Untapped Resources
Health care reporting doesn’t have to be limited to stories about new procedures or health insurance. Good stories await you within federal and state agencies – even the private sector – if you know where to look. Ian Marquand, Executive Director of the Montana Board of Medical Examiners and health reporter Sharon Salyer The (Everett Daily) Herald. [UC133, Lower Level]

5:30 – 6:00 p.m.
SPJ Regional Business Meeting – Region 10
Required attendance for representatives of SPJ pro chapters. Optional for all others. Facilitated by regional director Dana Neuts.
[Room 201, Lobby Level]

Region 10 of SPJ wants to thank the following media organizations for their sponsorship of our Spring Conference:
The News Tribune, The Spokesman-Review and KING5 TV and KING5.com

For those of you traveling to this weekend’s spring SPJ conference at PLU in Tacoma on March 30-31, here is some pertinent travel information for you:

Directions from I-5 North of South:

1.      Take Exit 127 for WA – 512 East toward Puyallup

2.      If coming from north of PLU, turn left onto WA – 512 East; if coming from south of PLU, turn right onto WA – 512 East.

3.      Take the WA – 7 South/Pacific Avenue Exit toward Parkland/Spanaway

4.      Turn right onto WA – 7 South/Pacific Ave South

5.      Turn right onto 121st St. South.

6.      Take the 2nd left onto Park Avenue South. University Center will be located on the right.     There is a large clock tower in front of the building as well as a Viking ship.

7.      Parking is available in the University Center Parking Lot, Harstad Parking Lot, or the Mortvedt Library Parking Lot. These will be on your left as you travel south on Park Avenue.

8.      Remember to place your parking pass on your dashboard after parking!

Conference Site:  University Center on Pacific Lutheran University Campus

We will be on the PLU campus at University Center (building 34) located across from the intersection of 122^nd St. South and Park Avenue South. You can access the campus map here:  http://www.plu.edu/campus-safety/documents-forms/documents/csin-brochure.pdf

Free Parking

There is parking available in the Harstad Lot directly across the street from University Center. Download the Parking Pass here.

Questions? Problems? Call or text Dana Neuts at 360-920-1737. See you soon!

I hope you are as excited as I am about this weekend’s spring SPJ conference for Region 10. We’ve got some great guests joining us:  SPJ president John Ensslin, author Candace Dempsey, video journalist Josh Wolf, Mark Briggs of Journalism 2.0 and KING5 and more!

And, of course, if you’re a college student in Region 10, you are looking forward to the Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon on Saturday (12 pm) emceed by Jack Sorensen of PLU and featuring keynote speaker Josh Wolf who will inspire you to move into the future with the same passion he has for journalism.

For registered attendees, I’ll be emailing additional details about the conference to you this week to include a finalized agenda, campus map, driving directions and a parking pass. In the meantime, here are some important items to note:

1)  Resume critiques:  If you are a student and want to sign up for a resume and/or clip critique, please contact Dana Neuts by Wed., March 28. We still have some spots open.

2)  Working Press & Twitter:  We are going to utilize a Working Press to capture details of the event for others to read and learn from. We will provide details for how you can participate the day of the event. Twitter hashtag for the event:  #reg10spj

3)  Photo ID:  You must bring a photo ID with you for the Friday evening events.

4)  Cash/Check:  Bring cash or check to buy drink tickets ($5/each) and tickets for the SDX Foundation raffle (price TBD).

5)  Special Needs: If you have any special needs, including dietary restrictions, please let me know ASAP. We have already planned vegetarian and gluten free options at each meal and snack.

6)  Event Locations:  Friday evening events will be held at Garfield Bookstore, 208 Garfield on the PLU Campus. The 5:30 p.m. event will take place in the Bistro on the main level. The 6:30 p.m. event will take place in the Commons on the upper level of the bookstore. All Saturday events will take place at University Center on the PLU campus. The finalized agenda will include room numbers.

7)  Speakers:  If you are speaking at the event, I will contact you individually with more info. Each of our meeting rooms is fully equipped with audio-visual equipment (projector, screen, easel with paper & markers, etc.).

If you have any questions about the conference, you may call or text me at 360-920-1737. I look forward to seeing you!

Sponsored in part by:

Municipalities, county governments and school districts work hard to be smart with taxpayers’ money, keep streets clean and clear and educate the next generation.

But it’s important for the public to be aware of what’s going on to ensure those in the know are doing what’s right.

Find out about how to get access to public records, understand what should be discussed in public meetings, and get answers to other questions about the state’s  Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act.

A free forum is from 7-8:30 p.m. March 15 in the Gallery Room at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

Tim Ford, open government ombudsman for the state Attorney General’s Office, will be part of a three-member panel discussion.

Joining him are Galt Pettett, general counsel for the Richland School District, and Rebecca Francik, Pasco City Council’s mayor pro tem.

The panelists will talk about their experiences — both the good and bad — answer questions about what works and what could work better, and discuss how to balance public interest and access to government with dwindling government resources.

The program is organized by the William O. Douglas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists as part of Sunshine Week.

It is sponsored by the Tri-City Herald and the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

For more information, contact Paula Horton, Tri-City Herald reporter and president of the William O. Douglas SPJ chapter, at 582-1556 or phorton@tricityherald.com.

Wow, it is hard to believe the Region 10 Spring SPJ Conference is only three weeks! We are excited to host this year’s event at Pacific Lutheran University and to offer a great line-up of speakers including author Candace Dempsey who will talk about reporting the Amanda Knox story from Italy. She’ll discuss how she talked with sources, what the “pack media” mentality is like and more. Don’t miss this great SPJ Member-Only Event the night before the conference. Journalist Josh Wolf will also be on hand to give the keynote address at the Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon and to offer a session about things he wished he learned in J school!

In addition, we’ve added two new components to the program:

Resume critiques: Contact regional director Dana Neuts now to reserve your 15 minute slot to have your resume & clips critiqued (print or online)

21st Century Resumes: Communications expert Lisa Voso of The Voso Impact will discuss the 21st century resume and video job interviewing:  what to do, what not to do, factors to be conscious of and more!

Sign up today to take advantage of the early registration fees. Discounted fees end March 15, so sign up now!

Download your register form here.

Winners

How will I know if I’ve won?

If you’ve won an award, you will receive an email notification in mid to late April from regional director Dana Neuts or your local chapter president. You will be told that you have won an award, but we will not tell you what place you’ve won, which entry won or if more than one entry placed.  Please don’t ask for more information; we can’t tell you any more than that.

We will send the winner’s notification to the address indicated in your account on Better Newspaper Contest. If you are entering separately from your media organization, your media organization will also be notified. If you are a freelancer, we will notify you as well as the media organization that published or produced your work.

What places will be awarded this year?

We will award a trophy to the first place winner in each category and certificates to the second and third place winners. There will be no ties and no honorable mentions. If our judges deem that no entry is worthy of an award in a particular category, an award will not be given.

When will the winners be announced?

The winners will be officially announced on Sat., May 19. The Oregon/SW Washington and Western Washington Pro Chapters will host banquets that evening where they will award trophies and certificates to winners within their chapters. Following the banquets, the winners will be posted online on the Region 10 website by 11:59 p.m. PST. Other chapters within Region 10 may also host awards ceremonies. Contact your local chapter president to find out how awards will be handled.

Help us make SPJ membership more valuable!

During the entry period for the 2011 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest, many entrants thought their organizations were members of SPJ, wanting to take advantage of the $5/entry discount. However, currently, SPJ only offers individual memberships, not institutional memberships.

Because this came up so often, I’d like your feedback on the idea of offering memberships to media organizations. One of the benefits could include discounts on contest entry fees.

Please take a few minutes to answer this brief survey so that SPJ can gauge interest in the idea. The deadline to complete the survey is Mon., Mar. 12.

Thank you for your time!

--> Click here to complete the survey now. <–

The Western Washington Chapter of SPJ is awarding two scholarships for $2,000 to undergraduate students majoring in journalism or communications at two-year or four-year colleges in the state of Washington. Awards are for the 2012-2013 school year.

A third $2,000 scholarship is being offered to female undergraduate students majoring in editorial journalism at the University of Washington.

The deadline is March 9, so apply soon! Just send the following in a single packet so that it’s postmarked by March 9, 2012:

1. A letter of application, including a succinct answer to the question: “Why have you have chosen a journalism career and what do you hope to accomplish after college?” (500 words maximum)
2. A copy of your resume, including current address, email, phone number, what year of college you are in, your major, what year you plan to graduate and your hometown. Please also send a second digital copy to spjscholarships@gmail.com.
3. A letter of recommendation from a college professor or a work supervisor. Enclose it in a separate envelope in your packet. Please have the person writing the letter of recommendation include her or his phone and email contacts.
4. An official transcript of all your college credits.
5. No more than three work samples (clips or links to stories, audio, photography or video).
6. You may include any statement of unusual financial need.
7. Please indicate if you have previously applied for a SPJ Scholarship.

Please send the materials to:

Sharon Salyer
The Herald
Box 930
Everett, WA 98203
ATTN: SPJ Scholarships

Note: Incomplete and late applications will not be considered.

Questions? Contact Sharon Salyer, Scholarship Chair, by email at spjscholarships@gmail.com