It is the mission of the Society of Professional Journalists:

— To promote this [accurate, comprehensive, timely and understandable] flow of information [so Americans can make decisions regarding their lives, and their local and national communities].

John’s done the opposite here by trying to limit the flow of information — and I can only presume his own version of events would offer less frank detail, since “that’s how we do things in SPJ.”

— To maintain constant vigilance in protection of the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press.

No government involved, so he gets a pass on this one.

— To stimulate high standards and ethical behavior in the practice of journalism.

I would presume “high standards” includes doing something quickly, accurately and effectively. Get the story right, get it out! You couldn’t have asked for better here, especially from a volunteer.

— To foster excellence among journalists.

Appearing to withdraw support of embattled student journalists, not to mention censoring a volunteer who took the initiative to offer that support and provide context that wasn’t otherwise available, certainly isn’t *my* idea of fostering excellence, either among journalists or in SPJ.

— To inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists.

Color me inspired.

— To encourage diversity in journalism.

Another pass here.

— To be the pre-eminent, broad-based membership organization for journalists.

Hard to be pre-eminent if we’re not going to aim to be relevant and timely. We also can’t expect to broaden the membership if students see we’re favoring bureaucracy over the news (especially on issues directly relevant to them). They’re the potential future membership.

— To encourage a climate in which journalism can be practiced freely.

Ha!

I’m sorely disappointed in John, who till this point has been a reasonable ear and has done some good outreach to members. It’s a sad note to end on.

I can only hope president-elect Sonny Albarado sees things a little differently. This organization needs to support its volunteers and be more nimble.

The headline was “My SPJ Report,” because that’s what it is – my take as an SPJ regional director, discussing an event in my region. I never claimed to be overseeing an official SPJ National project. If I were, it wouldn’t have been posted on a regional blog.

As for comments about the bylaws, my apologies if I fell short. Tippins and those I directly spoke with hadn’t seen the bylaws – I should have limited that statement to current staffers and not implied it goes back decades. I’ve corrected the language on the post that’s now on the other blog.

Besides that, anything else I’m missing? I want to be accurate, but I make no apologies for being opinionated on my own blog.

– Koretzky

That said, I was pretty amazed a couple of hours ago, when I read the post, that I was reading a story from the Society of Professional Journalists that seemed more screed than carefully reported story. I suggest, before you go farther apeshit, that you solidify your reporting. In particular, I call your attention to this sentence: “Apparently, the board’s bylaws require that (student representation on the board), but no one recalls it ever happening. I say ‘apparently’ because no one has seen the bylaws.”

Did it ever occur to you to call any of the dozens of alums who’ve been posting in The Red and Black alumni group on Facebook who were there when the paper went independent. We may not have a copy of the bylaws handy, but we KNOW that the original bylaws required student representation. We would happily have shared that information with you or Ms. Tippins, who was there yesterday with several such veteran alums, including me. She never approached me to ask a single question, although I do recall a reporter who didn’t identify herself but asked to confirm the spelling of my name.

My point is this: How the SPJ covers this situation is very important, and its coverage must be clearly “professional.” We are counting on you. What the SPJ says on this matter is important. So while I do not at all agree with the decision of your “boss,” you do need to step up your game.