SPJ DePaul’’s Freedom of Information Panel discussion on Feb. 16 offered tips on using FOIA requests and insight to how investigative journalists work.

The two-hour panel, moderated by DePaul adjunct journalism instructor and former TV news reporter Anne Kavanaugh, featured panelists Tim Novak and Chris Fusco of the Chicago Sun-Times and Mick Dumke of the Chicago Reader. The free event drew nearly 50 students and professional journalists at DePaul’’s Daley Building.

Craig Newman of the Chicago Sun-Times archived live-tweets and background from the event in a Storify.

Twitter is the wildly popular social media tool that allows users to post short updates to followers around the world. It’s become a useful way for many to find instant news alerts.

In two recent, high-profile Lexington, Ky.,  murder trials, thousands of people found themselves glued to Twitter reports from a handful of Lexington journalists assigned to the courtroom. Twitter provided a way for people to follow the testimony, get the verdicts and go inside the courtroom like never before.

“Tweeting the Trial” is a panel discussion organized by the Bluegrass Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. It will feature print and television reporters who covered the Glenn Doneghy and Donald Southworth murder trials including Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Josh Kegley, WKYT reporter Andy Cunningham and WLEX reporter Adam Baker.

“Tweeting the Trial” will be held 7:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, in the main-floor conference room at the Lexington Herald-Leader a the intersection of Main Street and  Midland Avenue It is free and open to the public.

SPJ Regions 4 and 5 are accepting nominations for the Dick Goehler First Amendment Defender Award. The Dick Goehler First Amendment Defender Award was established by Regions 4 and 5 of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2011 to honor the work and memory of Cincinnati attorney Dick Goehler of Frost, Brown, Todd in defending the First Amendment rights of journalists and citizens in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere. Nominees should be working journalists, educators or attorneys working primarily in the field of media law and First Amendment issues. Nominees should reside or work in Regions 4 and 5 of SPJ. Region 4 covers Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. Region 5 covers Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.  The award will be presented at the Region 4 Conference in Lansing, Michigan (March 23 and 24) or the Region 5 Conference in Indianapolis (April 13 and 14). The site will be determined by the region in which the winner lives and/or works, or where he/she can attend the conference to accept the award. Entries are due Feb. 27, 2012. The application is available at http://www.spjlouisville.com/. Send completed award applications and questions about this to Robyn Davis Sekula, award coordinator, at robyn@robynds.com or call her at (502) 608-6125.