Posted by Scott Leadingham

Hang on for a moment while I invoke two strange bedfellows – comedian Bill Hicks, who built his routine on smoking, and bicyclists – in writing about what journalists should do better.

Bill Hicks, who died in 1994 of pancreatic cancer, was nothing if not passionate. His rants and stage presence are famous among stand-up comedians. He’s particularly well-known for his stance on smoking, or, more accurately, on why non-smokers made him so angry. In one bit he polls the audience and asks who smokes and who doesn’t. When the non-smokers voice their presence in laudatory, enthusiastic tones, he calls them a bunch of “self-righteous slugs.” (Warning: his language is rather “colorful.” Don’t watch if you object to such language.)

“I’d quit smoking if I didn’t think I’d become one of you,” he says in the bit.

That line reminds me of my interest in biking (the kind with carb-loading and spandex, not chaps and Sturgis).

I’d become a hardcore bicyclist if it weren’t for hardcore bicyclists. In fact, I remarked to a friend recently that “the worst part about biking culture is biking culture.”

Forgive the gross generalization, but it’s been my experience that bicycling breeds an upper-crust crowd comparable to the snottiest fox-hunting, caviar-eating, polo-playing societal elitists out there. Go into any bicycle shop (not big box retailer) and ask about the lubrication benefits of using WD-40 on your chain.

“Eh. That’s a cleaner, not a lubricant. Don’t EVER use it to lube a chain!” is a likely response. “Here’s our selection of specialized lubricants – $10 per three oz. bottle.”

This notion of superiority, the kind coming from people on bikes that cost more than my car, keeps me away from becoming fully immersed and involved in biking culture.

Transfer that to journalism.

It’s not a new sentiment to say there’s a certain amount of arrogance in the profession. One doesn’t lead to the other, of course, but perhaps it’s more apparent in an industry that sees its practitioners’ names, faces and voices constantly before the public. As Linda Thomas aptly noted in a recent Quill piece on journalists to follow: “ … having the title of journalist doesn’t make you more interesting or important than anyone else.”

If there’s a lesson to be learned in this era of “citizen journalism” and CNN iReports, it’s that acts of journalism can come from any source and any moment. And now comes the obligatory invocation of informative video and messages disseminating from Iran in 2009 from “ordinary people” and not journalists. As my boss often says: Great journalism happens everywhere. I’ll add my own addendum: And by those who didn’t mean for it to happen.

So that’s what journalists should avoid in the bicycling culture – the notion that anyone is better for any reason, primarily based on the quality and price tag attached to one’s equipment and training.

BUT WHAT SHOULD JOURNALISM COPY FROM BIKING?

Call it a “God smack” or cruel irony or karma or whatever, but I recently found myself needing help from the very people I’d previously scorned: hardcore bikers.

Two days after remarking that the biking culture was the worst part of biking, I committed the cardinal sin of long-distance riding: no spare inner tube in case of a flat. Six miles from home, and no nearby bike shop open at the time, I began the long walk of shame down the bicycle friendly paved trail through Indianapolis. Nearly every biker I’d deem “hardcore” stopped to help or inquired of my situation. These were the type wearing team riding jerseys and specialty bike shoes more expensive than my monthly rent. One guy, who it turned out worked at the kind of bike store I avoid, offered to change my tire on the spot with his spare tube.

I denied all help, however, reasoning that I needed to learn my lesson, even if that meant walking well into the darkness of a muggy summer night. It occurred to me later that no “casual” biker – of which I saw at least 30 – offered assistance or even moral support. Nothing so much as an “are you okay, dude?” from the people in cotton t-shirts riding mountain bikes.

Perhaps that’s because they, like me, had no spare parts to offer. They, like me, weren’t prepared (another cardinal sin broken, this time from my Eagle Scout training).

Whatever the reason, I knew immediately that the “hardcore bikers” that I so passionately didn’t want to become were exactly the right model for journalists.

It’s that kind of willing-to-help attitude that more experienced journalists (the type winning Pulitzers and Sigma Delta Chi Awards) need to selflessly pass on to a new generation of reporters. Instead of getting locked into the box of “how can I turn this award-winning project into a best-selling book” (not that there’s anything wrong with that) perhaps the first thought should be “how can a younger journalist benefit from my experience?” The book deals and fellowships will fall into place. Heck, some news outlets are still lucky enough to have staff coordinate such opportunities for their high-profile journalists.

But the mentoring opportunities, such as SPJ’s program, for some strange reason aren’t as sought after as a Pulitzer or Peabody nomination. It’s not because there’s no one out there seeking help. Just take a look down the hall from your office. There’s a young reporter out there, perhaps limping along, waiting for you to put air in his tires. Stop and help. Don’t just blow smoke in his face as you walk (or ride) by.

Scott Leadingham is editor of SPJ’s Quill magazine. He quit smoking on December 31, 2009 and to his knowledge has not become one of “those” non-smokers. Twitter: @scottleadingham.

Posted by Scott Leadingham 

By all accounts, the SPJ Reporters Institute for early career broadcast and video journalists was an overwhelming success. Held June 13-16 at the Poynter Institute (though it’s strictly an SPJ initiative), the program brought together 29 eager and talented journalists from all corners of the country for what can only be described as journalism boot camp. 

The 2010 SPJ Broadcast Reporters Institute Graduates

The program just completed its fourth year, and all systems are a go for next year. Dates and application information will be announced in the coming months. 

Journalists in their first three years are invited to apply. It may seem odd that people recently out of school are coming back for what essentially amounts to a crash course in journalism. But take it from us and the participants – it’s a worthy and reinvigorating cause. We’ve heard over and over that even though participants were recently graduated, they weren’t sure of their long-term career paths in journalism. The Reporters Institute helped change that. For example, take some of these testimonials from the recent broadcast/video group: 

When Richard Roth and I sat down for our Skype meet-and-greet, he was finishing his work day. I was just about to grab lunch.

There are seven hours separating Indianapolis and Qatar, but SPJ has nestled into the journalism fabric of both places now that Northwestern University in Qatar is starting up the first international student chapter.

It’s pretty exciting: They are one of the fastest-growing student chapters already, with 55 four-year members and counting.

“Going from zero to 55, you can’t do that in a Maserati,” joked Roth, who serves as senior associate dean at the NU Medill School of Journalism.

He also will serve as the Qatar chapter adviser (he has been an SPJ member since 1968) and hopes that their first meeting will be in October while school is in full-swing. Why later in the fall? Well, they’re waiting until after Ramadan, when some students fast for 15 hours a day.

His goal is to have a past SPJ president or newly elected president Hagit Limor attend their first meeting. The university even hopes to send some students to the 2011 SPJ Convention.

Something also brought up in conversation is how the journalism culture is different over there. It’s hard for students to report when people are wary of being interviewed, he said.

“Doing journalism here is a hard thing to do,” Roth said. “There’s no history here of free speech. When they go out, people don’t talk to them.”

Northwestern recently sent 12 Qatar students to New Orleans on a documentary trip. They examined the area and how it was rebuilding five years after Hurricane Katrina. One thing students noticed was that it was easy to report in the U.S., Roth said.

Students in Qatar are interested in learning about western journalism and staying connected to it, he said. To get students revved up about starting a chapter, he visited journalism classes and spoke about SPJ, saying that the organization began with students 100 years ago and that if NU Qatar students were interested, they should continue on with the tradition.

And an international chapter is no doubt going to add different perspectives to SPJ. They have students from Palestine, Sudan, South Africa, Egypt, India and Saudi Arabia, to name a few places.

“This is probably the most diverse student body you can imagine,” Roth said.

Since its creation, the chapter has had to deal with small challenges because of its long-distance relationship with SPJ, such as converting Qatari riyals to U.S. dollars and delivering checks from around the world, Roth said.

In two years, their first group of journalism students will graduate (the Qatari journalism program is two years old). Ten years from now, they hope to change the media landscape in Qatar.

And SPJ will be a part of that mission.

“So far, everyone has jumped to fill out the paperwork,” Roth said, “and I hope it continues that way.”

April Dudash is the summer 2010 Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern and does the bidding of SPJ Headquarters. She graduated from the University of Florida in May and has been an SPJ member since 2006.

I’m convinced that the journalism industry is one of the most cannibalistic professions. Sometimes for better (e.g. weeding out the Jayson Blairs of the world). Sometimes for worse (e.g. technoratti who practically cheer the death of the printed word). Sometimes for the fact that its practitioners are its most stalwart critics.

I don’t know in what category (if any) today’s chatter about The New York Times standards editor Phil Corbett’s pronouncement about the use of “tweet” falls, but there’s no shortage of cannibalistic tendencies taking place from within. Just check out some of the comments from this post on The Awl.

Yes, it’s true, ladies and gentlemen, The Gray Lady is putting the smackdown on Twitter slang, at least in most instances. In fairness, there isn’t an outright ban on “tweet,” though Michael McElroy in the Times’ public editor office wrote me in an e-mail that “it’s pretty close.” (Note that the public editor’s office doesn’t speak for the Times, but rather is an advocate for, well, the public.)

Reactions range from the snide (“rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic”) to the laudatory (“Thank you Phil Corbett. Can you imagine if you looked up a NYT article from 1974 and it was filled with CB radio slang?”).

Since we at SPJ are always interested in what journalists think about this thing we call “our livelihoods,” we put it out to the Twitterverse (a word I’ve just deemed acceptable in all SPJ Works blog posts):

And, of course, the responses varied:

For what it’s worth, the AP Stylebook is of at least minimal guidance. The new social media guidelines say this about Twitter:

“Twitter A message-distribution system that allows users to post continual updates of up to 140 characters detailing their activities for followers or providing links to other content. The verb is to tweet, tweeted. A Twitter message is known as a tweet.”

I’m not entirely sure if that means it’s acceptable to use “tweet” in AP style, or just that it’s been defined by the updated Stylebook. But, of course, The New York Times is free to use whatever style and guidelines it wants. In fact, it (and many outlets) diverts from AP style in notable instances, such as by using “Mr.” or “Mrs.” before surnames after a first reference.

And that brings me to the point of this: Does it really matter if the Times chooses to use “tweet” to describe a message or status update on Twitter? After all, don’t journalists and outlets pride themselves on their individualism, uniqueness and “local voice”?

Chew on that … cannibals.

Scott Leadingham is editor of SPJ’s Quill magazine. He’s a vegetarian. Twitter: @scottleadingham

Yesterday, we took a look at some problems SPJ chapters are currently facing. Today, we’re offering some tips that can make the chapter revamping process run more smoothly:

Examine your leadership.

It may be time to take the reins again and restructure your executive board.

Are there officers currently in place that, gulp, don’t do anything? Talk with them. See if they are willing to put in the work and the hours needed to make your SPJ chapter a great one. If not, perhaps it’s time they stepped down to a less-demanding role. Being tactful and professional about this goes without saying.

How many officer positions do you have? You can’t expect to restructure an entire chapter alone. You need people by your side and putting in a fair share of work. Examine how many officers you have right now. You may want to look for a few more enthusiastic people to hold a leadership position. (For campus chapters, a lot of that enthusiasm comes from underclassmen.)

Examples of officer positions: President, Vice Prez, Treasurer, Secretary, Historian, Webmaster, Fundraising Chair, Social Chair, Publicity Chair, Membership Coordinator

Each person has their role within the organization, but you’re always lending a hand to one another. SPJ togetherness!

Come up with a programming game plan. Think fun! Think flashy!

Once you have a solid exec board in place, now it’s time to sit down before things get crazy and come up with a six-month plan. This includes speakers you want, panels, social events and fundraising events. Put everything down on a calendar with tentative dates. That way, you can start contacting speakers early and getting the details together.

For campus chapters, think fun and flashy. You want interactive programs. Colorful, modern fliers. FREE FOOD. Enthralling speakers. And did I mention free food? Perfect examples of fun and flashy programming can be found on SPJ national board member Michael Koretzky’s website. He has created such events as the First Amendment Free Food Festival and Ethics Hold ‘Em. This kind of programming usually sends campus SPJ involvement through the roof. Contact national SPJ headquarters if you need help finding speakers.

Make sure to meet on a regular basis with your exec board in order to discuss the calendar you guys come up with. This makes sure jobs get done. And if someone is struggling with their SPJ duties, it’s up to everyone else to lend a hand.

Tell people about SPJ!

How do you communicate with SPJ members and potential members? If people have been apathetic before, then it’s time to be really aggressive when it comes to making your chapter’s mission public. Come up with a publicity strategy that you can stick to each time a meeting or event rolls around.

CAMPUS

• Design fun fliers you can post in the journalism/communications college.
• Send e-mails out over your chapter listserv/the JOU college’s listserv.
• Send a PowerPoint slide or PDF to all journalism professors (whether they’re in print, broadcast or online) so they can show it during class time.
• Update your Facebook and Twitter regularly.
• Set up a table in a high-traffic area with SPJ information, flashy fliers and candy.

PRO

• Send out information over your updated chapter listserv.
• Update your Facebook and Twitter regularly.
• Find local news organizations that you can mass e-mail about SPJ events and meetings.
• Hang up fliers at local libraries when you have events for the public.

Is there a way for people to routinely check in with your chapter? Set up a website. Get a webmaster to routinely update it for you. Make sure all your social media avenues remain updated, or people won’t trust them anymore.

Last but not least…Be the life of the SPJ party.

Once people come out to your events, engage them! Make them feel like they’re part of something great. Camaraderie is a big deal here, so when that person walks through your door, make them feel welcome. Campus chapters especially need to be good at this…students want to make friends, and if they make SPJ friends, they’ll have one more reason to attend meetings.

With pro chapters, you’ll have a group of people you can share journalism stories and woes with! It’s invaluable, especially during tumultuous times such as these. Set up a network of people who respect each other.

We hope you’re pumped like we are. And if you need any resources or advice, don’t hesitate to contact your handy-dandy SPJ headquarters. If you have advice to add or want to bring up chapter issues that weren’t mentioned, post them below!

April Dudash is the summer 2010 Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern and does the bidding of SPJ Headquarters. She graduated from the University of Florida in May and has been an SPJ member since 2006.

When I became a new member of the University of Florida chapter more than four years ago, there were 10 active members…if that. The chapter maybe held two meetings a semester. The officers would meet in the student union every once in a while to discuss little things here and there while we scarfed down Subway, but there was no direction or focus.

People were bored. Worse yet, they were apathetic about being in SPJ.

My mushy freshman brain figured that was just how college organizations operated (I was UF SPJ historian at the time), that college students were way too busy studying for biophysics and trying to become America’s No. 1 party school. But sophomore year, I became part of an SPJ revamping process that completely transformed our chapter to a national leader in membership recruitment and programming.

At the SPJ Ted Scripps Leadership Institute last weekend, some student and pro members laid their SPJ worries on the table like a card player that’s been dealt a bad hand. Some were frustrated. Others were overwhelmed. And with good reason! It’s a huge responsibility (and a big pain in the you-know-what) to completely start over and rework a chapter from the inside out, especially if it has been inactive for months or years.

If you bleed for SPJ, you know there’s sweat involved. And tears. And a lot of heavy-lifting. But better yet, you also get that warm fuzzy feeling at night knowing you’re helping lead the future of journalism in the right direction. No warm milk required.

I brought up chapter woes briefly in my last blog post, but I really wanted to delve deeper here. Creating healthy chapters is something very near and dear to my heart, and the conversations I had with Scripps participants were ones full of stress and excitement for what’s to come.

So what are the issues?

CAMPUS

• “Not many people want to get involved, especially as leaders.”
• “The chapter’s inactive.”
• “The journalism program’s in shambles…or hard to communicate with.”
• “People aren’t interested in our programming.”
• “It’s hard to find people who want to speak at our meetings.”
• “We don’t have a Pro chapter close enough to us that can help.”

PRO

• “We have to scrounge for leaders and members who want to help plan activities.”
• “The chapter’s inactive.”
• “Professionals are too busy with jobs and too tired to come out to programs.”

A lot of the issues between campus and pro are similar, if not the same exact thing.

[We’d love to hear from you: Comment below if you have faced any challenges with your chapter.] Stay tuned for Pt. 2 this week!

April Dudash is the summer 2010 Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern and does the bidding of SPJ Headquarters. She graduated from the University of Florida in May and has been an SPJ member since 2006.

Break out the bubbly and blare “Pomp and Circumstance”…our 2010 Ted Scripps leaders graduated over the weekend!

Nineteen pro leaders, 24 student leaders and six facilitators from around the country got together for three intense training days and brainstormed new ideas for their SPJ chapters. They learned a lot about themselves, their leadership styles and how to make improvements on the SPJ home front.

There was a lot of SPJ bonding going on. People seemed to feel more connected to SPJ’s missions after the program, and meeting others from different chapters was extremely unifying.

Executive Director Joe Skeel, President-Elect Hagit Limor and President Kevin Smith at the duckpin bowling alley. Everyone's a winner in SPJ!

Plus, there was duckpin bowling on Friday night…a Midwest experience that people couldn’t pass up. Despite the frequent gutter balls, spirits remained high.

Saturday, participants worked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on setting goals for their SPJ chapters and visiting different roundtable discussions about programming, the newly renovated SPJ website and fundraising ideas.

The campus chapters had an interesting dynamic with one another. Some students were representing journalism programs that enrolled thousands of students. Others had 50 people in their entire program.

Despite the huge chapter differences, many leaders were facing the same problems. Apathy from students who had too much on their plates. A weak system of communication within the journalism college. Problems retaining members and keeping them coming to meetings and events.

Others were trying to revitalize stagnant chapters, whether they were campus or pro.

Despite having a lot of work ahead of them, the graduates left with pages of notes and overwhelming support from the SPJ community. Their awesome dedication will continue moving the national organization in the right direction.

Congrats again, 2010 Ted Scripps leaders. You guys rock.

It has been a full week here in Indianapolis, and I have already gotten lost a handful of times in the city. Instead of viewing it as an adventure, I start to sweat and irrationally think that I’m never going to make it home. Might as well call my folks, say some dramatic last words and then park my car somewhere in the void. Maybe it would be best that from here on out, if I’m going to explore a new town, I better pack a few boxes of Cheez-Its, a First Aid kit and flare gun.

Now that I’m at SPJ Headquarters, I have to admit that one of the things I’ve wanted to do after college is help students set up campus chapters, a process that may seem like an intimidating, winding road. However, Headquarters staff members are like the GPS of the organization: they can lead you down the right path (sometimes with an overdone British accent).

Right now, there are 129 campus chapters in SPJ, but there’s always room for more. A friend of mine over at the University of North Florida is in the process of beginning a chapter, and she is currently looking for an adviser. She’s got spunk and initiative, which is something that SPJ needs to continue thriving.

Don’t have an SPJ chapter on your campus? Start one. You have Headquarters backing you 100 percent (the people over here don’t bite), and the start-up process is going to quadruple your leadership skills. If you join this national organization as someone who had the drive to start up their college chapter, can you imagine how many professional contacts you’re going to make while in school? Don’t pass up that opportunity.

Here’s how to start:

1)      Let SPJ Headquarters know you’ve made the decision to start a chapter by calling 317-927-8000. You can start a chapter if you’re at a two-year or four-year university or college that has a school or department of journalism or that offers courses in journalism. At least 10 students need to back you up.

2)      Seek out professional SPJ members near you, whether they’re faculty or in a local Pro SPJ chapter. They’ll help you out and offer guidance.

3)      You have to send in some paperwork to Headquarters in order to become a provisional campus chapter, which means you have a year to work toward becoming a “formally recognized” SPJ chapter.

To look at the details on how to start up a campus chapter, visit the SPJ site. It includes paperwork information, programming ideas and tips on how to set up the chapter framework. If you have any questions about anything, call us at Headquarters at 317-927-8000.

Or e-mail me for campus chapter tips at adudash@spj.org. I was an officer in the University of Florida chapter for four years, which included being president for two. I helped lead an almost dormant chapter to becoming the 2009 Outstanding Campus Chapter of the Year. Revving up a chapter is a lot of work, but we certainly had fun with all our programming.

I assure you, we’re not going to let you get lost in the process. So set aside that emergency box of Cheez-Its and flare gun, and start up your chapter this summer.

Coming soon: When to throw out a stale chapter and bake a new one

April Dudash is the summer 2010 Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information intern and does the bidding of SPJ Headquarters. She graduated from the University of Florida in May and has been an SPJ member since 2006.

I shared the following story with my colleagues and one of them thought I should share it with all of you (see Scott Leadingham):

Over Easter weekend, I met my parents in Washington, D.C. to take a walk beneath the cherry blossoms. We joined the 100,000-plus admirers of the blooms and braved the crowded metro to see some sites that we’d never visited before. I’ve lived in D.C. and visited as a tourist many times, but what I love most about the city is that there’s always something unfamiliar or new to explore. In addition to the Blossom Festival, Lincoln’s summer cottage and Hotel George’s Bistro-Bis, the Newseum was high on our priority list.

While all of our destinations on that trip’s agenda were fantastic, the Newseum was divine. My parents and I spent an entire afternoon systematically moving from one exhibit to the next, completely enthralled with the Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery; the exposed pieces of the Berlin Wall, one of which you could touch;   the moving display of the coverage of 9/11; and the recreation of Tim Russert’s office. We could have spent all day opening the drawers of preserved pages from over 30,000 historic newspapers. I found the memorial to all journalists who were killed while doing their job particularly emotional. So emotional, in fact, that I could not form words to describe how I felt standing beneath the glass panels that paid tribute to the men and women who gave their lives in the name of getting a story to the public.

When we went to sleep that night, I, and my unfortunate roommates, my parents, found out just how much I had been affected by the Newseum. I awoke my parents by loudly declaring:

“WE MUST BE TRANSPARENT. WE MUST BE TRANSPARENT. WE MUST BE TRANSPARENT.”

According to my mother, I repeated these four words with gumption before taking a breath and starting again. My poor startled parents said they stared at me in the darkness as I rallied unseen supporters for FOI and open government, wondering if I was OK or if the Newseum and my internship with SPJ truly had infiltrated my dreams. Then they got their answer….

“Tell them to call SPJ if they have any questions,” I said resolutely. Shortly thereafter, I was silent.

Of all places to get on my soapbox about the importance of transparency, I should be doing it in D.C.

Too bad I was doing it in my sleep.

But I am very happy that I asked whoever was listening – in my dream or in the adjacent hotel rooms – that they could call SPJ if they needed any additional information. I hope you tell your journalism friends, preferably the real ones, to call SPJ, too.

Today, on Earth Day, we’re all thinking about the planet, apparently, whether how to be more “green,” how to antagonize those who preach being more “green,” or how to cover one of the two. But at SPJ, we’re always thinking about the journalism industry and the journalists who drive it.

That got me wondering: When is Journalism Day? We need one.

Stay with me.

I’ve got a habit of walking around the neighborhood during lunch. Nothing fancy, and certainly no power walking or sweat suits. And only a sweatband in truly dire circumstances. Normally I try to pick up stray litter and pieces of garbage that won’t cause bodily harm, at least in the short run. But today, Earth Day, I took a little more time and expended a little more energy – call it the product of National Parks-loving parents and being an Eagle Scout. (It’s true … on my honor.) Normally I wouldn’t pick up empty beer bottles, especially in the middle of an overgrown lawn.

A sample of litter from the SPJ neighborhood. Who's drinking all the Bud? (Not it!)

 ‘But hey,’ I thought, ‘it’s Earth Day. I earned that Environmental Science merit badge for a reason!’

What would prompt the public to have a similar thought for journalism? When people walk past a news stand or go online, what would make them say, “I need to read the news today because I recognize the importance of a free and independent press and the news journalists report.”?

Who’s planning that event? What do we have to do to get that message across? Where’s the trending topic on Twitter for Journalism Day? Why aren’t there rallies supporting the fourth estate? When is journalism’s day?

I’d like to think it’s every day. But I also like to think people don’t toss empty beer bottles in yards for strangers to pick up.

No one is planning the event FOR the industry. Journalists have to do it themselves, every day, through their honest, fair, accurate reporting.

And SPJ is there to help. If we’re out of the office, don’t worry. We’re just on a quick stroll. We’ll be right back.

Scott Leadingham is editor of SPJ’s Quill magazine. He didn’t earn the Journalism merit badge. Twitter: @scottleadingham