During the 2018-2019 term, SPJ has responded to the heightened challenges to press freedom, including verbal and physical attacks on journalists, with a wave of advocacy statements and interviews by SPJ leaders.

The key statements and media interviews can also be found here. 

 

Media Interviews by SPJ National Leaders

 

September 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in an article about targeting journalists for their social media posts in the Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 4, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio in a live radio interview with the Jim Bohannon Show, Sept. 5, 2019.

August 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in an article about John Ensslin’s death in Colorado Politics, Aug. 5, 2019.

 

• Past SPJ National President Paul Fletcher quoted by Inside Higher Ed regarding professor’s op-ed about Amazon, Aug. 13, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio’s live interview with Bryan Carmody covered by the San Francisco Examiner, Aug. 13.

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio’s live interview with Bryan Carmody covered in a San Francisco Chronicle article, Aug. 14.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio’s live interview with Bryan Carmody covered in a second San Francisco Chronicle article, Aug. 14.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in The Hill about the threat of deep fake videos to elections, Aug. 15, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in Huffington Post about Oregon officials who sought to investigate reporters, Aug. 20, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in local stories regarding SPJ celebrating 110 years at DePauw University on, Aug. 23.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio spoke to the Jim Bohannon Show to talk about EIJ19 and the Fox sponsorship, Aug. 26.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in article about Maria Ressa being named a Fellow of the Society, Aug. 29.

 

June 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in widely-distributed Associated Press Article about First Net, June 13.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio speaks with CBS News Radio about the media access concerns surrounding First Net for first responders, June 14, 2019.

 

May 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio interviewed at the United Nations, after her remarks about World Press Freedom Day, by Spanish-language TV network Nuestra Tele Noticias 24, May 3, 2019.

 

• Past SPJ National President Paul Fletcher on KBIA public radio about payola in journalism, May 9, 2019.

 

• Past SPJ National President Carolyn Carlson and Kathryn Foxhall quoted in article about PIOs in Columbia Journalism Review, May 20, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in New York Times article about Bryan Carmody, the San Francisco journalist whose home was raided by the police in search of clues to a confidential police informant, May 25, 2019.

 

April 2019

• SPJ Ethics Committee Chair Lynn Walsh in the Columbia Journalism Review about a proposed journalism registry by the Georgia state legislature, April 8.

 

• SPJ Journalist on Call Rod Hicks in Pulitzer.org about media distrust, April 10.

 

• Live interview with SPJ Ethics Committee Chair Lynn Walsh on the Jim Bohannon Show for Ethics Week, April 30.

 

March 2019

• Live interview with SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio in an hour-long segment on the Jim Bohannon Show for Sunshine Week, March 14, 2019.

 

February 2019

• Live TV interview with SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio on Univision about the expulsion of Jorge Ramos and his TV crew from Venezuela, Feb. 1, 2019.

 

• SPJ Legal Counsel Mark Bailen in an interview to the Daily Signal about Clarence Thomas’ call for reconsideration of the libel ruling in the Bill Cosby case and the Covington High School student suing media outlets.

 

• SPJ Freedom of Information Committee Chair Danielle McLean in an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review about public records, Feb. 21, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in Associated Press article about Hilde Lysiak.

 

January 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted on the OpentheGov website about the News Media for Open Government Coalition announcement on an Open Government and Free Press agenda for the 116th United States Congress, Jan. 1 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in Committee to Protect Journalist story about female journalists’ safety, Jan. 17, 2019.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio quoted in Crain’s NewsPro January Magazine issue about the outlook for journalists.

 

November 2018

• Live TV interview with SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio on Armistice Day about the threats to war correspondents on Australian ABC-TV’s Weekend Breakfast Program, Nov. 11, 2018.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio spoke with Voice of America about the implications of revoking Jim Acosta’s White House press pass, Nov. 14.

 

October 2018

• Live TV interview with SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio about the threats to press freedom on Australian ABC-TV’s Weekend Breakfast Program, Oct. 27, 2018.

 

September 2018

• Live radio interview with SPJ National President-Elect J. Alex Tarquinio about the First Amendment and Open Government on Court Radio, WRNB 100.3 FM Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 2018

 

Public Appearances by SPJ National Leaders

 

August 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio  gave a press briefing for journalists visiting from Uzbekistan at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Press Center at the United Nations, Aug. 5.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio moderated a live interview with San Francisco journalist Bryan Carmody, whose home was raided by the police in search of clues to his confidential sources, along with his lawyer. (video)

 

• Lynn Walsh organized a Facebook “Train the Trainers” program from Aug. 15 to 16. SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio gave opening remarks.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio and SPJ Indiana State Pro Chapter President John Russell gave remarks at the 110^th SPJ Anniversary event at DePauw University. (video)

 

July 2019

• SPJ Journalist on Call Rod Hicks hosted the final session of the Casper Project, with Foundation President Irwin Gratz and SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio giving opening remarks, July 16.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio represented the Society at a forum on journalist safety at the United Nations, July 17.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio gave opening remarks at a D.C. Pro chapter event about Whistleblowers, July 31.

 

June 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio gave opening remarks at an SPJ Google News Institute event before the SDX Banquet, June 21.

 

May 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio delivered prepared remarks and participated on a panel with Steven Adler and Warren Hoge before an audience of 400 at the United Nations headquarters in New York on World Press Freedom Day, May 3. (video) (text of remarks)

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio spoke to Hatice Cengiz, fiancée of the late Jamal Kashoggi, and Congressman Adam Schiff, D-California, at a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting, May 16.

 

April 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio produced and hosted a World Press Freedom Day Summit from April 26 to 27 with a generous grant from Craig Newmark. The theme of this gathering, known as Quo Vadis Democracy was journalism nonprofit leaders was the threat of disinformation to journalism and democracy. (videos) (text of group resolution)

March 2019

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio made a lobbying trip to Capitol Hill ahead of Sunshine Week, March 10.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio delivered prepared remarks and participated in a panel at the World Journalists Conference in Seoul, South Korea, March 25.

 

November 2018

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio represented the Society at the Day to End Impunity event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Nov. 2, 2019. 

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio represented the Society at the Paris Peace Forum, Nov. 11, 2019. Her column about it was picked up by the Associated Press.

 

October 2018

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio and RTDNA Executive Director Dan Shelley spoke to a group of 25 global journalists at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Press Center at the United Nations, Oct. 5.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio participated on a panel at an annual conference of Connecticut Broadcasters Association, Oct. 11.

 

• SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio gave remarks at the SPJ Google News Institute election training event in Washington, D.C., Oct. 16.

 

September 2018

• Remarks by newly-inducted SPJ National President J. Alex Tarquinio at the President’s Installation Banquet, Sept. 30, 2018.

 

Advocacy Statements

The Legal Defense Fund Committee

Signed 55+ (some are in process) Friend of the Court briefs and advocacy letters and statements since October 2018, which can be viewed here

 

Press Releases

 

July 2019

• SPJ optimistic about reopening of Duran case

 

May 2019

• Press Freedom groups resolve to rally around World Press Freedom Day and uphold their role as watchdogs in the 2020 U.S. election

 

• SPJ celebrates release of Reuters reporters, remains concerned about hundreds of journalists still imprisoned

 

• SPJ president: ‘Stop playing games with White House press credentials’

 

• SPJ condemns San Francisco PD’s home raid to obtain source’s name

 

• SPJ, 59 other groups, urge court to order return of journalist’s equipment and work

   

• SPJ: Assange indictment raises serious concerns for press freedom

 

March 2019

• SPJ strongly supports the Journalist Protection Act

 

• SPJ outraged by discovery of secret database, excessive screening and questioning of journalists at the border

 

• SPJ: Deportation of journalists in Venezuela must stop

 

February 2019

• SPJ condemns recent attempt to silence journalist Maria Ressa

 

January 2019

• SPJ is here to help (newsroom layoffs)

 

December 2018

• SPJ urges Philippine government to drop charges against Rappler and Maria Ressa

 

November 2018

• SPJ supports NAJA in urging reinstatement of free press ordinance

 

• SPJ applauds judge’s decision to reinstate Acosta’s press pass

 

• SPJ stands in solidarity with Acosta and CNN

 

October 2018

• SPJ demands Khashoggi’s killers be brought to justice

   

• SPJ Penned a Letter to the Whitehouse

   

• SPJ, coalition of 44 other groups, call for full investigation into Saudi Arabian journalist’s whereabouts

 

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