PCLI
REPORTER
SPRING
2007
In
this issue:
All
about the PCLI Media Awards, June 14
- Handelsman named Outstanding Journalist of the Year
- Schneider wins Phil Spahn Award
- Lipper goes for 3rd term
Programs and Activities
- SPJ Region 1 Conference roundup
- Ethics Week panels
- “BLOGS: How to do them right,” May 17
- A word about SPJ
PCLI
MEDIA AWARDS, JUNE 14
Handelsman named
Outstanding Journalist of the Year
Newsday editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman, hot off
winning his second Pulitzer Prize, has been chosen PCLI’s 2007 Outstanding
Journalist of the Year.
Handelsman, who’s worked at Newsday since 2001, won the
Pulitzer this year in part for his “zany animation” of politicians such as
George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton, according to the Pulitzer Board.
Handelsman will be honored at PCLI’s annual Media
Awards dinner June 14 at the Woodbury Country Club. As a bonus,
Handelsman will put on a demonstration of his work.
Before joining Newsday, Handelsman worked for The Times-Picayune
in New Orleans, The Scranton Times and a chain of suburban Baltimore weeklies.
He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and worked in design and sales
for a Baltimore advertising agency before becoming a cartoonist.
For ticket information, directions and other essentials about
the Media Awards dinner, contact Flo Federman by June 8 at 631-719-3212 or ffederman@hrrllp.com. See you there!
Related links:
Schneider wins Phil Spahn
Award
Former Newsday editor Howard Schneider was named this
year’s Phil Spahn Award winner for his role in creating a new School of Journalism
at Stony Brook University.
Stony Brook, which has long had a journalism minor, saw
seven previous attempts to launch a j-school fail. Schneider, now dean of the
School of Journalism, helped to not only get a program off the ground, but has
built one of the most challenging curriculums in the nation, with 47 journalism
credits required for graduation. That’s believed to be more than any j-school
in the country.
At the school, students will take courses in broadcast,
print, and online journalism, as well as a unique news literacy course. They
also will be required to participate in a special writing immersion laboratory
before advancing in the program.
The Phil Spahn Award is presented to an individual who has
demonstrated outstanding service to journalism and to our community.
Schneider will be honored at the PCLI Media Awards dinner on
June 14.
Lipper goes for 3rd
term
Island Publications Editorial Director Robert Lipper
is running for a third term as
PCLI president.
Lipper is accompanied by
the following slate of candidates:
John O’Connell Executive Vice President
Herald Newspapers
Dawn Hardesty VP-Print
Dow Jones Newswires
Michael DelGiudice VP-Broadcast
WNBC News
Bill Bleyer Treasurer
Newsday
Meredith Daniels Recording Secretary
Newsday.com
David North Corresponding Secretary
WALK-FM
All candidates are running
unopposed. To submit a slate of candidates, please contact former PCLI
president Carl Corry at ccorry@news12.com.
PCLI hosts SPJ Region 1
Conference
As host chapter for the 2007 SPJ Region 1 Spring Conference,
PCLI welcomed fellow journalists, students and faculty to Hofstra University
for an informative and inspiring event. Many thanks to our members and guests
for sharing their time, wisdom, insights and optimism about the future of our
profession.
The conference explored issues such as ethics, cultural
sensitivity, the future of newspapers, instruction in reporting methods and
advice for career advancement in the ever-changing media world.
Among the highlights:
- An opening reception was held at the Cradle of Aviation
Museum in Garden City, with welcoming comments from Cliff Scheckman,
Newsday’s assistant managing editor for Long Island.
- Society of Professional Journalists President Christine
Tatum delivered the keynote speech at the conference’s Mark of
Excellence Award luncheon.
- A passionate testimony in support of shield laws from
Rhode Island TV journalist Jim Taricani of
NBC affiliate WJAR television in Providence, R.I., who was jailed for
refusing to reveal the identity of a confidential source.
- Live and silent auctions netted $770 for SPJ’s Legal
Defense Fund and the Region 1 Fund.
- PCLI netted a $6,000-plus profit from the conference. A
portion of the extra cash will go toward SPJ’s Legal Defense Fund, which
aids the defense of journalists across the country in First Amendment
lawsuits.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS SUCCESSFUL
EVENT!
Other Springtime Programs and Activities
ETHICS WEEK PANELS
It would be unethical to overlook our recent activities in
support of Ethics Week. PCLI held ethics panels at the C.W. Post campus of Long
Island University in Brookville and at Stony Brook University.
On April 24, board member Norm Prusslin, Stony
Brook’s student media advisor, hosted a Media Ethics Workshop for students and
first year journalists. And on April 26, PCLI co-sponsored a panel discussion
with the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island.
The latter event, “Minimize Harm: Media and PR Ethics and
the Common Good,” featured moderator Abby Kenigsberg, adjunct professor
of media arts at C.W. Post; radio news veteran and PCLI corresponding secretary
David North; PR pro Michael Kornfeld, representing PRPLI; Meredith
Daniels, Internet news manager for Newsday and PCLI recording secretary;
and John Lutz, director of the Center for Ethics at C.W. Post.
A key topic of discussion: The ethics of NBC’s decision to
air the videotape provided by the Virginia Tech shooter. As his victims were
students, the young people at Post reportedly had much to say on the subject,
and offered a wide variety of opinions. It’s a topic we’ll all be
debating for a long time…
Upcoming event
“BLOGS: How to do them
right”
WHEN: Thursday, May 17
WHERE: Newsday Auditorium, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville
WHEN: 6:30p.m. to 8 p.m.
WHO:
Carl Corry, Moderator
Executive Producer
News12 Interactive
Dominick Miserandino
Executive Editor
The CelebrityCafe.com
David Reich-Hale
Managing Web-Editor
Long Island Business News
Carol Scibelli
Humorist and Blogger
ADMISSION IS FREE. And so is the complementary
pizza and soda from 6-6:30 p.m.!
To confirm, please contact robert.lipper@island-pubs.com
by 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 16.
A
WORD ABOUT SPJ
At every point in the career of a professional journalist
there is frustration, disappointment, sometimes even fear about the future of
our profession. Keeping up with new technologies, concerns about the quality
and quantity of job opportunities, and about coping with the threats posed
by sensationalism, commercialism, and anti-intellectualism.
These were concerns for professional journalists nearly a century ago when
SPJ was founded as Sigma Delta Chi in 1909. Same as it ever was.
But in this still-new century, SPJ continues to address the
enduring issues of free speech, access to information, ethical standards,
legal recourse, employment opportunities and professional
responsibility. Through events such as our Region 1 Conference, our Media
Awards and our many professional and networking programs, professional
journalists can connect to share concerns and information.
Through our participation we may expand our
professional scope and broaden both our social and intellectual
circles. By sharing what we know, by speaking with young people
and with aspiring journalists of all ages, we may reinforce (or regain)
confidence about the enduring value of our work, and the idealism required to
keep at it.
Remember: few of us would still be practicing our
profession if not for experiencing the exhilaration of accomplishment, and
a profound belief that upholding standards for journalism is essential for
ensuring future generations of informed citizens.
Young people and beginning professionals should know
more about SPJ, and participate in its functions to gain a window on the
challenges of our profession, meet mentors, take advantage of SPJ resources,
and catch-on to why we care.
Click-on www.spj.org
for a variety of new services available on the Web. And be sure to join us on
June 14 for a night of fun and celebration at our PCLI Media Awards dinner at
the Woodbury Country Club in Woodbury!
David North, Corresponding Secretary
Edited by Carl Corry, Past President
-30-
