Tickets Available for Sept. 24 SPJ Governor's Debate

 
The first debate between Gov. Kate Brown and challenger Dr. Bud Pierce will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, in the Deschutes Room at Riverhouse on the Deschutes in Bend. The event is hosted by the Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The hour-long debate will focus solely on issues facing Oregon’s rural residents. Candidates will get 90 seconds for opening statements, then will field questions from a panel of journalists: Emily Cureton, producer and host with Jefferson Public Radio; Erik Lukens, editor of The Bend Bulletin; Pedro Quintana, reporter with KTVZ; and Tim Trainor, deputy managing editor of The East Oregonian. Sara Roth, producer of longform and investigative projects for KGW.com, will moderate.

SPJ Oregon is hosting this debate in partnership with The East Oregonian, The Bend Bulletin, KTVZ and Jefferson Public Radio.

The debate will be aired on KTVZ and live-streamed on KGW.com.

The public is invited to be part of the debate’s live audience. General admission tickets are free but must be reserved in advance through Eventbrite at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spj-governors-debate-tickets-27499106568

“Our driving force in organizing this debate was to shine a light on rural Oregon, its issues and its talented journalists,” said SPJ Oregon President Samantha Swindler. “Our mission is to promote quality journalism, and that starts with the ability to have access to and ask tough questions of the candidates for governor.”

SPJ Oregon is hosting this debate in partnership with The East Oregonian, The Bend Bulletin and Jefferson Public Radio.

ABOUT SPJ OREGON: The Oregon Territory Chapter of SPJ is the professional organization representing journalists throughout the state of Oregon and Southwest Washington. SPJ Oregon members champion freedom of the press; train journalists; encourage students; recognize excellence; and promote the highest ideals of journalism. We provide training, networking and funding opportunities for members. Learn more at spj.org.

INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: Members of the media are invited to attend and report on the debate by reserving seats through Eventbrite. Non-flash photography and recording is permitted, but no live-streaming of the event is allowed. Wifi access will be available in the banquet room. A limited number of pool audio ports are available to journalists. To inquire about access, email spjoregon@gmail.com.

MEDIA CONTACT INFO: Samantha Swindler, SPJ Oregon president: 503-812-8992, samanthaswindler@gmail.com

Oregon Territory SPJ seeks new board members

The Oregon Territory chapter of SPJ is looking to fill two vacancies on its board of directors. With the chapter board election later this month, now is the time to sign up to serve a one-year term.

The board, which sets chapter policies and organizes various journalism events, meets once a month, usually alternating between Portland and Salem.

This month the board is coordinating the final details in staging the first gubernatorial debate, set for Saturday, Sept. 24, in Bend and sponsored by SPJ and other media partners.

Over the past year, the chapter has organized a variety of training and advocacy activities, ranging from reporting and writing workshops to working with the Oregon Attorney General's office to update the state's open records law. The chapter also helps organize the annual Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition.

If these are the kind of issues and events that you would like to see continue and expanded, please consider joining your journalism colleagues on the chapter board.

For more information, contact any of the current board members listed on the chapter website or call or email chapter President Samantha Swindler at 503-812-8992 or sswindler@oregonian.com. Or write to the chapter email at spjoregon@gmail.com.

For more information about the chapter and its activities, see the Oregon Territory SPJ website at oregonterritoryspj.blogspot.com.

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SPJ Program: Drones in Journalism - 1 p.m. July 24

Photo courtesy of Don McCullough from Santa Rosa, Calif.

Join us for an afternoon of drone demonstrations and a panel discussion about the ethical, legal and practical issues to consider when working with drones in journalism, from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, July 24.

This event takes place at Provincial Vineyards, 14373 N.W. Timmerman Road, Forest Grove, in the beautiful wine country of Washington County, where we will be able to fly drones across the property. Ticket price includes a wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres.

Our panel will include:

• Alvaro Fontan, Webmaster, Pamplin Media Group
• Derek Green, Attorney, Davis, Wright Tremaine LLP
• Stephen Burtt, CEO, Aerial Technology International
• Moderator: Sara Roth, Digital Investigative Reporter, KGW

This program is put on by the Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Portland Chapter of the Online News Association.

Active SPJ and ONA members receive discounted pricing. Student tickets, which do not include a wine tasting, are also available. Seating is limited, so reserve your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drones-in-journalism-tickets-25825805680

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SPJ Hosts Debate Sept. 24 Between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and GOP Challenger Bud Pierce

The Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announces the first debate between Gov. Kate Brown and challenger Bud Pierce will be held Sept. 24 in Bend.

The debate will focus solely on issues facing Oregon’s rural residents.

“The Oregon Territory SPJ believes it is important to have an honest and open exchange at the highest levels about the state’s future in rural areas,” said Oregon SPJ President Samantha Swindler. “With more than a month between this debate and election day, we hope the issues raised will help give voters enough time to learn where the two major candidates stand on a range of rural issues, from the environment to education to the economy.

“Having the two major candidates participate in this important discussion is, in our view, good for the entire state, and we thank Governor Brown and Dr. Pierce for agreeing to this important discussion,” Swindler added.

Oregon SPJ will host the debate in partnership with The East Oregonian, KTVZ-TV and Jefferson Public Radio. The Oregon SPJ Board sought these distinguished media partners out as they represent some of the best journalism dedicated to serving rural Oregon.

“In helping facilitate this important discussion, the SPJ is turning to the journalists who do an amazing job every day in rural communities,” Swindler said. “We are thrilled to have the panelists for this debate come from The East Oregonian, KTVZ and Jefferson Public Radio.”

The Oregon SPJ is now also looking for media partners based in Portland, and hopes to have an announcement soon on additional partners.

The hour-long debate will be a moderator-panelist format in front of a live audience. Candidates will get 90 seconds for opening statements, then will field questions from the panel made solely of rural journalists. Candidates will get 60 seconds to respond, with a 30-second rebuttal period. Each candidate will be provided with a 90-second closing.

Oregon SPJ will ensure the debate is distributed in the metro Portland and Salem markets by partnering with media groups in those areas. The location for the debate has not yet been finalized. Both those announcements will come by mid-August.

The Oregon Territory SPJ Chapter, which represents journalists throughout the state of Oregon and Vancouver, Wash., is dedicated to strengthening journalism and government transparency.

For more information, contact Sam Swindler at 503-812-8992, or John Sepulvado at 971-803-9300.

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SPJ Celebrates Investigative Reporting, Open Government, Top Rookie at Oregon Awards Night

Matthew Kish, right, with Portland Business Journal won
this year's Bruce Baer Award, the state's top prize
for investigative journalism.

The Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists gathered June 21 at the Green Dragon in Portland to honor winners of several chapter awards and in SPJ’s Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest.

BRUCE BAER AWARD

The Bruce Baer Award, given by the Friends of Bruce Baer committee, is traditionally presented at the Oregon SPJ awards night. The award recognizes excellence in investigative journalism and is given in the name of Bruce Baer, who spent 13 years at KATU-TV before his death of cancer at age 40.

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Baer’s death, the Friends of Bruce Baer and the Portland State University Foundation are launching a campaign to create an endowment to support the award into the future and double the current award prize of $1,000.

For more information, contact Roger Anthony at 503-998-5509. To donate, go to
psuf.org/brucebaer.

Matthew Kish with the Portland Business Journal won this year’s Bruce Baer Award for his article “The Shell Game.” Kish spent three years and dug through more than 6,000 public records for his piece about Oregon’s lax laws around shell companies, focusing on a run-down house in Aloha that was home to some 1,300 companies.

“It’s an incredible recognition and I’m filled with gratitude for it,” Kish said. “I’ve always viewed the Bruce Baer Award as this shared thread in our state’s journalistic history, and it’s humbling to be part of that experience.”

Nigel Jaquiss with Willamette Week also received special recognition from the Bruce Baer committee for his investigation into the Give Us This Day foster care agency. It was titled “Home, Sweet, Hustle.”

FIRST FREEDOM AWARD

Shasta Kearns Moore, left, presents Oregon Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum with the Oregon Territory SPJ Chapter's
annual First Freedom Award. The award recognizes
a non-journalist who has advocated for open government.

Oregon Territory SPJ also presented the 2015 First Freedom Award to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. The award honors a non-journalist who has worked on behalf of government transparency.

Last year, Rosenblum’s office created a Public Records Law Reform Task Force to review Oregon’s 500 exemptions to public records laws, the state’s lack of any firm deadline to respond to public requests, and the fees associated with receiving public information. The chapter board hopes that these reviews will lead to positive changes to public records laws in the next legislative session.

“Our chapter thinks you have sparked a renewed movement toward transparency and we have high hopes that your task force can produce lasting change for our state,” said the chapter’s Sunshine Committee Chair Shasta Kearns Moore, who presented the award. “We are giving this award to you not only for the work that you have done, but the work you will do to pave the way for a more open government.”

Rosenblum thanked her staff for their help on the task force, including her communications director Kristina Edmunson and special counsel Michael Kron. She called public records a critical ingredient in the creation of quality journalism.

“I believe that you have a right to know and that the public has the right to know what government is up to,” she said. “We have an obligation as public servants, not only to serve but to lead and to educate and to inform, and how else do we do that if we aren’t able provide what you need in a timely and a reasonably priced fashion.”

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Gordon Friedman with The Statesman Journal was the
2015 Rookie of the Year.

The Oregon Territory Chapter also gives an annual Rookie of the Year award to a journalist who has had his or her first full-time, non-internship reporting job in the prior calendar year. The honor comes with a $500 prize.

This year’s winner is government reporter Gordon Friedman with The Salem Statesman-Journal.

Friedman was nominated by his editor for his work covering the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge takeover, as well as an investigative piece on worker lapses in Oregon prisons.

Friedman, who was surprised by the announcement at the awards program, said he had celebrated his one-year anniversary at the Statesman the prior day. He said he’s written more than 450 stories since he began at the paper.

“But really, it doesn’t feel like a job,” he said. “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun, and it’s a lot of fun.”

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS

The June 21 awards night was also a chance for area journalists to collect their awards from the five-state Region 10 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism competition.

A full list of contest winners can be found at www.spj.org/region10.asp.

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SPJ Celebrates Investigative Reporting, Open Government, Top Rookie at Oregon Awards Night

Matthew Kish, right, with Portland Business Journal won
this year's Bruce Baer Award, the state's top prize
for investigative journalism.

The Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists gathered June 21 at the Green Dragon in Portland to honor winners of several chapter awards and in SPJ’s Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest.

BRUCE BAER AWARD

The Bruce Baer Award, given by the Friends of Bruce Baer committee, is traditionally presented at the Oregon SPJ awards night. The award recognizes excellence in investigative journalism and is given in the name of Bruce Baer, who spent 13 years at KATU-TV before his death of cancer at age 40.

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Baer’s death, the Friends of Bruce Baer and the Portland State University Foundation are launching a campaign to create an endowment to support the award into the future and double the current award prize of $1,000.

For more information, contact Roger Anthony at 503-998-5509. To donate, go to
https://cconn.foundation.pdx.edu/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&giving_page_id=238

Matthew Kish with the Portland Business Journal won this year’s Bruce Baer Award for his article “The Shell Game.” Kish spent three years and dug through more than 6,000 public records for his piece about Oregon’s lax laws around shell companies, focusing on a run-down house in Aloha that was home to some 1,300 companies.

“It’s an incredible recognition and I’m filled with gratitude for it,” Kish said. “I’ve always viewed the Bruce Baer Award as this shared thread in our state’s journalistic history, and it’s humbling to be part of that experience.”

Nigel Jaquiss with Willamette Week also received special recognition from the Bruce Baer committee for his investigation into the Give Us This Day foster care agency. It was titled “Home, Sweet, Hustle.”

FIRST FREEDOM AWARD

Shasta Kearns Moore, left, presents Oregon Attorney General
Ellen Rosenblum with the Oregon Territory SPJ Chapter's
annual First Freedom Award. The award recognizes
a non-journalist who has advocated for open government.

Oregon Territory SPJ also presented the 2015 First Freedom Award to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. The award honors a non-journalist who has worked on behalf of government transparency.

Last year, Rosenblum’s office created a Public Records Law Reform Task Force to review Oregon’s 500 exemptions to public records laws, the state’s lack of any firm deadline to respond to public requests, and the fees associated with receiving public information. The chapter board hopes that these reviews will lead to positive changes to public records laws in the next legislative session.

“Our chapter thinks you have sparked a renewed movement toward transparency and we have high hopes that your task force can produce lasting change for our state,” said the chapter’s Sunshine Committee Chair Shasta Kearns Moore, who presented the award. “We are giving this award to you not only for the work that you have done, but the work you will do to pave the way for a more open government.”

Rosenblum thanked her staff for their help on the task force, including her communications director Kristina Edmunson and special counsel Michael Kron. She called public records a critical ingredient in the creation of quality journalism.

“I believe that you have a right to know and that the public has the right to know what government is up to,” she said. “We have an obligation as public servants, not only to serve but to lead and to educate and to inform, and how else do we do that if we aren’t able provide what you need in a timely and a reasonably priced fashion.”

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Gordon Friedman with The Statesman Journal was the
2015 Rookie of the Year.

The Oregon Territory Chapter also gives an annual Rookie of the Year award to a journalist who has had his or her first full-time, non-internship reporting job in the prior calendar year. The honor comes with a $500 prize.

This year’s winner is government reporter Gordon Friedman with The Salem Statesman-Journal.

Friedman was nominated by his editor for his work covering the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge takeover, as well as an investigative piece on worker lapses in Oregon prisons.

Friedman, who was surprised by the announcement at the awards program, said he had celebrated his one-year anniversary at the Statesman the prior day. He said he’s written more than 450 stories since he began at the paper.

“But really, it doesn’t feel like a job,” he said. “I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun, and it’s a lot of fun.”

EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS

The June 21 awards night was also a chance for area journalists to collect their awards from the five-state Region 10 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism competition.

A full list of contest winners can be found at www.spj.org/region10.asp.

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Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum Earns SPJ First Freedom Award

Oregon Attorney General Ellen
Rosenblum

The Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has selected Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum for its annual First Freedom Award.

The First Freedom Award recognizes a non-journalist who has advocated for open government in Oregon. In making the selection, the chapter board said it wanted to recognize Rosenblum’s recent initiative to put together a statewide Public Records Task Force.

The task force is charged with exploring solutions to the tangled mess of more than 500 exemptions to Oregon Public Records Law, burgeoning fee structures and a lack of deadlines for disclosure.

“We have great hopes that the work of the task force will help to open the halls and files of Oregon governments,” Oregon SPJ Sunshine Chair Shasta Kearns Moore said. “The attorney general has proven herself a friend of transparency and public governance. We hope the Legislature will take note of the collaborative and thorough work of the task force and pass long-overdue legislation that its constituency deeply desires.”

Rosenblum will be presented with the award on Tuesday, June 21, in Portland. The public and fellow journalists are invited to the Oregon Awards Night, 7-9 p.m. at the Green Dragon, 928 S.E. 9th Ave., in Portland.

The chapter will also recognize winners in the 2015 Region 10 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest and Matthew Kish, winner of the 2015-16 Bruce Baer Award for outstanding investigative reporting in Oregon.

Find out more about the public records task force at www.doj.state.or.us/public_records/pages/index.aspx

Join SPJ at www.spj.org/join.asp

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Oregon SPJ Sunshine Committee Urges Transparecy, Openness in Government

Portland, Ore. -- The reinvigorated Oregon Territory Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announces the creation of a new Sunshine Committee that aims to improve transparency and openness in government.

The committee has already attracted some of the best of the state’s investigative journalists and their allies. The creation of the committee aligns with work through the Attorney General’s Public Records Task Force, which is working to identify legislative solutions to a long-festering problem of more than 500 exemptions and a general lack of clarity in Oregon Public Records Law.

Shasta Kearns Moore is on the board of the Oregon Territory Chapter of SPJ and serves as its Sunshine Chair. Kearns Moore reports on education and health care at the Portland Tribune and Pamplin Media Group.

Other members of the committee are:

Les Zaitz, the Oregon chapter’s liaison to the Attorney General’s task force. Zaitz has been at the forefront of investigative journalism since the 1970s through The Oregonian and other news outlets. He is a five-time winner of the Bruce Baer Award, the highest honor for an investigative journalist in Oregon.

Lee van der Voo, managing director for InvestigateWest, a nonprofit journalism studio working to equip the public with information to make change. Van der Voo’s work has appeared in several national news outlets, including The New York Times and CNN. She is the author of the upcoming nonfiction book "The Fish Market."

Nick Budnick, former Oregon SPJ sunshine chair, reports on crime and justice, Multnomah County and health care at the Portland Tribune and Pamplin Media Group.

John Sepulvado, the Weekend Edition host at Oregon Public Broadcasting radio. Sepulvado has won four Edward R. Murrow awards for environmental reporting and he shares in a Peabody for CNN's Gulf Oil Spill coverage.

Lori Shontz, an instructor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and advisor to the student chapter of Oregon SPJ. Shontz has spent more than two decades as a writer and editor specializing in sports, women’s issues, and higher education.

Hillary Borrud, a state government reporter in the Capitol Bureau of the EO Media Group. Borrud is credited with breaking the story of former First Lady Cynthia Hayes’ $118,000 fellowship with environmental lobbying groups.

Read more about Oregon SPJ at oregonterritoryspj.blogspot.com or follow on Twitter, @SPJOregon, or Facebook.com/SPJOregon.

Join SPJ at spj.org/join.asp.

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SPJ Sets NW Journalism Award Programs for June 18 in Seattle; June 21 in Portland

Notifications will be going out shortly to winners in the 2015 Region 10 Northwest Excellence in Journalism Competition. This year, we are tying together the Region 10 conference and awards ceremony into a day-long event in Seattle on June 18.

If you can’t travel to Washington, don’t worry. We’re planning a smaller-scale awards ceremony in Portland on June 21.

Here are the details: 

Image courtesy of Scott Maxwell/Creative Commons

REGION 10 CONFERENCE on June 18

The Region 10 Conference runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the University of Washington Communications Building. Tickets are $15 for current SPJ members and $25 for non-members.

Topics include:

• Google Tools for Journalists: Learn the ins and outs of Google's suite of tools that are helpful for journalists.

• Ethics Presentation: SPJ National President Paul Fletcher will join us from headquarters to lead a "choose your own adventure" ethics workshop.

• Podcasting: Industry veterans will lead a session on giving voice to your stories.

• Covering Trans- and Non-binary News: This panel is designed to address the current problems that come with the coverage of trans and non-binary news. With the coverage of Caitlyn Jenner and the outing of Lilly Wachowski, professional journalists have shown that they are ill-equipped to avoid harms, intentional or no. Outing people like Dr. V in the infamous Grantland story resulted in devastating effects.

• Long Form Journalism in a Digital Age: Mark Armstrong, founder of the site longreads.com, will join us in a Q/A run by James Ross Gardner, editor in chief of Seattle Met. They will discuss the viability of long form journalism, how it's managing to succeed in the digital world of listicles and 140-word tweets, and how exactly one can practice "good" long form.

Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spj-region-10-conference-tickets-25328532322#tickets

REGION 10 GALA

Extend your day of journalism by celebrating award-winning works by your peers at the 2016 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Awards Gala and Auction.

This event, June 18 at the Hyatt Olive 8 in Seattle, will recognize winners of the 2015 Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest, gala award winners and scholarship recipients. Members from across SPJ Region 10, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska are encouraged to join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our region's hard-working journalists over the last year.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the program and dinner beginning at 7 p.m. The evening will conclude after 9 p.m.

Dress to impress, get your photos taken and bid on silent auction items that benefit Washington journalism scholarships until 7 p.m.

Tickets are $60 if purchased before June 13. Tickets can be purchased online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2553231

OREGON AWARDS NIGHT on June 21

Region 10 contest winners will be announced June 18, but for those who can’t attend the gala, we will have a smaller event at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at the barrel room of Green Dragon Bistro and Pub, 928 SE 9th Ave. in Portland. There is no cost for this event.

This will be a chance to recognize regional contest winners from Oregon, as well as the winners of the 2015 Bruce Baer Award, the 2015 Rookie of the Year Award and the First Freedom Award.

Please RSVP at the event page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oregon-spj-awards-night-tickets-25624092350

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For more updates, see the Oregon Territory SPJ blog at oregonterritoryspj.blogspot.com.

Matthew Kish, Portland Business Journal Earn Bruce Baer Investigative Reporting Award

Three-year investigation uncovers massive financial fraud in Aloha corporation mill

PORTLAND – The Portland Business

Reporter Matthew Kish of the Portland
Business Journal

Journal and reporter Matthew Kish have won the 2015-16 Bruce Baer Award for outstanding investigative reporting in Oregon.

Kish, who researched and wrote the story headlined “The Shell Game,” will be presented with a check for $1,000 from the Friends of Bruce Baer, sponsors of the annual award. The story was published in October 2015.

Kish uncovered “The Shell Game” in 2012, when he came across a regulatory filing that said a company using a small, weathered home in Aloha was seeking to raise $140 million. His trail led to Bengt Stenbock, a twice-convicted felon who had served sentences for drug-smuggling and wire fraud in California.

Stenbock had turned to Oregon to begin business forming “shell companies” – businesses with no operations and no employees. Obtainable for $30,000 or less, shell companies are ideal for moving large sums of money with little detection. Often, the shell company would mimic a long-established corporation by changing just one letter of the company’s name.

The Aloha house is now the home to 1,300 other shell businesses. In January, Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins said her office would develop legislation to combat shell-company problems.

 

Willamette Week Reporter Nigel Jaquiss Earns Special Recognition

Willamette Week reporter Nigel Jaquiss, a three-time Bruce Baer Award winner, was selected for Special Recognition by the award committee.

For 15 years, a Portland foster care provider operated four group homes under the name “Give Us This Day.” The state’s Department of Human Services had been lenient financially and slow to react to reports of child neglect.

In a series titled “Home Sweet Hustle,” Jaquiss revealed that “Give Us This Day” had neglected to pay creditors, employees, and the IRS. Much of the money had been diverted for personal use, and former employees told of squalid living conditions in the group homes.

Prompted by the stories, both the federal government and the Oregon Legislature have begun investigations.

About the Award: The Bruce Baer Award has been presented annually since 1978. The award honors the late Bruce Baer, a political reporter for the Portland Reporter and for 13 years with Portland’s KATU, Channel 2. The award focuses on in-depth coverage of Oregon politics and public affairs.

Stories are judged on the quality of effort in reporting, and the enterprise and courage reflected in the work.

For more information about this year's winners, the Bruce Baer Award or the Friends of Bruce Baer, contact Roger Anthony at 503-998-5509 or go online to http://journalism.uoregon.edu/brucebaer.

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Journalists Urged to Get Involved in Work of Oregon Public Records Task Force

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

Note: Les Zaitz of the Oregonian represents journalists and the Oregon Territory Chapter of SPJ on the Oregon Public Records Task Force. Here is a report on last week's task force meeting. 

TO: SPJ – Oregon Territory

FROM: Les Zaitz

Re: OREGON PUBLIC RECORDS TASK FORCE

The task force is meeting monthly with three subcommittees meeting as needed. The objective is to produce legislation to reform the Oregon Public Records Law in the 2017 session. The task force was appointed and is led by Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.

Minutes and task force materials are all available on the state Justice Department website.

The most recent meeting (April 25, 2016) focused on the issue of deadlines for public agencies to respond to records requests. The discussion shows for me the challenge that remains in reforming the law – special interest groups will jealously guard their interests, making legislative reform uncertain.

Oregon journalists need to participate in the debate over deadlines.

Under current law, agencies face no deadline. Rather, they “shall respond as soon as practicable and without unreasonable delay” and “furnish proper and reasonable opportunities” for access.

The task force focused on draft legislation from the 2016 short session in HB4130. That legislation required agencies to respond within 5 days, providing the records or otherwise explaining the records aren’t available. Within 30 days, the agency would have to provide the records, cite exemptions, or declare the agency is still gathering the records and provide an estimated date for response.

The task force discussion moved towards modifying this proposal to require an acknowledgement of a request within 5 days, more substantive action within 10 days, and a more fulsome response within 30 days.

Representatives of the cities, counties and school boards are reluctant to agree to firm deadlines. And they are opposed to creating in statute any more opening for a requester to seek a district attorney’s order to compel disclosure when a deadline isn’t met. During the discussion, these groups on one hand said their members largely provide records without delay but then said local governments might be forced to make records processing a priority over other government functions, such as issuing a building permit. They also are concerned how agencies were to handle large, complex requests to comply with deadlines. They further argued that imposing deadlines would create a rush to district attorneys, burdening those offices and their members with addressing public records petitions. They represented the district attorneys aren’t likely to support any step that creates more work for their offices.

On behalf of SPJ and Oregon journalists, I noted that the attorney general’s manual already provides as a general guide that public agencies should be able to respond to most requests within 10 days. I noted this has been the standard for some time, and that this has not produced any long line at the office of district attorneys with people filing public records petitions. I urged that we build clarity into the law for public employees, journalists and citizens with deadlines. I recommended language could be crafted to allow leeway for complex, large or disruptive requests. I also urged that any deadlines should include some consequence so public employees are on clear notice that willfully failing to obey the law will draw some action.

Some of the task force suggested that a new public records ombudsman ought to be empowered to handle disputes over timely processing.

After the meeting ended, I approached those representing local governments, asking what solution they saw for what journalists see as a real problem. Their responses continued to focus on the burden requests impose on their members and they don’t want to do anything that makes that worse.

RECOMMENDATION: SPJ members need to provide documented instances where agencies have delayed providing records. The examples need to clearly illustrate that agencies will take advantage of the vague language of existing law to procrastinate. Examples should not include unusual or complex requests where other factors cloud the reason for the delay. I welcome members to send me examples at lzaitz@oregonian.com.

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Oregon AG Rosenblum Holds Public Records Law Reform Task Force Hearing

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum will join members of the Public Records Law Reform Task Force Monday, May 9, in Eugene for the task force’s second public hearing.

The hearing is an opportunity for Oregonians to provide input on Oregon’s Public Records Laws and the work of the task force, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.

It begins at 4:30 p.m. at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, in Allen Hall, Room 141.

The task force was formed by the attorney general in September 2015 as a way to promote greater transparency in government. Its purpose is to review and recommend specific improvements to Oregon’s public records laws.

So far, the task force has focused on establishing deadlines for public bodies to respond to requests for records, and on addressing the more than 500 exemptions from public disclosure.

The task force also will examine the fees that public bodies may charge for records, and consider whether the state should create a Public Records Advocate.

All members of the media and the public are welcome to attend and testify.

Additional hearings will take place in other Oregon communities.

Comments can also be emailed to the task force at publicreocrdstaskforce@doj.stat.or.us.




At a glance:

WHAT: Public Hearing of the Public Records Law Reform Task Force
DATE: Monday, May 9
WHERE: University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, 1275 University of Oregon, Allen Hall, Room 141, in Eugene
TIME: 4:30 to 6 p.m.
MORE INFORMATION: Contact Kristina Edmunson, Oregon Attorney General’s Office, 503-378-6002

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SPJ Awards Program Set for June 18; Nominate for Top Rookie, First Freedom Award

This year's SPJ Excellence in Journalism Awards will be presented Saturday, June 18, in Seattle.

The annual awards banquet, which recognizes the best in Northwest journalism, will be part of this year's SPJ Region 10 conference.

Watch for more details soon.

In a recent blog post, Region 10 Director Ethan Chung noted: "We are still finalizing final venue information, so watch the blog in the next few weeks for further information.

"I would love to hear your thoughts on programming. What do you want to learn about? Any specific speakers or workshops you’d like to see here at this year’s conference? Please feel free to pitch me.

"Special thanks to all those who volunteered to judge contest entries. Since our regional contest is one of the largest in the country, we have to judge the entries of three other contests in return. Two of those three assignments are completed, and we should receive the third by mid-April. If you signed up to judge the contest, but haven’t received assignments yet, please sit tight. You should receive them in the next week or two."

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Nominate Your Rookie of the Year, First Freedom Award Candidates 

Now's the time to send your nominations for the Rookie of the Year and the First Freedom Award.

Rookie of the Year: This award goes to a journalist who had her or his first full-time reporting job during 2015. Internships do not count, but nominees can have been hired full-time at any point during the year.

Editors (or other co-workers) should submit a letter of recommendation and three clips.

Submissions should be sent to spjoregon@gmail.com

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. May 18.

Remember, in addition to the recognition, the Rookie of the Year winner receives a $500 cash award.

First Freedom Award: This award goes to a nonjournalist who has advocated for more open records and government in Oregon.

Examples in the past have included district attorneys, nonprofit groups and citizen bloggers. Nominations should demonstrate a tangible impact of some kind and should be sent to spjoregon@gmail.com.

The deadline also is 5 p.m. May 18.

Please forward this notice to anyone in your newsrooms who may be interested in either nominating someone for an award or attending the awards program in June.

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SPJ Event: Covering the Oregon Standoff -- Saturday, April 16

Photo courtesy of The Oregonian

Tickets are on sale now for the SPJ panel discussion "Covering the Oregon Standoff" at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Kennedy School McMenamins in Portland.

Join us for a discussion of how Oregon media covered the Malheur Wildlife Refuge takeover, lessons learned, and advice for other journalists. 

Panelists include Les Zaitz (The Oregonian), Amanda Peacher and John Sepulvado (Oregon Public Broadcasting), Wanda Moore (KTVZ), and Samantha White (Burns Times-Herald). Jeff Wohler, retired Oregonian editor, will moderate.

The event, hosted by the Oregon Territory Chapter of SPJ, is free for current SPJ members and $10 for non-members.

We'll provide food and non-alcoholic drinks. A Q&A session will follow the 90-minute panel discussion. Please stick around to socialize with your fellow journalists. There's also plenty to explore at the McMenamins Kennedy School, at 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. in Portland.

Space is limited so please reserve your seats today!

Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/covering-the-oregon-standoff-journalists-stories-tickets-23065663019

Questions? Email us at spjoregon@gmail.com.

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NEW: Monthly SPJ Happy Hour!

Photo courtesy of Petr Kratochvil/FreeStockPhotos.biz

Journos! Journalism-adjacent friends who like beer!

Come join us for drinks at the Green Dragon from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 22!

Invite your colleagues and friends! We've got two tables reserved in the bistro area near the front doors.

Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.

Green Dragon Bistro & Brew Pub is located at 928 S.E. 9th Ave. in Portland.

We're hoping to make this happy hour a monthly event (fourth Tuesday of every month, most likely) with a rotating location. Green Dragon is a very beery place with a ton of taps, but also has liquor, cider and non-alcoholic beverages as well. And food!

We hope to see you there!

Questions? Email us at spjoregon@gmail.com

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Free Watchdog Reporting Workshop from IRE, SPJ, NECIR

Northwest Journalists,

I’m reaching out from the New England Center for Investigative Reporting to share a great opportunity for journalists from your newsroom to apply to a free two-day watchdog reporting training in May.

Thanks to a grant from Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, the Society for Professional Journalists is working with Investigative Reporters and Editors and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting to offer a two-day Watchdog Reporting Workshop.

We're looking for two reporters, editors or producers from your newsroom who you believe have the desire and the potential to do in-depth investigative stories. No previous investigative reporting experience necessary. This workshop will teach the basics including how to mine the internet for information that leads to compelling stories, how to crunch data, how to conduct an investigative interview and how to investigate businesses and nonprofits.

If your team is chosen, they will be given ongoing consultation after the training to help you complete a story or investigative project. Please note: Preference will be given to newsroom teams, but individual applicants and freelance journalists are encouraged to apply.

Our 2016 Portland workshop will be held at the University of Oregon’s Portland center May 4-5.

The sessions and the follow-up training are free, thanks to the support from Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. You'll be responsible for any travel costs.

To nominate a team for this opportunity, complete this form. The deadline for the Portland workshop is April 1, 2016.

If you’d like any more information, please let me know.

Thank you!

Jill


Jillian Saftel
Training Manager
New England Center for Investigative Reporting
617-353-5391
www.necir.org

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SPJ Contest Deadline Extended to Feb. 20

From the desk of Ethan Chung, SPJ's Region 10 Director:

BREAKING NEWS: Contest deadline extended!

To help everyone get their entries completed in time, we’ve extended the 2015 Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest deadline to Saturday, Feb. 20, at 5 p.m. PST.

For more details on the rules and guidelines, visit the contest website or contact our contest committee. Please read instructions carefully before entering the contest.

We are also still accepting volunteers to help judge out-of-state contest entries. Sign up with this Google form.

We look forward to seeing your great work. Good luck!

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SPJ Journalism Contest Now Open; Entry Deadline Is Feb. 15

By Ethan Chung

The 2015 SPJ Northwest Excellence in Journalism Contest is officially open for applications!

If you are a journalist working for professional print, broadcast, or online media in SPJ Region 10 (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Montana), we’d love to see your work.

Based on member and entrant feedback from last year, the 2015 contest committee has implemented several changes.

Some things to know:

• Region 10 is working with a new contest vendor this year. We are hoping this change leads to more user-friendly interface and improves communication with contestants.
• All entries, including General Excellence, can only be submitted digitally.
• All entries this year are $20 for regular categories, and $50 for General Excellence.
• We have combined the Non-daily and Alt Weekly categories to make them more competitive.
• We have added a new daily print category: DAILY Very Large (A daily print and/or online publication with staff of 41 or more).

The daily print competition is now as follows:

• DAILY-Small: A daily print and/or online publication with staff of 10 or fewer
• DAILY-Medium: A daily print and/or online publication with staff of 11-25
• DAILY-Large: A daily print and/or online publication with staff of 26-40
• DAILY-Very Large: A daily print and/or online publication with staff of 41 or more

We have added more visual categories to better recognize the work of visual journalists.

The contest deadline: Feb. 15, 2016 at 5 p.m. PST.

Winners will be announced later this year on the Region 10 blog.

If you have questions, contact us at spjnwcontest@gmail.com.

To enter, and for more rules and information, click here.

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