Spot News

VOLUME 17, NO. 2 OCTOBER 2010

A publication of the East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists

http://etspj.org

Panel discussion will focus on media access to sports programs

The question of access to athletics departments was all over the Internet after behind-the-scenes video of former University of Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffins Jan. 12 departing press conference became a YouTube sensation. Now some key players in that video will address sports reporting and access to sports programs at a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in the Communications Building auditorium on the UT campus. Participating will be Bill Shory, news director for WBIR-TV; Phil Kaplan, executive sports editor for the Knoxville News Sentinel; Bud
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26 Where: Where Auditorium, third floor, Communications Building, University of Tennessee campus. (Ground floor if coming in from Circle Park.) arking: Parking: In Circle Park, Lot 9 or metered spaces along Volunteer and Phillip Fulmer Way

Ford, UTs associate athletic director for media relations; and Jimmy Stanton, UTs associate athletic director for communications. Brent Hubbs of volquest.com has also been invited. WATE-TV reporter Don Dare, a member of the board of directors

of ETSPJ, will moderate the panel. Shory was recognized earlier this month with the 2010 SPJ Ethics in Journalism Award for taking a stand on the right of the media to film and report the Jan. 12 press conference. He and Dare, who won a Sigma Delta Chi investigative reporting award for Protecting Patients, a story he did with Dave Wignall, both received awards at the Society of Professional Journalists national convention in Las Vegas the first week in October. For more information, contact Elenora Edwards, 865-457-5459 or elenora1971@gmail.com.

Regional Conference tentatively set for Nashville, March

At SPJs national convention earlier this month, Region 12 director Sonny Albarado announced that Nashville will host the 2011 Region 12 conference, probably March 26 (though Albarado noted that the date may change). The venue hasnt yet been chosen, Albarado said. At the regional meeting during the national covention, Albarado also reported on action by SPJs National Board cracking down on chapters that dont meet minimum requirements. Two chapters were put on probation, and three have been termed inactive. National is also working on star rankings for student chapters to make them more in line with how professional chapters are ranked. -- Jean Ash

Pulitzer-winning reporter gives talk...and gives back to journalism

Gilbert speaks to ETSPJ group, and announces generous donation
When Bristol Herald Courier reporter Daniel Gilbert began researching a sources tip about local natural-gas royalty mismanagement, winning his newspaper a Pulitzer Price for public service reporting was hardly his objective. Rather, he wanted to find out whether energy corporations were in noncompliance of depositing funds into state-controlled escrow accounts set up to pay Southwest Virginia property owners. He found his answer, which resulted in legislation to help landowners collect funds. And he picked up a Pulitzer, as well as a National Journalism Award, along the way. Gilbert, 28, spoke Sept. 23 to an audience of about 30 at an ETSPJsponsored event. He described the investigative tools that led to his award-winning eight-part series. I kind of knew the questions I wanted to ask and the data that I had access to, but I didnt really know how to do it in a comprehensive way, Gilbert said. He said he and his editor lobbied the newspapers publisher to fund Gilberts participation in a six-day Investigative Reporters and Editors boot camp, held three times a year at the University of Missouri. According to Gilbert, the

COMING UP
Oct. 26: Program on media access to sports programs, 7 p.m., UT Communications Building auditorium Nov Nov. 30: ETSPJ Holiday Party, Cherokee Bluff Clubhouse March March 25-26: Tentative date for Region 12 Conference, Nashville

report Pultizer Prize-winning reporter Gilbert to Daniel Gilber t speaks to a packed room packed room at UTs Scripps Convergence Lab. Conv publishers support helped unlock discoveries and answers. I learned to write queries and use database managers that the IRE uses, Gilbert said. Its kind of like walking into a room that you never knew existed and looking around and realizing all the different things you can do with it. It really opened up a lot of different frontiers for my own reporting and was an important part of the reporting that ended up being this series. In Gilberts case, the newly acquired reporting tools yielded both analysis and answers. Instead of just raising the potential for it, I was actually able to answer the question, Where is actual compliance, he said. I didnt have to take anyones word for it; you let the data talk. SEE GILBERT, PAGE 8

Feb. 28: Deadline for Golden Press Card Award entries (details coming soon!) April 29: Golden Press Card Awards banquet, L&N Station

TO BE ANNOUNCED: Novembers program will provide training on social media and ethics. Watch your email and etspj.org for information. Find us on Facebook: Tennessee East Tennessee Society Society of Professional Journalists Prof ofessional

# SPECIAL CONVENTION COVERAGE #

Celeb columnist gives the Vegas scoop
Sin Citys Ace Insider, columnist Norm Clarke, is on the speed-dials of most doormen, bouncers, valets and strippers in Las Vegas, who tip him off to which celebrity is doing what, and where. Clarke held his audience in rapt attention at the 2010 SPJ Convention Oct. 4 in Las Vegas during his session, Five things to do in Vegas before you leave. But he told the group a lot more than that. Clarke has been the gossip columnist for The Las Vegas Review-Journal for more than a decade, and its a far cry from his previous journalism career with the Associated Press in Cincinnati, San Diego and Los Angeles. He also worked at the now-closed Rocky Mountain News. Hes sensitive about, but resigned to, the gossip moniker, saying he works his celebrity beat seriously and professionally and with a bit of humor. I approach it like a cop reporter or a regular reporter, he said. You hear it, you chase it, and youll get a great story . Asked how he prepares for a celebrity interview, Clarke said theres no secret formula: I Google always ask about that. He likes to ask celebs for their favorite Vegas story. Sometimes the simplest questions hit gold, he said. He reminisced about the old days in Vegas when the Rat Pack dominated the entertainment scene and told some stories about Sinatra, JFK and the Mob. The current celeb he would most like to interview indepth is Lady Gaga. She really fascinates me. Is she manufactured? Are those really her quotes? Is she another Madonna? Is she really sharp, or what? SEE CLARKE, PAGE 8

Columnist Norm Clarke Clark shows the gloves hed worn shows glov worn as pallbearer at Tony Curtis ony Ton Curtis funeral earlier that day. day

the person. And since theyre always promoting their next project, you can

TE-T report WATE-T V repor ter Don Dare receives investigative reporting receives the investigative repor ting ard from Ke award from Kevin Smith, president Society Prof ofessional of the Society of Professional Journalists, on Oct. 2 at the Sigma Awards banque uet Delta Chi Awards banquet in Las banque uet Vegas. The banquet preceded the 201 opening of the 2010 National Conference Journalism Conference sponsored SPJ. Foundation, by SPJ. The SDX Foundation, which sponsors awards program, sponsors the awards program, is SPJs SPJs educational and fundraising organization.

news director Shory WBIR news director Bill Shor y, with wife wife Michelle, holds the Ethics in Award presented by Journalism Award presented by the Society Prof ofessional national Society of Professional Journalists at the presidents banque uet installation banquet Oct. 5 in Las Shory received award for Vegas. Shor y received the award for by resisting initial restrictions placed by University niver Tennessee Athle thletics the University of Tennessee Athletics Department former foo ootball Depar tment on former football coach Kiff news conference Lane Kiffins news conference in departure to which he announced his depar ture to California. Southern California.

ex cards Jigsha Desai exchanges cards with ynot speaker Rob Curley keynote speaker Rob Curley, who led Re-imagining News the Re-imagining News Super was Session on Oct. 5. Desai was chosen to attend conv as one of six to attend the convention part SPJs Diver ersity Leadership as par t of SPJs Diversity Leadership ellows Program. Fellows Program.

# SPECIAL CONVENTION COVERAGE # Sessions detailed freelancing success

Build brand, manage time, use technology, speakers said
Responding to the current journalism job market, SPJ convention planners offered a profusion of sessions aimed at business aspects of full-time freelance writing. Two of the sessions that I attended featured highly successful free-agent writers- one claiming net income of more than $100,000 last year - who emphasized the business aspects of freelancing. Maya Payne Smart and Matt Villano described strategies that they credited with building comfortable annual incomes for them over the past several years. Each pointed out that good reporting and writing are essential, with reporting skills taking precedence over writing. Among the advice they offered for serious freelancers: Think like an entrepreneur, which involves marketing yourself to find clients, consistently producing good work, budgeting, invoicing clients, and collecting payments. Build a brand by creating an identity for yourself and your work. Smart says she distributes a one-page, forward-looking resume, rather than a detailed work history, and avoids timeconsuming traditional query letters in favor of a short letter of introduction that focuses on what she can offer a potential client. She posts a complete resume, list of specialty areas and work samples on her personal website or at WritingCoach.com, which she operates. Both speakers acknowledged the importance of a personal website. Smart said that she paid a designer $1,000 to design her site several years ago but advised against making that expenditure today, saying content-management system templates look just as good and work as well. Other suggestions for brand building included developing expertise in one or more specialty coverage areas. Smart has built a reputation in smallbusiness and personal finance and education, while Villano specializes in outdoor and travel writing. Items as simple as your photograph on a website,

PHOT BY DORO BOWLES PHOTO BY DOROTHY BOWLES Smart tells freelancers how to mark May Pa Maya Payne Smar t tells freelancers how to market themxpertise. exper dev ersifying diver selves selves and suggests diversifying and developing exper tise.

an engaging URL like WritingCoach.com, and distinctive business cards help set you apart from other journalists. Blogging can help create a personal identity, but neither speaker thought frequent blogging produced a good return on time invested. One niche, multiple expressions. In other words, diversify. Make the time spent on research pay multiple dividends by devising different angles and stories for two or more publications. Also try to negotiate more money for

writing accompanied by photographs or other multimedia treatments. Other forms of diversification, especially for freelancers who specialize, are writing books, coaching writers and editors and speaking engagements. Both Smart and Villano noted that the monetary return on time invested for book authorship is rarely good, but a book can build a freelancers reputation and open doors for other SEE FREELANCE, PAGE 5

# SPECIAL CONVENTION COVERAGE #

Local journalists attended the presidents installation banquet Oct. 5 at the National Convention in Las Vegas, at which Bill Shory, third from right with wife Michelle, received his Ethics in Journalism Award. Also on hand for the dinner, from left, were East Tennessee Pro Chapter members Georgiana Vines, Dorothy Bowles, Jighsa Desai, and Jean Ash.

FREELANCE
Page From Page 4 writing assignments and speaking fees. Charge professional rates for your services. Dont work for peanuts. Avoid contracting with websites that want free content or pay pennies per word. The Holy Grail of freelancing today is $1 per word, with some publications (almost always print, rather than online pubs) paying up to $1.50 per word. Both Smart and Villano acknowledge that they sometimes accept assignments for less than $1 but usually only if other factors exist - like a longstanding relationship with an editor or expectations of lucrative future assignments. When hourly rates are more appropriate for a particular job, the going rate ranges from $40 to $60 per hour or $500 a day for corporate clients. Smart and Villano suggested that freelancers do a cost-benefit analysis and realistically estimate the time a job will require before agreeing to a comprehensive price and to aim for a total within $40 to $60 per hour. Develop an efficient timemanagement system. Smart showed examples of Excel spreadsheets she uses to track time she spends on each component of multiple simultaneous projects that she is working on, as well a system for invoicing and collecting. Villano organizes his billing and collecting with various Zoho online applications and uses toggl.com for time management. Smart says she saves time by never researching or writing a complete story on spec, but she does allow time on most days for exercise. Learn about copyright law, good accounting practices and tax rules and regulations, and budget for professional advice when needed. Consider the pros and cons of incorporating your business. Stay motivated. Earning enough money to pay monthly bills with profit left over is strong motivation for any writer. Start each day by working on something that will definitely produce money. Research subjects and tell stories that you care about, but be willing to tackle less inspiring assignments that produce paychecks. Renting an office and painting it hot pink helped motivate Maya Smart, she said. -- Dorothy Bowles

# SPECIAL CONVENTION COVERAGE #

Social media: Ethical standards still apply
Using Facebook and Twitter is a fast way of gathering and reporting the news but still requires verification and journalistic standards, a panel agreed at the Society of Professional Journalists national convention in Las Vegas. Authentication still needs to be done, said Elizabeth Donald, reporter, Edwardsville (Ill.) NewsDemocrat. We need to be making sure that what Twitter says is true. She was one of three speakers at a session, Mining Facebook, Twitter, Etc.: The Ethical Side of It, during SPJs National Journalism Conference on Oct. 3-5. Other panelists were Jerry Ceppos, dean, Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno, and Stacey Woelfel, past chair, Radio Television Digital News Association. Moderator was Jane Kirtley, Silha professor of media ethics and law, University of Minnesota. Donald said her newspaper is owned by the McClatchy Co., a newspaper and Internet publisher, which has no formal code on dealing with social media. But she said she feels the standards are stricter now because reporters always have to identify themselves and not misrepresent who they are under any circumstances. She also addressed a lingering question of whether journalists are compromising themselves if they friend news sources, particularly politicians. To friend doesnt mean you endorse them, she said. Ceppos said he did not believe journalists should friend sources. Yes, you are a journalist 24-7, he said. Journalists should not have signs in their yards for candidates, he said. Kirtley said there may be different ethical standards in the use of public domain but journalists should always remember to treat people with dignity and respect. A member of the audience asked if media should use any aspect of a teenagers Facebook page as part of its reporting. Woelfel said it was important to verify everything. If we maintain standards of quality, there is an appeal (to) this. As individuals we have great brand names. (The public) still trusts us, he said. Kirtley told the group to remember traditional journalists are not the only players now. There are a lot of content providers who never heard of codes of ethics and probably dont care. Woelfels Radio Television Digital News Foundation has developed guidelines for social media and blogging, which were made available at the session. They give pointers for determining truth and fairness, accountability and transparency, and image and reputation. They are available at www.rtnda.org/pages/media_items/ social-media-and-bloggingguidelines1915.php?id=1915. -- Georgiana Vines

ETSPJ member to coordinate regional 2011 Mark of Excellence Awards

Longtime East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists member Jean Ash will coordinate the Region 12 Mark of Excellence awards for 2011. The annual awards honor the best in student journalism. They offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism. Regional award winners will be honored at the spring conference in Nashville. First-place regional winners are forwarded on to the national competition. The contest is open to anyone enrolled in a U.S. college or university studying for an academic degree in 2010. Students who have had full-time, professional journalism experience, outside of internships, are not eligible. Entries must have been published or broadcast during the 2010 calendar year. For information, contact Jean at jeanash@comcast.net.

Jean Ash

Pellissippi students thankful for scholarships

faculty advisor, teacher or recognized professional, such as an employer. Lilly is interested in journalism involving It may seem that Gene video production. She Patterson, WATE-TV6 says she is drawn news anchor, and Ariel especially to documentary Dreher, a freshman script writing. studying journalism at I so enjoy writing, Pellissippi State Technical Sarah Lilly Ariel Dreher Lilly said. With a Community College, documentary script, I can would have little in I got a letter in the be more creative than if journalism would have common other than their mail notifying me of the Im writing a newspaper fewer options for media career paths. Not scholarship, said Lilly. I article. My grandmother so. Both are connected to financial assistance in was really shocked. When was a published poet, and pursuing their degrees. a Pellissippi State I first started school, I my great-grandfather was Dreher says she hopes scholarship established by was struggling. Im so a writer. I just naturally to make her career in the East Tennessee thankful for the have a love of writing. magazines, telling the Society of Professional assistance, because I Lilly also has a love for stories of others. Journalists and wouldnt be able to go to Pellissippi State. Meanwhile, she has her administered by the Everyone here goes own unique story: one of school otherwise. Pellissippi State Lilly is also the above and beyond, she nine children, she is Foundation. recipient of two said. Teachers will take enrolled at Pellissippi Patterson was recently additional scholarships time to help you, even on State simultaneously with the honoree at the Front through the Pellissippi their lunch hours. They both of her parents. Page Follies, a truly care about the The ETSPJ Scholarship State Foundation: the fundraising dinner, students. means a lot to Dreher and Access and Diversity auction and stage show Scholarship and another Being here has her family, she says. that spoofs area journalism-oriented changed my life. It has I couldnt believe it newsmakers. And Dreher given me so much selfis Pellissippi States most when I was notified about award, the Thomas, Blocher, King esteem. Now I feel like I being selected, said recent student to be Scholarship. can really do something. Dreher. To think that awarded the journalism The ETSPJ Scholarship, For scholarship scholarship. ETSPJ hosts there is a scholarship that which has been offered information, contact is specialized to my the annual Front Page each fall at Pellissippi Peggy Wilson, vice major, thats really Follies in order to raise State since 1996, is president of College money for scholarships to comforting. designed for students Advancement and Sarah Lilly is also a be awarded to students Pellissippi State recipient pursuing a career in print executive director of the such as Dreher. Pellissippi State of the ETSPJ Scholarship. or electronic journalism. Were it not for the To be considered, an Foundation, at 865-694Like Dreher, she professional societys applicant must be a 6403 or expressed surprise and honoring and spoofing Tennessee resident and foundationoffice@pstcc.edu. gratitude when she media veterans such as -- Juli Neil, learned that she had been must submit a Patterson, local recommendation from a Pellissippi State newcomers to the field of selected for the award.

Recipient wouldnt be able to go to school otherwise

2406 Belt Road Knoxville, TN 37920

CLARKE
Page From Page 3 Clarke noted that Las Vegas has been greatly damaged by the recession and that gaming, which used to provide 75 percent of revenues, is now under 50 percent, replaced somewhat by high-end shopping. Not for many decades will Las Vegas reach its previous heights, he said. As the session ended, Clarke pulled out a pair of white gloves from his pocket and put them on. He had worn them just hours earlier when he served as a pallbearer in the funeral of Tony Curtis. Curtis was a guy that you met once, he would hail you and chat; it was never like an interview. He was like a buddy, Clarke said. He described several of the two dozen items placed with Curtis in his coffin: a photo of a son who had predeceased him, ashes from his dog, Jack, whom he had rescued from the desert, a gold coin, a saber, his favorite white Stetson hat and one Percocet. -- Jean Ash

ETSPJ BOARD YOUR ETSPJ BOARD

President: Elenora E. Edwards President-Elect: Amanda Womac tary: Secretar Secretar y: Megan Venable Smith Treasurer: Dorothy Bowles Board members: Board members: Patrick Beeson Mark Boxley Kristi Nelson Bumpus Don Dare Erin Donovan Matt Shafer Powell Georgiana Vines Contact us: elenora1971@gmail.com nelsonk@knoxnews.com

GILBERT GILBERT
Page From Page 2 While the Pulitzer for public service earned the newspaper a gold medal, the National Journalism Award included a $10,000 prize for Gilbert. He donated the money to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. Even before I won anything, I thought, Id like to contribute to other rural journalists, in small news organizations, capacity to use skills like this, so they can open up stories they couldnt otherwise get at, he said. The University of Kentucky, which houses the IRJCI, matches endowment donations, and Gilberts money will create a $20,000 Fund for Rural Computer-Assisted Reporting (RCAR). The scholarship will help rural journalists attend similar workshops, which can cost upward of $550 per person. For more information about the IRE computer-assisted reporting workshops, visit www.ire.org -- Elizabeth Hendrickson