Tuesday, January 31, 2012

U.S. Marshals respond to RCFP mugshot access request


Colleagues,

Click Here, to view the letter
To the right is a copy of the U. S. Marshals' response to the letter sent earlier this month by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press inquiring about access to federal booking mug shots.  Not surprisingly, they did not provide much of a response beyond that they do not comment on "live issues that are raised in ongoing litigation."

As we discussed at our Associated Press Media Editors board meeting in New York, please let me know if any of your reporters are experiencing any problems getting federal mug shots.


Send a short note to me:
Teri Hayt
Managing Editor
Arizona Daily Star
thayt@azstarnet.com

OR

Mark R. Caramanica
FOI Director
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22209
mcaramanica@rcfp.org
 (Ph.): (703) 807-2100 (Fax): (703) 807-2109

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Have an idea for a great public service initiative that needs a funding boost?

If you're with a small-media company, then you should apply for the Community Journalism Public Service Initiative from the Associated Press Media Editors.

Media companies in metropolitan areas (MSA) of 100,000 or fewer people are encouraged to apply for the first-ever grant. The recipient will receive $1,000 to jump-start the initiative and a trip to the annual APME conference to present the project.

"APME is proud to roll out this new opportunity for smaller media outlets," said Bob Heisse, APME president and executive editor of the Centre Daily Times in State College, PA. "We look forward to hearing about and sharing what the winner accomplishes."

It's easy to enter: Just draft a proposal of 500 words or less and include examples of how you would approach the project. It should be multiplatform, include social media and address a long-standing community issue.

To apply, go to http://www.tfaforms.com/232227 and fill out the online form. The deadline for applications is Feb. 26. The grant will be awarded in March.

Here are more details:

The Grant: A $1,000 grant will be given to a small-media company for a public service project that addresses a long-standing community issue. If results are shown, a representative also would receive an expenses-paid trip (up to $1,000) to the APME conference in September in Nashville,Tenn.

Eligibility: The media company must have a website and serve a metropolitan area (MSA) of 100,000 or fewer people. Preference will be given to Associated Press members.

Expectations: The project should use print and digital platforms and include social media and/or a mobile strategy. It should be considered entrepreneurial and should have the potential to be used elsewhere, including by a larger media company. Even though the project can be an ongoing series and continue after the APME conference, there will an expectation that a part of the project will be published before Aug. 1. The Innovator/Great Ideas Committee will contact the grant recipient in early August to determine progress on the initiative.

To apply: Go to http://www.tfaforms.com/232227 to submit your proposal of 500 words or less, including examples of how you would tackle the project. The form will also prompt you to give your company’s newsroom staffing, website page views per month and your newspaper’s circulation or audience size.

Deadline: Feb. 26. The winner will be notified in March.

For more information, contact Joe Hight at jhight@opubco.com or David Arkin at darkin@corp.gatehousemedia.com

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

AP stands above pack -- again

The Associated Press again shined last Saturday night and Sunday morning when again some news outlets put out a false death report on Joe Paterno.
 
AP's guidelines are to be followed. We can learn a lot.
 
APME soon will announce social media credibility webinars that will help editors. And we will really tackle this issue at the APME conference in Nashville in September.
 
Details to come. But first, let's commend AP for the way it handles these situations.
 
 
-- Bob Heisse

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Achieving a Facebook milestone

It took awhile -- months, many months -- before we started moving the needle on Facebook. Journalism organization aren't the rage on Facebook, as you might notice.
 
But APME marketing committee co-chairs Dennis Anderson and Laura Sellers Earl don't give up easily. They take charge, and one of their goals has been to grow our Facebook page.
 
A milestone was achieved last night when the Associated Press Media Editors page topped 500 friends.
 
 
Impressive, since we seemed so stuck around 200 to 250. Next stop 1,000, but that's another blog item.
 
We'll recognize this milestone and note that it comes at a great time, just before our board meeting in New York next weekend. We'll have several great announcements for journalists after that meeting, and Facebook will hear about every one.
 
Join us on Facebook if you haven't. Encourage your journalist friends to do so. Thanks for being our friend.
 
-- Bob Heisse
 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Great lineup for NewsTrain

Phoenix, Miami, Toronto, Chapel Hill.
 
What a great lineup for NewsTrain 2012. If you're in or near those great locations, plan for some of the best journalism training that you can experience.
 
Led by Michael Roberts, NewsTrain is in its ninth year and is as strong as ever. Workshops will be planned entirely based on the wants and needs of journalists in those communities.
 
Take a look and mark your calendars. Hope to see you at a NewsTrain this year.
 

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Let's make 2012 great

A belated Happy New Year from APME.
 
We have have high hopes for 2012 -- starting with our new name and our outreach to broadcasters, college educators and students. We have great plans for 2012, with all leading to Nashville in September.
 
Here's our magazine, telling a bit about what's coming.
 
 
Stay tuned for announcements on NewsTrain sites, webinars, a new contest for smaller newspapers and broadcast sites, some new APME contest categories and more.
 
We'd love for you to join us, and if you do you'll get discounts that more than pay for your membership.
 
 
Let's make 2012 great. 
 
-- Bob Heisse