Welcome to SPJ Leading Edge, a blog built just for chapter leaders. You’ll find tools and information to help build, grow and sustain active and successful chapters, the very backbone of SPJ. We’ll highlight programs, provide “best practices” for things like finance and governance and answer some of the most popular leadership questions. Contact Tara Puckey, SPJ Chapter Coordinator, for anything and everything chapter related.
Posts Tagged ‘Brian Eckert’
Winter brings programming cash for two chapters
By Tara Puckey, SPJ Chapter Coordinator | December 20th, 2012
Congratulations to the two chapters receiving Chapter Grants for the month of December!
The campus SPJ chapter at Truman State University will be taking an in-depth look at crime reporting during their upcoming program “Inside look: Crime and emergency response reporting.” The chapter was awarded a $250 grant to partner with area emergency responders, including the University police, local police department and Sheriff’s office to “host a panel and a mock press conference to help the community better understand what happens during a criminal investigation as well as an emergency response situation.
The Virginia Pro chapter also received $250 for their program celebrating George Mason’s birthday. The program, which included a public reading of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and a lecture by Ashley Messenger, associate general counsel of National Public Radio, took place on Dec. 16.
Left to right, Julie Asher, Paul Fletcher, Caroline Cardwell and Brian Eckert read during a wreath-laying ceremony at the George Mason Memorial Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011.
Does your chapter want free money? There are still several opportunities to apply for one of SPJ’s Chapter Grants, where your chapter could receive up to $500 for unique and creative programming ideas. The next deadline is Jan. 9 so apply today!
North Carolina is back
By Tara Puckey, SPJ Chapter Coordinator | November 12th, 2012
Received this great info from April Dudash of the recently refreshed North Carolina Pro chapter:
Seventeen reporters and editors from the North Carolina Triangle area met Nov. 7 in Raleigh to kickstart the N.C. SPJ Pro Chapter.
Special guest SPJ President-Elect and public records expert Dave Cuillier spoke to the group about soft and hard tactics to use when trying to gain access to public records.
He recommended that journalists carve out an hour a week to submit public records requests.
“If half of those work out, that’s 26 kick-butt stories,” Cuillier said.
Other meeting participants included Brian Eckert, Region 2 director, Frank Barrows, president of the Charlotte Pro Chapter, and adviser Bobby Hayes and two students representing the High Point University Student Chapter.