Monthly Archives: November 2018

A 30 year veteran of TV news describes himself as a “true believer” in social media and is sharing his Facebook tips with other journalists.

Boyd Huppert works for KARE-TV in Minneapolis and will be the keynote speaker at the WBA Student Seminar on March 2.

Was was interviewed for an article that appeared today on Advancing the Story where he shared his Facebook tips and a prime example of how his tips work. It’s worth a read.

Boyd Huppert

Attorney David Oxenford is drawing attention to a session at the WBA Broadcasters Clinic last month that focused on safety and security for broadcasters and broadcast stations. Oxenford was a member of the session panel and wrote about the session today on his blog.

In his blog post, Oxenford said security is an issue for all broadcasters, no matter what market you’re in:

“Two of the panelists discussed their experiences, one a shooting at a small community-run radio station and the second an intruder making threats and smashing station property in broad daylight at a small market TV station. These incidents, beyond simply raising questions of employee safety, raise both practical and legal issues for all broadcasters.”

Oxenford said the topic is an important one because the solutions aren’t always clear.

“These are not easy decisions, and there are no clear answers as to what stations need to do to keep their employees safe on the job, while still interacting with the community to provide the localism on which broadcasting thrives.”

Oxenford advocates for planning.

“Stations should be thinking about how to ensure a safe workplace, and taking active measures to reduce risks. Some companies have already started to review social media accounts of their stations and their on-air employees to try to identify threats early – as some online remarks may be indicative of real potential threats to station personnel.”

His full blog post is here.

You can watch a video of the session here.

The Madison chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce that UW-Madison journalism students with unpaid or underpaid internships will be the recipient of proceeds from the annual Holiday Party and Raffle.

Money from the raffle will go into the annual fund of the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication and set aside to support students who are pursuing journalism and taking unpaid positions.

“Journalism internships help provide real-world learning opportunities that are vital for students going into the profession after graduation,” said Hemant Shah, department chair of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “Sometimes, taking internships can be costly for our students so we really appreciate SPJ’s contribution to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication internship scholarships fund. The gift clearly demonstrates SPJ’s enduring commitment to excellence in journalism and to journalism education.”

The annual party and raffle, which will be held at the Argus Bar, 123 E. Main St. in Madison, is open to all journalism and journalism supporters. To take part in supporting journalism students, please consider donating a raffle prize. Contact SPJ members Breann Schossow and Briana Reilly at spjmadisononline@gmail.com for details on donating.

To get the latest news and updates, RSVP to the event on Facebook.

The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) has released a new document aimed at helping journalists, newsroom managers, and station management with both common and uncommon ethical and operational situations.

The “Guidelines for Journalists” is available here. It’s also now easy to find on the WBA Newsroom website. Look for the link under “Newsroom Tips.”

The guidelines have been prepared by journalists, managers, and subject-area experts, and have been vetted by the RTDNA Ethics Committee.

Did you know that state lawmakers aren’t subject to the same public records laws that all other government agencies in Wisconsin are subject to?

It’s true and it’s a loophole that’s been around for a long time.

This report from WITI reporter Amanda St. Hilaire brings new attention to this loophole. She tested the rules to see what records she could get from state lawmakers.

This story got the attention of the President of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Bill Lueders, who shared ti with the Council and its supporters.

How’s your relationship with the local police department?

This article from RTDNA is about how to combat the “PIO problem.” It suggests ways to get to a story without relying on the PIO and ideas for maintaining a healthy relationship with your PIO, keeping in mind that your job is to cover crime and the department.

As the article says, “They are not in charge of you, they’re not your boss, they cannot determine what you do as a reporter.”