Monthly Archives: May 2019

Attorney James Friedman of Godfrey & Kahn has been appointed to the Wisconsin Public Records Board.

Friedman is an attorney for the WBA State Legal Hotline. He also sits on the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and recently served on the Study Committee on the Use of Police Body Cameras representing newspapers and broadcasters.

The board is responsible for the preservation of state records. State agencies must have written approval from the board to dispose of records.

The appointment was made by Gov. Tony Evers.

Checklists are a good way to avoid making simple mistakes, and this can also apply to journalism and broadcast newsrooms. If you want to up your game, consider using a checklist.

Need convincing? Check out this article from the Knight-Cronkite News Lab.

The article outlines a number of checklists journalists can use to make sure they’re getting the job done each day.

The topic of mental health is difficult to avoid, especially when covering the news.

Poynter recently published some questions for journalists to consider when covering mental health.

It’s a difficult issue to talk about and to report on, but this article will give you some ideas to think about.

Fox 6 (WITI-TV) Vice President of News John LaPorte is moving to Seattle to lead the newsroom at KIRO.

LaPorte has been at Fox 6 for seven years and before that served as news director at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. He has more than 30 years of experience in local TV management and production.

At KIRO La Porte will lead a team of more than 100 journalists.

LaPorte’s first day in Seattle will be June 17.

John LaPorte

How much website traffic are you getting from Twitter?

The Philadelphia Inquirer tried putting less effort into Twitter to see what would happen, and found that referral traffic wasn’t affected.

Twitter is a place for influencers and plays an important role in journalism, but if you’re counting on it generating traffic for your newsroom’s website, you might want to check your stats to see if you’re getting what you thought.

What do you do when you’re working with a public information officer who’s not interested in sharing public information?

This article from Columbia Journalism Review suggests that journalists should challenge obstructive PIOs.

One way to challenge PIOs is to publicize when when PIOs are withholding information or refusing to answer questions.

Are you looking to up your writing game? No time to spend a few days at a conference?

RTDNA just posted some writing tips from an expert: KUSA-TV investigative reporter Chris Vanderveen. Check them out here.

One tip that’s important for all writers: “Understand that writing is an art no one has perfected. Every writer is learning. It’s OK to fail. It’s not OK to fail to try (that would make a lame bumper sticker).”

A survey shows that more local TV stations are making sure they’re staying ahead of new technology and promoting innovation.

The survey from RTDNA and Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University said newsrooms are adding digital platforms, OTT options, and drones.

There was a strong emphasis on innovation on digital platforms than on over-the-air, according to the survey.

The topic of investigative reporting will be featured during both days of the WBA Summer Conference in June. The conference will be held June 12-13 at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake.

A session on Wednesday titled “Investigative Reporting – Every Day” will be lead by Anne Pappe from WKBT-TV in La Crosse and Kevin Benz from i-Media Strategies. They will talk about structuring your newsroom around daily investigative reporting.

On Thursday the WBA Young Professionals Committee is hosting its “Toolbox” event where they will also be talking about investigative reporting. WITI-TV Investigative Reporter Bryan Polcyn will be the presenter at the morning session.

If you’d like to come, be sure to register, and if you want to stay overnight at the Osthoff, you need to make your hotel reservations by Monday.

Poynter is offering a tuition-free Poynter workshop in Chicago on June 6-7 that will teach journalists how to cover the 2020 Census.

The workshop is geared towards newsrooms in the Great Lakes region. This is the last Census workshop planned before the Supreme Court ruling on the citizenship question.

The training will better prepare your newsroom to cover that issue and many others related to the census.

One night at a hotel will be covered, thanks to the Joyce Foundation. There may be additional travel stipends available.

Interested reporters need to apply ASAP – on or before Wednesday.