Too much bad news can make it harder for audiences to stay tuned, but what if journalism could do more to empower audiences to make their communities better?
That’s the idea behind this article which highlights four stories that demonstrate how stories an empower audiences to take action.
A webinar coming up next week goes deeper on this issue. Learn more here.
Anchors and producers have a relationship that can make or break a newscast. That’s why turning the relationship into a valued partnership is critical.
WBA Hall of Famer Jill Geisler wrote this article sharing 5 secrets to great anchor/producer partnerships.
If you want to learn more in person, scroll to the bottom of the article where Jill writes about an anchor/producer leadership summit on July 10-12 at Loyola University Chicago.
Wisconsin’s District II Court of Appeals Wednesday morning released a decision affirming the right of requesters to receive records in electronic form. The court affirmed an earlier circuit court ruling that reached the same conclusion.
This was a case that Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council Co-Vice President Christa Westerberg filed on behalf of FOIC President Bill Lueders in 2016. He called it a major win for records requesters in Wisconsin.
The decision was unanimous and recommended for publication.
“The ruling rejects the excuses conjured up by the custodians in this case to deny access to records in electronic form and clearly establishes that electronic records contain additional information beyond what is provided with printed paper copies,” Lueders wrote. “It should end all doubt that requesters who ask for records in electronic form — often the simplest way to provide them — are entitled to receive records in electronic form.”
When University of Wisconsin-Madison student journalist Peter Coutu investigated frequent lottery winners in Wisconsin in 2018, he uncovered a pattern: the owners and clerks of stores that sell lottery tickets seemed to have more luck than normal.
In his article for Wisconsin Watch, Coutu consulted a statistical expert, who concluded that the lucky streaks among some of the frequent winners of the Wisconsin Lottery defied any reasonable explanation.
In all, Coutu found that three of the top 13 frequent winners had close ties to the retailers selling them the winning tickets. Another expert noted in the article that retailers get a cut of the winnings, providing additional temptation to cheat.
When Coutu joined the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia, later in 2018, he conducted a similar investigation. He found that many of the frequent winners in that state also were lottery retailers. One, the owner of a Newport News store, had cashed in 140 lottery tickets worth more than $400,000, including 23 tickets purchased at his own store.
The findings prompted policy changes in the Virginia Lottery, including scrutiny of frequent lottery winners — which Wisconsin already does — and a requirement that winners disclose any ties to lottery retailers. It also sparked criminal investigations into some potentially fraudulent winnings.
But such independent examination of suspicious lottery activity would no longer be possible in Wisconsin under the recently introduced Lottery Privacy Act. AB 213, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Bonduel, would allow winners to shield their names from the public.
In announcing the bill, Tauchen said he was responding to concerns that jackpot winners could be targeted for fraud, abuse and harassment. “Just because you win the lottery,” Vos said, “it shouldn’t mean you lose your right to privacy.”
Virginia recently passed a bill to shield the names of some lottery winners — but only those who claimed a ticket worth $10 million or more. In 2017, Texas allowed lottery winners of $1 million or more to conceal their identity. Delaware, Ohio and South Carolina all let anyone who wins remain anonymous. But in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar measure, saying it would “undermine the transparency that provides taxpayers confidence in the integrity of the Lottery.”
To be sure, privacy issues are important — but so is public integrity. And the Wisconsin Lottery is big business.
Since it launched in 1988, the lottery has generated $4.3 billion in property tax relief. Players have won $8.2 billion in prizes. And retailers have gotten $920 million in bonuses for selling winning tickets.
Customers buy tickets with the assumption that their odds of winning are the same as anyone else’s. Politicians should not be chipping away at that trust.
Lottery spokeswoman Patty Mayers told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in April that the agency favors the current policy, which “protects the integrity of the lottery” and is “rooted in a tradition of transparency.”
That is the right approach. Shielding the names of winners would make it hard for the public and the media to figure out whether the lottery is on the up-and-up — or whether we are being bamboozled.
Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (wisfoic.org), a group dedicated to open government. Dee J. Hall is the council’s secretary and managing editor of Wisconsin Watch.
Ben Handelman is permanently moving to the Monday through Friday weekday anchor desk of FOX6 News (WITI-TV). Handelman will take over duties on the FOX6 News at 4:00, 6:00 and 9:00 with co-anchor Stephanie Grady.
Handelman was serving as evening anchor on Friday and Saturday nights. He has been filling in on the weekday anchor desk since Brad Hicks’ departure in March.
Handelman is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist, recognized for both his hard news reporting as well as feature storytelling.
“Ben brings the winning combination of being able to present news in an authoritative manner, while at the same time allowing his personality to shine through in his anchoring and reporting,” said WITI President and General Manager, Chuck Steinmetz. “It’s this ability to connect with viewers and his passion for telling their stories that makes Ben an easy choice for the FOX6 anchor desk.”
Handelman started his career in Illinois and has been reporting and anchoring at WITI for eight years.
“From wood tick racing to the Sherman Park unrest, over the last 8+ years, I’ve had the privilege of telling some of Wisconsin’s most important and unique stories,” Handelman said. “I am honored to continue the legacy of incredible storytelling from the anchor desk at a station nationally recognized for its excellence.”
Ben grew up on the east coast and graduated from Quinnipiac University. He lives in Milwaukee with his wife, FOX6 reporter Ashley Sears.
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