Monthly Archives: January 2020

Journalists covering the 2020 primaries, political conventions and the general election will have special access to pro bono legal services and a range of resources through the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the National Press Photographers Association.

“Reporting on elections is always a crucial element of the democratic process, and we want to continue to ensure that journalists are well-equipped to handle any challenges that might arise this year,” said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee, which has partnered with NPPA for several election cycles to provide these on-the-ground services. “We’re delighted to be back with NPPA and local media lawyers to make these resources available to the journalists who need them.”

Ahead of voting in early primary states, the Reporters Committee has published an updated Election Legal Guide — available in English and Spanish — that includes information about exit polling, newsgathering in or near polling places, ballot selfies and more. The guide also includes new state-specific information for the early primary and caucus states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

The Reporters Committee and NPPA will also provide training for law enforcement officials to foster a better understanding of newsgathering rights and law enforcement responsibilities.

“I’m very pleased that NPPA is able to play a proactive role along with the Reporters Committee in keeping journalists safe as they cover the 2020 election,” said NPPA President Michael P. King. “It is vital that we encourage dialogue between law enforcement and journalists to promote an appreciation and respect for the roles they play in keeping the public safe and informed.”

In addition, the Reporters Committee will collaborate with NPPA and local media lawyers to host trainings for newsrooms and journalists in advance of the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July and the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August. The newsroom trainings will focus on journalists’ legal rights, as well as practical advice regarding safety and situational awareness for reporters covering the conventions and any demonstrations that may occur. Both trainings are generously funded by the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation with contributions from the Reporters Committee and NPPA.

“It will be crucial during this election year for journalists to be the honest brokers of information the country needs and to be treated as such,” said Irwin Gratz, president of the SPJ Foundation. “It’s why the SPJ Foundation is an enthusiastic supporter of these efforts.”

Nearly 100 journalists and broadcasters spent their Saturday on the UW-Madison campus learning about the 2020 election from Poynter Senior Faculty Al Tompkins.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association with partners Google News Lab, UW School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and The Poynter Institute offered an intensive day of training to help journalists cover the 2020 Presidential election.

The workshop attracted reporters, MMJs, producers, news managers, online and social media producers, and assignment editors.

In addition to Wisconsin being a toss-up state, nearby Milwaukee is also where the Democrats will hold their National Convention. Tompkins talked about polling and the numerous issues that voters will be considering when casting their ballots in 2020.

Tompkins also provided instruction on how the electoral system works.

Wisconsin was one of four locations selected for the special election training.

CBS 58 (WDJT-TV) in Milwaukee is expanding newscasts on both CBS 58 and WMLW.

Beginning Saturday, the weekend editions of the CBS 58 News at 10 p.m. will become hour-long broadcasts with more news, weather, in-depth sports and political coverage. On Feb. 3, the CBS 58 Morning News, airing every weekday from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WDJT, will expand for an additional hour on WMLW from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. WMLW currently carries a nightly hour-long CBS 58 News at 9 p.m.

“We understand that viewers are busy and need many different time periods to watch newscasts,” said Kent Harrell, News Director at CBS 58. With this expansion, we are giving them more opportunities to get the news they need.”

“We are growing our news across our on-air platforms. This is an investment that pays off for our viewers as it allows us to provide more local news, weather, political coverage and community events for Southeast Wisconsin,” said Mark Strachota, Vice President and General Manager of the Weigel Broadcasting Co. stations in Milwaukee.    

Have you ever tackled a project with another newsroom? What did you learn from that?

Poynter is writing this week about the “No. 1 key to success” when working with another newsroom.

Hint: It has to do with who’s in charge 🙂

The recording of a WBA webinar about how to make local election reporting resonate in 2020 is now available for viewing.

MLive.com political reporter Emily Lawler has covered elections in Michigan for eight years. She presented the webinar last week.

The webinar is available for viewing here (available to WBA members only).

Did you that there’s a source of Wisconsin-based investigative reporting available to newsrooms for free republication?

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism  covers topics like the environment, health care, immigration, and other topics specific to the Wisconsin audience, like Foxconn. 

Click here to read more about how you can use their work.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association with partners Google News Lab, UW School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and The Poynter Institute are offering an intensive day of training to help journalists cover the 2020 Presidential election. This training is led by Poynter’s Senior Faculty Al Tompkins and will be held Jan. 25 on the UW-Madison campus.

Al Tompkins

The workshop is perfect for reporters, MMJs, producers, news managers, online and social media producers and assignment editors. Stations are welcome to send teams to attend.

Register here

In addition to Wisconsin being a toss-up state, nearby Milwaukee is also where the Democrats will hold their National Convention.  We will be hosted at the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  This is one of only four such sessions to be offered across the U.S.

The workshop will be held Saturday, Jan. 25 at the University of Wisconsin -Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The university has been doing national studies on voter behaviors and hot topics.

The day is aimed at helping journalists move beyond typical horse-race political coverage to deeply and meaningfully explore key issues that will shape the nation’s future.

The agenda will include:

How to cover big important election issues in a way the public will watch including:

• Immigration
• College debt
• Health care
• Tariffs
• Climate change

What journalists need to know about election finances including:

• PACs
• Super PACsDark money PACs
• Understanding the Citizens United decision
• How to track contributions from your coverage area

What journalists have to know about polling including:

• Margins of Error
• Sample Sizes
• The problems with “weighting”
• Reliability and Desirability Indexes
• Likely versus registered voters

How the American electoral system works

• the primaries and caucuses
• selecting delegates
• the role of super delegates
• the conventions
• the November election
• understanding electors
• the Electoral College in case of a tie
• why we have this system
• strengths and weakness if this system

The FAA is proposing tracking for more drones in U.S. airspace in order to increase the viability of commercials drones.

The proposal has been described as giving drones virtual license plates.

Newsrooms interested in keeping their drones in the air safely and legally can learn more here.

Making a change to how newsrooms are run will always bring out an assortment of responses from the newsroom staff. This article from RTDNA seeks to anticipate those responses to help change makers prepare.

The article outlines the responses from “the critic,” “the victim,” “the bystander,” and “the jump up and down.” You’ve probably seen all of these are various times.

The secret to success in these cases is communication. Learn more here.

A webinar on Thursday offered by the WBA is focused on helping reporters prepare for the 2020 election season.

MLive.com political reporter Emily Lawler has covered elections in Michigan for eight years. She will lead the webinar titled “2020 Election: Making Local Reporting Resonate.” Tune into this webinar for tips and tricks on making the most of candidate visits, keeping a pulse on which way people are leaning in your area, and finding the election stories that make your audience tick.

Learn more and register here.