Monthly Archives: February 2020

Gov. Evers signs body camera bill into law

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Friday signed into law a bipartisan bill to address the use of law enforcement body cameras and public access to video recorded by the devices.

The bill was the product of hard work from the members of a Legislative Study Committee that included lawmakers, law enforcement, criminal justice attorneys, and the media. The committee overcame dramatic differences of opinion to generate a bipartisan bill that passed both houses on a voice vote. The bill was supported by law enforcement groups, the media, and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. WISN-TV News Director Ben Hart served on the Legislative Study Committee. Passage of the bill was a high priority for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

Read more here.

Reporter, anchor leaves WSAW-TV

WSAW-TV reporter and Sunday morning anchor Jerel Ballard is leaving the station.

Ballard began his reporting career at WSAW in March 2018. His last day is Thursday.

He has not yet announced his next move.

Learn how to rebuild trust with your audience

How do you make good decisions when covering the toughest stories in a 24/7 news cycle while they are breaking right in front of you?

In this 24/7 news world, speed is important, but the cost of errors is a loss of trust from your audience. Journalists make mistakes when speed and being first is the only goal.

A webinar this week, available for viewing now, introduces you to how human beings make tough decisions and teaches you how to more effectively make tough calls. Using real examples, it is a deep dive into the pitfalls of knee-jerk reactions and the benefits of thoughtful, ethical news coverage. It looks at notorious examples of dumb stories proving that speed is the enemy of common sense and we’ll identify four key questions we can ask in order to avoid joining the journalism “wall of shame.”

It’s presented by Kevin Benz of i-Media Strategies.

Watch it here.

Body cameras bill to go to Gov. Evers’ desk

The Wisconsin State Assembly on Thursday approved a bill on a voice vote that would establish statewide rules for how police use body cameras. The measure was approved Wednesday by the State Senate and now goes to Gov. Tony Evers.

The bill was the product of a Legislative Study Committee in which representatives of law enforcement, criminal justice, the legislature, and the media overcame their differences to formulate a bill that gives direction to law enforcement, protects the privacy of victims and witnesses, and provides access to the media and the public.

The bill, in part, maintains the Wisconsin’s current standard of public records being assumed accessible to the public, unless a records custodian rules against openness using the balancing test. The bill uses the balancing test to determine if video should be released, and asks records custodians to take into consideration the expectation privacy for anyone who appears in the video and the treatment of victims and minors. The bill also directs records custodians to use redaction where necessary to allow for a video to be released.

The bill also sets standards for record retention and mandates training for police departments that adopt the use of police body cameras.

Conference to focus on journalism ethics, crisis in local news

The Center for Journalism Ethics will host its 12th annual journalism ethics conference at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery in Madison. Titled “Journalism Ethics & the Crisis in Local News” the conference will be held April 24 and is free and open to the public. 

This conference will bring together news media professionals, non-profit news leaders, media innovators, academics, students and the public to address the current crisis in local journalism with special attention to media ethics.

Panelists will take on topics such as funding models, transparency, disinformation, digital media, truth and trust. And participants will leave with a better understanding of the factors driving the current crisis, as well as concrete ideas for strengthening and protecting local journalism.

Learn more here.

State Senate approves body camera bill

The Wisconsin State Senate on Wednesday approved a bill on a voice vote that would establish statewide rules for how police use body cameras. A companion measure will be considered by the State Assembly on Thursday.

The bill was the product of a Legislative Study Committee in which representatives of law enforcement, criminal justice, the legislature, and the media overcame their differences to formulate a bill that gives direction to law enforcement, protects the privacy of victims and witnesses, and provides access to the media and the public.

The bill, in part, maintains the Wisconsin’s current standard of public records being assumed accessible to the public, unless a records custodian rules against openness using the balancing test. The bill uses the balancing test to determine if video should be released, and asks records custodians to take into consideration the expectation privacy for anyone who appears in the video and the treatment of victims and minors. The bill also directs records custodians to use redaction where necessary to allow for a video to be released.

The bill also sets standards for record retention and mandates training for police departments that adopt the use of police body cameras.

Sessions available to learn about Wisconsin water

From Melodi2 on Morguefile

The Wisconsin Humanities Council is offering a series of regional events this year regarding “Wisconsin’s Water Future.” They are inviting Wisconsin’s newsrooms to join the sessions to learn more about the topic. Reporters are, of course, also welcome to cover the events.

They are as follows:

April 25 – La Farge
May 8 – Rhinelander
May 29 – Green Bay

Details about each event are available here.

Webinar to focus on rebuilding trust with your audience

How do you make good decisions when covering the toughest stories in a 24/7 news cycle while they are breaking right in front of you? In this 24/7 news world, speed is important, but the cost of errors is a loss of trust from your audience. Journalists make mistakes when speed and being first is the only goal.

A webinar on Thursday will introduce you to how human beings make tough decisions and teaches you how to more effectively make tough calls. Using real examples, Kevin Benz from i-Media Strategies will do a deep dive into the pitfalls of knee-jerk reactions and the benefits of thoughtful, ethical news coverage. He’ll look at notorious examples of dumb stories proving that speed is the enemy of common sense and we’ll identify four key questions we can ask in order to avoid joining the journalism “wall of shame.”

Learn more and register here.

 

Nominations sought for 2020 Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award

2018 Wisconsin Watchdog Awards held at the Madison Club on April 19, 2018. - Lauren Justice/for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Nominations are being sought for the 10th annual Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award, recognizing an individual’s extraordinary contributions to open government or investigative journalism in Wisconsin.

The award is presented jointly by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and University of Madison-Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Letters of nomination are accepted from journalists, news organizations and other individuals and organizations involved in open government and investigative journalism issues. Self-nominations also are welcomed.

Nominations should summarize the individual’s extraordinary contributions to open government or investigative journalism in Wisconsin and provide examples of why those efforts matter. The award may recognize an individual’s achievements over an extended period of time, or within a single year, at the discretion of the selection committee. 

Nomination letters should be no more than two pages, single-spaced. Nominations may include a resume and/or a link to clips or a professional website for the nominee. Nominations that did not succeed in previous years are automatically in the running for this year.

Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of The Capital Times and a founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, was named the inaugural winner in 2011 and serves on the award selection committee. The late Dick Wheeler, founder of the Wheeler Report and an advocate for public access to the workings of state government, was honored in 2012. In 2013, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, the chief author of Wisconsin’s Open Records Law and a strong advocate of the Open Meetings Law, received the award.

The 2014 recipient was Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Dave Umhoefer, a Pulitzer Prize winner. In 2015, Journal Sentinel investigative health reporter Meg Kissinger received the honor for tirelessly exposing flaws in the mental health system. In 2016, attorney Robert J. Dreps was honored for being a champion of open government and representing news organizations in groundbreaking cases for three decades. The 2017 recipient was Gilman Halsted, a retired Wisconsin Public Radio reporter who produced award-winning examinations of the state’s criminal justice system. In 2018, the award was given to Raquel Rutledge, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at the Journal Sentinel. Last year’s recipient was Jessica Arp, the former assistant news director and chief political reporter for News 3 Now and Channel3000.com.

Nominations should be sent by Feb. 28 to Andy Hall, WCIJ’s executive director, at ahall@wisconsinwatch.org or WCIJ, Fifth Floor, Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706.

The recipient will be honored at the Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner, scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 at The Madison Club, 5 E. Wilson St. The reception begins at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m.

The awards program will be preceded by the fifth annual “Watchdog 101: Essential Skills for Investigative Journalists,” a free, fast-paced workshop for professional and student journalists led by the Center’s award-winning staff. 

The workshop begins at 2:30 p.m. with a session on “Tracking the Truth: Investigative Reporting on Elections.”

The public is invited to attend the final workshop panel, featuring recipients of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award. “Watchdog Showcase: Victories, Hazards in Investigative Reporting and Open Government” will run from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. 

Sponsorship packages are available for the event. Contact membership manager Emily Neinfeldt at eneinfeldt@wisconsinwatch.org for more information. Proceeds support the Center’s investigative reporting and training of journalists, and also make it possible for students to attend the workshop and awards program.

Broadcasters speak in support of body camera bill

The Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on State Affairs on Thursday held a public hearing on a bill (AB896) that would establish statewide rules for how police use body cameras. The Assembly bill is a companion to an identical bill in the State Senate (SB50).

WKOW-TV News Director Ed Reams and attorney James Friedman testified in favor of the bill, stating that the bill was the product of a Legislative Study Committee in which representatives of law enforcement, criminal justice, the legislature, and the media overcame their differences to formulate a bill that gives direction to law enforcement, protects the privacy of victims and witnesses, and provides access to the media and the public.

The bill, in part, maintains the Wisconsin’s current standard of public records being assumed accessible to the public, unless a records custodian rules against openness using the balancing test. The bill uses the balancing test to determine if video should be released, and asks records custodians to take into consideration the expectation privacy for anyone who appears in the video and the treatment of victims and minors. The bill also directs records custodians to use redaction where necessary to allow for a video to be released.

The bill also sets standards for record retention and mandates training for police departments that adopt the use of police body cameras.