Category Archives: News

It’s Sunshine Week and some Wisconsin journalists are making the case for more openness in government. Here are some examples: Matt DeFour’s wrote a Your Right to Know column on redistricting Wisconsin State Journal editorial, “Shine more light on Wisconsin’s schools and cities” Wisconsin State Journal national op-ed: “Open government is key to honest government”… – MORE –

WAOW-TV anchor Ally Peters is heading to Rochester, New York. The evening anchor shared Friday this is her final week in Wausau. Peters said she’s accepted an anchor/reporter position at WROC-TV.  She’s worked at WAOW since 2018.

This year’s Openness in Government (Opee) Awards recognize Wisconsin’s largest newspaper for its dogged records-based coverage of the pandemic and its commitment to the cause of transparency in government, as well as a government agency that led the way in providing a maximum amount of information on COVID-19. Other winners include a municipal judge who… – MORE –

RTDNA is hosting a session on March 25 about the place of commentary in news coverage: There is a place for commentary journalism, but it is not a substitute for carefully sourced fact based reporting. RTDNA’s new coverage guidelines offer advice and direction on how to properly identify commentary in news coverage and how to… – MORE –

Poynter is offering training for first-time journalists to help them navigate open records requests: Open Records Success: Strategies for Writing Requests and Overcoming Denials  Self-directed course, start anytime  This course, designed for first-time and student journalists, will make the process of requesting public documents easier. Participants will learn precisely how to word requests and how… – MORE –

WKBT chief meteorologist Cory Malles announced Friday that he’s stilled down from his position to focus on his private life. He presented this message to viewers.

A former anchor in Milwaukee is joining CBS 58 (WDJT-TV) as the station’s Director of Strategic Initiatives. Nicole Koglin was a morning show anchor at WITI-TV before leaving in July. Her role at CBS 58 is a new one for the station. She will oversee all aspects of station projects and partnerships. She will also be… – MORE –

If your newsroom is interested in improving your coverage of racial inequity, you’ll want to read about what a group of ABC owned stations are up to. Knight-Cronkite News Lab is highlighting the work of eight stations that took on a project funded by the Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge.  Read all about it here.

Wisconsin lawmakers will soon begin redrawing congressional and state voting boundaries, in accordance with the latest Census. It’s a good time to reflect on how that process has played out before — and for the public to demand greater transparency this time around. A good example of how things ought not work comes from the… – MORE –