Category Archives: News

Representatives of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (FOIC) are meeting this week with Attorney General-Elect Josh Kaul and a representative of Governor-Elect Tony Evers. The Council is highlighting cases of successful transparency in Wisconsin government and potential areas for improvement going forward. It is also updating the incoming officials... - MORE -

The Poynter Institute has compiled a list of 33 notable media corrections from the previous year. You can find the list here. This is an annual tradition going back to 2013. Some corrections are noted for their humor, but others are notable for the serious correction that had to be... - MORE -

A grant from CBS will allow media organizations to send staff to the “Workplace Integrity: Train the Trainers” workshops at the Newseum free of charge, including travel. The training was designed by Loyola University Chicago’s Jill Geisler, a world-class leadership trainer and coach who is the Freedom Forum Institute Fellow... - MORE -

It’s not uncommon for reporters to have difficulty getting access to public records, but if you get enough practice, you learn a lot of lessons along the way. Tisha Thompson is one of those reporters. She recently shared her nine-point list of tips, which include a few steps to consider... - MORE -

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals issued a decision on Dec. 5 siding with the media in a Racine County case that’s been sealed off to the public. The court ruled that Racine County Circuit Court Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz should determine which specific documents involving an open-records case filed by Racine... - MORE -

Facebook appears to have its eyes set on competing with local broadcasters. A recent article from Broadcasting and Cable says Facebook is looking for ways to serve its users local and regional news, including lifesaving information. The service called “Today In” is operational in 400 U.S. cities. Facebook said its... - MORE -

Watchdog journalism isn’t just for large markets. That’s the message from WKBT-TV News Director/Station Manager Anne Paape who wrote about watchdog journalism in La Crosse, Wisconsin for The Investigative Reporters and Editors Journal. She wrote about how small market stations can make investigative reporting part of the daily newsroom... - MORE -

A radio host and news anchor with 41 years of experience in the Beloit area is retiring. Steve Benton’s last day on the air at WCLO-AM in Janesville was Nov. 9. Benton went to Brown College in Minneapolis to get a degree in radio broadcasting. He started his career in... - MORE -

This spring, I taught an investigative reporting class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that investigated the state of Wisconsin’s democracy. We interviewed current and former lawmakers and activists on the left and right, consulted public opinion polls, talked to regular people and tapped experts who study voting, redistricting and... - MORE -