Category Archives: News

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 -

How did you sleep last night? Most reporters on the State Capitol beat didn’t sleep at all: I heard lore when I started as a Capitol reporter a few years ago of days when lawmakers and reporters were in the building overnight, until the sun rose. Today, I am going... - MORE -

Milwaukee TV anchor Kate Chappell is taking a job in Chicago. Chappell joins WMAQ on Monday as a reporter and fill-in anchor. She’s leaving CBS 58 where she was the 5 and 10 p.m. anchor. She shared the news on her Facebook page. “Thank you for welcoming me into... - MORE -

The WBA Awards for Excellence competition is officially underway. There are many updates to the contest this year. The largest change is that the social and digital media awards will now count toward Station of the Year, which means stations will now compete in their regular market sizes in these... - MORE -