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  Writer's Week  

Society of Professional Journalists

    Cleveland Pro Chapter Newsletter     

Feb. 25, 2015   

 Deadline For Next Edition: March 6, 2015   
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President's message
Meetup at Maltz Museum March 4
to see "Power of Nazi Propaganda" 
Rodney Bengston
Rodney Bengston 
  

We always look to celebrate when the media does the right thing, but what about when we get off track?

 

To remember a time we should not forget, the Cleveland Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is having a meetup at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage to view the exhibit "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda."

  

If we can get a group of
15 or more at the event, we can get a discounted ticket price of $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and students. Regular admission price is $12.   

  

Here is a link for more information on the museum and exhibit. 

 

Here is the Facebook invitation to sign up.  

 

Thanks to longtime SPJ member Paula Slimak for suggesting this exhibition.

 

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is located at 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood, Ohio.  

 

On another front, Cleveland's SPJ Chapter also is proud to be a Community Partner on the film "A Murder in the Park" at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Check out screening times and get information on the film at this link.  

 

When tickets go on sale to public at 11 a.m. March 6, people can get a $2 discount on movie tickets by using the code "SPJ."

 

Rodney Bengston

President, SPJ Cleveland  

rodbengston@spcglobal.net       

Register by March 1 for discount price
to attend Region 4 Spring Conference
at The Ohio University in Athens, Ohio
SPJ vertical logo for web

Join SPJ's outstanding campus chapter at The Ohio University on March 20-21 for the Region 4 Conference in beautiful, historic Athens, Ohio.
 
Programming begins Friday with an opening reception that offers a networking opportunity and silent auction to benefit the Legal Defense Fund.

Professional development sessions will continue all day Saturday, highlighted by the Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon.

All events will be on the Ohio University campus in either Baker Center (the only escalator in Athens County) or Schoonover Center, the new home of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.
 
The conference hotel is the Ohio University Inn. Register here by March 1 for a discounted rate.

Questions? Send an email to chapter president Kate Hiller at kh547011@ohio.edu.

 

Porter Scholarship competition
now open for high school seniors
planning college journalism studies

The Cleveland Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is pleased to announce its annual Philip W. Porter Scholarship competition for 2015 graduating high-school seniors in the six Northeast Ohio counties of Cuyahoga, Lake, Ashtabula, Lorain, Medina and Geauga.

 

A $4,000 scholarship will be awarded to the winner. The student will be entitled to $1,000 upon entering the college of his/her choice, and $1,000 for each of the succeeding three years as an undergraduate, provided satisfactory grades are maintained and ongoing documentation for proof of same is forwarded each semester to SPJ. Exact reporting requirements will be reviewed with the winner at the time of the award.

 

All high schools in the six-county area are encouraged to submit a nomination for this scholarship.  

 

After the Scholarship Committee has reviewed all applications, it will select and interview finalists. The committee will determine the winner within one week after personal interviews. The committee's decision is final.

 

Incomplete application forms or applications without complete documentation will not be considered for the scholarship.

 

An application form and additional information are available at the SPJ Cleveland Chapter's website.

 

The completed application, documentation and samples should be returned in a single envelope as early as possible. The absolute deadline for receipt of entries is Friday, April 1.

 

The Philip W. Porter Scholarship has been recognized as a very prestigious award and a great incentive to young people interested in journalism in our region. 

 

Cleveland's most successful digital media companies partner for #MediaCLE
STACK Media, WTWH Media and Content Marketing Institute are coming together for #MediaCLE, an event for young marketers, journalists, designers and business professionals in Northeast Ohio.

The event will be held at the Gold Room in the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland on April 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., where young professionals will hear firsthand from local media entrepreneurs on how they built and grew their media businesses in Northeast Ohio.
 
Sessions will cover media business models, audience development, content creation and design and social media. Featured speakers include Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute, Scott McCafferty, co-founder of WTWH Media and Chad Zimmerman, co-founder of STACK Media.
 
The cost for students is $20 and $95 for media professionals. More information is available here.
Learn what's new in Photoshop CC
and Creative Cloud 2014 on Feb. 26

The Cleveland Digital Publishers Users Group will focus on the new Photoshop CC and CC 2014 at its Thursday meeting.

Speaker Stan Kohn, regarded as an expert in and an early advocate of digital imaging, is a senior lecturer at the University of Akron. Also known to us as a past president of CDPUG, Stan will share his knowledge of the latest features of Photoshop Creative Cloud and Photoshop Creative Cloud 2014, including:

* Improved use of guides
* Blur along a path
* Camera shake reduction
* Image resize improvements
* Color picker improvements
* Font search and other font improvements
* Adobe Camera Raw 8 enhancements
* Workflow enhancements
* Other improvements

With more than 35 years of experience teaching digital imaging, photography, panoramic photography and video, Stan divides his time among photography, teaching and consulting, but it's his enthusiasm for helping students succeed that shines through.

Please help with an RSVP

While an RSVP is not required for our members and guests to attend, it is strongly encouraged! We order our food, based on the number of RSVPs we receive. So, to make sure that we order enough food for all who attend, please RSVP at the following link: Click here to submit an RSVP. Thank you for your help!

Reception Starts: 6 p.m.
Meeting Starts: 6:30 p.m.
Where: New Horizons Computer Learning Center
1 Infinity Corp Ctr Dr # 250
Cleveland, OH 44125
Driving and Parking Directions
Cost: Free for members, $10 for guests
Raffle Prize(s): Two copies of the O'Reilly eBook, "Photoshop CC: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition" by Lesa Snider. Two licenses of Crashplan.

The Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group (CDPUG) helps the area's top graphic designers with professional development and networking. CDPUG is a non-profit organization that was founded to provide educational information about digital publishing. This mission is accomplished through monthly meetings, the e-Zine, and Services Directory. Our meeting topics are diverse and platform independent. Memberships are available. For more information about CDPUG, visit our website: http://www.cdpug.org

 

Job Opportunities

NIGHT CRIME REPORTER - NORTHEAST OHIO MEDIA GROUP
Posted Feb. 12

This position is your opportunity to gain a foothold in a cutting-edge news organization, and prove yourself by showcasing your drive, creativity and innovation in crime reporting, even as you grow your skill and build your career here. As Night Crime Reporter, you'll follow all crime-related stories that happen in Northeast Ohio during the night shift, 3 p.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Saturday. You'll post frequently to the website and incrementally throughout your shift, covering breaking news and developing enterprise pieces. If you're hungry to build your career at an exciting news organization, you want to prove yourself, and you're ready to take your first step in a great career, then this could be the right role for you.

Our initiative is redefining digital journalism in Northeast Ohio. We've created a forward-thinking workspace with tools to help optimize your impact, such as a MacBook and an iPhone for nimble digital and mobile journalism. You'll enjoy the "best of both worlds" with the excitement and energy of a new initiative and the stability and resources of an established industry leader.

Northeast Ohio Media Group is a digitally focused company that operates cleveland.com and Sun News and is responsible for multimedia ad sales, marketing and content for The Plain Dealer, Sun News, and cleveland.com.

More information here.


IDEASTREAM - ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Job Posted: Jan. 23

Reports to:  Manager, Community Engagement, Web and Social Media

Position Summary: Support online and community engagement projects and programs by producing high quality multimedia content, coordinating engagement projects and associated logistics and analyzing engagement/web/social media data and producing qualitative/quantitative reports.

More information here


WKYC CHANNEL 3: INVESTIGATIVE NEWS PRODUCER
Posted Feb. 12, 2015

POSITION SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:
Research, plan and field produce investigative segments for newscasts with other related duties assigned including special projects.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
Desire and ability to cover stories involving the courts, police, and city hall
Desire and ability to generate investigative, enterprise, in-depth stories under deadline
Quick, accurate web and broadcast writing skills
Knowledge of legal and ethical issues related to investigative journalism.
Experience with computer-assisted reporting.
Degree in Journalism or equivalent experience.
Familiarity with current events, Cleveland issues and local news contacts.
Working knowledge of ENG operations preferred
Considerable experience as an investigative reporter or producer at a medium/major commercial television market preferred.

To be considered a candidate for an opening at WKYC- you must complete the online application found on the JOBS tab at this website.
Paper resumes or any electronic information received that does not come through the online application process will not be considered part of the applicant pool.

PART-TIME REPORTER - WJW FOX 8

WJW is seeking an experienced Part-Time Reporter who will be expected to gather and present the news for the newscasts and station website. We are looking for a Reporter who thrives on breaking news, enterprising stories and working under tight deadlines.

Primary Responsibilities:

 * Acts as a general assignment reporter
 * Represents WJW to the public viewing audience
 * Produces stories on regular scheduled newscasts and other programs produced by the station
 * Consistently contributes story ideas for newscasts
 * Develop contacts within the area and maintain those contacts on a regular basis
 * Works with producers, reporters and associate producers on assigned news broadcasts
 * Regularly posts content to the stations website and updates social media sites
 * Performs public speaking engagements and makes other appearance deemed important to the station image by management Be on-call for news events
 * Answers viewer phone calls and mail
 * Performs other duties as assigned

Requirements:

 * Minimum 3 years experience reporting in a medium to large television market
 * Degree in Journalism or related field is preferred
 * Must have exceptional live reporting skills as well as the ability to break exclusive stories
 * Excellent writing and strong communication skills
 * Have the ability to multitask and work under extreme deadline pressure
 * Must work individually as well as part of a team
 * Strong knowledge of local, national and international events
 * Must have a involved and have a clear understanding of web and social media outlets
 * Must be extremely flexible to work different shifts and schedules

If interested, please apply online or send resume via email or U.S. mail to:

Fox8.jobs@fox8.com (please put position name in subject field)

Attn: Human Resources
WJW-TV
5800 S. Marginal Road
Cleveland, OH 44103

WJW-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN - ONE-YEAR INTERNSHIP

The Vindicator, a feisty daily in eastern Ohio with 52K readers in print and 30K online, is looking for one-year reporting interns for news. This will be an assigned beat where you will be expected to generate daily and enterprise work for print and for online. Business, government, investigative and human interest stories are all part of the mix, as are Twitter, Facebook and live reporting to our web site. You must be eager to make an impact. If you're a creative, driven journalist looking for a great place to launch a career, give us a shout.
THIS IS FOR GRADUATES WHO CAN COMMIT TO ONE YEAR.
Here's how you apply: Email us a resume, 8 clips and the email addresses of 3 professional references. Send to Editor Todd Franko @ tfranko@vindy.com.


SPJ NATIONAL JOB LISTINGS

Need a job, internship or fellowship? SPJ is always on the lookout for you. On Twitter, follow @spj_tweets for openings, or share great journalism openings with us when you or your news organization have them by tweeting them to us!

 

Employers: Reach those who are most dedicated to the profession by posting your openings in SPJ's Job Bank Our members want this info, but we can't share them all. Post in our job bank so that everyone has the chance to see it - for longer than a fleeting tweet!

 

FREELANCERS DIRECTORY

 

SPJ members who are freelancers will want to join the Freelancers Directory. Editors searching for freelancers can also use the site.  

      

 

JOBS LISTINGS FOR TECHNICAL COMMUNICATORS 

 

If you're a writer who can handle scientific and technological jargon and translate it into understandable English, or perhaps a graphic designer who can deal with technological topics, you might want to consider technical communication. Here's a site set up by the Society for Technical Communication with job listings in the Pittsburgh area. There is a Northeast Ohio Chapter of STC, which holds regular workshops and programs about technical communication. Find them at neostc.org.  
Events summary
There's more on these events below. For job openings, see below at left. Internships, fellowships and scholarships, below right.

Thursday, Feb. 26
CDPUG
Photoshop CC and CC 2014
with Stan Kohn
Reception 6 p.m.
Meeting 6:30 p.m.
New Horizons Computer Center
1 Infinity Corp Ctr Drive #250
Cleveland OH 44125
CDPUG members free
Guests $10
RSVP here

Wednesday, March 4
SPJ Cleveland Meetup
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
2929 Richmond Road
Beechwood OH 44122
to see the exhibit
State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda
7 p.m.
Sign up here on Facebook
If we get 15 people we'll get an $8 admission price,
$6 students/seniors
Regular admission $12

March 20-22
SPJ Region 4
Spring Conference
The Ohio State University
Athens, Ohio
Registration and more info here

April 15
MediaCLE: How to Launch
Your Own Media Property or
Grow Your Media Career in NEO
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Renaissance Hotel, Gold Room
Media professionals $95
Students $20
More info here

 

Our website is back!
Chapter logo
For the past two years, our chapter website has been out of commission and out of date. But as of today, it is back!

Thanks from all of us to Rich Exner, who revamped and resurrected it. We are thrilled to announce that complete information about our chapter and its activities can now be found at this address.
Quick Links

 SPJ Job Bank

Join or Renew Membership
(Be sure to scroll down on the application form and sign up for the Cleveland Pro Chapter, as well as the national SPJ)

Internships for journalism and communication students
IDEASTREAM JOURNALISM INTERNSHIP - SUMMMER 2015

Application Deadline: March 31   

 

I. Basic Function/Major Duties

The Journalism Intern will learn about news gathering and radio production while providing support and assistance to the news team.  Examples of possible duties: 

*Provide research for reporters, editors & show hosts Accompany reporters in the field to observe and assist 

*Record news conferences and download audio 

*Learn digital audio editing 

*Assist in producing and posting material to the web 

*Pull audio cuts for air under direction of a staff member 

*Write, produce and record one or more reports for critique and possible air 

*Other duties as assigned


II. Qualifications :  

KNOWLEDGE: 

*Posses above average written & oral communication skills 

*Evidence of internet and data based research skills 

*Some knowledge of public broadcasting journalism 

*A strong interest in journalism 

*Have knowledge of basic journalism standards and practices. 

*Possess or be developing a professional writing style.

 

EXPERIENCE: Previous Journalism experience or classes in journalism

 

SKILLS/APTITUDES: Have knowledge of and enthusiasm for Public Radio/Television

 

EDUCATION:  Be in a formal educational program focused on Multiple Media Journalism or Communications preferably in a Bachelor's or a Master's degree program.

 

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: 

*The Internship is unpaid; you must be a current student and college credit must be granted for participation 

*Selected candidate will be available at least 3 days a week (average of 20- 24 hours- flexibility preferred) for an agreed upon period of time. 

*Need to have a reliable source of transportation. Acceptable driving record is required.

To apply: complete this application and email to HR@ideastream.org.

 

 

IDEASTREAM WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH INTERNSHIP - SUMMER 2015

 

Application Deadline: March 31 

 

BASIC FUNCTIONS / MAJOR DUTIES

The Web and Social Media Research intern will learn about the social media activities of public and commercial media entities throughout the country, as well as macro trends about internet usage and consumption of traditional media through web and social media platforms. S/he will collect, analyze and present data to inform strategic decisions.  

 

Examples of duties: 

* Collect and organize a variety of social media data about public and commercial media entities throughout the country. 

* Conduct research about internet usage nationally, regionally and locally. 

* Analyze data and prepare verbal and visual summary reports. 

* Prepare presentations and report findings to various internal stakeholders (e.g. staff, managers, senior leadership). 

 

QUALIFICATIONS

KNOWLEDGE: Strong command of data collection and analysis techniques and tools.

 

EXPERIENCE: Classes taken or experience with data collection, data analysis, statistics, and/or related methodologies. Ability to use standard computer tools like Microsoft Office products and Internet searches. Familiarity with web and social media platforms is also desirable.

 

SKILLS/APTITUDES: Flexible self-starter with a positive attitude. Ability to work with diverse, sometimes high level constituencies, employing tact and diplomacy. 

Ability to prepare accurate reports and correspondence. Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal skills.

 

OTHER REQUIREMENTS 

* The internship is unpaid; you must be a current student and college credit must be granted for participation 

* Office hours are Monday-Friday. Some weekend and evening work may be required. 

* Internships are available any quarter or semester, but the student must be available for the entire semester or quarter (at least 10 weeks) 

 

To apply: complete this application and email to HR@ideastream.org.

 

IDEASTREAM CULTURE GROUP INTERN - SUMMER 2015

 

Application Deadline: March 31 

 

I.Basic Function/Major Duties

The Culture Group Intern will learn about news gathering and radio production while providing support and assistance to the Culture team.  Examples of possible duties: 

*Provide research for producers & show hosts 

*Accompany producers in the field to observe and assist 

*Learn digital audio editing 

*Assist in producing and posting material to the web 

*Pull audio cuts for air under direction of a staff member 

*Write, produce and record one or more reports for critique and possible air 

*Learn/operate teleprompting system 

*Log video tape for TV productions 

*Other duties as assigned 

II.Qualifications :  

KNOWLEDGE: 

*Posses above average written & oral communication skills 

*Evidence of internet and data based research skills 

*Some knowledge of public broadcasting journalism 

*A strong interest in arts and culture 

*Have knowledge of basic journalism standards and practices. 

*Possess or be developing a professional writing style. 

EXPERIENCE: Previous Journalism experience, classes in journalism

SKILLS/APTITUDES: Have knowledge of and enthusiasm for Public Radio/Television. Knowledge in Arts and Culture topics.

EDUCATION:  Be in a formal educational program focused on Multiple Media Journalism or Communications preferably in a Bachelor's or a Master's degree program.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: 

*The Internship is unpaid; you must be a current student and college credit must be granted for participation 

*Selected candidate will be available at least 3 days a week (average of 20- 24 hours- flexibility preferred) for an agreed upon period of time. 

*Internships are available year round. 

*Need to have a reliable source of transportation. Acceptable driving record is required. 

 

To apply: complete this application and email to HR@ideastream.org.


Scholarships available
TED SCRIPPS FELLOWSHIPS IN ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM
 
Enhance your journalism skills and deepen your understanding of environmental science and policy. Apply for the 2015-16 Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism (Faculty Fellow) positions. Five individuals will be chosen. Fellows will audit University of Colorado courses, participate in weekly seminars and other events, and work on a research project. These positions are offered by the Center for Environmental Journalism, University of Colorado Boulder.
The program covers tuition and
fees, including a recreation center pass, and provides a $50,000 stipend. Employment begins at the start of the Fall 2015 semester and runs through the end of the Spring 2016 semester. All University breaks and holidays will be observed. 
U.S. citizens who are full-time print, broadcast and online journalists with a minimum of five years of professional experience are eligible. Applicants may include reporters, editors, photojournalists, producers, videographers, multimedia journalists and full-time freelancers. Prior experience covering the environment is not necessary. Applicants must also have at least a BA or BS college degree.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2015

Learn more here.
 
OHIO BROADCASTERS SCHOLARSHIP

Amount: $3,000
Total Scholarships Awarded: Two
Deadline: Feb. 28 

Since 2004, the OAB has invested over $95,000 in scholarships to college students with a promising career in broadcasting. We're proud to support the next generation of broadcasters and encourage students pursuing a career in broadcasting to apply!

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be considered:

  • Full-time student at an Ohio college or university
  • Incoming junior or senior (two completed years of coursework)
  • Majoring or minoring in radio or television broadcasting or communications
  • Minimum GPA of 2.75 / 4.0 or equivalent
Apply here.
 

NORTHEAST OHIO SOCIETY FOR TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION SCHOLARSHIP

The Northeast Ohio Society for Technical Communication is offering a $1,000 scholarship for educational purposes to either of the following: a student applicant or a technical communications practitioner applicant.

The scholarship is to be used expressly for educational or professional development purposes, is designed to encourage local academic excellence, provide the technical communication profession with educated communicators and promote greater awareness of and participation in STC.  

A student applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be a graduate, undergraduate, community college, or certificate student at an accredited degree-granting institution at the time of the application.
  • Must be studying toward a Ph.D., Master's, Bachelor's, or Associate's degree or a minor or certificate in a technical or scientific communication-related field. Related fields might include, but are not limited to, English, Professional Writing, or Organizational Communications.
  • Must be enrolled in an Ohio school or be a permanent Ohio resident.

A practitioner applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Must be a permanent Ohio resident.
  • Must be employed in a technical or scientific communication-related field.
  • Must be pursuing a professional development or certification opportunity that will enhance your future ability to practice technical communication. Financial assistance to attend the annual STC Summit is excluded from scholarship consideration.

If you are a member of STC, please indicate that when you fill out the application. Applicants do not need to be STC members to qualify for the scholarship.

 

Complete details about the scholarship, including the application process, are available at the NEO STC Scholarship page.

 

Submission Deadline: March 31 

Notification of Decision: By or Before May 1

 

If you have any questions, please e-mail  scholarships@neostc.org. 

 

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS 

  • Enrolled in a Master's/Ph.D. degree program in the Instructional Design field.
  •  Pursuing a career as an Instructional Designer (or related occupation).
  • Taking courses at the graduate level.

We are now accepting applications for the 2015 scholarships. Learn more about the requirements and download the application form here. While you're there, you'll want to read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)! The deadline for submission of all materials is Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Winners will be notified sometime in April. All winners will be published in the IDL SIG quarterly newsletter. Please direct questions to scholarship@stcidlsig.org. 

 

infoaboutusWriter's Week is a service of the Cleveland chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. This e-newsletter is edited by Carrie Buchanan, assistant professor, Tim Russert School of Communication & Theatre Arts, John Carroll University, and assistant editor Jackie Mitchell, a reporter for the Cleveland Jewish News and recent graduate of John Carroll University.
with assistance from broadcast journalist Stephanie Phelps.

Please send news items and job & internship postings to spjcleveland@gmail.com    

 

Street Address: Cleveland SPJ, 4337 Chanticleer Drive, Fairview Park, Ohio 44126-1906

Chapter email: Cleveland@spj.org

President: Rodney Bengston  

  

      The Society of Professional Journalists works to improve and protect journalism. SPJ is dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi and based in Indianapolis, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed public, works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists, and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press.