Great silent auction items at the SPJ/Press Clubs Awards event 5-18

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The Valley of the Sun Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) pays tribute to working journalists and others with its annual Arizona First Amendment Awards and other recognition awards. This year, the Valley of the Sun SPJ has partnered with the Arizona Press Club and will co-present its awards at a reception set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at The Duce, 525 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. Tickets may be purchased at: http://azpressclub.eventbrite.com/.

 

As part of this new collaboration, SPJ will be hosting a Silent Auction at the event, with proceeds in part benefiting scholarships for Arizona journalism students. So bring plenty of cash or your checkbook (sorry, no credit cards) to bid on some really great items, including:

 

• Autographed photo of Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, baseball hat & mini pennant, and a voucher good for four tickets to the infield box seating area (valued at $200), good for any regular season game through Sept. 29.

 

• Two tickets to Nearly Naked Theatre’s production, “Side Show,” May 18-June 8 at Phoenix Theatre’s Little Theatre, 100 E. McDowell St., Phoenix; and a $50 gift card to Hula’s Modern Tiki at Central & Highland avenues.

 

• Two tickets to Mesa Encore Theatre’s production of “Noises Off,” May 31-June 16, at Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street, in the Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse, and a $100 gift card to any Fox Restaurant Concepts eatery, including Sauce in Mesa.

 

• Two tickets to “Love, Loss and What I Wore,” June 4-16 at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts (SCPA), 7380 E. 2nd St., and dinner for two at Vincent on Camelback, 3939 E. Camelback Road.

 

• A voucher good for 4 tickets to Greasepaint Youtheatre’s musical production, “How to Succeed in Business (Without Really Trying),” June 21-30 at 7020 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, and a $50 gift card to Portillo’s Hot Dogs in Scottsdale.

 

• Golf for two at one of Phoenix’s municipal golf courses, some balls and a golfer’s “kit”

 

• $25 gift card to My Sister’s Closet, beaded scarf, and unique box purse

 

• Italian Gift Basket, with 1.5L bottle of BV Century Cellars merlot, 2 wine glasses, 2 wine cosies, small Italian cookbook, pasta and sauce, bruchetta topping, etc.

 

• Coffee & Chocolate Basket, with $50 in gift cards to Dutch Brothers drive-thru coffee, Italian Roast coffee, Torani caramel syrup, bottle of caramel sauce, ceramic mug, travel mug, brownie mix in a bottle, fudge sauce, biscotti, etc.

 

• Family membership – up to four people – to the Heard Museum of Phoenix (value $75), Arizona Highways coffee table book of the Grand Canyon, and an Indian Fair and Market sweatshirt featuring a reproduction of a Navajo weaving, and an authentic Navajo smudge stick.

Jewish News of Greater Phx under new ownership

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Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, the 65-year-old media company and the only newspaper covering the Valley Jewish community, was purchased by Phoenix residents Jaime and Jeff Stern from Florence and Paul Eckstein on March 31. Jaime Stern succeeds Florence Eckstein as publisher.

The families of both the buyer and seller have lived in Phoenix for five generations and are both active in the local community.

“We are delighted to be handing the reins of our weekly newspaper, website and community directory to the next generation,” said Florence Eckstein, whose family has owned and operated Jewish News for 52 years. Eckstein has been publisher since 1981; her parents, Cecil and Pearl Newmark, were publisher and editor respectively, from 1961-1981.

Jaime Stern has 12 years of leadership in the senior housing industry and ran a large life care community in the west valley. Stern and her family are active in the Jewish community and she has served on many boards of Jewish community organizations.

“We are excited to build on the solid foundation established by the Newmarks and Ecksteins and continue the ethical honorable and important work they have done with sophistication and grace,” Stern said. “We intend to strengthen Jewish News’ relationship with readers and advertisers and to engage a larger demographic of our growing community in print, and through our website and social media.”

Stern will retain the Jewish News’ award-winning staff.

M.B. Goldman Jr. founded Jewish News in 1948, the year Israel became a state.

Over the decades, Jewish News has grown from a 4-page monthly print newspaper to a full- service media company publishing a weekly print subscription newspaper; annual magazine- style community directory; and website, jewishaz.com.

Jewish News’ former co-owner Paul Eckstein is a member of the law firm of Perkins Coie. New co-owner Jeff Stern is a physician and partner at Academic Urology, a west valley medical practice group.

On April 12, Jewish News published a special issue celebrating the 65th anniversaries of both Israel and Jewish News. For information, contact Jaime Stern at 602-870-9470, or email jstern@jewishaz.com.

AZ media professionals, students and others honored for 1st Amendment use & support at May 18 event

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The Valley of the Sun Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) pays tribute to working journalists and others with its annual Arizona First Amendment Awards and other recognition awards. This year, the Valley of the Sun SPJ has partnered with the Arizona Press Club and will co-present its awards at a reception set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at The Duce, 525 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. We are expecting more than 100 attendees. Tickets are $15 may be purchased at: http://azpressclub.eventbrite.com/. Ticket price includes sliders and chips; there also will be three cash bars available.

Those being honored include:

First Amendment Award—Karina Bland, The Arizona Republic, for “Domestic violence deaths in Arizona tragically consistent”; Bob Ortega, The Arizona Republic, for his four-part series on “The Price of Prisons”; Carol Ann Alaimo, the Arizona Daily Star, for “PCC legal costs skyrocket”; and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s News21 Project Team for “Who Can Vote?” The First Amendment Award honors published or broadcast work in 2012 that involved significant reliance on public records and open meetings

The Order of the Silver Key Society—Jill Jorden Spitz, senior editor, Arizona Daily Star; Bret McKeand, publisher & president of Operations, Independent Newspapers Inc., and Randi Weinstein, managing editor, Phoenix Business Journal (posthumous). The award pays tribute to journalists from any medium with at least 25 years of experience in the state of Arizona (consecutive or cumulative) whose careers exemplify high standards and consistent, top-quality journalism.

The Phil Alvidrez Award for Excellence in Journalism—Mark Casey, VP and News Director, KPNX-TV Channel 12. The award honors an Arizona journalist who has demonstrated a continuous commitment over time of high standards of ethical professional conduct and a spirited defense of the First Amendment.

Join SPJ to dedicate home of Arizona’s first newspaper as a national Historic Site in Journalism

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SPJ and Arizona State Parks will unveil a plaque dedicating Tubac Presidio State Historic Park in southern Arizona — where Arizona’s first newspaper, The Weekly Arizonian, was first published in 1859 — in ceremonies Saturday, March 23, at the park, 1 Burruel St., Tubac.

Tour the park museum — which includes the 154-year-old Washington Hand Press that printed the Arizonian and still works to print replicas for visitors — start at 1 p.m. The dedication ceremony on the museum patio is at 2 p.m., followed by a reception where refreshments will be served.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to phoenixspj@cox.net or info@tubacpp.com on or before March 18. For more information, email Mark Scarp at phoenixspj@cox.net. For information on the park, visit tubacpresidiopark.com.

The park was selected as the historic site by the SPJ Executive Committee in 2012, the centennial year of Arizona statehood. In addition, 2013 is the 150th anniversary year of the creation of the Territory of Arizona, separated from the New Mexico Territory, by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

Gwen Ifill Speaks on News Diversity at Cronkite School

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Gwen Ifill, one of the nation’s most recognized and respected television journalists, will give a free public lecture April 1 on diversity in the news at Arizona State University.

Ifill is managing editor and moderator of the PBS news show “Washington Week,” the longest-running prime time news and public affairs program on television, and is senior correspondent for another long-running news program, the “PBS NewsHour.” She also has been a frequent guest on other news programs such as “Meet the Press.”

The best-selling author of “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama,” Ifill will discuss “Diversity and Inclusion in the News.”

Ifill’s talk will take place April 1 at 7 p.m. in the First Amendment Forum of the Cronkite School on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. For more information, visit http://cronkite.asu.edu/node/2811.

Paul Schatt Memorial Lecture To Discuss Opinion Writing

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Paul J. Schatt Memorial Lecture
Feb. 28, 2013
7 p.m

Sorting Through the Cacophony: Opinion Writing in an Opinion-Filled World

Carla Anne Robbins, award-winning journalist and foreign policy analyst, joins Phil Boas, editorial page editor of The Arizona Republic, to discuss the challenges of opinion writing in the seventh annual Paul J. Schatt Memorial Lecture.

Sponsored by the Paul J. Schatt Endowment, The Arizona Republic and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

First Amendment Forum
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
555 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Panel Discussion: Pairing Smart Science and Journalism

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University of Arizona School of Journalism alumni are invited to join Dr. Jeffrey Trent, UA Professor Carol Schwalbe and New York Times best-selling author Alan Weisman for a lively panel discussion on the importance of knowledgeable journalists in covering science’s most important technological developments.

Thursday, February 7
5-7 p.m.
Offices of Bryan Cave LLP
One Renaissance Square, Phoenix
(Northwest corner of Central and Washington)

Dr. Jeffrey Trent is the president and scientific director of the Translational Genomics Research Institute. Work in Dr.Trent’s laboratory focuses on the study of genetic changes related to cancer predisposition and progression. Recently his research has focused on the genetic susceptibility to human prostate cancer.

Professor Carol Schwalbe spent nearly 30 years in various editorial capacities at National Geographic and in 2011 launched a science journalism curriculum for the University of Arizona School of Journalism.

Laureate Professor Alan Weisman is the author of The New York Times bestseller The World Without Us as well as several other books and numerous anthologies and articles. The World Without Us explored what would happen to the Earth if all humans suddenly disappeared. His next book, Countdown, which is due to be published this fall, looks at Earth’s carrying capacity.

The talk will be moderated by Steven Yozwiak, a 1977 UA School of Journalism graduate and senior science writer at the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

Welcome provided by Professor David Cuillier, director of the UA School of Journalism.

Beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Admission is free, but RSVP is required by Feb. 4. All are welcome but priority will be given to UA alumni. RSVP to Kate Harrison at kateh@email.arizona.edu or 520-626-3079.

Parking:
City Scape West Garage—Entrance at underground ramp off of 1st Avenue, immediately south of Washington. Use elevator down to level P2, go through the tunnel walkway north to escalators leading to the building’s main lobby. Take elevator to 16th floor.

Address:
One Renaissance Square
Two N. Central Avenue, 16th Floor
Phoenix, Arizona

Google’s Richard Gingras and Jeff Jarvis to speak at Cronkite School

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The head of news and social products at Google and a leading futurist will speak at the Cronkite School as part of the Scripps Howard Journalism Entrepreneurship Institute. The event is at 4 p.m. January 3 and is open to the public.

Cronkite Theater
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
555 N. Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

For more information, contact Megan Calcote at 602-496-7845.

Phoenix Business Journal Hiring Experienced Reporters

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Editor Ilana Lowery is looking for a seasoned reporter or two to join the Phoenix Business Journal staff. Do you have what it takes? If so, contact Lowery at ilowery@bizjournals.com.

Position Title: Reporter – (All Topics)
Status: Exempt
Department: Editorial
Supervisor’s Title: Managing Editor

Position Overview
A Business Journal reporter is the beating heart of the organization and the business, with the vital task of pumping news, information and life into our products on all platforms. First and foremost, reporters must establish themselves as the go-to source of news, data and perspective in their assigned area of coverage. The top mission: to own audience, by every measure.

Our reporters must marry strong traditional journalism skills – source building, sharp interviewing techniques, strong analytical and investigative reporting skills, clear writing, document use – with online and social media know-how. They are expected to contribute both short-form (daily online posts) and long-form (print) stories to our news products. Scoops matter. A lot. Scoops serve as the oxygen supporting the rest of our content operations and are vital to “owning” one’s beat. Only by being “out front” of the news can our reporters establish their credibility with their audience, identify the most influential newsmakers, and interpret the news on their beats with authority.

To this end, reporters are expected to break important hard news online and use print and video to tell the story behind the headlines, providing deeper analysis of newsworthy events. Whatever the platform, we strive to produce content – original and curated – that is accompanied by perspective and context. A Business Journal reporter is widely recognized as the community’s foremost authority on their assigned beat. The Business Journal brand provides the kind of access to business and community leaders that other journalists can only hope for, and it is the responsibility of our reporters to use networking events, Twitter, LinkedIn and other community-building outlets to expand and fortify their source pool and audience. Reporters will be responsible for identifying sources and outside writers to target as contributors to the Business Journal on their beats. With online and other metrics, business journals can determine how engaged readers are with our online content, and reporters and editors will be responsible for driving online engagement among loyal (repeat) readers. Constant audience growth is a key metric of success.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

  • Bachelors degree or equivalent experience
  • Minimum of 2 years of journalism experience with a proven ability in reporting and writing
  • Ability to work independently and remotely
  • Ability to break news and to identify newsworthy events and sources
  • Strong writing, analytical and investigative interviewing skills
  • Ability to relate comfortably to a wide range of people, in person and online and to develop sources and an audience
  • Versatile
  • Comfortable with constant change
  • Competitive, collaborative, curious
  • Knowledge of business, and/or business community, a plus
  • Fast learner
  • Proven experience building, maintaining and engaging an active audience
  • Ability to work independently under deadline pressure and prioritize tasks appropriately
  • Solid understanding of news writing, journalistic ethics and story structure
  • Experience with using social media to source and promote content a plus
  • Understanding imperatives of multiple platforms – print, mobile, Internet, etc.
  • Mastery of social media and digital interaction
  • Proven ability to utilize a broad set of tools to tell stories and engage the audience
  • Ability to leverage relationships with sources to deliver content that differentiates the organization from competitors

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • Own the beat audience.
  • Own the beat conversation.
  • Build source network relentlessly.
  • Attend both Business Journal and industry related events. When relevant to their beats, reporters must work in partnership with the publisher, editor in chief and event director to select speakers and topics that will grow event attendance and audience. Reporters will be expected to facilitate/moderate at Business Journal events and must be comfortable in taking a leading role in the community.
  • Work collaboratively with editors, photographers, designers and others to maximize the impact and accessibility of stories reported.
  • Contribute four to six online posts – curated and original – per day.
  • Contribute 1 people and one enterprise story to the weekly print paper, including a candidate for the paper’s weekly “centerpiece” story.
  • Develop and curate a reporter page/section spread in the print paper each week; this spread is comprised of information, highlights and data gathered and reported on throughout the week, then packaged and freshened for the print product.
  • Meet or exceed goals relating to audience-engagement such as page views, unique users, repeat visits, direct traffic, social media followings and growth, paid print subscribership, email newsletter circulation growth, event attendance, and other such measures.
  • Take on any other assignment made by manager(s).
  • Work cooperatively and collaboratively with all colleagues and professionally with sources.

 

Online print media editor sought

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National B2B multi-media company based in Phoenix seeks online editor. Platforms include Websites, e-newsletters and print and digital magazines. Position requires strong written and verbal communication skills, knowledge of AP style, good organizational skills, the ability to generate original copy as well as work with contributors, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines. Experience with WordPress or other CMS is essential, along with familiarity with Constant Contact or other email platforms. Business journalism experience preferred. Project management experience preferred. Must provide three recent links that showcase the depth and breadth of your online writing, website management and email marketing experience. Excellent opportunity for growth for a smart, energetic candidate. Email cover letter and resume to wxv4b-3387679961@job.craigslist.org.