May 21, 2023, 10 a.m.
Started: 10:05 a.m.
Attendees: Tim Eigo, Mark Scarp, Teri Carnicelli, Nicole Greason, Deb Krol. Absent: None.
Opening
● Secretary’s report/approval of minutes from March 12, 2023 – Board action: Moved (Tim) and seconded (Deb) — unanimously approved.
● Treasurer’s report – Teri reports our investments with Russell Life Points/Northwestern Mutual as of May 20 gained $254.20 in the past quarter, to $18,066.00. Our checking account as of the same date contained $3,977.92, compared to $4,011.87 on May 13, 2023.
● Mark’s Mighty Minute! – Mark reported progress to date on the 19th annual Valley Publicity Summit, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, once again at the Vista del Sol Community Center at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus.
Old Business
● Visit by Claire Regan, SPJ President — at our March 12, 2023, board meeting, went well.
● Ethics Week chapter programing — 4/19, Eric Wishart presented on ethical choices in graphic news image choices. 4/26, Len Downie, Jr., and Andrew Heyward presented on producing trustworthy news without “objectivity” – satisfying turnout for both
● SPJ Phoenix statement in support –– of Arizona Capitol Times reporter Camryn Sanchez, April 21, 2023 – statement was appreciated by ACT leadership and was quoted in news coverage
● SPJ chapter communications — in 2022 and Q1 2023 were discussed by the board.
New Business
● Dinner with journalism group leaders, Spaghetti Factory, May 25 — including representatives from the Arizona Press Club; the Arizona Latino Media Association; the Arizona Association of Black Journalists; the Asian American Journalists Association – AZ chapter; the Arizona chapter of NLGJA – The Association of LGBTQ Journalists; the Native American Journalists Association; and SPJ. Topics to be discussed include: collaboration on programming (and sharing the news of each other’s programming); ways to encourage more members, consider possible dues discount for joining a second AZ media organization — and other ideas such as reaching out to rural, smaller media outlets; and developing a rapid
response framework for advocacy (e.g., when a journalist or news organization is under attack, like Camryn Sanchez and Arizona Capitol Times in April)
● Annual board elections in June — ideas for additional board member(s). Tim (moved) for resuming holding the election via voice vote at the June mixer this year (Teri, second) – unanimously approved
● Annual Summer Solstice Mixer, Wednesday, June 21 — State 48 Brewery, 345 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix, combined with “Beers for Bylines.”
● Call for chapter award nominations — due by June 16 for ceremony on Aug. 24.
● Seeking experts for skill-building webinars — (maybe: A.I. tools for small newsrooms; how AP style conflicts with popular regional uses). Also discussed, state and federal courts database training from someone from the courts (another Utah SPJ idea).
● Reviving recurring mixers, with or without brief programing — (maybe combine with remarks by journalist Jana Bommersbach on her new murder podcast). Christina Estes of the Business Journal is also coming out with a novel in 2024. Board liked using journalist authors talking about/selling their books as the subject; chapter could buy one copy to give away in a raffle.
● SPJ annual report — Due: July 13, 2023, covers period from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023.
PROPOSED NEXT MEETING: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 10 a.m.
Adjourned: 11:37 a.m. (92 minutes)
Respectfully submitted,
Mark J. Scarp, Chapter Secretary
SPJ: Phoenix, Arizona Chapter 