SPJ: Phoenix, Arizona Chapter

11-16-2024 — Meeting minutes, SPJ Valley of the Sun Chapter Board

Minutes

Meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists, Valley of the Sun Pro Chapter

P.O. Box 1488, Phoenix, AZ 85001-1488

Sept. 15, 2024, 10 a.m.

Meeting called to order: 10:13 a.m.

Attendees: Tim Eigo (President), Nicole Greason (Vice President), Mark Scarp (Secretary), Teri Carnicelli (Board Member), Deb Krol (Board Member). Late:  Kerry Fehr-Snyder (Treasurer), who arrived 10:20 during Treasurer’s Report discussion. Tim had to send a link to a new meeting as Kerry was unable to make it work on her computer. Meeting restarted 10:25. Nicole left the meeting at 11 a.m. after the scholarship discussion.

NOTE: Board actions, either votes or assigned tasks, are in italicized type.

Opening

  • Secretary’s report/approval of minutes from July 21, 2024 – Board action: Moved (Tim) and seconded (Nicole). Unanimously approved.
  • Treasurer’s report – Kerry reports our investments with Russell Life Points/Northwestern Mutual as of Sept. 15 gained $1,070.04 in the past quarter, to $20,230.83. Our checking account as of the same date contained $1,672.73, compared to $2,770.09 on July 21, 2024.
  • Mark’s Mighty Minute! – Nothing to report today.

Old Business

  • Sept. 14 “Covering Elections” workshop with First Amendment Coalition of Arizona – About 40 attendees from a variety of media, including about five ASU students. Costs totaled — including breakfast, lunch, speaker gifts and fees, came to approximately $1,028. This includes a $100 donation to the ASU Watts College’s dean’s emergency fund to assist students with financial emergencies, $50 from each organization. The coalition picked up about 75% of the total costs. Our share: $348
  • Chapter board retreat follow-up – Tim showed appreciation for the participants and postponed discussion for the future.
  • Chapter website update – Board members saw the draft website from designer Collin Hodge and made suggested changes. Mark will inform Collin of the recommendations as he continues to refine it. Mark will take a new cover photo of the Phoenix skyline as it is today.
  • A-Mark Foundation proposal to work with our chapter to award the A-Mark Prize for Reporting on Misinformation and Disinformation – They are offering a $4,000 first prize and $500 each for second and third. (background: https://lapressclub.org/socal/a-mark-prize-for-reporting-on-misinformation-and-disinformation/ and https://amarkfoundation.org/). Tim and Mark met with A-Mark representatives to learn more about it. Tim suggested it might be best for the Arizona Press Club to host. The club has been contacted.

New Business

  • Update on 2024 Publicity Summit – We have sold 24 registrations (usual total is around 50-55) with early-bird registration ending Sept. 28. We expect a rush of purchases in the week or so up until that date. Mark will be sending out social media and Phoenix PR Pros posts in the upcoming week to remind PR pros to sign up while prices are lower. We now have 17 media representatives confirmed (usual total is between 20-25). Big “gets” still to get: 12News, Phoenix Business Journal. Original panel discussion fell through; committee is working on getting a small panel of three to talk on the media-PR relationship, as usual, with observations on how it has changed over the 20 years the Summit has been in existence.
  • Chapter scholarship or other approach to student support – Board members agreed to have Tim put out a prompt with the words “fake news,” “misinformation” and “democracy,” with an invitation to discuss in a 250-word essay. Tim agreed to prepare a solicitation, and the board will decide on the winner at a later date.
  • Request for assistance by SPJ International Community — Journalists from abroad via the World Press Institute will be visiting Arizona as part of their visit to the United States Sept. 6-Nov. 9. They are in Arizona Oct. 16-21. Deb will work with Sean Holstedge and Catherine Reagor to host them at the Republic and 12News.
  • Possible programming – Election roundup the first week of December (a la our program in December 2022 following midterms), the same week as the holiday mixer (same as 2022): SPJ. We will aim for Tuesday, Dec. 3. Tentative lineup: Stacey Barchenger (Republic), Jessica Boehm (Axios), Jen Fifield (Votebeat), Gary Grado (Arizona Capitol Times). Mark will ask the first three and Kerry will ask Gary.
  • Holiday Mixer proposed date and location – We will aim for our mixer for Wednesday, Dec. 4, in downtown Phoenix, location TBD. Tim will check out Walter Studios as well as FEZ, the location in 2022 and 2023.
  • Possible programming – Something between the Publicity Summit and Thanksgiving (possibly a service project): The board didn’t agree to hold such an event.
  • Possible programing — RTDNA Google News Initiative: https://www.rtdna.org/training-series-digital-tools-for-election-coverage — Tim suggested we not take this up as it is short notice, and the board tacitly agreed.
  • Possible programming – Mega Mixer with all the other journalism organizations: We will plan this further for a date in the winter/early spring. The model is the one the L.A. chapter organizes with other groups there each spring.
  • Possible programming – All journalism organizations host a pizza party for Cronkite students:  Discussion postponed to a later date.
  • Awards nominations: Board members discussed several possible awardees. Tim will ask Amy Silverman of the Press Club when it is giving out its awards; we might ask them to allow us to do ours simultaneously. Then the board will decide on recipients by the end of September.

Adjourned: 11:43 a.m. (85 minutes)

NEXT BOARD MEETING: Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, 10 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark J. Scarp, Chapter Secretary