On Thursday, Feb. 29, join colleagues and friends to say goodbye to February … on Leap Day. Everyone is invited – chapter member or not – to drop in and enjoy a bevvie + nosh (we’ll buy a few appetizers; you buy your drink).
Meet us at Walter Studios, 747 W. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. We’ll be there from 5:30-7:30 p.m. And, despite what we just said, we will buy you a drink of your choice if you either: (1) share a brief tale with the group about a story you recently covered and published or broadcast (our popular “Beers for Bylines”), or (2) celebrate your birthday on Feb. 29. (heck, once every four years, someone should buy you a drink!)
It’s time to put a lid on 2023 with your Valley media and communications colleagues and competitors at Phoenix SPJ’s legendary annual Valley Media Holiday Mixer, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, at FEZ, 105 W. Portland St. (corner of Central Avenue, at the Roosevelt light rail stop). Our friends at the Arizona chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, are co-sponsors.
Your festive-mindedhosts from SPJ and NLGJA are buying the appetizers; the drinks are on you. Tell those great tales about getting the story that you’ve been aching all year to tell an audience that truly gets you! We promise abundant, authentic holiday cheer, or your money back. (OK, you;’re not paying anything to get in, so….)
We’ll also look through our bag of holiday goodies for a few door prizes to give away. See you there. You know you want to go. Give in to your inner journalist…. More details here.
Many, many, many thanks to everyone who made Saturday’s 19th annual Valley Publicity Summit another great success!
Appreciation goes to our hosts, ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College; and to our event sponsors, PRSA Phoenix and Lambert.
Sincerest gratitude to the entire Summit Committee, Leslie Beckhoff, Sherry Butler, Nicole Greason, Geri Koeppel, Minnie Rincon, Josh Weiss, and our Valley of the Sun SPJ Phoenix chapter president, Tim Eigo (who took the photos below.)
And thank you to our ASU student and professional volunteers for taking care of all the tasks, foreseeable and not, to make the Summit work.
Finally, huge thanks to the 22 journalists who gave of their time and knowledge to discuss story pitch preferences, and to all the more than 60 PR pros who came to connect with them and elevate their careers.
We’re already planning our 20th annual Summit in fall 2024. Join us as we put together the most memorable Summit yet! (Although to me, they all are.) Many thanks again, everyone!
Don’t miss the greatest Saturday morning in Valley media-PR relations! The 19th annual Valley Publicity Summit Presented by SPJ (#pubsum23), the invaluable, amazing event where a roomful of locally based journalists share insights, give their story pitch preferences and industry updates with area public relations practitioners is Saturday, Oct. 21. Registration is now open here. Signups close 11:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
PR professionals could contact our more than two dozen journalists expected to attend on your own over the course of a typical year, but at the Summit they can accomplish the same thing in one day!
PR pros: Register here. Signups close 11:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
At the Summit, volunteer media professionals meet with public relations practitioners to discuss story pitching preferences, that is, which stories and topics journalists are and are not interested in pursuing. Here journalists will guide PR practitioners in their interactions and respond to their story interests. Likewise, PR professionals have the opportunity to acquaint journalists with potentially newsworthy information.
PR professionals: Bring your real pitches to pitch in our famed 3-minutes-per-pitch “speed pitching” session!
Created nearly two decades ago to improve how PR and media people communicate, today the Summit is a staple of the Valley communications scene, what we in SPJ proudly term the greatest Saturday morning in Valley media-PR relations.
It continues to work well, with many repeat attendees from both professions who recognize the value of meeting in person at the half-day event, as we all know how difficult it is to meet individually.
What makes the Summit so successful is the wide variety of representatives from print, broadcast and digital news media who make a difference by volunteering at the Summit for our “speed pitching” sessions, at which media and PR pros confer one-on-one — briefly — meeting with as many people as possible. The pitching starts around 10:15 a.m. and is over before 1 p.m.
Our post-Summit surveys of PR pros who attended show very high praise, averaging 90% of respondents saying they would return.
PR pros: Register here. Signups close 11:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
Our sincere thanks to Tara Williams, Ph.D., dean and professor, Barrett, The Honors College, and the Barrett staff for their generosity and hospitality in hosting this event.
We express deepest appreciation to our event sponsors, the Phoenix chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and Lambert, for their support of the Summit.
We expect, as usual, participation from representatives of major local print and broadcast media as well as from online journalism. As of Oct. 20, here’s a list of media professionals who have said they plan to join us at this year’s Valley Publicity Summit:
CITY LIFESTYLE MAGAZINES: Michelle Glicksman, editor-in-chief (Scottsdale City Lifestyle, Scottsdale.com, ARRIVED Phoenix+Scottsdale, Paradise Valley City Lifestyle, Tempe City Lifestyle, Chandler City Lifestyle)
CRONKITE NEWS, ASU: Allysa Adams, managing editor
FOX 10: Christine Goodfriend, planning editor
FOX 10: George Obi, executive producer, special projects
FREELANCE: Geri Koeppel, Phoenix New Times arts & culture and cannabis; Times Publications/East Valley and Scottsdale; and others
GREEN LIVING MAGAZINE: Jordan Gerard, digital editor
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA: Brett Ruffner, reporter
KJZZ-FM (NPR): Lindsey Collom Riley, assistant news director
PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL: Paul Thompson, managing editor
TIMES MEDIA GROUP: Summer Aguirre, managing editor, The Entertainer
TIMES MEDIA GROUP: Alex Gallagher, web editor
12NEWS:Andrew Onodera, producer
We will list more participating journalists as they are secured.
NOTE: While every effort is made to ensure the participation of journalists who have agreed to be part of this year’s Summit, circumstances beyond SPJ’s control may result in changes to the list of participating journalists. We will make sincere efforts to keep the list of participating journalists current.
Our event organizing committee consists of Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter members and several public relations practitioners in the Valley. Proceeds to benefit the Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter.
NOTICE OF FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHY:By attending an SPJ event, you are entering an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By registering for this event, you are agreeing to these terms: 1. You consent to photography, audio recording, video recording and its release, publication, exhibition or reproduction to be used for promotional purposes, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media or any other purpose by SPJ and its representatives. 2, You release SPJ, its employees and each and all persons involved from any liability connected with the taking, recording, digitizing, or publication and use of interviews, photographs, computer images, video and/or or audio recordings, and you waive all rights to any claims for payment or royalties in connection with any use of these materials. 3. You also waive any right to inspect or approve any photo, video or audio recording taken by SPJ or the person or entity designated to do so by SPJ.
HEALTH AND SAFETY STATEMENT: Masks are not required for this event. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public location where people are present; we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed to COVID-19 or other illness during your visit. Visit the CDC website for the latest guidance. If you have been exposed, are sick, have illness symptoms of any kind or are caring for someone with COVID-19 you should not attend the event. Additional information about symptoms is available via the CDC website. Participation is at your own discretion and risk.
Hear from some local professionals who not only thought about switching communications careers, but then did it. Join the Phoenix chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and the Valley of the Sun chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in a virtual panel discussion about moving from journalism to public relations or public relations to journalism, titled “Switching Seats.”
Join us 6 to 7:30 p.m. (first hour panel discussion, last half hour audience questions) Wednesday, Sept. 23. Admission to this exploration of the PR-media relationship is free, but you must RSVP to this link:https://www.phoenixprsa.org/spjswitchingseats. You’ll receive instructions on entering the event.
Panelists:
Paul Atkinson, formerly of KPHO, KAET and KJZZ and public relations at ASU, today a freelance journalist
KJ Philp, formerly with Echo magazine and now at Visit Phoenix
Hayley Ringle, formerly with the Phoenix Business Journal and now at Digital Air Strike PR
Diane Smith, formerly with 3TV/Arizona’s Family and now at Pima Medical Institute
Amanda Ventura Zink. formerly with AZ Big Media and now at Waymo
Moderated by Mark Scarp, Valley of the Sun SPJ board member and faculty associate at the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
SPJ and PRSA gratefully acknowledge Visit Phoenix’s sponsorship of this event. RSVPs are required at https://www.phoenixprsa.org/spjswitchingseats. You’ll receive instructions on entering the event.
This event is presented to further explore the PR-media relationship in lieu of the 2020 Valley Publicity Summit, which the SPJ board regrettably canceled. Please join PRSA and us as we talk about constantly improving relations between journalists and public relations people as SPJ prepares to return to the Publicity Summit in fall 2021!
How far has the freedom of speech in America progressed in 100 years? In 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark case Schenck vs. United States, in which certain expressions in opposition to the U.S. government’s recruiting soldiers to fight in World War I were found to be in violation of the Espionage Act. The decision created the famous “clear and present danger” test to determine if a form of speech is criminal. Here is a summary of the issues and decision in that case.
Join Rodney Smolla, dean and professor of law at the Widener University Delaware Law School, as he talks about the current state of free speech in a discussion moderated by ASU journalism professor and media law authority Joseph Russomanno.
This free event is 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, in the second-floor First Amendment Forum at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 555 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. The event is part of the Cronkite School’s weekly “Must See Monday” speaker series. Click here for more details.
This event successfully defies the stereotype that media people and public relations people can’t get along. Here, connections are made, explanations are given, networking takes place. We will hear about the ever-changing media landscape and how it affects editorial vision and decisions regarding content. We will share information on what makes an ordinary pitch an effective one and know the rules of whom to contact, when to contact them, and what to pitch to them. During and after the Summit, journalists maintain their vital roles as independent makers of decisions regarding coverage, but they do so having informed PR practitioners of their and their media outlets’ story-pitch policies and preferences. Likewise, PR professionals learn of the challenges facing media and the frameworks in which they respond best to story pitches – or decline them. Now, to get to the Valley Publicity Summit’s Eventbrite page with registration info and signup, click here.
Members of the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona (FACAZ) have chosen Caitlin Schmidt, with The Arizona Daily Star, and Craig Harris, with the Arizona Republic as the 2018 STAR Award winners. Caitlin and Craig are being honored for their efforts to protect the principles of the First Amendment and further the public’s right to know about government actions through their tenacious journalism.
A reception in their honor will take place 5-6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 in the First Amendment Forum at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 555 N. Central Ave. Metered street parking available.
Caitlin’s work portfolio is remarkable in southern Arizona. She has uncovered corruption within the Tucson Police Department and Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and wrote dozens of stories about law enforcement officers accused of serious misconduct. In late 2017, Caitlin shifted her efforts to focus on several allegations of sexual and domestic abuse involving University of Arizona athletes and coaches. Caitlin has won a dozen awards for investigative and government reporting during her four years at the Arizona Daily Star.
Craig Harris
Craig’s work in covering the Ducey administration and charter schools is without equal. While most state employees received meager or no raises, Craig exposed large raises handed out to Gov. Ducey’s inner circle last year. His work on charter schools showed how some charter owners are making a fortune, while the public school system deals with chronic underfunding. Craig has won multiple journalism awards, including the Polk, IRE and SPJ awards, as well as being a finalist for the Pulitzer.
During the reception, the two award winners will discuss their approaches to reporting and techniques they use to cover government. Free appetizers and drinks will precede the awards presentation. The event should wrap up by 6:30, with drinks at Chambers on First Street to follow (705 N. 1st St., #100).
CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper accepted the 2018 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix. Arizona State University Executive Vice President and University Provost, Dr. Mark S. Searle presented the award to Cooper.
“At a time in our history when journalism, facts and the truth itself are under attack every day, we believe that a free, robust and unfettered press remains the most essential element to the health and the future of our great country, our democracy and our freedom,” ASU Cronkite School Dean Chris Callahan said.
The journalism program at Arizona State University was named in honor of former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite in 1984. Gabriella Bachara, a senior student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, introduced Cooper, who accepted the award at a luncheon attended by a sellout crowd of more than 1,200 media leaders, business executives, civic leaders and Cronkite School supporters and students.
Cooper is the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning prime-time anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” a newscast that goes beyond the headlines with in-depth reporting and investigations.
Cooper, also a correspondent for “60 Minutes” on CBS, has reported live from more than 40 countries since his journalism career began in 1992. He has earned a reputation as one television’s leading journalists.
Previously Cooper was and ABC News correspondent from 1995-2000, serving as anchor of ABC’s overnight newscast, “World News Now.” He also was a correspondent for “World News Tonight,” as well as “20/20.” He joined ABC from Channel One News, a school television network seen daily in more than 12,000 classrooms nationwide.
During his acceptance speech, Cooper recalled his childhood experiences watching Walter Cronkite on television. He also discussed the current political climate in which the press [is] attacked and special interests manipulate the truth.
“There is certainly much to criticize in the media and much to analyze and improve upon,” Cooper said. “But this I know: I know that the kids who are studying here (at the Cronkite School) to become journalists are not the enemies of the people.”
After the luncheon, Cooper spoke to more than 300 students who packed the First Amendment Forum. The 40-minute discussion, led by Cronkite senior Bryce Newberry, weaved Cooper’s stories from his hundreds of live reporting spots around the world with humor, a wealth of advice to the aspiring journalists and his own journey as a political science graduate of Yale University who rose through the ranks in television news.
While referring to Walter Cronkite as the “north star” of journalists, Cooper expressed humility and reverence for receiving the award as he stressed the importance of “finding your voice,” pursuing internships, learning every aspect of the business and “out-hustling everyone around you.”
“This is something that gets the heart pumping,” he said. “If it’s a genuine passion then you’ll put in the time and hours.”
He spoke of the “passion for this craft” in the face of “fake news” and other attacks on the media. Noting the increase in journalism degree enrollment, Cooper encouraged Cronkite students to learn everything they can about journalism, the world and “keep and follow whatever is unique to you.”
“You’re entering an incredibly honorable profession in which you can help save lives and inform people about things that can change their world,” he said. “It’s an incredibly honorable and tough profession, with unique challenges and difficulties. But at its core, there’s a real honor to doing it well.”
As part of Cooper’s daylong visit to ASU, Cooper anchored his CNN program, “Anderson Cooper 360” from the Cronkite School. He also hosted his Facebook Watch program “Anderson Cooper Full Circle.”
Each year, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism is presented to a recipient who is deemed to represent a leading figure in the journalism industry, especially for ground-breaking achievements which have advanced the industry as a whole.
Award recipients include TV news anchors Scott Pelley, Diane Sawyer, Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill; newspaper journalists Ben Bradlee, Helen Thomas and Bob Woodward; and media executives Katharine Graham, Al Neuharth and William Paley. Cronkite personally presented the award during its first quarter-century until the CBS News anchor died in 2009.
“Please join HuffPost and The Arizona Republic for a conversation about school choice. The event will take place at the Tempe Center for the Arts in the Lakeside Room. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the event will begin at 7 p.m. It will last approximately 90 minutes, including an audience Q&A. This conversation will be hosted by two Phoenix parents, Claudia Lopez and Angelina Dominguez, and will feature the following panelists: Lawrence Robinson, president of the Arizona School Boards Association; state Rep. Paul Boyer, charter school teacher and chairman of the House Education Committee; and Sharon Kirsch, co-chair of Save Our Schools Arizona.
“The event is part of HuffPost’s “Listen to America” RV tour — a two-week journey through five Western states to talk about issues affecting communities in California, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona and Colorado. Learn more about the tour and what’s happening on the route.”
“At a time in our history when journalism, facts and the truth itself are under attack every day, we believe that a free, robust and unfettered press remains the most essential element to the health and the future of our great country, our democracy and our freedom,” ASU Cronkite School Dean Chris Callahan said.
Society of Professional Journalists - Valley of the Sun chapter - Phoenix, Arizona 