Category Archives: Networking

Celebrate Leap Day with a bevvie, a nosh — & Phoenix SPJ, Feb. 29

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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!)

After our mixer, consider strolling into Walter’s concert space for “Jazz Nights,” a free evening of blues and jazz curated by Asim Nichols. It’s free – no ticket required – and runs from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Illustration by Simple-aign on Pixabay

The One & Only: SPJ Phoenix’s Valley Media Holiday Mixer, Dec. 5

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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-minded hosts 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.

Our annual thank you to Valley media people: Summer Solstice Soiree, June 20

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Our annual thank-you party for Valley media is at an exciting new location!

Each June, your Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter refuses to let the longest day of the year go by without showing our appreciation for our members and for all Valley media people with a Summer Solstice Soiree. Come and cool off with an ice cold brew or other beverage 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at an exciting new location!

After several years of benefiting of our annual loyal patronage, our former Soiree location decided in its, um, wisdom, to give up serving food. When we heard this, we thought, how can the chapter provide its traditional buffet of free appetizers that way? The only solution: Move. And we’ve found a great spot in about the same part of town: The highly praised and decorated Helton Brewing Co., 2144 E. Indian School Road (at 22nd Street), Phoenix. RSVP on our Facebook event page.

A bit of business

As usual, we will take five minutes (or less, as we’ve gotten pretty fast at this) to hold our annual voice-vote chapter officer elections. Like to be an officer? You have to be a chapter member to be one. Email phoenixspj@cox.net for details.

Get your Yule on: Valley Media Holiday Mixer, Dec. 4, at Bliss ReBAR

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Valley journalists: It’s almost here!  Our annual (and now officially legendary) Valley Media Holiday Mixer, is 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Bliss ReBAR, 901 N. Fourth St. (just south of reindeer12Roosevelt), named by USA Today as one of the 10 Best Nightlife Destinations in Downtown Phoenix. 

Say your “Going” today on our Facebook event page, Valley Media Holiday Mixer ’18.

Get your Yule on, celebrate the year gone by and the year ahead with your media peeps, colleagues and competitors alike, in this must-be-there holiday event! Your friendly neighborhood Valley of the Sun SPJ chapter will put out a spread of free appetizers (drinks are on you) and give away door prizes.

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We will also be raising funds for chapter events and activities by selling cool soft denim blue caps with the SPJ shield logo and the words, “I Support Freedom of the Press” for only $10!

Admission to the mixer is free, so — right now! — say your “Going” today on our Facebook event page, Valley Media Holiday Mixer ’18. The event hashtag: #getyouryuleon

Reception to honor STAR Award Winners

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Schmidt

Caitlin Schmidt

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.

Harris

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).

Free Tools Training for Journalists, Nov. 1

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Hurry! Sign up now: Only 11 seats left! A free workshop for journalists providing an overview of the Google tools journalists can use in newsgathering, 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, at Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. SPJ Trainer Mike Reilley comes to Phoenix for this training thanks to a grant from the Google News Initiative. The grant enables SPJ to pay the travel expense for the trainer. Sign up today — seating is limited to 40 participants. Mike will cover:
–5 p.m. to 5:55 p.m.: Google basics, Google Trends, Google Reverse Image Search and verification tools, Google Scholar. Fun with Google AutoDraw.com and what else is coming in AI with Google Lens.
–6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.: Deep Dive Google MyMaps. Data scraping with Google Sheets, scraping .PDFs with Tabula. Google Public Data Explorer.
–7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. (optional): Google Earth Pro, Earth Engine Timelapse tool, Google Street View.
Click here for more info and to register.

AAJA-Arizona’s Spelling Bee for Adults, Oct. 23

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(From the Asian-American Journalists Association of Arizona:)

So you think you can spell? AAJA-Arizona invites you to compete for the honor of supreme speller in the 2018 Spelling Bee for Adults, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Changing Hands Bookstore, 300 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. Doors open at 6 p.m.AAJA Spelling Bee for Adults, 10-23-2018, Phoenix

Entry for spellers is $10. Shoot an email to aajaaz@gmail.com to sign up.

Non-competitors are welcome to come and watch all the letter-reciting action. Happy hour-priced drinks will be available at the store’s First Draft Book Bar. AAJA is also selling raffle tickets ($5 a pop) for prizes including gift cards to Fox Restaurant Concepts, Snoh Ice Shavery, Genuine Concepts, Great Wall Cuisine, and the grand prize: a one-night stay at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

Admission is a suggested donation of $10. Proceeds benefit scholarships for the Asian American Journalists Association of Arizona. Details, RSVP here.

 

An Evening with Norah O’Donnell of “CBS This Morning,” Oct. 23

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(From Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University):

Barrett, the Honors College, at Arizona State University is hosting a signature event, the Flinn Foundation Centennial Lecture, on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Norah O’Donnell, CBS This Morning anchor/co-host, is the featured speaker. The event is free and open to the public. You are welcome to attend and bring guests. Please share this invitation with your colleagues and anyone else who may be interested.

Information is below and here is a link to the ticket registration page: https://centennial2018.eventbrite.com

Help with conference expenses

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Just because your company and/or personal budget is looking bleak doesn’t mean you should miss out on the important training and fun networking waiting for you at EIJ18, Sept. 27-29 in Baltimore, Md.

To help offset the cost of #EIJ18, SPJ will award 27 scholarships/internships/fellowships to students and professionals. Assistance for pro’s includes:

  • Dori Maynard Diversity Leadership Program:The goal of the program is to increase the diversity of SPJ members within the organization. Each year, SPJ selects six members to participate as SPJ Diversity Leadership Fellows. The fellowship provides funds for fellows to receive a conference registration, airfare (up to $300), four-night hotel accommodations at EIJ18 and one ticket to the SPJ President’s Installation Banquet on Sept. 29 Get the details and apply now.
  • Terry Harper Memorial Scholarships: The Terry Harper Memorial Scholarship is open to professional, post-grad and retired members. It is given in honor of Terry Harper, SPJ’s executive director from 2002-2009. The scholarship provides funds for up to five members to receive a conference registration, airfare, four-night hotel accommodations at EIJ18 and one ticket to the SPJ President’s Installation Banquet on Sept. 29. Applications are due June 5. Get the details and apply now. For eligibility and application information, click here.

If you have any questions, please contact our program team, Christine Cordial (ccordial@spj.org) or Abbi Booth (abooth@spj.org).

Scare up a few friends and haunt our Happy Howler Mixer, Oct. 27 at FEZ on Central

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Phoenix skyline 10-16-17

Photo by Mark Scarp

Valley media people: Put some journalistic spirit into your October. Visit with some old fiends, er, friends — and new blood is always welcome!

SPJ’s Happy Howler Mixer is 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at FEZ on Central, 105 W. Portland St. (at Central Avenue just north of Roosevelt Street) in downtown Phoenix.

There’s no program. Just enjoyable conversation with fellow journalists in a beautiful setting. Halloween attire is not required, but the scariest attendee may have a drink paid for by the chapter president! See our Facebook event page!