The Waterfront

A Quarterly Newsletter of Loyola University Chicagos Chapter of The Society of Professional Journalists

New FOIA Revisions Addressed at Forum

By Mike Byra On November 4th Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, along with members of her staff, addressed the new revisions to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at the eighth annual First Amendment Forum at IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law. FOIA provides the public the right to access government documents and records on the basis that the public has the right to know what the government is doing. Madigan and her staff felt that in Illinois, FOIA was flawed because it took too much time to get information when journalists and the public needed the information immediately. Madigan pointed to instances where the police refused to release reports and former Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich would not turn over subpoenas, which eventually lead the case to go to court. Our priorities are to close as many loopholes as possible. It was ludicrous that it had to go to the Illinois Supreme Court, Madigan said. To ensure these loopholes are filled, public bodies will have five business days from the moment they receive the request to release information to non-commercial requesters; this goes into effect January 1st. The city of Chicago will have a minimum of one Public Access Counselor from the Attorney Generals office whose responsibility is to ensure compliance with FOIA regulations. The law also recognizes electronic paper documents and it lowers the copy fees made by the public bodies, said Madigans Deputy Chief of Staff Cara Smith. The public body has to provide the first 50 black and white pages free of charge and any additional pages can cost no more than 15 cents a page. If there is no response from the public body
Photo Credit NVO.com

December 4, 2009
Volume 2, Issue 2

within five business days then it is regarded as a denial. If a request is denied, the requester can file a review with the Public Access Counselor within 60 days of the denial or file a lawsuit in court. The diverse public at the forum, which ranged from professional journalists to school district workers, questioned FOIAs guidelines in response to the revisions. FOIA cannot give access to private information such as social security, medical records or home addresses. The records must also be publicly cited and identified by the public body. A school district employee said, The new revisions might allow parents to do school shopping causing an unwarranted invasion of privacy to be abused. Smith countered, We understand the problem and let me assure you FOIA envisions a balanced disclosure, not a breach of privacy. City officials complained that requesters wanted interpretations of the documents, but FOIA stated that they were not required to give an interpretation with the requested document. Its not about the two days less the public body has, but the fact is that they will respond immediately resolving things, said Smith. To obtain public information, a person needs to send a letter to the public bodys designated FOIA officer with detailed description of the information being requested. It does not have to be submitted in a specific format, but the public body can require it to be written as a letter. Come January 1st, the Illinois public will be able to presume that all records are public. This is the basis of our democracy that the best guarantee of an ethical government is one thats held accountable, Madigan said.

Inside this Issue:

Medill Innocence Project, 2 Disabilities Awareness Panel, 2 Summer Internship, 3 Profile: Patrick Rehkamp, 3 SOC Convergence Studio, 4 Listen Up Loyola, 5 Student Perspective, 5

Editor-in-Chief: Kristen Thometz Assistant Editor: Elizabeth Oliver Co-Layout Editors: Ashley Slovinski Matt Wilhalme Contributing Writers: Molly Aronica Mike Byra Jake Giles Kaitlin Mcmurry

Are student journalists protected by the shield law?

Vs.
McKinneys conviction. Shortly afterwards, the Illinois States Attorneys Office under Anita Alvarez served students and Student journalists report, research, interview and write articles. Even though student journalists Protess a subpoena ordering students communications between each other and Protess as well as the perform the same tasks as professional journalgrades of those involved. ists, they may not be protected by the Reporters Upon hearing this news, Loyolas chapter of Privilege in Illinois. The recent events that have Society of Professional Journalists responded unfolded with the Medill Innocence Project are a by writing a letter of protest to the Cook County case in point. In 1999, Professor David Protess of Northwest- States Attorneys Office. In addition to this, the ern University founded the Medill Innocence Proj- SPJ chapter wrote a letter of support to the Northwestern students supporting the claim that students ect, which investigates murder cases that resulted in sentences of death or life without parole. Teams are protected under the Reporters Privilege. Northwestern responded to the subpoena by of undergraduate students at the university do infiling a motion to quash. On November 10, 2009, vestigative reporting for the project and often work with professional journalists, private investigators a hearing occurred in the Cook County Circuit Court. Judge Diane Gordon Cannon presided and volunteer lawyers. Students in the program over the hearing and refused to make a ruling to have been given credit that led to the exoneration subpoena or quash. Instead Judge Cannon felt the of ten men by the courts. Northwesterns defense lawyers were unfair in The projects latest case is that of Anthony their wording of the brief to quash. McKinney. In 1978, Anthony McKinney was Dripping with sarcasm, Judge Cannon called convicted of murdering Donald Lundahl. Judge the 30-page brief submitted by the Northwestern Richard Samuels sentenced McKinney to natural defense team. This is not a laughing matter. This life in prison. McKinneys appeals were denied is a courtroom, not an editorial page, bar room or by the Illinois Court of Appeals and the Illinois sandbox. Supreme Court. Loyolas chapter of SPJ was represented at the In the fall of 2003, the Medill Innocence project hearing by Elizabeth Oliver, SPJ treasurer and began researching McKinneys case. Earlier this assistant editor for the Waterfront. Before Judge year the project turned over their investigative Cannon started her tirade, everyone in the courtmaterials to prosecutors in hopes of overturning By Kristen Thometz Editor-in-Chief room was straining to hear what she was saying because there were no microphones, Oliver said. But as soon as she started saying this pens started flying and reporters started taking notes. According to Oliver, the episode continued for at least two minutes. It seemed kind of ludicrous that she would take such a level of offense over [the] wording or lack of wording in the brief, Oliver said. Clearly, she is a stickler for the rules. Chicago Headline Club President Beth Konrad was also in attendance at the hearing on November 10th. The Headline Club wrote letters of protest to the States Attorney as well as letters of support to the Northwestern students. Konrad has been in contact with Protess throughout the proceedings. Protess told Konrad in a recent email, If we lose, which is likely considering what you saw for yourself on November 10th, then there will be appeals. I will be under subpoena the entire time. Another court date is set for January 11, 2010 for the Northwester defense team to respond to the subpoena request. The Loyola SPJ chapter and the Chicago Headline Club will be following the case as it works through the courts. For more information about this case and the Illinois Reporters Privilege, check out the Chicago Headline Club web site http://headlineclub.org/.

SPJ hosts disabilities awareness panel

The diversity series sponsors its first event

By Jake Giles To kick off their Diversity in the Media Series, Loyolas Society of Professional Journalists chapter hosted a panel on covering stories featuring people with disabilities. SPJ co-sponsored the event with the Loyola Best Buddies chapter, a group that advocates for the equal treatment of disabled people. Both stressed the importance of media coverage for this under-represented group in the media. Its not something were often taught as journalists to think about, said senior Alysse Dalessandro, a journalism and women and gender studies double major as well as Loyolas SPJ president. I think the discussion on language was especially important. This panel focused on a diversity issue, and I think people overlook it. The panel consisted of four guests, including ABC-7 feature reporter Karen Meyer, who was born with a hearing disability, Program Manager for the Best Buddies Illinois Chapter Ted McCartan, Loyola professor Julia Lieblich, and Chicago Tribune reporter Rex Huppke. Some of the topics discussed included media sensitivity,

From left to right: Julia Lieblich, Rex Huppke, Ted McCartan, and Karen Meyer

Photo Credit: Alysse Dalessandro, president

specialized coverage and the issue of language, the latter receiving heavy discussion. We have to choose our words very carefully, said McCartan, a journalism major. Methods for education include disabilities awareness training, and not putting the disability first in coverage. We need to look at humans as individuals. Meyers segments deal with issues pertaining to people with disabilities and appear ABC-7 Sunday Morning News and on ABC-7 News each Thursday at 11:30a.m. Meyer voiced her concern on how people with disabilities are being portrayed in the media, but is glad to see strides towards improvement. [Coverage on people with disabilities] has gotten away from being a health issue, Meyer said. One in five individuals in this country have a disability. Thats about 22 percent of the population. We want the same things people who dont have disabilities want; becoming a parent, raising children. SPJ will host similar panels as the semester progresses. For more information, email loyolaspj@gmail.com.

Summer Internship with the Queen of How-To

One SPJ member shares her experience of interning at Martha Stewarts magazine Everyday Food
By Molly Aronica This past summer I was fortunate enough to do an internship at Everyday Food Magazine with Martha Stewart. Nearly four months later I can reflect on how my internship helped me to grow as a journalist and reinforce my passion for food writing and magazine publishing. What I hoped to gain from working at Everyday Food was a clear understanding of how a magazine gets from the first brainstorming meeting to the newsstand. Because I was the only intern for the magazine, I was able to work with each department and learn how the publishing process works. One of the experiences was the most helpful was being able to assist the editor of Everyday Food and the food editors during the photo shoot for the November issue. This was my first time being on a professional shoot and I learned that due to the advancement of digital technology, the photos could be placed immediately into the page layouts as they
Photos courtesy of Molly Aronica

were being taken. It was amazing to watch the pages come to life within seconds after the photographer shot an image. The journalism professors I have had at Loyola have tried to stress the importance of being able to understand how an image can translate a message to the reader, and this experience really turned that concept into reality. The most important things that I learned during this internship were the importance of having a keen instinct and the knowledge that having a passion for the work you are doing makes all the difference. My instincts came into play many times this summer, especially when it came to figuring out my place as an intern within the company. As an intern it is sometimes difficult to balance your roles as a student and an employee. Having a keen instinct helped me to gage when it was appropriate to voice my opinion, and to help me get into the mindset of Everyday Food readers to figure out what would compel them to buy the magazine.

Loyola Graduates: Where are they now?

Patrick Rehkamp tells The Waterfront about his life after Loyola
By Kristen Thometz In this tough economic time it may seem like the odds of winning the lottery are higher than landing a job after graduation. Competition may be fierce, yet graduates in recent years have still managed to secure jobs. Patrick Rehkamp graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2006 and is currently the Chief Investigator for the Better Government Association. In college Rehkamp was the assistant sports editor for The Phoenix, covering several beats, such as womens basketball and womens golf. I worked at The Phoenix and loved it, Rehkamp said. In addition to his work for The Phoenix, Rehkamp wrote for the Daily Herald on the weekends. After graduation, the Elgin Courier hired him to be the high school sports editor. While working at the Courier, he began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times a couple of times a week covering sports. Within six months, Rehkamp was hired by the Sun-Times. I was the youngest person at the paper by a long shot, Rehkamp said. While at the Sun-Times, he covered several beats in sports, government, crime and humaninterest pieces. Working at the Sun-Times was a blue, Rehkamp said. Fortunately for him, the position he applied for was available. My predecessor was about to leave, Rehkamp said. I got really lucky. Then in November 2008, he was hired as the new Chief Investigator for the Better Government Association. As chief investigator, I dont do daily reporting, Rehkamp said. I go through the various tips [the BGA] gets, meet with elected officials and run down ideas for stories. According to Rehkamp, story ideas come from three places: ideas BGA workers come up with, tips the BGA receives, and ideas from the various media outlets the BGA works with. Despite the uncertain job market, Rehkamp believes graduates can get a job. Its a really hard industry, but if you really want to get in you can, Rehkamp said. He strongly encourages students to write for The Phoenix. You gotta start somewhere, Rehkamp said. You need to constantly get out there and write, Rehkamp also advises students to write, shoot and edit video, and to do whatever you can, in the field. To build up your contacts, Watch Chicago Tonight because they have really good guests, Rehkamp said, Watch that and call these people up and say you want to meet up.

learning experience for Rehkamp. It taught me to have thick skin [and] not to take things personally, Rehkamp said. Rehkamp worked at the Sun-Times for more than three years before he was laid off in early October 2008. I knew I was going to be laid off because it was announced at the paper, Rehkamp said. Layoffs go by seniority, since I was the youngest I started looking [elsewhere]. A colleague from the Sun-Times suggested Rehkamp apply to the Better Government Association. I sent my rsum to the BGA out of the

Convergence Studio Set to Open in Spring

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The School of Communications new convergence studio is expected to be up-and-running for the spring semester by January 14. Dean Heider said the studio is on an incredibly tight construction schedule but will be open by then. The opening event, however, will not be until March or April since winter events arent the best idea, Heider said. Access to the studio will be more limited than the rest of the School of Communication since it will serve so many different functions within the school. Both students and student organizations can ask to schedule use of the studio. The schools radio station, WLUW, will have an area within the studio. Also, The City News Bureau course taught by Professors Jack Smith and Paul Zimbrakos and, TV News Casting, a new course taught by Professor Leona Hood, will both utilize the studio for classes. Part of the studio will include a bullpen similar to an actual newsroom, which will be the classroom for the City News Bureau course. Students will have individual desks within the bullpen and TV screens will line one of the walls, broadcasting news stations such as CNN. The TV News Casting course will use the studio to produce a newscast online. The web cast wont be a normal half hour news segment featuring weather and sports, Heider said. The students will decide what content to
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include in the web cast. The course fall. The center will 1 is designed to address the question of aim to be a national what the future of TV news will be, voice for ethics Heider said. in digital policy, Were trying to push the envelope Heider said. The a bit, he said. dean said the center Heider said the school wants to wants to convene grow and expand both courses over a lot of discussion the semester. about ethics, both 7 Students will be able to hear and nationally and intersee WLUW radio shows in producnationally, as well as tion from the street. The radio station to develop codes for will also feature band performances bloggers and other during the week. facets of digital The news desk and backdrop will journalism. be on rollers for maximum flexibilLoyola is the 9 ity. The backdrop will be made up perfect place for 10 of colorful panels, not a typical city B.5 that, HeiderC.5 said. view of Chicago or a giant Loyola PLAN Adrienne MasEXISTING 1 logo. The backdrop can be changed1'-0" sanari is the direc3/16" = four or five different ways, Heider tor for the center 1 said, or can be moved to show a view and Professor Bastiaan Vanacker is of the street. We didnt want what teaching a course on digital ethics in everyone else is doing, Heider said. the spring. Heider said that about half Some other features of the studio of the schools faculty is interested in include a news ticker on the outside working with the center. of the building, green screen, conThe School of Communication also trol room with a large flat screen has a new blog that is being updated with multiple inputs, lobby separate with new content every day. Twelve from the rest of the studio so people faculty/staff contributors write for walking in and out do not disturb the blog so far. The dean said that the classes and two offices. One of the blog was created to help make the offices will be for the schools the SOC website more interactive. new director of technology, Jamason The website is also updated with Chen, but the other hasnt been filled new stories every week written by a yet. student web reporter each semester; The new studio isnt the only new it will soon feature profiles of all of and exciting addition to the School of the schools faculty members as well. Communication, however. The school will also incorporate the The school launched the Center use of flash on the website since the for Ethics and Digital Policy this University Marketing and CommuniCO GREEN SCREEN SET 10' - 9 1/2" 9' - 6" STORAGE STUDIO LIGHTS SURFACE MOUNTED LIGHTING 2 LAYERS DRYWALL 16' - 1" BLACK ACOUSTICAL PANELS LIGHTING GRID 12' - 3" PARTIAL HEIGHT WALL

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7 cation department recently obtained 9 new infrastructure software for all university web pages. Were trying to make the website interesting, fun, and dynamic without violating the universitys brand image, Heider said. Faculty spent the past year completely reexamining the schools curSECTION riculum. The school just passed a new 3 1/4" for the program = 1'-0" AD/PR major and new core requirements for the entire school. The school is currently working to update courses, keep classes that are great, and add new ones, the dean said. The school is working on a new masters program that they hope to have up and running in two years. The school is also discussing with the Fine Arts department about cross-listing visual communication classes.

Blueprint photo provided courtesy of Dean Heider

Join aSPJ! : Benefits of being member

From left to right: Brittany Johnson, Elizabeth Oliver, Jake Giles, Alysse Dalessandro, Felicia Middlebrooks, Ashley Slovinski, Kristen Thometz, and Mike Byra. Not pictured: Miriam Pera.

Photo credit: Patricia Berryhill

Members of SPJ had dinner with 33-year veteran journalist Felicia Middlebrooks Thursday, December 3. Middlebrooks has co-anchored the award winning morning drive program for CBS Radio/WBBM Newsradio 780 since 1984. She shared her story of working in a steel mill in Indiana to put herself through college and the three jobs she held at the same time after graduation to finally land an opening at CBS Radio. Middlebrooks also provided insight for pursuing a career in journalism despite tough competition within the Chicago market.

Networking with professionals Free admittance to Chicago Headline events Exclusive access to online job and internship databases on the SPJ website SPJ Members only events, such as the Chicago Tribune tour and dinner with WBBM co-anchor Felicia Middlebrooks To become a member: Fill out and return an application to the 2nd floor desk in the School of Communication building.

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WLUW: Listen Up Loyola

By Kristen Thometz Editor-in-Chief A change in station location is not the only new thing for WLUW this year. On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 10a.m. the station launched its first broadcast of Listen Up Loyola, a weekly news broadcast produced by Loyola students. The idea originated from Station Manager Danielle Basci, and was put into action by sophomore Garrison Carr. We both agreed [a news program] was necessary for WLUW to be a legitimate radio station, Carr said. We need as many programs as possible to involve as many people as possible to give WLUW a good sound. In early October 2009, Carr was hired as the news director and his primary job was to start a news department at WLUW. When I got hired, I was the news department, Carr said. He set out to recruit reporters, anchors, and producers by going through WLUW applications and sending a mass email through the School of Communication. I got a massive response from the email blast sent from Photo Credit: Kristen Thometz News Director Garrison Carr on-air for Listen Up Loyola for WLUW. the School of Communication, Carr said.

Thats where I got lots of members. The news department staff covers a variety of stories. Each broadcast includes: two Loyola-based stories, two Chicago-based stories, a human-interest piece, a creative/editorial piece, a sports minute (which includes Loyola, Chicago and some National sports) and an events calendar. Anybody that wants to be involved can be, Carr said. Positions available to students include reporting, producing and being an anchor, which a student must submit a tape for. The news team meets twice a week. One meeting is a general meeting and the other is a production meeting, where students pitch story ideas for the next broadcast. To find out when the next meeting is, email Garrison Carr at wluwnews@luc.edu since meeting times vary. Students have two weeks to complete their stories before they go on air. Currently, the show is prerecorded by the anchors, who rotate on a weekly basis. Carr has high ambitions for the future of Listen Up Loyola. Eventually, I want to spread out to a daily live newscast, even if it is only five minutes at the top of the hour, Carr said.
Photo credit: steveouting.com

Nothing is free
By Kaitlin Mcmurry The future of journalism is uncertain. With many newspapers and magazines filing for bankruptcy, the debate over whether or not online content should remain free or cost money is arising. Some people believe online articles should remain free because it is what people expect and how it has always been. Some use the argument people are used to receiving their news online at no cost, therefore people will always go to other free sites to receive their news. It is almost like people feel entitled to receive their news for free on the Internet. Do they not realize that someone is still writing these articles, investing their time and effort into them? It seems like people consider journalism online as miraculously appearing, with no labor behind it. Why are people willing to pay for hardcopy journalism but not for journalism online? People are just as talented writing for the newspaper as they are writing for the Internet. Why should they not receive a paycheck for their well-written content? The system that is working for readers is in fact, not working at all. If publishing companies began charging for their content online, several benefits would appear. First, it would set the bar higher for online journalists, encouraging them to write with more quality, efficiency, and accuracy. Second, paid online subscriptions would provide a stable profit for these journalist companies, allowing them to hire more journalists and have better, more efficient equipment. The more journalists reporting on a story, benefits readers by increasing the quality and reliability of the information. In other words, providing product optimization. Plus, there can be increased diversity in stories, providing more entertainment to the reader. Third, it would slow the decline of print newspapers because people would have to pay for the information either way. It is predicted that more people will return to reading print newspaper. Charging online would not only benefit publishers and journalists, but it would benefit readers as well. It would be a win-win situation, so why not charge online? It seems only fair and reasonable and with so many benefits, what are companies waiting for? They need to begin charging now. Maybe they could start by charging for certain, more exclusive stories unique to that company, such as feature stories or interviews. As this becomes more widely accepted, then they could eventually switch to charging for online subscriptions. Newspapers could even have a deal such that if a person subscribes to a paper in print, then they can look at the web site for free. Like any business, however, publishers should be smart about how much they charge while also thinking about the convenience of the web site. If they figure out how to make these two necessities work, then the state of detriment journalism faces today just might begin to turn around and begin flourishing again.

Student Perspective

Upcoming Events
Diversity in the Media Series: Covering Race Thursday January 28th 6p.m. Water Tower Campus Co-sponsored with SOC2 SPJ meets biweekly on Thursdays at 3:30p.m. in the SOC basement room 001 beginning January 21st for the spring semester.

If you would like to write or take photographs for The Waterfront, e-mail Elizabeth Oliver at SPJWaterfront@gmail. com