inc.
internships. news. commentary.
a publication of the Ohio University
Society of Professional Journalists.
Vol. 1 January 13, 2009.
SPJ wants you...
to be able to excercise your rights.
story Rosie Haney Art
Sharpen you wits, and ready your mind.
Tuesday’s meeting is one that should spark the
interest of student journalists everywhere. The
crucial topic of open records will be at the fore-
front of the discussion. Aimee Edmonson will
be discussing the Freedom of Information Act
and the Ohio Open Records Law.
It’s a topic that many are aware of, and have
possibly heard in passing, but the details of
which merit a closer look will be discussed. It
is no secret that public records are a necessary
tool for journalists, and that many do not even
consider the ability of the public to obtain these
“public” records. That’s just the way things
should be, that’s just the way they are. Or so we
think….
Two years ago, the Ohio University chapter
of The Society of Professional Journalists con-
ducted an audit of all the public four-year uni-
versities in the state of Ohio. The procedures in-
cluded members asking the appropriate offices
for six common public records. Results were not
too optimistic for OU. We came in last, failing
to fulfill any of the records requests that were
submitted.
These records, under the Ohio Open Records
Law, are to be obtained with “Prompt means
without speed or delay” this translates to a rea-
sonable amount of time loosely interpreted as
about two weeks. These laws does not stipulate
that any information be given in order to obtain
the records. They should be given, no questions
asked. The audit was not flawless, but it brings
to light the administration’s position this im-
inside inc.
society news. pg 2.
internships. pg 3.
commentary pg 4.
Ian Bowman-Henderson
portant issue.
Journalists need these records to do their jobs,
and to serve our function as a watchdog over the
bigger bodies that govern us. Yet on the other
side of the issue some members of the admin-
istration view records requests as an inconve-
nient and bothersome waste of resources. While
feeling a bit stressed by public records requests
might be a bit understandable, it does not ame-
liorate any form negation. In the January 21 is-
sue of the Post, Daniel DeLawder was quoted
as saying, “This is a very sore subject for me,
and perhaps it’s time we started pushing back.
And I am quite serious; I am even unsure that
we should provide the next document without
a fight. It sickens me to think of the waste and
unproductive time being spent in the name of
open records and freedom of the press.” Waste
of time? DeLawder must not have realized that
that very e-mail was considered a public record
as well.
Many student journalists have horror stories
of trying to obtain records. During the audit,
itself, many ran into problems. Shelley Oprem-
eak was quoted in the official report recalling,
“I asked the secretary in the office if I could see
the list of donors and she asked what I needed
it for. I asked if she needed to know in order to
show me (the records). She then told me (the re-
cords) are not public files and she is not allowed
to show them to me. I replied that I am sure they
next meeting
tuesday. 5:00.
scripps 111
Know Your
Rights.
are public records, and she said she needed her
supervisor in order to give me access to the files.
She told me to come back on Monday because it
was when her supervisor would be present. She
was very short with me the entire conversation.”
This is the general attitude SPJ is trying to
battle. The president of the OU’s SPJ chapter,
Evan Millward described it as a “culture of hos-
tility towards the student media.”
Access to these records is our right, and it
should not be dismissed because some might
view these reporters as pesky student journalists
wasting time and resources.
The administration should not be left unac-
countable because of a lack of consequences.
Just because the average student journalist can-
not afford the legal steps necessary, does not
mean we will go down without a fight. Free-
dom of information laws are a primary focus of
the broader Society of Professional Journalists,
and many from that organization, including the
president, Dave Aeikens, have offered up their
support with this critical issue.
It is easy to lay down blame and curse “the
man” when these type of issues arise. While
the whole thing might be a bit peevish, we need
to adopt a cool, calm, and logical approach to
this problem. No amount of hollering solves
anything. Education is our best tool. As an or-
ganization, SPJ will make it its goal to inform
the public and the administration of their rights
and responsibilities. With our chins held high,
we will greet the task at hand with a vigorous
embrace.
SPJ is looking to do more work in this topic
for this year’s service project. Millward said,
“We are also beginning to conduct exhaustive
research on local media’s past dealings with the
Board of Trustees. Without the proper back-
ground knowledge, we cannot execute an effec-
tive educational campaign and pinpoint areas
that need covered. It is our sincere hope that the
local media will help us in this endeavor - jour-
nalists working for journalists, the integral part
of SPJ for the past 100 years.”
 inc.
internships. news. commentary.

society news..
foreign respondent.
Yusuf Kalyango on journalism’s future.
story Graylyn Roose photo Graylyn Roose
Every week the Society of Professional Journalists brings in an industry professional
to speak at our meetings. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, they stick around to answer a few
questions. This week’s guest is an award winning international reporter and an as-
sistant professor teaching broadcast news, Yusuf Kalyango.
Inc.: Tell me briefly about what you talked career as a foreign correspondent.
about on Tuesday. Inc.: In what ways has the journalist pro-
Yusuf Kalyango: I just talked about my fession changed in the years since you have
work as a journalist, how I started as a print re- started?
porter in 1992, moved up into radio, and then Kalyango: Technology’s one of them, and
later into television. I talked, you know, briefly I think what is really going to be challenging
about how I became an international correspon- for future journalists like you is the competition
dent, how all that happened. So pretty much it with community journalism and citizen journal-
was a 30 minute presentation of my life as a ism and blogging. There will also be the issue of
journalist and the trials of being a correspon- interactivity. You are no longer just an informa-
dent from a developing country where there is tion provider, but you also interact with the peo-
less freedom of information, less freedom of the ple that you disseminate this information with.
press, and less accessibility to public records. You are no longer just the provider of informa-
So I talked about a few of those challenges, and
then after that I opened it up for questions.
Inc.: What is the most memorable experi-
tion, but the people have become gatekeepers.
People now sift through the information. You
no longer force people to see what they don’t
Prof. Kalyango
ence that you have from your days as a foreign want to see, because of direct television, people
correspondent? have Tivo. If you are writing for print, people Inc: There’s such a larger base of forces do-
Kalyango: Covering conflict and seeing can decide to access this information on the In- ing the same sort of thing.
how people suffer in wars, because wars are ternet. So with all these competing avenues for Kalyango: But the good thing is that right
terrible things, people lose their homes, people delivery of information and all these platforms now there are numerous media outlets, so there
lose family members, there is usually a lack of that people have to provide information, you’re are so many ways that you can practice jour-
basic necessities like food, water, so it’s witness- going to find yourself in a situation where you nalism, [other] than the traditional way that we
ing those kind of challenges while you cover a are competing with your neighbor to provide were used to. So that is also good for you. And
war that really stays on my mind and I know for information and even to dissect this informa- also, what I’ve seen that is changing and I think
a lot of foreign correspondents that go through tion. So this is what I see that has changed. it’s going to help you future journalists a lot is
this kind of coverage. So crises are memorable So the challenge right now is….to find a way that a lot of the old guys are retiring right now
in that way. And in addition to that, seeing how of preparing you to deal with these new chal- because they cannot understand or they can-
some of these fighters use child soldiers, use lenges that are pretty much shaping journalism not adapt to this new environment and this new
teenagers to fight conflicts…seeing an 11 year in a way that we’ve never seen before, but also technology changing at a faster pace... Whereas
old kid carrying a gun around and shooting, and for you guys to figure out how you’re going to during our generation, if I was a television jour-
these are the kids that they put on the front line. fit in this new paradigm. So it’s a big challenge nalist, I didn’t know how to write in print, or I
So all those are memorable. So basically all and it’s still unfolding so we don’t know how didn’t know how to do audio delivery. But these
those things come to mind, I don’t have a spe- all of these will play out ten years from now but days you have young journalists who know how
cific moment that I can say, well this is the only it’s changing rapidly. Journalism is not the same to operate all of these platforms... So I think that
thing that is memorable about my international way it was during my time. is good for journalism.

just the facts. Scholarship deadline. 3/2.

AP stylebooks. $15. SPJ networking trip
t-shirts. $15. to Cincinnati. 2/19.
 inc.
internships. news. commentary.

internships..
Scripps meets scripts.
featured. Hollywood Scriptwriter.com
reporting Cameron Glover
Hollywood Scriptwriter (HS) magazine is searching for 10 journalism
students who are interested in gaining “hands-on experience” while work-
ing with an international trade publication for an ongoing internship.
Interns will have the opportunity to interview some of Hollywood’s
high-profile stars. “We are very selective,” publisher Angela Cranon
said. She is the coordinator for the internship application process and has
worked with HS for several years. She will be looking for applicants’ PHOTO: logo of Hollywood Scriptwriter.com
campus experiences and interviewing, researching and writing skills.
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professional student journalists who are interested in the entertainment Some magazine subscribers hail from Canada, London and regions of
and film industry. According to the internship advertisement on journal- Asia. Subscriptions range from $30 to $100 depending on type of sub-
ismjobs.com posted by Cranon, “We want journalists, not screenwriters.” scription and place of residence.
The internship is based out of the Los Angeles area and will count for The magazine regularly features sections that include events calendars,
academic credit only. However, some perks will be provided, such as Hollywood how-to’s and interviews with the stars. It also offers a list of
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send an email with a résumé to intern@hollywoodscriptwriter.com. sumer and business-to-business publication.” HS has recently become an
HS has been serving the entertainment community for more than 20 electronic publication and provides issues through email. It also has an
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writers, producers and directors and has reported on well-known Holly- www.hollywoodscriptwriter.com.

old questions. new opportunities.

who. what. when. where. how. why.
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 inc.
internships. news. commentary.
commentary..
The Israeli media offensive.
inside Israel’s public relations machine.
column Kevin Zieber
In its 60-year history, Israel has enjoyed what
has come to be known as a “special relation-
ship” with the United States. For decades, the
US has relied on Israel to be its sole friendly
portal into the hostile Middle East, and Israel
has relied on the US for military, economic, and
political strength.
Covering this so-called “special relationship”
is a veritable minefield, which journalists have
thus far failed to navigate with any success. Any
criticism of Israel’s policies or acts of aggres-
sion is at best labeled anti-Israel, and at worst,
anti-Semitism.
In a recent episode of Bill Moyers’ Journal,
Moyers eloquently described the attitudes of
Americans with regard to Israel’s latest offen-
sive.
“America has officially chosen sides. We sup-
ply Israel with money, F-16s, winks and tacit
signals...Although one recent poll found Demo-
cratic voters overwhelmingly oppose the Israeli
offensive by a 24-point margin, Democratic
Party leaders in Congress nonetheless march in
lockstep to the hardliners in Israel and the White
House,” Moyers said.
Moyers also noted the ineptness of the Ameri-
can press to raise pointed and legitimate ques-
tions about Israel’s actions and intentions.
“Rarely does our mainstream media depart
from the monotonous monologue of the party
line,” Moyers said.
One of the main points of contention when it
comes to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict
is the failure of the American press to label Pal-
estine what it really is; a piece of occupied ter-
ritory. In 1967 the UN passed Resolution 242,
which called on Israel to withdraw its troops
from the occupied territories of Gaza and the
West Bank.
Notwithstanding Israel’s failure to comply
with Resolution 242 for 42 years, the American
press is still to this day somehow incapable of
pointing out this basic fact that is necessary if
one is able to begin to understand the conflict.
Conversely, the BBC is careful to always desig-
nate Gaza and the West Bank as “the occupied
territories.”
direct from HQ.
National Shield Law:
Help to protect the rights of
The force driving Israel’s favorable coverage
is its exceedingly effective and sophisticated journalists across America by
public relations machine. Israel received world- contacting congress members.
wide criticism in 1982 after its forces slaugh-
tered more than 17,000 Palestinians in two ‘09 National Convention and
refugee camps in Lebanon, which in their mind Centennial Celebration:
was cause for not a rethinking of policy, but a Registration now open at
rethinking of PR.
In 1983, Israel launched the Hasbara project, SPJ.org/convention.
which was aimed at training Israeli diplomats
in the disciplines of communications and public
relations “to present Israel’s case to TV anchor-
men around the world,” according to Mother
Jones.
Since the beginning of Hasbara in 1983 Israel
has made a priority of presenting a unified mes-
new on the blog.
sage and suppressing reports from the battlefield
and cracks from the bottom. Still Need an Internship?:
According to the Los Angeles Times, one of
the main talking points coming from the Israeli Apply to work as an intern on a
PR machine is the tired old analogy that goes, publication produced exclusively
“What would America do if Mexico was launch- for coverage of the SPJ National
ing rockets at Texas every day?”
This much-repeated talking point pervades
Convention and centennial
virtually every corner of the American media celebration.
establishment, even manifesting itself in a letter
by Brett Zelman, which appeared in the Athens
News and The Post as recent as three weeks
ago.
The Hasbara initiative’s efforts to sway the
American press into favoring Israel have paid
off with relative silence and timidity coming
from our press corps when it comes to question-
ing our special relationship.
inc. identified:
In Israel’s short and violent history, Managing Editor Ian Bowman-Henderson
the American media has largely failed to sepa-
rate Israeli PR talking points and cooked statis- Copy Editor Jessica Lovejoy
tics from ascertainable fact. In its incompetence,
the American mass media has kept the public in
the dark about the complexities of the special Contributing Writer Rosie Haney
relationship, and the wars between Israel and
Palestine. Contributing Writer Kevin Zieber
Unless the media can shake the stran-
glehold of Israel’s PR machine, the American
public will be cast into ignorance and incapable Contributing Writer Cameron Glover
of forming a clear opinion on the Israeli-Pales-
tinian conflict. Contributing Writer Graylyn Roose