Coeur d'Alene Press

Maureen Dolan, education reporter at The Press for the past seven years, has become online manager of cdapress.com.

Idaho Press-Tribune

New night reporter Torrie Cope recently graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University; she earlier graduated with a communications degree at Boise State in 2009 and is an Eagle High School grad. John Funk, who had been the night reporter for several months, moved to the crime and city of Nampa beat. Funk started in July, coming from the Herald Journal in Logan, Utah.

Why did you decide to go into broadcast journalism?    I started college as a pre-med science major.  The calculus was terrible, so I decided to revisit my passion for journalism (I was editor of my high school paper).  Once I took a general journalism class,  I realized I am a visual storyteller, so broadcast made the most sense. I've never looked back! ]]>

What’s the best story you have ever covered?                 An EF-5 tornado hit the town of Parkersburg, Iowa in 2008. Debris flew more than 100 miles to my part of our viewing area, and viewers were calling me finding all kinds of things from wedding dresses to newspapers to photos.  I was able to personally reunite a photo with its owners in Parkersburg. Nothing has compared to that moment.  They had been hurt in the storm, their house was leveled, and this one tiny senior photo meant the world to them.   The moments people allow us to share with them can be so incredible and humbling.

What’s the one story you wish you had a little more time to work on?                  I look at almost every story the next day and think of something I’d have done differently with just a little more time.

Now you are an investigative reporter at KTVB. How is this job different from what you were doing before?     There is more time to work on stories; a lot of that time is just looking for the stories or seeing if tips are going to end up being a story.  It also involves a lot more file folders on my desk.  There was recently a document avalanche that almost took out a producer.

What are three tips you would give to a new TV reporter covering his or her first investigative piece?    I’m definitely always learning, but these are some things I’m trying to work on myself:

Watch the work of the best in the field.  I particularly like work by the KING5 team and by NBC Bay Area Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski.

Figure out what the point of the story is.  What are you trying to tell people?  It’s usually one sentence and helps cut the clutter.

Do be careful, but don’t be afraid.  If you’ve done your research, have the documentation and facts together, and are accurate, then you’ve done things right.

Often, investigative pieces do require more time — both to report and to explain to the viewer. How do you manage to get your story across in limited time?     I try to just pick the best.  Usually there are hours of tape for a story that’s just a few minutes long, but only the very best video, most compelling soundbites and most important facts can go in.  Writing a web version of my stories is a huge plus.    I can put in lots of extra information, links, quotes, etc. for people who want to learn more.

What is your favorite part of living in Boise?      Tough question… but after moving here from northeast Iowa, I will say the mild weather.  It’s been nice to not wear snow pants to work for three months out of the year.  Also, my family is here, so that’s another favorite.

Why did you decide to join Idaho Press Club board?     I wanted to be a part of a group that helps Idaho media get more training, a voice in the legislature, and recognition for great work.

What have you learned since serving on the board?    The Idaho Press Club does more behind the scenes than I realized.  I’ve particularly learned a lot being on the First Amendment Committee. The committee works with lobbyists to monitor legislation and make sure journalists are getting access to the public records we need to tell our stories and keep the public informed.  It’s great to be a part of that effort to make sure every bill that could potentially close off access to journalists is considered, and the reporters of the state are represented at the Statehouse.

Interviewed by Melissa McGrath

For his first story for the new EarthFix multimedia journalism initiative, Idaho reporter Aaron Kunz visited a landfill in Bingham County to meet with a microbiologist who uses microbes to turn trash into compost.

Since then, Kunz has rafted down Hells Canyon with international photographer and writer Boyd Norton, shot underwater video of migrating salmon and reported on Idaho’s fledgling natural gas industry.

“I typically work on the online stuff first because that requires the most information," Kunz said of the balancing act of serving three unique mediums. "Then I work on the radio followed by television.” ]]>

Idaho Public Television and Boise State Public Radio share Kunz, who splits his time between the two organizations shooting video, gathering and producing radio features, while also writing for the EarthFix website http://earthfix.opb.org/.

Idaho Public Television and the state’s largest public radio station, Boise State Public Radio, teamed up in 2011 to bring the unique journalism initiative to the state. EarthFix is a public media project that generates multimedia content focused on environmental issues throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, EarthFix operates out of Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland, Ore. That’s where editor David Steves coordinates radio, television and online stories from journalists in Seattle and Richland, Wash., Medford and Portland, Ore., and Boise, Idaho.

“We are on a mission to become an indispensable source of news fixed on the environment of the Pacific Northwest,” explained Steves. “We are pioneering a new way of doing journalism. We’re not a radio project. We’re not an online newsroom. We produce content for various platforms.”

Kunz said, “As a lifelong Idaho resident, I feel like many of the big-city stations seem to forget we are even here. I feel my stories bring people’s attention to Idaho and show them what life here is like. Idaho politically is very different from Portland or Seattle, so I see my work bringing a new view point to the collaborative stations.”

Other partner stations for EarthFix include KCTS 9 Seattle, KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, Northwest Public Radio and Television, Southern Oregon Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). It’s funded through a nearly $1.5 million grant through CPB over two years. After that, it’s up to stations to sustainably support the project.

EarthFix is one of seven regional collaborations around the country funded through CPB grants and known as Local Journalism Centers.  This effort is aimed at increasing local reporting on relevant issues at a time when newspapers and other media outlets have shrunk. In the Southwest, for example, public radio stations including KJZZ in Phoenix, Ariz., and KPBS in San Diego now operate “Fronteras: The Changing America Desk.” It’s focused on the shifts in culture throughout the Southwest including border issues.

CEO and President of CPB Patricia Harrison said in a statement as the projects launched, “The Local Journalism Centers will enhance public media’s ability to meet the information needs of local communities at a time when access to high quality, original reporting is declining.” Harrison added that public media has a long track record for providing “independent and in-depth coverage of local issues and public policy. The need for that coverage is even greater today, and we have a responsibility to ensure that journalism can continue to thrive and serve the needs of our democracy.”

That’s in part what makes EarthFix a unique journalism initiative. It delivers environmental stories around the Northwest and it engages people in the conversation. “We aren’t just pushing stories out for audiences to consume; we are convening conversation and engaging our community members,” said Steves. To do this, the project uses social media and community engagement events around the region to help connect the “public” with public media journalism.

Sadie Babits is the news director at Boise State Public Radio and a member of the Press Club board.

When I was in college, back in the early '80s, a big-name TV reporter came to town to address a class I was in, a large lecture course in mass communications at the University of California-Berkeley. He told us that he never voted - because he wanted to remain objective.

We were aghast. As a political science major focusing on political theory, I couldn't buy it. As journalists, we're still American citizens, right? And it's the duty of a citizen to vote. A citizen who's a journalist is likely to be a well-informed citizen, and wouldn't it be a bad thing if large numbers of well-informed citizens withdrew themselves from the pool of those who vote in our elections? How can our representative democracy function if people don't vote? How can we have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? I've always thought everyone should vote, for our system to really work. ]]>

Fast-forward to 2012 in Idaho. This year, for the first time ever, Idahoans have to register their political party affiliation with the state. Only those who are registered Republicans will be allowed to vote in the GOP primary election, which, in this Republican-dominated state, is, in many parts of the state, where the decisions are made as to who will represent us in our state or local government. The Democratic Party is keeping its primary open; anyone can vote in it.

But under Idaho’s new election law, sought by the majority GOP, both your party affiliation and which party’s primary you vote in will become a matter of public record. Conservative activist Wayne Hoffman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation already has hinted that he’ll track and publicize how Idaho journalists affiliate and in which party’s primary they vote.

You can remain unaffiliated and vote only on non-partisan races in the primary election, but that means you’ll vote only on judicial positions, and they may be unopposed. (In an odd quirk of our system, those judicial races on the primary ballot are actually the final decision – not just an early phase; some years, important contested Supreme Court races appear only on the primary ballot.)

All around our state, Idaho journalists are wrestling with this question: Can they vote on May 15? Or will exercising their franchise as citizens cause them to be publicly labeled as supporters of one political party or another, and therefore tainted in their reporting on all?

I’ve always voted in the past, and have always felt it was an important duty. But I would never participate in a political party caucus, an activity that is clearly a party-run event designed for partisans; my newspaper’s ethics policy expressly forbids it.

Now, the same question comes up with regard to voting in the primary election, a state-sponsored and state-funded event in which we select those who will appear on our general-election ballot in November.

At the Associated Press, there are rules about staffers expressing political opinions but not about how they register to vote. The AP says some staffers make a point of avoiding party registration, but since it’s required for participation in some primaries, they do not have a rule against it.

At first, I thought I might affiliate and vote in one party’s election or the other, then unaffiliate the next week – the law allows that – and vote the other party’s ballot at the next primary election. But a discussion with my newspaper’s editor, Gary Graham, has convinced me I can’t even go that route.

“I’m not in the business of trying to deny someone their constitutional right to vote,” Graham said. “I just can’t do that. But I would just issue one caution: If you do register as a Republican or a Democrat, and someone chooses to make an issue of it, and it ends up mushrooming into some kind of controversy, then we would end up in a position where we would have to consider moving you off of government and politics. … Worst-case scenario, that’s a possibility.”

I know some journalists feel they should never vote. Others believe primary elections are just party activities, like caucuses, and they should vote only in general or nonpartisan elections. What do you think? What will you do? It’s time for every Idaho journalist to decide.

Betsy Z. Russell is a Boise-based reporter for The Spokesman-Review, and is the president of the Idaho Press Club.

Pull out your PDA, iPhone, calendar, to-do list … whatever the scheduling tool of your choice is and reserve Saturday, April 28 for the annual Idaho Press Club awards banquet.

Yes, it’s once again time to celebrate the best of the year’s journalism with food, drink, music and, of course, awards. The banquet will return to Boise Centre in the middle of downtown Boise with a social hour beginning at 6 p.m. and the awards banquet beginning at 7 p.m.

The term “social hour” may be downplaying things a bit. This year Boise’s own Nate Fowler will perform an acoustic set from 6-7 p.m., offering banquet attendees a great chance to catch the popular up-and-coming musician. If you’re not already familiar with him, check out Fowler’s music at natefowlermusic.com. ]]>

Those attending the event will have the choice of three entrees this year: grilled top sirloin with brandied peppercorn sauce accompanied by white cheddar mashed potatoes; pecan- and herb-crusted salmon with Champagne beurre blanc accompanied by roasted rosemary potatoes; or vegetarian butternut squash ravioli with fresh spinach and sun dried tomato sauce.

Cost to attend the banquet is $35 for members or $40 for non-members. For the first time, organizations and groups will have the opportunity to guarantee a reserved table by purchasing an entire table for themselves. Tables, which seat up to 10 people, can be reserved for $325. Organizations buying a table must provide a full list of individuals attending, as well as their choice of entree, when the reservation is made.

Buying a table will be the only way to guarantee that larger groups will be able to sit together, and those who reserve tables will be seated in prime locations. All other seating will be on a first-come basis—so get there early.

Once again, IPC is working to make registering for the banquet even easier—just log on to the IPC website at idahopressclub.org and click on the link for the banquet. Not only can reservations be made online, but you can pay there as well (there will be a $2 surcharge per person for online payment.)

The deadline for reservations is Monday, April 23, and any cancellations made after Wednesday, April 25 will be charged the full price.

For more information, or to make reservations, visit idahopressclub.org.

Deanna Darr is Features and Special Projects Editor at Boise Weekly, and is a member of the Idaho Press Club board; she chairs the board’s banquet committee

Most media professionals are keyed into using Facebook and Twitter for reaching readers, viewers and the public in general, but who owns what? Is your Facebook fan page really yours? Is that Twitter username something you can just change if you leave your current job? Do your followers belong to you, or your newspaper, station or firm?

The lines are fuzzy, but through new company policies and even lawsuits, new answers are emerging.

Do followers = $ ? ]]>

When the BBC’s chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg left her job for a competitor last summer, she did what many media folks currently do when they take a new job: She simply changed her Twitter username from one including BBC to one that includes her new employer, ITV. In that switch, she kept more than 60,000 followers, according to a Poynter Institute report. The BBC has a social media policy, but it doesn’t address ownership.

Boise attorney Lisa McGrath specializes in law related to new media, technology, e-commerce, and the Internet. She says without written agreements, problems may come up and could even cost a company money if an employee leaves. She gives a very specific example: PhoneDog v. Kravitz.

McGrath says the company PhoneDog (a mobile phone site) gave former employee Noah Kravitz a Twitter account  during his employment, with the company’s name in the handle: @PhoneDog_Noah. His account had more than 17,000 followers. When Kravitz left the company, he simply changed his username and continued to post from the account.

According to a New York Times article, the company placed a specific value on his followers: $2.50 per follower for the eight months since he’d left the company. With that formula, PhoneDog is alleging $340,000 in damages.

“While this case has yet to be resolved, courts in other cases are upholding social media account ownership agreements between employers and employees as well as similar provisions in corporate social media policies,” McGrath said.

What’s ‘yours’ is not  always yours

Some media companies are creating new policies to address ownership issues as well as conduct. For example, Scripps, which owns newspapers and television stations, has policies for both personal and private accounts. But for that company’s employees, even personal accounts aren’t without obligations.

From Scripps’ personal account policy: “If your personal account contains material that could reflect badly on Scripps, its business operations or your colleagues, or is contrary to Scripps policies, you may be asked to remove your affiliation with Scripps from the personal account or be otherwise disciplined, including termination. The possibility of disciplinary action is not intended to limit your use of social media, but clarify the company’s position regarding egregious behavior.”

Here’s a portion of Scripps’ professional account policy, which is defined as an account ‘intended to promote and expand the company’s brand, products and activities’:

“The account and any ongoing activity are subject to approval, monitoring, editing and modification by Scripps. Scripps must be the administrator and owner of all professional accounts. Your professional account is the company’s property and the name and contents remain company property if you leave Scripps. Scripps reserves the right to edit, monitor, promote or cancel a professional account.” (Source: Jim Romenesko, The Poynter Institute, Published June 30, 2011)

Protecting your interests

Companies aren’t just taking former employees to court over social media; there are cases of employees claiming ownership of their professional accounts. McGrath points to Maremont v. Susan Fredman Design Group, Ltd. Maremont sued her former employer after the company posted from her professional Facebook account and blog while she was hospitalized. That case is still moving forward. It’s another example of policies needing clarification.

“It doesn’t matter what industry you are in or what type of online networking account it is, in order to avoid costly litigation and protect your company’s brand, it is critical to secure social media account ownership agreements with employees and include legal provisions regarding account ownership in your social media policy,” McGrath said.

For reporters or other employees of media companies, legal decisions are still being made that could impact what happens to your content if you should leave your company for any reason. To protect yourself, know what your companiy’s policy is on social media ownership and usage, and be sure to read your company’s policy carefully if any changes are made.

Jamie Grey is an investigative reporter at KTVB-TV in Boise. She is a current member of the Idaho Press Club board.