New faces in your newsroom or communication department? Let everyone know. Send your Media Moves to: email@idahopressclub.org TELEVISION BOISE KTVB Newschannel 7 Reporter Stephanie Zepelin left for a position as an investigative reporter at KTNV Las Vegas. Briana Carr left KTVB to become a producer at KSL in Salt Lake City. Andrea Lutz left to be news director of KTMF – ABC/FOX Missoula, MT New reporter Emily Valla joins KTVB from KIFI/KIDK in Idaho Falls. Tess … [Read more...]
Celebrate the law
April 3, 2015 by
On Wednesday, March 18, at noon in the 4th floor Capitol rotunda, all are invited to celebrate the 25th birthday of the Idaho Public Records Law; cake will be served. This event is part of our state observation of Sunshine Week, celebrating open government nationwide. As we celebrate, we also look ahead to strengthening and improving the law for the century ahead, including legislation this year to make the law more prominent as part of a new title of Idaho state law that compiles and highlights our statutes on “Transparent and Ethical … [Read more...]
It was 25 years ago… Idaho public records law celebrates 25th anniversary
April 3, 2015 by
By Betsy Russell Twenty-five years ago this year, the Idaho Legislature passed the Idaho Public Records Act and it was signed into law by Gov. Cecil Andrus. This year, we are celebrating a quarter-century of our state’s having a comprehensive public records act on the books, declaring unequivocally that “every person has a right to examine and take a copy of any public record of this state and there is a presumption that all public records in Idaho are open at all reasonable times for inspection except as otherwise expressly … [Read more...]
Best of 2014 Awards Banquet Celebrating the talent of our members
April 3, 2015 by
By Deanna Darr It’s time once again to start polishing your dress shoes in anticipation of honoring the very best of the past year in journalism at the annual Idaho Press Club Best of 2014 Awards banquet. This year the party will be on Saturday, April 25, and we’re shaking things up by heading to the newly restored Owyhee in downtown Boise for our once-a-year excuse to get dressed up. We’ll be taking over the ballroom in the former hotel beginning at 6 p.m. for a social hour featuring not only a no-host bar, but the musical … [Read more...]
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Fighting the good fight to keep public records open
April 3, 2015 by
By Betsy Russell It’s been a busy season on the public records front. We have some good news to report, and some things that are still in flux On the good side: The Idaho media’s joint efforts to fight secrecy and sealing of both documents and proceedings in the St. Alphonsus vs. St. Luke’s anti-trust case were largely successful. Charles Brown, the Lewiston attorney who represented the Idaho Statesman, the Press Club and other Idaho media in the case, said, “When we first made the motions, we did so at a time when the Court … [Read more...]
Meet Your IPC: Emilie Ritter Saunders
April 3, 2015 by
Emilie Ritter Saunders has lived in Boise since 2011, when she was hired by NPR's StateImpact. In 2014, she joined the Idaho Press Club state board, on which she currently serves as secretary. Saunders, a Montana native, has worked in both television and radio, and recently shared her perspective on social media, storytelling and the future of journalism. Where were you born? Great Falls, Mont. Raised in Missoula, Mont. Where have you worked? I started working for my local public radio station, Montana Public Radio, during college. I … [Read more...]
Media Moves
April 3, 2015 by
TELEVISION Boise KTVB-TV Digital content producer Lindsey Lankford has left for a position with theUniversity of Cincinnati; producer Char Jackson left to join Blue Cross of Idaho. Producer Anna Daly was promoted to a position as digital sales specialist. Joining the staff are digital content producer Sean Deter; producer Edina Macic, who comes from Wild 101; and photographer Mary Kienzle, who comes from KBOI-2. Other new additions are sports anchor and reporter Will Hall , who arrived from WOI/Des Moines; and reporterDean … [Read more...]
Contest time is here; enter your best work!
January 15, 2015 by
It’s contest time! Now is the time to enter your best work in the Idaho Press Club’s “Best of 2014” contest, Idaho’s premier journalism contest. The deadline for entries this year is Jan. 21, and there will be no extensions, so please plan ahead! Entry is done entirely online; please start early, to ensure you have all the time you need to gather, upload and enter your work and ensure it’s considered for recognition. We’ve been refining the process and hope it will be easy for you; for help along the way, please refer to the “How to Enter … [Read more...]
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN: Open meetings: When in doubt, open it up
January 15, 2015 by
By Betsy Russell It was standing-room only in Sandpoint as 75-plus people filled the Sandpoint Library’s community room for a three-hour workshop on Idaho’s open meeting and public records laws – the fourth such session in North Idaho in four days, all sponsored by Idahoans for Openness in Government and featuring Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. Those attending ranged from the county sheriff to local elected officials to government employees, reporters, a newly elected state lawmaker and lots of interested citizens. … [Read more...]
Press Club social Jan. 8 at Solid will kick off legislative season
January 15, 2015 by
By Clark Corbin Get your brown tags ready, because the Southwest Chapter of the Idaho Press Club is celebrating the opening of the 2015 legislative session with free food. The chapter is once again sponsoring its annual legislative social – and inviting journalists, communications professionals, lobbyists and legislators to join us for an evening of fun at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8 at Solid Grill and Bar, 405 S. Eighth St., in downtown Boise. The Press Club will provide a free, delicious spread of appetizers and finger foods … [Read more...]
Two recent Idaho court cases narrow the investigatory exemption in public records law
January 15, 2015 by
By Brian Kane Idahoans for Openness in Government recently traveled through the northern part of Idaho. A frequent topic of questions and discussion was investigatory records held by law enforcement. Within the past year, the Idaho Supreme Court and the Idaho Court of Appeals have each weighed in on the analysis of records under Idaho Code § 9-335, more commonly known as the investigatory records exemption. In Wade v. Taylor, the court evaluated a public records request for the investigation into a police shooting. In its … [Read more...]
“In Crisis” project: Making a multi-platform, multimedia, dual-newsroom series succeed
January 15, 2015 by
By Emilie Ritter Saunders & Audrey Dutton In October, Boise State Public Radio and the Idaho Statesman launched a collaborative, multimedia series exploring Idaho’s fragmented mental health system. The collaboration was the first of its kind for our two organizations. Instead of simply sharing content, the series was a true cross-platform collaboration where both of us crafted stories specifically … [Read more...]
Media Moves
January 15, 2015 by
PRINT TWIN FALLS TIMES-NEWS Times-News Editor Autumn Agar left to become editor of another Lee Enterprises newspaper, The Southern in Carbondale, Ill. Matt Christensen has been named the new editor; he is returning to the paper after starting his journalism career there in 2005 as a features and natural resource reporter. Most recently, Christensen has served as the editor of the Montana Standard in Butte since 2013. Nathan Brown has joined the Times-News as political reporter, covering the Idaho Legislature and Magic Valley local … [Read more...]
Forest Service’s troubling new permit policy raises 1st Amendment concerns
October 1, 2014 by
By Bruce Reichert What if, every time you wanted to conduct an interview near, say, Bogus Basin or the Henry’s Fork, you first had to get a permit from the Forest Service? What if you wanted to do a story on the impact of wolves on elk in the national forest, but needed first to clear it with a public information officer who would charge you a fee? What if you wanted to do a story on the failure of trail maintenance in the wilderness, and that same public information officer said, “Sorry, that’s not the kind of story we think … [Read more...]
