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Sunshine Week Starts March 13; FOIA Turning Fifty [1]

Not everybody loves freedom of information. Those who do celebrate "Sunshine Week" annually in hopes of educating the public about why they need to know what their governments are up to. This year, Sunshine Week will get extra oomph from the fact that the Freedom of Information Act is turning 50 years old.

SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Government [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility: 
Public [5]
May 15, 2021

DEADLINE: Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors (FIRE) Services and Grants [6]

Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors (FIRE) helps independent journalists by providing two services: a complimentary Editorial Consultancy and a Virtual Newsroom. Applications are open for services and grants of up to $12,500 to assist freelance reporters working on investigative stories. Rolling deadline. Also, on a trial basis through May 15, 2021, FIRE is accepting applications for customized contract-related legal assistance from two veteran media attorneys.

Awards and Grants [7]
Visibility: 
Public [5]
Topics on the Beat: 
Journalism & Media [4]

Flint Hearing Raises Freedom of Information Concerns [8]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's openness has been a major issue throughout the crisis of contaminated drinking water in Flint, which has caused lead poisoning of some children. One aspect of the openness issue is the ability of agency employees to speak with journalists; another is unfulfilled FOIA requests.

SEJ Publication Types: 
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Chemicals [9]
Government [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [10]
People & Population [11]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Region: 
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [14]
Visibility: 
Public [5]

SEJ Member Spotlight: Bill Funk [15]

Bill Funk began his career in environmental journalism from an unlikely place — law school. After graduating from Vermont Law School with a Master's in Environmental Policy and a JD, he decided that instead of litigating environmental issues he’d rather write about them. Coming from a non-traditional journalism background hasn’t slowed his progress as a journalist though – Bill received four, count’em, four fellowships and awards in 2015.

Topics on the Beat: 
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility: 
Public [5]

"Amid Denials, State Workers In Flint Got Clean Water" [16]

"In January of 2015, when state officials were telling worried Flint residents their water was safe to drink, they also were arranging for coolers of purified water in Flint's State Office Building so employees wouldn't have to drink from the taps, according to state government e-mails released Thursday by the liberal group Progress Michigan."

Environmental Health [17]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [5]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [14]
Source: Detroit Free Press [19], 01/29/2016

"Dolphin Activist Detained In Japan Says He's A 'Political Prisoner'" [20]

"A U.S. activist featured in the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove", about a gory Japanese dolphin hunt, has been detained in Japan and said on Tuesday he was a political prisoner for his efforts to save dolphins."

Activism [21]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Public [5]
International [22]
Source: Reuters [23], 01/26/2016
March 17, 2025

DEADLINE: Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia [24]

The Asia Society's annual "Oz Prize" of $10,000 is awarded to a reporter or team of reporters who has produced the best example of journalism about Asia during the calendar year. Evaluation criteria include impact of the work, its originality, creativity, depth of research and educational value in informing the public about Asia. Deadline: Mar 17, 2025.

Awards and Grants [7]
Visibility: 
Public [5]
Topics on the Beat: 
Diversity [25]
Journalism & Media [4]
Region: 
Asia [26]
March 24, 2017 to March 26, 2017

Power of Narrative Conference [27]

Strengthen your craft skills, puzzle out the complex ethics of intimate journalism, and impart the down-to-earth humanity that is the genre's strength at the 2017 event at Boston University.

Professional Meetings [28]
Visibility: 
Public [5]
Topics on the Beat: 
Journalism & Media [4]
Region: 
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [29]

"Gov. Rick Snyder Releases Emails Related To Flint Water Crisis" [30]

"Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) on Wednesday released a trove of emails related to the Flint water crisis, something Snyder promised during his State of the State address."

Environmental Health [17]
Environmental Politics [18]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [10]
People & Population [11]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [5]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [14]
Source: Huffington Post [31], 01/21/2016

SEJ Member Spotlight: Sara Peach [32]

Did you have a career breakthrough in 2015 or 2016? Did you get that big job promotion, career-changing grant, or finally finish that book? We want to hear about it. The inaugural 2016 Media on the Move Spotlight is on Sara Peach. Sara has been a member of SEJ since 2008 and is part of a news team that won $150,000 in the Knight News Challenge. Her team won for Campaign Hound, a service that tracks political stump speeches and indexes them by keyword. Read her story and listen to an interview.

Topics on the Beat: 
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility: 
Public [5]

Pages

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Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=388

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/sunshine-week-starts-march-13-foia-turning-fifty [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/watchdog-tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [5] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [6] https://www.sej.org/calendar/deadline-freelance-investigative-reporters-editors-services-grants [7] https://www.sej.org/category/event-type/awards [8] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/flint-hearing-raises-freedom-information-concerns [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [15] https://www.sej.org/sej-member-spotlight-bill-funk [16] https://www.sej.org/headlines/amid-denials-state-workers-flint-got-clean-water [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [19] http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/01/28/amid-denials-state-workers-flint-got-clean-water/79470650/ [20] https://www.sej.org/headlines/dolphin-activist-detained-japan-says-hes-political-prisoner [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [22] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [23] http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-dolphins-activist-idUSKCN0V4124 [24] https://www.sej.org/calendar/deadline-osborn-elliott-prize-excellence-journalism-asia [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/diversity [26] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [27] https://www.sej.org/calendar/power-narrative-conference [28] https://www.sej.org/category/event-types/professional-meetings [29] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [30] https://www.sej.org/headlines/gov-rick-snyder-releases-emails-related-flint-water-crisis [31] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rick-snyder-flint-email_us_569ffe23e4b0404eb8f018b2?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green&section=green [32] https://www.sej.org/sej-member-spotlight-sara-peach [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=387 [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=384 [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=385 [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=386 [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=389 [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=390 [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=391 [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=392 [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media?page=546