SD-SPJ statement on U-T sale

The San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is watching the news of the sale of San Diego’s and Los Angeles’ local papers with great interest. Both our industry and the ownership of The San Diego Union-Tribune have changed rapidly and repeatedly these past several years. But the principles of ethical journalism and the importance of a strong local press remain clear. San Diego SPJ encourages new owner Patrick Soon-Shiong to prioritize local reporting in both San Diego and Los Angeles, and to respect the voices of staff at both award-winning newspapers. We hope he will champion a strong local presence and stellar reporting in both communities.

‘Better Journalism Workshops’ begins Feb. 20

The first in a yearlong SD-SPJ series of “Better Journalism Workshops” is coming up Tuesday, Feb. 20. RSVP today.

SUCCEEDING ON MULTIPLE PLATFORMS: Learn how to shoot eye-popping photographs and video and capture high-quality audio

Kris Arciaga, video journalist, KPBS

Kinsee Morlan, engagement editor, Voice of San Diego

Howard Lipin, photographer, The San Diego Union-Tribune

When: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20

Where: San Diego Central Library, Shiley Suite (9^th floor), 330 Park Blvd., San Diego 92101

News literacy at the library

The San Diego Public Library is hosting a series of news literacy programs entitled “Breaking News @ The Library.” Upcoming talks include “News Literacy and You” on Feb. 20 at the Scripps Miramar Ranch library, “Minorities and the Media” on Feb. 28 at the Central Library, and Women in the Media on March 20 at the La Jolla/Riford library.

For more details, see https://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/media-literacy.

Let’s ‘Grade the Media’

Report cards will be handed out February 28 for this year’s Grade the Media event sponsored by SD-SPJ. Invited panelists were the subject of big news stories this past year and this is their chance to talk about what it was like to be in the spotlight. Moderated by Claire Trageser of KPBS, the panel includes:

Taylor Winston – The Iraq war veteran from Ocean Beach who put his life on the line during the Las Vegas mass shooting.

Tony Manolatos – A PR consultant working for several high-profile clients, including the San Diego school system, the campaign against community choice aggregation and Councilman Chris Cate following his decision to share a confidential memo.

David Alvarez – This San Diego City Councilman spent 2017 wrestling with such issues as local governments’ hepatitis A response, homelessness, and vacation-rental regulations.

Dulce Garcia – A Dreamer and immigration attorney who has sued President Donald Trump.

Where: Colt Hall on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego

When: Wednesday, February 28. Mixer at 6 p.m., panel at 6:30 p.m.

Admission: Free; light refreshments provided. Please RSVP.

For related news before the event and live tweets during the discussion, follow @GradeTheMedia on Twitter. Join in the conversation that night using the hashtag #spjgtm.

ONA on online images

The Online News Association is hosting a discussion entitled “How to Find Newsworthy Images on Social Media” from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 3 at NBC 7/Telemundo 20, 9680 Granite Ridge Dr., San Diego.

Steve Myers, editor of The Lens and former managing editor of Poynter Online, is scheduled to speak.

For more info and to RSVP, click here.