Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/53019
January 19, 2012 Hall of Fame to induct 5 News in brief The Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame has selected five people to be inducted in a cer- emony April 28. The Hall of Fame recog- nizes distinguished careers in newspaper or broadcast journalism or journalism edu- cation. Also during that ceremony the Hall of Fame will present its first Distinguished Service Award in recognition of out- standing career contributions in support of Indiana journal- ism. After the winnowing pro- cess, which consumes several hours of each board mem- ber's time, the board met for almost three hours, board president Ray Moscowitz said of the selection process. "As in the past, the five new inductees were chosen from 12 finalists," he said. "The board also voted to pres- ent the first Distinguished Service Award to a most- deserving recipient." Those to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the ceremony at Indiana University are: • The late Mark Ferree, a longtime senior executive of the Scripps-Howard news- paper company who was a national free press advocate as president of the American Newspaper Publishers Association in 1960-62. Ferree grew up in Marion and was a writer for the Marion Chronicle before he attended Indiana University in the early 1920s. His career included stints as a reporter for the Evansville Courier, advertising director for the Indianapolis Times and vice president of the Richmond Palladium-Item. • Skip Hess, who spear- headed numerous prominent investigative projects dur- ing more than 30 years as a reporter for the Indianapolis News and Indianapolis Star. His work included expos- ing inhumane treatment of mentally ill patients at state hospitals that led to state reforms in the 1970s and Journalism Hall of Fame honorees Hall of Fame inductees for 2012: The late Mark Ferree, a longtime senior executive of the Scripps-Howard newspa- per company who was a national free press advocate Skip Hess, who spearhead- ed numerous prominent investigative projects during more than 30 years as a reporter for the Indianapolis News and Indianapolis Star Steve Kroft, a native of Kokomo, Ind., who has been a correspondent for CBS' "60 Minutes" for more than two decades The late Kate Milner Rabb, an author, historian and pio- neering newspaper columnist David Weaver, an Indiana University professor whose research on working journal- ists and on agenda setting in media have gained notoriety. 2012 Distinguished Service Award winner: Walt Tabak, who spent 25 years providing technical support to Indiana newspa- pers and broadcast stations that receive The Associated Press. disclosure of misuse of tax- payer money after which the state schools superintendent was convicted of official mis- conduct and the secretary of state repaid thousands of dollars. Hess worked at the Kokomo Morning Times and the Wabash Plain Dealer before going to Indianapolis. He has continued writing an outdoors column for The Star since retiring as a reporter in 1999. • Steve Kroft, a native of Kokomo, who has been a correspondent for CBS' "60 Minutes" for more than two decades. He has won numer- ous national awards for sto- ries such as the vulnerability of the nation's power grid to computer hackers and the conflict of interests between military contractors and the government in the awarding of contracts. He was a Stars and Stripes correspondent in Vietnam before starting his broadcast journalism career and joining CBS News in 1981. • The late Kate Milner Rabb, an author, historian and pioneering newspaper col- umnist. Rabb was a Rockport, native who wrote columns devoted to the state's history for The Indianapolis Star from 1920 until 1937, a time when few women had such opportunities. She was presi- dent of the Woman's Press Club of Indiana in 1929-31. A residence hall at her alma mater, Indiana University, was named in her honor in 1961. • David Weaver, an Indiana University professor whose research on working journal- ists and on agenda setting in media have gained notoriety. Weaver joined the journalism faculty at IU in 1974 after earlier earning bachelor's and master's degrees from the university. He has written or co-written several books, three focusing on data about journalists he helped gather, published in 1986, 1996 and 2007, and others focusing on agenda setting. Walt Tabak will receive the hall of fame's first Distinguished Service Award. Tabak spent 25 years providing technical sup- port to Indiana newspapers and broadcast stations that receive The Associated Press. He is credited with help- ing steer many of the state's newsrooms through technical changes that saw the delivery of wire stories and photos go from the teletype days to sat- ellite transmission. Tickets for the luncheon induction ceremony are $40. For more information, email the Hall of Fame at ijhf@indiana.edu or visit indianajournalismhof.org. Commission planning debates for high-profile races in 2012 The Indiana Debate Com- mission is planning up to five political debates this year with an emphasis on U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races. Dates and venues have not yet been selected. However, work is already underway by the board, which holds its annual meeting at the end of January. "This is an important elec- tion year, and we're not wait- ing until candidates have made official declarations," said Max Jones, president of the commission and editor of the Tribune-Star (Terre Haute). "Our goal is to have as many options open as pos- sible early in the election year." The commission, which hosted three gubernatorial debates in its first year of operation in 2008, has had debates in every election year for statewide races and is one of the nation's only non-par- tisan standing debate groups made up of citizen groups and media. The commission's website will be revised and social media will also be employed for the first time for Hoosier voters to submit questions. "We want to expand our reach as much as possible this year," Jones said. "With important state and federal races – and a new field of can- didates for governor – we're engaging as soon as possible." The commission's past prac- tices have included: • Opening venues to on-site public attendance with free tickets distributed at public points of access in the general election. • Paying for satellite time so that any media outlets – including state and national – can pick up the feed. • Allowing citizens to post questions for consideration in the debate. "Our goal is essentially the same – putting voters first," Jones said. Venue and location review for debates will be underway within 30 days. The Indiana Debate Com- mission is a non-partisan, statewide group represent- ing 13 citizen and media affiliates dedicated to pro- moting debates at the state level. For more information, visit www.indianadebate commission.com. Magazine for municipalities The Papers Inc. plans to increase the frequency of publication of a recent acquisition in 2012. The media group pur- chased The Municipal, a specialty magazine, in September. The publication offers news and resources on products and equipment used by police, fire, res- cue, airport, street and other municipal depart- ments. The Municipal originat- ed in Bluffton as a bi- monthly magazine. Under The Papers, The Municipal promotes busi- nesses and products and feature news articles about new technologies, best practices and trends that improve those departments' perfor- mance. The full-color magazine addresses topics that include LED lighting, policing with camera tech- nology, wind turbines, safety, waste manage- ment, disaster planning, FEMA integration, equip- ment leasing, risk man- agement, recycling, right of way management, green technology and more. The Municipal also spotlights regional person- alities and successful pro- cesses in every issue and features the newest and most innovative products available for keeping city services dependable as well as cost-efficient. A full-time salesperson and more than 100 other company salespeople will call on advertisers who want to present their businesses or inventory to buyers. The Municipal is print- ed in a glossy magazine format and mailed direct- ly to 30,000 public ser- vants, purchasers and vendors in 14 states, including Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. Sports editor hired in Rockport Clay Cunningham, who has nearly four years' experience working for Indiana newspapers, has been hired as sports editor of The Spencer County Journal-Democrat (Rockport). He will also do some news reporting for the newspaper, including coverage of city and town government and school boards, as well as feature assignments. Cunningham, 27, comes to the Journal-Democrat from the Newton County Enterprise Reporter (Kent- land), where he covered a variety of sports and news events for nearly two years. He also worked for two years in the news and sports departments for the Brazil Times. He graduated from Indiana State University in December 2007 with a bachelor of science degree in communications. While at ISU he worked for the campus newspaper, the Indiana Statesman, as a reporter and assistant news editor. He also has experience writing for the website Everyview.com. Journalism fellowship available The Donald W. Reyn- olds Journalism Institute invites applications for the 2012-13 class of Reynolds Fellows. The institute seeks pro- posals for an eight-month fellowship that will shape the future of journalism using the latest in tech- nology and innovation. Applications must be submitted by Jan. 31. RJI will notify appli- Hoosier State Press Association continues to offer its press release ser- vice for groups that want to spread information to Indiana newspapers. Organizations and enti- cants by March 15. Applicants should explain how they plan to use the unique resources available at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, housed at the University of Missouri, as well as their own networks to apply their work to the industry. For more information, visit rjionline.org/ fellowship. Press release service continues The service offers an easy way for groups to send information to news- papers. For more information, ties pay a fee to HSPA to distribute releases to its members via email. Papers run the information at their discretion. visit www.hspa.com and click on "Press release ser- vice" under the Adver- tising tab; or contact Shawn Goldsby at sgoldsby@hspa.com or (317) 803-4772. Follow HSPA on Twitter for the latest legislative and industry news @OurRight2Know. Page 3