The Indiana Publisher

INDIANAPOLIS –The Society of Professional Journalists announced that veteran journalist and association leader Alison Bethel McKenzie will become its 20th executive director. "Alison is a game changer for SPJ," said SPJ National President Rebecca Baker. "Her track record of successes, both as a working journalist and a tireless advocate for press rights and the practice of journalism, will help SPJ combat the forces that seek to diminish or destroy the role of the free press as a cornerstone of democracy in this country. SPJ and its members are fortunate to have Alison as our executive director, and I look forward to working with her." Bethel McKenzie succeeds Joe Skeel, who took the executive director position with the Indiana State Bar Association in December. A native of Miami, Bethel McKenzie served for fi ve years as executive director of the Interna- tional Press Institute, the world's oldest global press freedom organization in Vienna. She was the fi rst Ameri- can, fi rst woman and fi rst African-American to hold the position since it was founded in 1950. She also worked as a visiting professor of print and investigative journalism at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media in Bangalore, India "I am beyond excited to join an organization that I have held in high esteem since I fi rst learned of it as a high school rookie reporter at The Miami Herald," Bethel McKenzie said. — Society of Professional Journalists Page 6 March 2018 www.newspaperconsultants.com | 910-323-0349 | info@newspaperconsultants.com "Your team did everything you said you'd do (and more) when you were pitching us. That's rare for a vendor - we felt more like partners, and that's much appreciated." Scott Rosenburgh, Observer-Dispatch Boost your annual advertising revenue with a new or existing TV magazine! ANDERSON — The Herald Bulletin has been named CNHI's Newspaper of the Year for 2017. In addition, Herald Bulletin Photo Editor John Cleary has been chosen 2017 CNHI Photographer of the Year. The award takes into account the overall quality of the newspaper's print editions and website during 2017, including reporting, writing, photography, design and community engagement in print and online, as well as digital content such as video. "Judges honored the paper for comprehensive local coverage, resourceful reporting, reader friendly writing, top-notch sports and feature sections and strong local editorials," wrote Bill Ketter, CNHI senior vice president of news. He specifi cally cited "Broken Trust," the newspaper's special report in December on sexual abuse of children, as an example of strong community journalism. The Herald Bulletin has won CNHI's Newspaper of the Year in Division I, comprised of the company's 23 largest newspapers, four times: in 2004, 2009, 2013 and 2017. Cleary had won the CNHI Division I Photographer of the Year Award once before, in 2010. "It's a true honor to be recognized by our company," Herald Bulletin Publisher Beverly Joyce said. "The division we're in is full of excep- tional newspapers, and I'm extreme- ly proud of our team for providing excellent community journalism to the Madison County area." Bethel McKenzie News in brief Alison Bethel McKenzie named Society of Professional Journalists executive director An Anderson police offi cer assists Cheyenne Gosler from the scene of a May shooting that left her boyfriend, Montez McCloud, dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Photo/John P. Cleary Herald Bulletin is CNHI Newspaper of the Year, John Cleary chosen Photographer of the Year Sunshine Week: Free open government, data workshop in Indianapolis March 17 Letting the Sunshine IN: An Open Data and Open Govern- ment Workshop will be offered March 17 in Indianapolis. The Center for International Media Law and Policy Studies at Indiana University is presenting the free all day workshop on the IUPUI campus. The event is open to anyone interested in open government and open data, including journalists, civic activists and neighborhood association members, said Anthony Fargo, director of CIMLAPS and a co-organizer of the event. Panelists include data reporters Kimbriell Kelly from the Wash- ington Post and Sandhya Kamb- hampati from ProPublica, and Jason Leopold, senior investiga- tive reporter at BuzzFeed News. For more information visit http://indianacog.org

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