President's Corner

We’re going to be a busy chapter this year, and I hope you’ll be a part of it.

SDSPJ president Jennifer Croshaw

By Jennifer Croshaw, San Diego Pro Chapter

Entertainment editor, SignOnSanDiego.com 

How do I compete with earning “Chapter of the Year”?

Under the leadership of former president Lori Weisberg, the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists enjoyed informative programs, increased membership and most importantly, the biggest award our national Society bestows.

As your chapter’s new president, I thank Lori and the rest of the board for a rewarding 2005-06 term. We presented programs covering everything from Internet research tips and journalists from Mexico, to a question-and-answer session with Mayor Jerry Sanders. And national headquarters recognized us with a Circle of Excellence award for chapter communications, based on this quarterly newsletter, regular e-blasts and our redesigned Web site, www.sdspj.org.

I look forward to representing local journalists and journalism educators in fields of print, broadcast and online. The SD-SPJ board will do this by holding monthly events related to topics you care about, focusing on the causes and issues that matter, and being in regular contact with you, a San Diego journalist, journalism educator or journalism student.

We’ve got another busy year ahead of us, and these are the three most important things we’ll tackle:

* Evaluating the categories and structure of our annual journalism awards contest. You’ve told us there are problems with our annual award categories, so we’re going to update the way we organize them.

* Maintaining our chapter’s four-star status by holding at least six meetings or events on diversity, FOI, ethics or other topics relevant to SPJ’s mission, along with other qualifications.

* Championing the causes and tackling the issues that matter to San Diego journalists and journalism educators.

I ask you to join us in meeting the goals. Attend our programs, where you can network with fellow journalists. Tell your colleagues about SPJ. Talk to us about what matters to you.

This year, we’ll continue our tradition of holding educational programs for professionals, students and educators, starting with our Sept. 21 panel focusing on private investigation.

Joining us on this topic are licensed investigators Joe Dickerson and Darryl Thibault, along with Lori Flor, who specializes in executive security and investigations. The three will share tricks of the trade and tips on following the money trail. It’s an important topic, and I hope you’ll join us for an informative evening in the first-floor auditorium of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

We’re going to be a busy chapter this year, and I hope you’ll be a part of it.