Senate passes bill to preserve press access to public high school competitive events!
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Senate today voted 47-5 in
favor of a bill that would prohibit the Illinois High
School Association from regulating the use of news
images and media access to public high school
competitions.An identical bill, HB 4582, is pending in the House of
Representatives.“This is good news coming out of the Senate,” said P.
Carter Newton, president of the Illinois Press
Association, which drafted SB 1997. He said that
“being able to control our content is a core issue.”“We are very happy that the Senate overwhelmingly
approved this bill,” said Dave Bennett, executive
director of the IPA. “It has been our position from
the beginning,” Bennett said, “that newspapers should
be entitled to control all of their products, and that
it’s not up to the IHSA to determine how we operate
our business.“This vote indicates that the Senate agrees,” he
continued. “We’re optimistic that this bill will have
a similar reception when it passes over to the House.”The legislation was prompted after the IHSA refused to
allow field access to five newspapers during the state
high school football championships last fall. Those
newspapers refused to agree to not make their photos
available for sale. Newspapers also were banned from
floor access during wrestling and cheerleading
tournaments.The IPA, which drafted the legislation, also is in
litigation with the IHSA over the same issues.The IHSA contracts with a Wisconsin company for
exclusive rights to sell photos from the tournament
games.“I think the IHSA is really wrong on this,” Sen. James
A. DeLeo, D-Chicago, and the bill’s sponsor said from
the Senate floor. He said he thinks it’s wrong that a
parent has to go to a Wisconsin company to purchase a
championship photo from an Illinois public high school
event. He indicated that he believes public school
competitions should be as open as public school board
meetings.Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Highwood, who co-sponsored the
bill, said the IHSA should not be “able to monopolize
photography” of high school sports. “That should be
open to anybody,” she said during a brief but vigorous
debate about the bill.Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, voted for the
bill but said he would prefer that the matter be
settled by the courts. “I don’t believe it’s our place
to deal with it,” he said.Sen. J. Bradley Burzynski, R-Sycamore, opposed the
bill. “This is about money,” he said. He said
newspapers are not prohibited by the IHSA from
covering events - only selling photos - and he echoed
IHSA warnings that schools might have to pay more to
belong to the IHSA if the bill becomes law.Sen. William R. Haine, D-Alton, noted that the profit
interest from selling tournament photos is narrow for
newspapers. He indicated that he thinks the bill is in
the best interest of parents who want photos.Sen. Rickey Hendon, D-Chicago, noted that there is a
big difference between high school competitions and
professional sports. He said he hopes the media will
take note of the support shown in the Senate for press
freedom.
IPPA member Stacie Freudenberg’s documentary work showcased at Northeastern IL University
Check it out. It’s free and in April!
IPPA members bring home National Headliner Awards
Great news!
- David Carson from the Post-Dispatch took first place in the 2008 National Headliner Awards in the Online Videography category. for his “Reporting for Duty” project.
- Kuni Takahashi from the Chicago Tribune took third place for “Hidden Poverty in Illinois” in the photo essay category and third place for his online slideshow, “Our Hidden Poor.“
- Last year’s iBOP judge and convention speaker, Robert Cohen, also took second place for both feature photography and photography portfolio.
Free journalism training session in Chicago
Karen Kring sends along info about an upcoming event:
Friends and Colleagues,
As we are all going multimedia and expanding our journalism skill set, consider kicking your research skills up a notch.
This just in from the Asian American Journalism Association. (Yeah, another Chicago-based thing. Thankgoodness for Will and the Champaign crowd.)
Best,
Karen Kring*Sharpen your investigative journalism skills at a workshop hosted by the Asian American Journalists Association’ s Chicago chapter.*
Learn how to look up *campaign finance records* to see who is donating to which political candidate and learn how to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) letter that gets results.
This one-hour workshop is FREE and the first of a series on how to dig through various public records.
Who:
Ray Gibson, Investigative Reporter/Writer, Chicago Tribune
Diane Carbonara, Investigative Unit producer, Fox News ChicagoWhen:
Thursday, March 20, 2008
5:30 p.m. - Networking
6:00 p.m. - Workshop
Light refreshments will be served.Where:
Tribune Tower
435 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611*Space is limited so RSVP by Tuesday, March 18, 2008 to chiaaja@yahoo. com*
Lost Americana — The Ruins of Rural America
Please take note of this gallery show . . .Lost Americana — The Ruins of Rural America
A photo-documentary by IPPA member Vincent David Johnson
Saturday March 22 at 773 Gallery, 1030 N. Milwaukee Ave
Doors open 5 p.m., presentation 6:30 p.m.
IHSA protest tee shirts for sale
IHSA protest tee shirts for sale
What started out as a protest shirt could now become a collector’s item.
This heavy-weight 100% cotton shirt is sand colored with a green silk-screen image. The two hands represent the IPA and the IHSA playing tug-o-war with our field passes. The net proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go to the Chuck Cass Memorial Scholarship Fund. Shirts are $15 each (plus $2.50 shipping and handling). We have sizes from adult small to XXL.
To order, contact Rob Dicker at rob@robdicker.com
2 of the 3 POYi Newspapers Photographer of the Year are IPPA members
Fantastic news!
A huge congrats goes out to Scott Strazzante and Kuni Takahashi for their second and third place wins at POYi for Newspaper Photographers of the Year.
In other POYi - IPPA News:
- Robert Cohen of the Post-Dispatch took home first place in the “One Weeks Work” category
- Scott also took home the Community Awareness Award for his really cool long-term project, “Echoes of the Past”
Congrats to all!
(Btw: If you see other IPPA members placing, please let us know, we’d like to keep a running list here.)