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.)

Great news on the IHSA front:

The IPA office was notified this afternoon that the IHSA is allowing photographers floor access at the girls state basketball finals in Bloomington this weekend.

According to Mark Pickering, editor of the Bloomington Pantagraph, Anthony Holman of the IHSA indicated to his photographer that although the IHSA was standing by its existing media policy, they were allowing photographers with valid credentials access to the floor, WITHOUT SIGNING ANY FURTHER WAIVERS OR RELEASES.

I have also been informed that a memo from the IHSA indicating that the same suspension of existing media policy was sent to the host school of the swim finals scheduled for this weekend in Evanston.

IPA attorney Don Craven suggests that IPA members take advantage of the floor access. Doing so will not weaken our position in court or in the legislature.

The IPA will issue a memo to the IHSA this afternoon stating that we have advised our members to take advantage of this change in position. The memo will further state that the IPA is not waiving its underlying complaint that any existing restrictions are invalid.

Beth Bennett
Director of Government Relations
Illinois Press Association

900 Community Drive
Springfield, IL 62703
217-241-1300
Fax 217-241-1301
E-mail bbennett@illinoispress.org