Free Speech Speakers Are Eager To Share Their Experience
Journalists know about city government; they know about schools and about politics. They also know local history, places to canoe and how to grow tomatoes.
In short, journalists are generalists. They know a bit about a lot of things because they spend their days interviewing people, gathering information and organizing that information into stories for the newspaper. As journalists go about their jobs, they constantly learn about people, places and how to do things.
For more than a century, The Spokesman-Review has been the source of information about our community, our region, our place in the world. Now we’re expanding that role with a Newsroom Speakers Bureau.
Here’s how the Newsroom Speakers Bureau will work: A core group of reporters and editors have volunteered to be members of the bureau. Each has developed at least one talk about topics he or she has written about for the newspaper or topics stemming from a hobby or an avocation.
Community groups can contact the Speakers Bureau to request a speaker from the newsroom. They can suggest a topic or request a speaker or subject from the Speakers Bureau list.
The talks are free of charge. In return for sending a journalist to speak to the group, we’re asking for about 10 minutes of “commercial time” after the talk. We might ask the audience to fill out a short survey. We might ask them to look at a new comic strip and tell us if they think it’s funny. Or they might be asked to read a new column and tell us what they think. Or we might simply want to know what they like best, and least, about the newspaper.
Following is a list of Speakers Bureau members and a brief description of their topics:
Winda Benedetti: Crime reporting.
Alison Boggs: How to be a reporter.
Jim Camden: The business of reporting; politics and elections; how the newspaper covers the military.
Susan English: Regional women who played integral roles in the settling and growth of Spokane and environs. From Terry Tempest Williams to Gretel Ehrlich, Western women writers tell powerful stories inspired by the landscape.
Maisy Fernandez: How to apply for a job; the importance of volunteering in our community.
Doug Floyd: Public journalism as an approach to covering the news that focuses on being connected to rather than being separated from the community; the purpose of writing editorials and how the newspaper comes to its decisions; civic involvement, or yes, individual citizens can and do make a difference; youth issues.
Dan Hansen: Canoeing the waters of the Inland Northwest; how to navigate county government; the importance of the Columbia River to our region.
Grayden Jones: Agricultural issues; the business of being a journalist.
Fred King: Autos; volunteering in our community.
Jim Kershner: The performing arts in Spokane; local history; humor is hard work.
Peggy Kuhr: Newspaper policy - why we do what we do; newspaper ethics.
Kelly McBride: Covering religion, spirituality and ethics in the newspaper; balancing a career and kids.
Roger Moses: The history of the Spokane Indians; Native American dancing and pow wows.
Rebecca Nappi: The importance of women’s voices in home, school, church, the workplace and the community; writing for your life; journaling your way to awareness.
Chris Peck: The business of newspapering; The Spokesman-Review’s role in the region.
Mike Prager: Weather reporting - who tells us those storms are arriving; gardening in Spokane.
Ken Sands: The business of being a journalist and newspaper-related topics in North Idaho and the Spokane Valley; backpacking and mountaineering - how to, where to go, equipment recommendations.
Chuck Rehberg: How the newspaper covers business; development of niche publications.
Carla Savalli: How to get your story in the newspaper; how the newsroom works.
Julie Sullivan: The art of writing.
Julie Titone: The business of being a journalist.
Dave Trimmer: What it’s like to be a sports writer.
Andrea Vogt: The business of being a writer; education in Washington and Idaho; youth trends; Idaho history and politics.
Richard Wagoner: Covering the news, what is news, general newsroom topics; covering the radical right and the anti-government movement.
Dan Webster: The art of being a film critic.
Chris Wille: Arts and entertainment coverage; how to write an effective press release; what makes a great story and how to present it to the media.
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MEMO: Easy access To request a speaker from the Spokesman-Review Newsroom Speakers Bureau, contact Susan English at 459-5488 or (800) 789-0029, ext. 5488, or e-mail susane@spokesman.com or send a letter to The Spokesman-Review, PO Box 2160, Spokane WA 99210.
This sidebar appeared with the story: A year-old idea becomes reality with birth of Newsroom Speakers Bureau By Rebecca Nappi Interactive editor
A group of five Spokane women gather every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. They call themselves a spirit-based group, but they fill those hours with talk of spirituality and many other subjects. And they eat some great lunches! The Sisterhood of P.E.O. meets in St. Maries, Idaho, twice a month. The women’s philanthropic group supports women’s educational efforts by raising money for college scholarships that go to local young women. This past winter and spring, Susan English and I gave talks to these two groups and 25 other women’s groups who meet throughout the Inland Northwest. We talked with almost 600 women as part of our research to determine how to better reflect the lives of women in our news pages. The women were helpful and welcoming, and we emerged from the experience with other insights. We realized women’s groups and women’s gatherings are more popular than ever. Despite computer technology and the virtual world, many women still prefer one-on-one contact. They come together to network, talk books, share information, provide emotional support and do great things for the community. We also realized that many groups, not just women’s organizations, are in search of speakers, especially free speakers! And so the Newsroom Speakers Bureau - an idea kicking around here for years - is officially launched today. We hope Inland Northwest groups of all types and interests avail themselves of this new service we’re offering to build and strengthen community ties in the Inland Northwest.
This sidebar appeared with the story: A year-old idea becomes reality with birth of Newsroom Speakers Bureau By Rebecca Nappi Interactive editor
A group of five Spokane women gather every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. They call themselves a spirit-based group, but they fill those hours with talk of spirituality and many other subjects. And they eat some great lunches! The Sisterhood of P.E.O. meets in St. Maries, Idaho, twice a month. The women’s philanthropic group supports women’s educational efforts by raising money for college scholarships that go to local young women. This past winter and spring, Susan English and I gave talks to these two groups and 25 other women’s groups who meet throughout the Inland Northwest. We talked with almost 600 women as part of our research to determine how to better reflect the lives of women in our news pages. The women were helpful and welcoming, and we emerged from the experience with other insights. We realized women’s groups and women’s gatherings are more popular than ever. Despite computer technology and the virtual world, many women still prefer one-on-one contact. They come together to network, talk books, share information, provide emotional support and do great things for the community. We also realized that many groups, not just women’s organizations, are in search of speakers, especially free speakers! And so the Newsroom Speakers Bureau - an idea kicking around here for years - is officially launched today. We hope Inland Northwest groups of all types and interests avail themselves of this new service we’re offering to build and strengthen community ties in the Inland Northwest.