WNC "toasts" Bill
Gates Sr. and Mimi Gardner Gates at 7th Gridiron West Dinner!
The
Washington News Council “toasted” Bill
Gates Sr. and Mimi Gardner Gates at our 7th Annual Gridiron
West Dinner on Wednesday,
Nov. 9, 2005, at the Washington State Convention & Trade
Center.
More
than 600 people attended this
fun-filled
gala evening of comedy, song, gentle “toasts” and affectionate
tributes. Mike
Egan of Microsoft emceed again this year, with music by Cabaret
Productions.
"Toasters" included Susan
Brotman, Peter Donnelly, Jim Ellis, Dan Evans, and the Gates siblings:
Bill Gates, Kristi Blake and Libby Armintrout.
Bill
Gates Sr. was an original member of the WNC and the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation generously helped fund the council during its first
six years. Mimi Gardner Gates is the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director
of the Seattle Art Museum.
The
Honorary Host Committee for the event included: Libby & Doug Armintrout,
Kristi & John Blake, Jeff & Susan Brotman, Jane & David Davis,
Peter Donnelly, Jim Ellis, Dan & Nancy Evans, Bill & Melinda
Gates, Bill & Ruth Gerberding, Gerry & Lyn Grinstein, Andy & Susan
Hutchison, Janet Ketcham, Kerry & Linda Killinger, Joe & Susan
Knight, Bill & Sally Neukom, Bill & Jill Ruckelshaus, Herman & Faye
Sarkowsky, Stan & Ingrid Savage, Jon & Mary Shirley, Patty Stonesifer & Michael
Kinsley, and Bagley & Virginia Wright.
Table
hosts for the event were:
Philanthropic
($7,500) Level -- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, King County Journal,
Microsoft, Bill & Sally Neukom, Symetra Financial, Washington Mutual,
Virginia Wright & Ann Wyckoff.
Artistic
($5,000) Level -- Boeing, Costco, Jane & David Davis, Bruce & Jolene
McCaw, PEMCO, Hunter Simpson, University of Washington.
Cultural
($3,500) Level -- The Gallatin Group, "Just the Neighbors," Premera
Blue Cross, Puget Sound Energy, Sandy Schoolfield & Jon Kechejian,
Weyerhaeuser.
Civic
($1,500 Level) -- ArtsFund, Dr. Richard & Edwina Baxter, Chris & Cynthia
Bayley, The Benaroya Company, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs,
Fremont Dock Company, Gorton Legacy Group, The Keller Group, Grant Larsen,
Lynden, Inc., Noble House Hotels, Port of Seattle, Preston Gates & Ellis,
Rockey Hill & Knowlton, Herman & Faye Sarkowsky, Seattle Parks
Foundation, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Stephen Silha, Jim & Fawn
Spady, Technology Alliance, TVW, U.W. Law School, Robert & Betty
Utter, Vulcan, Washington State Farm Bureau, YWCA.
The
following companies and individuals provided special help or in-kind
services: Alaska Airlines, Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Larry Cali & Ken
Jones, David Horsey, Microsoft, Noble House Hotels, Preston Gates & Ellis,
and Symetra Financial.
Jonathan
Borofsky, the artist who created the "Hammering Man" statue
in front of the Seattle Art Museum, generously approved the manufacture
of 70 limited-edition miniatures of "Hammering Man" to use
as centerpieces. All were sold either before or during the event, nearly
half at the guaranteed bid price of $500 each.
"This
was our most successful event ever," said WNC Executive Director John
Hamer. "Now the only question is: Who should we 'toast'
next year? Suggestions welcome!"
WNC
Elects New Chair, Public Member
Karen
Seinfeld was elected chair of the Washington News Council
at the WNC's most recent board meeting on Oct. 29. Seinfeld replaces
Robert Utter, who has chaired the WNC since 1998. Seinfeld is former
Chief Presiding Judge of the Washington State Court of Appeals. She
retired in May, and lives in Tacoma.
Ann
Goos was elected as a Public Member of the Washington News
Council at the same meeting. Goos is
Director
of Development for the Agriculture & Forestry Education Foundation
and former Campaign Manager for the Seattle Public School Levies Campaign.
She lives in Seattle.
WNC
Elects New President, Vice Presidents;
Silha's
op-ed in Christian Science Monitor
Stephen
Silha was elected president of the Washington News Council
at the WNC's board meeting on July 23, 2005. Silha, a writer and communications
consultant, had been vice president of the council.
The
Christian Science Monitor published his op-ed piece, "News
councils: a meeting place for communities and their storytellers," on
Aug. 29, 2005. Click HERE:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0829/p09s01-coop.html.
"News councils provide a nonthreatening, neutral
way to explore citizen complaints about media coverage, to examine ethics,
and to communicate more clearly about the purpose and techniques of journalism," Silha
wrote. He described the WNC's Knight Foundation-funded project to create
two more news councils in other states (see next item below).
Silha replaces Cyrus Krohn, who stepped
down as WNC president when he took a new job at Yahoo! Krohn, who is
maintaining his residence in Issaquah, will remain as a media member
of the Council.
Steve Boyer and Dave Schaefer were
also elected vice presidents of the News Council. Boyer is Senior Vice
President of Rockey Hill & Knowlton, and a Public Member of the WNC.
Schaefer is Assistant Director of Public Affairs at the Port of Seattle
and a Media Member of the WNC.
Sandy Schoolfield is
now Treasurer of the WNC and Suzie Burke is
Secretary.
The News Council has received
other national publicity. Mark Jurkowitz's recent piece
in the Boston Phoenix
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/medialog_2/ (second
item) also described the Knight Foundation grant project.
Both Silha's and Jurkowitz's pieces
were posted on Jim Romenesko's widely read national media website.
WNC
Members Attend AEJMC Convention in San Antonio, Texas, Aug. 8-13, 2005
WNC
President Stephen Silha, WNC Media Member John
Irby, and WNC Executive Director John Hamer attended
the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC)
annual convention in San Antonio, Texas, in early August.
They
publicized the Knight Foundation grant project to create two more news
councils in other states. About 1,500 journalism professors, prominent
journalists, graduate students and others attended the convention.
Silha
and Hamer participated in a day-long session on "Restoring the Trust
-- Can Trust and Quality Save Journalism?" Panels of journalists
and professors discussed the declining public trust in the news media
and how to help restore it. News councils were cited as a way to help.
Hamer
staffed a WNC information table in the exhibit area, and talked with
dozens of people interested in applying for the Knight grants to start
news councils in their states. Journalism schools, media outlets, civic
organizations and other interested parties are eligible to apply. Coalitions
of these groups are strongly encouraged. People from several states said
they "definitely" would apply, while many others expressed
serious interest.
Hamer
and Silha were invited to help organize a panel on news council's at
next year's AEJMC convention in San Francisco. They were also asked to
write an article for the Media Ethics Division's next newsletter.
Potential Complainant
Tells News Council:
“You were there when we needed you.”
In the past seven years, the WNC has received dozens
of inquiries that did not lead to formal complaints. However, some potential
complainants have told us that merely mentioning to the media that they
might file a complaint with the WNC produced results. Here is a letter
we received this spring from Greg Magnoni, Director
of Communications for the Archdiocese of Seattle:
“I want to thank the Washington News Council for
being there when I needed assistance with a media complaint. We all recognize
the value of calling ‘911,’ but sometimes it takes a personal
emergency to drive home its importance. The same can be said of the Washington
News Council. The organization I work for has been the subject of intense
media scrutiny over the past two years. Although most of the coverage
has been balanced and objective, one local news organization ignored
accepted journalistic standards of fairness and launched a prolonged
and one-sided attack that ignored our best efforts to respond. When nothing
else seemed to help, we turned to the Washington News Council. Acting
on their advice we met with editors and reporters to air our objections
to their coverage. The results were immediate. Guided by the advice of
the WNC, the meeting focused on our belief that basic standards of journalistic
ethics had been breeched. We also raised the prospect of filing a complaint
with the Washington News Council. I believe our appeal to accepted professional
practices and the possibility of a formal complaint to WNC can be credited
with the turnaround in our editorial coverage. Like ‘911,’ you
were there when we needed you and I am most grateful.”
Testimonials
to Washington News Council
We
have collected testimonials about the Washington News Council from
participants in our process. We have also compiled testimonials from
prominent journalists about us and/or news councils in general. Read
them HERE.
WNC
Wins Seattle Foundation Grant
The
Washington News Council has been awarded an $8,000 grant by The
Seattle Foundation to help cover operational expenses in 2005.
The funds come from TSF’s Community Grantmaking Program.
TSF President/CEO Phyllis J. Campbell announced
the grant in a June 17 letter to the News Council: "We are
pleased to inform you that our Board of Trustees has authorized
a grant of $8,000 to Washington News Council…. On behalf
of the Foundation, we wish you every success in your program."
WNC Executive Director John Hamer said: “We are very pleased
to win this generous grant from The Seattle Foundation. We know
that competition for these grants is stiff. This proves there
is strong and continuing support for the WNC from one of the
most highly respected foundations in our community.”
WNC Awards
Two $1,000 Scholarships
The
WNC in June announced the winners of our Dick Larsen and Herb Robinson
Scholarships for 2005. They are:
Steffany
Bell -- Dick Larsen Scholarship. As a transfer student at
the University of Washington, Steffany will study journalism and political
science. She was editor-in-chief of the Everett Community College newspaper,
and is currently interning at the WNC.
Sara
Butler -- Herb Robinson Scholarship. A 2005 graduate of Ferris
High School in Spokane, Sara will be a freshman at Eastern Washington
University in the fall. She was editor-in-chief of her high-school
newspaper and president of the Spokesman-Review's Explorer
Post. Both students wrote essays on the question: "Should
the news media be allowed to publish, broadcast or post online without
government approval and if so (or if not), what is the best way to
promote fair, accurate and balanced news media so essential to our
democracy?"
The
question was based on a recent Knight Foundation survey that found 49%
of U.S. high-school students believed newspapers should not be allowed
to publish without government approval.
WNC
co-sponsors "Consuming
News in the Age of Blogs" forums
The
Washington News Council and the Evans School of Public Affairs at
the University of Washington sponsored two forums, on May 10 and
May 12, on the topic of “Consuming News in the Age of Blogs.” About
50 people attended each of the events, including a diverse mix of
local journalists, bloggers, academics and interested citizens. Each
forum featured a hypothetical scenario concerning the news media
and homeland security, followed by a showing of the “EPIC” online
film clip, and a discussion of “How Do We Get the News We Need?” WNC
Vice President Stephen Silha and the Evans School’s David Messerschmidt
moderated the May 10 event. WNC Member Cindy Zehnder, president of
TVW, and WNC Executive Director John Hamer moderated the May 12 event.
participants plan to stay in touch through continuing online discussions
and networking. The event was part of a nationwide “Preview
Forum” series sponsored by Roundtable Media Inc., of Boston.
Lisa Berk of Roundtable attended the May 12 forum, along with Chuck
Olsen, producer of “Blogumentary.”
Cyrus
Krohn on "Publishing
Today" panel
at Town Hall
Washington
News Council President Cyrus Krohn, executive producer of MSN Video
and former publisher of Slate.com magazine,
was one of four media leaders who discussed how Seattle can sustain
its publishing creativity, plus national and international publishing
trends. On the May 4 panel with Krohn were: Frank Blethen, publisher
of The Seattle Times and
leading critic of media consolidation; Charles Wright, founder of
the new, for-profit Wave Press, publishing contemporary poetry books
for a national market; and Jane Levine, former ad director for Seattle
Weekly and former publishing director for Chicago
Reader, a leading alternative weekly. David Brewster of
Town Hall, founding editor of Seattle
Weekly, was moderator.
Hear
Hamer & Krohn on KUOW's "Weekday" radio
program
Washington
News Council President Cyrus Krohn and Executive Director John Hamer were
interviewed on KUOW-FM’s “Weekday” program with
Steve Scher on March 8. They
discussed the WNC and why it is needed.
To
listen, go to www.kuow.org,
click on “Weekday,” then “Go to 10 a.m.” You
may listen on RealAudio or MP3.
WNC
Adds 11 New Voting Board Members
The
24-member Washington News Council has added 11 new voting board members
to replace members who stepped down at the end of their second
3-year terms, or for other reasons. The new Council members were
welcomed and officially voted on board at the WNC’s Annual
Meeting on Feb. 5. Click HERE for
media images. Click HERE for
all WNC board members’ biographies. The new members are:
MEDIA
MEMBERS
George
Cole - Development
Officer, Central Washington University, Ellensburg (formerly with
Montana Public Television, Spokane Public Radio, KREM-TV)
John
Knowlton - Journalism
Professor, Green River Community College (President-elect, Pacific
Northwest Association of Journalism Educators)
Erik
Lacitis - Staff
Writer, The Seattle Times
Clayton
Park - Business
Editor, King County Journal (former
editor and reporter, Puget
Sound Business Journal, Seattle Sun, The Seattle Times)
David
Schaefer - Assistant
Director of Public Affairs, Port of Seattle (former Seattle
Times reporter and editor, former press secretary for
U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott)
PUBLIC
MEMBERS
Everett
Billingslea - Vice
President, Administration & Legal Affairs, Lynden Inc. (former
General Counsel to Gov. Gary Locke; former Bogle & Gates attorney)
Steve
Boyer - Senior
Vice President, Rockey Hill & Knowlton (former director of
communications, Services Group of America; former Sr. VP, The Fearey
Group)
Stan
Emert - Director
of Community Relations, Symetra Financial (also boys
basketball coach, Lakeside School; host/producer, KWPX public affairs
TV show)
Paula
Selis - Senior
Counsel, Consumer Protection Division, High Tech Unit, Washington
State Attorney General’s Office
Fawn
Spady - Co-owner,
Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants (co-founder, Education Excellence
Coalition; founder, Creative Empowerment Inc., a consulting firm)
Cindy
Zehnder - President,
TVW (former chief clerk, WA State House of Representatives; former
deputy commissioner, WA State Employment Security Department)
The
WNC also elected a slate of officers for 2005:
President - Cyrus
Krohn, Executive Producer, MSN Video
Vice
President - Steve
Silha, Writer and Communications Consultant
Secretary - Sandy
Schoolfield, Community Volunteer
Treasurer - Suzie
Burke, President, Fremont Dock Company
“We
are very pleased to be adding so many excellent new members to the
News Council,” said WNC President Cyrus Krohn. “And we
were delighted to have so many terrific people apply.” The
new members were selected from nearly two dozen applicants in an
open, statewide competitive process.
The
WNC’s board members oversee the organization’s operations
and finances. They also consider complaints against the news media
and vote on the validity of these complaints in formal WNC hearings.
These are voluntary, unpaid positions with 3-year terms.
Ken
Bunting,
Executive Editor of the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, was a guest speaker at the WNC’s
annual meeting. He discussed the P-I's
efforts to maintain public trust and credibility with readers,
the changing news media market, and the vital need for fair, accurate,
balanced and comprehensive news coverage. To
read Ken Bunting's
remarks, click HERE.
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