RTDNA

CBS won five in television and three in radio, and NBC won two awards in television. Univision won for best network television website.

Regardless of which side of the controversy you’re on, RTDNA sees this latest issue as a simple matter of free speech—and one in which the government has no role. If the FCC bans this term, what’s next? Will there be other words determined as not fit for current social conventions? And do we want those decisions made by a government bureaucracy? We think not.

The award and $5,000 cash prize from RTDNA is in recognition of the show’s Lethal Medicine report on tainted steroid injections from a now defunct pharmacy that caused a meningitis outbreak deemed responsible for 64 deaths and hundreds of illnesses.

As the judicial branch’s policymaking body convenes this week, the Coalition for Court Transparency, of which RTDNA is a member, is calling on judges who sit on the Judicial Conference to implement a uniform, same-day audio policy for hearings conducted in the 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals across the country.

The RTDNA Excellence in Journalism conference that kicks off tomorrow in Nashville will place “an emphasis far less on theory and more on practical application,” says the group’s Mike Cavender. “It’s not enough to be a broadcaster. It’s not enough to be a print journalist or a digital journalist. You’ve got to be able to translate to all the other platforms,” he adds.

Radio Television Digital News Association’s Executive Director Mike Cavender wrote a letter to Ferguson, Mo.’s chief of police on Wednesday urging “Ferguson police to work with journalists.”

The Radio Television Digital News Association and the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) today announce the winners of the 2014 RTDNA/NEFE Award for Personal Finance Reporting. As part of […]

The number of TV stations producing new rose by two to 719, but total newsroom employment dipped 1.5% to 27,700, according to the latest joint annual survey of RTDNA and Hofstra University. The decline in employment may be due to the poor response to the survey from stations in the top 25 markets, Hofstra and RTDNA said. The survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2013.

This year, RTDNA awarded 98 national Edward R. Murrow Awards in 13 categories. “The work of our honorees speaks volumes about the quality and diversity of electronic journalism available today,” said RTDNA Executive Director Mike Cavender. “Each winning entry demonstrates how powerful a well-told story can be.” The awards in New York on Oct. 6.

Longtime CBS Radio News Vice President Harvey Nagler is the winner of the Radio Television Digital News Association’s 2014 John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes an individual’s contributions […]

Corporate membership allows groups to enroll individuals from all their stations for $100 per year, versus the usual $199.

RTDNA’s 2014 Paul White Award, which recognizes a lifetime of achievement and service to the profession of electronic journalism goes to Dick Ebersol, former longtime chairman of NBC Sports. “For more than four decades, Dick Ebersol has represented the best of broadcasting,” said Mike Cavender, executive director of RTDNA. “His mark on television is as memorable as it is indelible.”

This year, RTDNA awarded 661 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards in 14 categories, including Overall Excellence, Breaking News, Investigative Reporting and Website. The awards recognize the best electronic journalism and the winners advance to the national competition.

Social media, particularly Twitter, is testing journalistic standards by pushing out large amounts of often unconfirmed information that reporters are expected to compete with. An RTDNA panel discusses how journalists can protect themselves from getting swept up in the frenzy.

When it comes to managing a newsroom, it’s easy to feel like you’re on your own. RTDNA and RTDNF offer dozens of training seminars for news leaders at its annual convention, as well as networking opportunities with newspeople from around the country and around the world. And now, for the first time, it’s offering its most helpful and popular newsroom leadership publications at no charge for you to study.

Outgoing RTDNA chairman Vince Duffy says he’s disappointed by his group’s attendance at the joint journalism conference, but is pleased that his group is no longer in the red. Overall, EIJ attendance was up, boosted by this year’s addition of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in addition to RTDNA and the Society of Professional Journalists.

In picking up his Paul White Award from the RTDNA in Anaheim, Calif., yesterday, the host of Fox News Sunday advises his fellow journalists not to sacrifice accuracy for speed in reporting. “Play the long game. Tell your audience we won’t always have it first, not because we aren’t covering the story, but precisely because we are covering the story.”

This year’s Excellence in Journalism convention Aug. 24-26 in Anaheim will feature sessions and other content suggestions submitted by RTDNA members and will also be co-sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The joint sponsorship is reflected in the wide range of sessions and workshops that are of interest to journalists across-the-board, increasingly so as newspeople are required to work on multiple platforms.

With more television stations and groups investing in investigative journalism, some industry groups, including Investigative Reporters and Editors, are seeing a resurgence of interest and attendance, and not at the expense of other organizations.

KYW Philadelphia and WVUE New Orleans took overall excellence honors for large and small markets, respectively, in this year’s Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

RTDNA joins the National Press Photographers Association and other journalism organizations to oppose California proposals to restrict newsgathering. Two bills making their way through the California legislature would broadly redefine personal privacy with the intent of keeping paparazzi away from celebrities, but with the added consequences of severely curtailing legitimate newsgathering, while exposing journalists to criminal prosecution and civil liability.

The Radio Television Digital News Association celebrated the best in electronic journalism Monday night as it presented 99 Edward R. Murrow Awards to 67 news organizations at its annual awards dinner at the Grand Hyatt in New York in front of more than 400 journalists and guests.

Vince Duffy has his work cut out for him, with a goal to boost membership significantly – a goal he’s set himself for the group. He also wants to increase journalism training, but without grant money to do so. But that’s what the news business is about these days – doing more with fewer resources.

Vincent Duffy of Michigan Radio took over as Chairman of RTDNA as the group completed its joint conference with SPJ, “Excellence In Journalism 2012” in Ft. Lauderedale, Fla. Former Chair Kevin Benz, whose tenure saw the hiring of Mike Cavendere as RTDNA executive director, is now chair of RTDNF, the related foundation.

Journalists are worried about three provisions in legislation from Sen. Dianne Feinstein designed to stop intelligence leaks to the media that they see as too broad. Brian Weiss, a Feinstein spokesman, says lawmakers are weighing the criticisms. “The bill is a work in progress,” Weiss says. “Sen. Feinstein is looking at the comments and is open to changes as it moves forward in the Senate.”

The group is crucial to broadcasting, as news departments try to absorb new technology and fend off regulations that curb press freedoms. But right now, it has more than it can handle due to the dwindling industry support. Show you care by paying dues, buying a seat at the Murrow dinner and attending the annual conference.

Proposed rules, if adopted, would make Utah the 47th state to allow electronic media coverage in some form in trial courts. “There can be no doubt [this] will create greater transparency, will increase Utah citizens’ knowledge and understanding of the court system, and will advance the public’s right to know as it pertains to the judicial system,” the group says.

Once again, the public is being denied an opportunity to witness a very important judicial event. The decision by Colorado judge William Sylvester ordering that James Holmes’ latest court appearance be closed to cameras is yet another example of how far we haven’t come in being able to shed light on one of the most basic aspects of American society — its jurisprudence system.

Do the media have a responsibility not to talk about certain subjects or raise certain possibilities because it might put ideas in people’s heads? There are numerous examples of media outlets showing restraint.

The Newsroom is engaging television, set against a backdrop that many people find interesting — the TV news business. I find the show a diversion worthy of an hour of my time each week — especially since now, I can pick which hour that will be!

Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News and executive producer of 60 Minutes, will receive RTDNA’s highest honor during the Excellence in Journalism 2012 Conference in Fort Lauderdale this September.