The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists welcomes you to learn about our efforts to further the SPJ mission of encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.
Please browse our site to learn more about our monthly programs and professional development meetings, informal get-togethers, our annual contest for excellence in East Tennessee journalism, the Golden Press Card Awards, and our annual fund-raising gridiron send-up of area news faux pas and foibles, the Front Page Follies. Click HERE to see our calendar of upcoming events.
If you are a journalist in East Tennessee and would like to join our chapter, please e-mail us for an application form and information or, even easier, click HERE. Be sure to enter “East Tennessee Pro Chapter” as your local chapter.
Planning is starting now for the Region 12 Conference in Knoxville in April 2010. It’s being held in conjunction with the Second Annual Writing Green Environmental Journalism Conference. Program Chair Amanda Womac welcomes ideas for sessions for both conferences. Please contact her with your thoughts HERE.
The East Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (ETSPJ) draws membership from all of East Tennessee and is based in Knoxville. The area defined as East Tennessee comprises Scott, Morgan, Cumberland, Bledsoe and Hamilton counties and the Tennessee counties east of them which include: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, and Washington.
We are dedicated to the free practice of journalism in the United States and to encouraging and maintaining high standards for ethical behavior. We offer professional support for media practitioners, a regional voice in journalism advocacy, and provide a link for local members to maintain contact with nearly 10,000 SPJ members nationwide.
ETSPJ is a four-star (out of 4) chapter and has received a number of national awards, including two 2006-2007 Circle of Excellence Awards in professional development activities and continuing education programs, and in promoting diversity among journalists. We previously were awarded the Circle of Excellence Award in Professional Development for the 2005-2006 year and the year before that we were named Outstanding Small Professional Chapter for Region 3 and received the Circle of Excellence Award, Small Chapter, for Campus Relations and Scholarship at the 2005 national convention. We have been recognized as a Four Star Chapter for many consecutive years, continuing a tradition of excellence in achieving all the guidelines National SPJ sets for chapters.
Our meetings provide a forum for voices in the East Tennessee community and create opportunities for members to connect with local and state newsmakers. Our programs are designed to be informative and educational as we explore current issues facing media professionals. We have fun, too, at our annual September picnics and December holiday parties plus occasional Texas Hold’Em Ethics Poker Tournaments.
We support journalism education through scholarship awards given to students attending The University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Funding for the awards comes from The Front Page Follies, an annual roast of people and events in the news. The 2010 performance is scheduled for July 24 at the Knoxville Convention Center. More information about the show and tickets is available HERE
Our annual Golden Press Card Competition promotes the chapter and the profession as we showcase the work of print and broadcast journalists from East Tennessee. Entries for work published in print or on the Web or broadcast are judged by another SPJ chapter and the winners this year will be honored at an awards banquet May 15, 2010, at The Foundry in Knoxville. Information on the contest may be found HERE.
Any media professional or member of the public is welcome to attend chapter programs. Membership in ETSPJ provides benefits like newsletter mailings and discounts on any program registration fees, award entries, DVDs of the Front Page Follies performance, etc. To join, please click HERE.
For more information, contact us by e-mail at etspj.communications@gmail.com.
[Updated 1/25/10]
