Chicago, Aug. 24:
This is supposed to be a travel blog, but I am going to violate my own rule just this once.
Today was a great, great day.
The SPJ board met for four and a half hours this afternoon, my last meeting as president, and we did something truly memorable, something great.
We voted to make the largest grant ever from our Legal Defense Fund to support a young, independent journalist who sits without bail in a federal prison outside San Francisco because he refuses to turn over to a federal grand jury outtakes of video he shot at a demonstration last year. (See http://www.joshwolf.net)
The amount, I guess, isn't very impressive, $31,000, but it will ensure that the young man and his family never have to pay a dime from their own pockets to cover legal fees in the case and that the lawyers will fight as long and hard as they can to prevent a federal prosecutor from turning a journalist into an arm of law enforcement.
It occurs to me only now that the 23-member SPJ board of directors passed every measure I asked of them this year. It's hard to imagine that any president has had greater support than that from his board. Thanks to each of you.
This is supposed to be a travel blog, but I am going to violate my own rule just this once.
Today was a great, great day.
The SPJ board met for four and a half hours this afternoon, my last meeting as president, and we did something truly memorable, something great.
We voted to make the largest grant ever from our Legal Defense Fund to support a young, independent journalist who sits without bail in a federal prison outside San Francisco because he refuses to turn over to a federal grand jury outtakes of video he shot at a demonstration last year. (See http://www.joshwolf.net)
The amount, I guess, isn't very impressive, $31,000, but it will ensure that the young man and his family never have to pay a dime from their own pockets to cover legal fees in the case and that the lawyers will fight as long and hard as they can to prevent a federal prosecutor from turning a journalist into an arm of law enforcement.
It occurs to me only now that the 23-member SPJ board of directors passed every measure I asked of them this year. It's hard to imagine that any president has had greater support than that from his board. Thanks to each of you.
posted by Dave at 10:46 PM
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