The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ)

Minutes of the Board of Directors

Canadian Association of Journalists

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Present: Ron Friesen Deborah Campbell

Jennifer Fowler Charles Bury

Paul Schneidereit Trudi Beutel

Robert Cribb John Dickins

Michelle MacAfee

Regrets: Saleem Khan, Murray Brewster, Maria McClintock

1. Agenda Approval

R. Friesen moved to receive the agenda, J. Fowler seconded. Agenda approved.

2. Approval of Past Minutes

R. Friesen moved to accept, P. Schneidereit seconded. Minutes approved.

Task List :

Item 1: Guidelines for list-serves are on-going. Have recruited Jack Hill, Sandy McMurray and Jean Francois Parent, and will probably recruit one more.

Item 2: Withdrawn.

Item 3: Button to be added to CAJ website tasked to J. Dickins.

Item 4: Award Committee tasked to fall 2004.

Item 5: CAJ to acquire Code of Silence website in progress.

Item 6: Board members will send J. Dickins suggestions for speakers at conferences over the next two months and J. Dickins will build up a data base of these.

Item 7: T. Beutel will talk with chapter liaisons for further suggestions for speakers.

Item 8: R. Cribb and J. Fowler will e-mail Windsor area members to help organize the CAJ/IRE workshop

Item 9: J. Dickins will contact the IRE and let them know the workshop is on; once the hotel costs are known, J. Dickins will put together a budget.

Item 10: M. MacAfee will draft e-mail asking people who are on list-serves but are not members of the CAJ to donate money; will include statistics on how many people belong to the list-serves but are not members.

Item 11: R. Cribb will e-mail members, looking for journalists who have encountered problems crossing the United States’ border.

3. Choosing of executive positions

P. Schneidereit remains as president.

P. Schneidereit nominated M. MacAfee as vice-president, R. Friesen seconded. Approved.

P. Schneidereit nominated C. Bury as second vice-president, J. Fowler seconded. Approved.

T. Beutel has agreed to stand as treasurer. P. Schneidereit nominated T. Beutel as treasurer, R. Friesen seconded. Approved.

4. President’s Report - P. Schneidereit

P. Schneidereit reported that the Vancouver conference was extremely successful, with 355 as the final number of attendees and a $10000 surplus. Highlights of the evening included moving comments by Stephan Hachemi, who received the president’s award on behalf of his mother, Zahra Kazemi, and the awarding of the 4th annual Code of Silence to Health Canada, which got great laughs from the audience (thanks to M. MacAfee for a great job presenting). Membership numbers have taken an increase from 1,300 to about 1,450 which is a positive sign, as the cost of having members is low relative to other services. Some of this can be accounted for by the ease of now being able to sign up over the Internet. Many of the members signing up are new members and they are spread out across the country. As S. Khan’s new job is taking up more of his time, J. Fowler has agreed to take on the role of chapter liaison, a position that is vital in keeping membership numbers stable or climbing. Press releases unrelated to ongoing business have been issued since January: one was a call for justice in the case of Canadian journalist Guy-André Kieffer, who has been missing in Ivory Coast since May, and the other was the controversial statement on the actions of Stevie Cameron in March.

5. Executive Director’s Report - J. Dickins

J. Dickins reported that it has been a very busy and positive year, especially with membership numbers on the rise. Some of the increase is due to the membership initiative, which will be continuing this summer. Online registration has also brought in a number of new members. Renewal is, however, a problem, as members can be quite tardy in regards to this, but this is often due to hectic schedules and forgetfulness. J. Dickins traveled to Prince Edward Island with P. Schneidereit in February to meet with the small Charlottetown chapter that is forming, and the team putting the NWS together. This team is excited about the NWS and are definitely committed to hosting a successful conference. Advertising for the NWS will probably begin in July. The Vancouver conference made $10,000, when it had been budgeted for $17,000. Some of the reasons for the deficit from the Vancouver conference were lower attendance than expected and lower funds raised. After talking with the executive director at the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, it seems the CAJ is not the only organization have difficulty fundraising. We fundraised $30,000 instead of our target of $40,000, which is considerably lower than the $60,000 we were able to get in the past. One of the reasons is that companies are not donating the same amount they did in the past: the Globe and Mail gave $1,500 this year, where in the past they have given $4,000, and Canadian Press and Bloomberg did not contribute anything. However, this should not effect the bottom line significantly. We will likely end up saving money in other areas and if the NWS conference brings in what it is expected to, the year should end on budget

6. Conferences

NWS Charlottetown: J. Dickins reported that the conference will be at the Rodd Hotel, October 23-24. R. Friesen raised the concern that some of the guests have done other conferences and the more general issue of finding new speakers for conferences in the future.

Conference locations: J. Dickins reported that he has been having trouble with the Inn on the Forks and it is not booked yet. The conference will be either the first or second weekend in May. R. Friesen reported that the organizing committee has had several meetings with John Webb as the chair. The committee is at the point where they are ready to start making invitations to speakers, and one of the possibilities they are looking at is Michael Moore.

CAJ/IRE workshop: J. Dickins reported that the IRE is keen on having the workshop in Windsor, as they feel that Toronto is too far away for them to get a good draw from the United States. The workshop will be held October 2. T. Beutel raised the question as to whether enough Canadians will come out to Windsor to cover the costs. R. Cribb noted that these types of workshops tend to be small by nature, and because costs will be cheaper in Windsor, getting large numbers will be less of a concern.

7. Membership Committee

J. Fowler noted that K. Pauls’ report found that the chapter liaison has been underused, and said she will try to improve this. Board discussed list-serve members who are not members of the CAJ and the idea of asking them to give $15 or $20.

8. New Business

Board discussed e-mails that had been received regarding the press release issued by the CAJ on the actions of Stevie Cameron. J. Dickins reported that he had spoke to Stevie Cameron in two phone calls she made to his office. During the first call, she was concerned as to whether she should attend the CAJ conference in Vancouver, and by the end of the conversation, she had decided she would. The second phone call was to inform J. Dickins that she had changed her mind, and would not be attending.

P. Schneidereit put forward the motion to strike an ad hoc committee to look at if, when, and how public statements criticizing journalists should be issued and that the committee will consider submissions by members on this issue. The committee will forward their recommendations to the board meeting in September for review, and the Board’s conclusion will be presented at the annual General Meeting.

M. MacAfee seconded. Motion passed.

P. Schneidereit and J. Fowler volunteered to be on committee. Deb Jones, Stephen Ward Julian Sher and Murray Brewster will be asked to join. S. Ward will be asked to chair.

Board decided not to contact Stevie Cameron personally until committee has given report.

9. New Business

C. Bury reported that he has been hearing from journalists that they have been having problems crossing the United States’ border, such as being turned away and strip searched. J. Dickins reported he had put in a call to the U. S. embassy regarding one particular case, and expects to get in touch with someone this week.

P. Schneidereit reported that he will be e-mailing Ryerson Review magazine regarding the article that appeared in the Review in the spring.

R. Cribb reported that in the Bagora v. Washington Post case, the U. S. Court of Appeal has approved the application to appeal. R. Cribb will send board members an e-mail on this with more information.

10. Adjournment

J. Fowler moved to adjourn, T. Beutel seconded. Meeting adjourned.



Home Search this Web site Agendae & Minutes Aims & By-Laws Board of Directors CAJ Awards CAJ Directory Caucuses Chapters Events Fellowships Guidelines and Principles History Jobs Links Media Magazine Membership News Services Sponsorship & Advertising Please forward any comments or suggestions for the Web site to the CAJ webmaster. Last updated: September, 2004				Minutes of the Board of Directors Canadian Association of Journalists Tuesday, June 29, 2004 Present: Ron Friesen Deborah Campbell Jennifer Fowler Charles Bury Paul Schneidereit Trudi Beutel Robert Cribb John Dickins Michelle MacAfee Regrets: Saleem Khan, Murray Brewster, Maria McClintock 1. Agenda Approval R. Friesen moved to receive the agenda, J. Fowler seconded. Agenda approved. 2. Approval of Past Minutes R. Friesen moved to accept, P. Schneidereit seconded. Minutes approved. Task List : Item 1: Guidelines for list-serves are on-going. Have recruited Jack Hill, Sandy McMurray and Jean Francois Parent, and will probably recruit one more. Item 2: Withdrawn. Item 3: Button to be added to CAJ website tasked to J. Dickins. Item 4: Award Committee tasked to fall 2004. Item 5: CAJ to acquire Code of Silence website in progress. Item 6: Board members will send J. Dickins suggestions for speakers at conferences over the next two months and J. Dickins will build up a data base of these. Item 7: T. Beutel will talk with chapter liaisons for further suggestions for speakers. Item 8: R. Cribb and J. Fowler will e-mail Windsor area members to help organize the CAJ/IRE workshop Item 9: J. Dickins will contact the IRE and let them know the workshop is on; once the hotel costs are known, J. Dickins will put together a budget. Item 10: M. MacAfee will draft e-mail asking people who are on list-serves but are not members of the CAJ to donate money; will include statistics on how many people belong to the list-serves but are not members. Item 11: R. Cribb will e-mail members, looking for journalists who have encountered problems crossing the United States’ border. 3. Choosing of executive positions P. Schneidereit remains as president. P. Schneidereit nominated M. MacAfee as vice-president, R. Friesen seconded. Approved. P. Schneidereit nominated C. Bury as second vice-president, J. Fowler seconded. Approved. T. Beutel has agreed to stand as treasurer. P. Schneidereit nominated T. Beutel as treasurer, R. Friesen seconded. Approved. 4. President’s Report - P. Schneidereit P. Schneidereit reported that the Vancouver conference was extremely successful, with 355 as the final number of attendees and a $10000 surplus. Highlights of the evening included moving comments by Stephan Hachemi, who received the president’s award on behalf of his mother, Zahra Kazemi, and the awarding of the 4th annual Code of Silence to Health Canada, which got great laughs from the audience (thanks to M. MacAfee for a great job presenting). Membership numbers have taken an increase from 1,300 to about 1,450 which is a positive sign, as the cost of having members is low relative to other services. Some of this can be accounted for by the ease of now being able to sign up over the Internet. Many of the members signing up are new members and they are spread out across the country. As S. Khan’s new job is taking up more of his time, J. Fowler has agreed to take on the role of chapter liaison, a position that is vital in keeping membership numbers stable or climbing. Press releases unrelated to ongoing business have been issued since January: one was a call for justice in the case of Canadian journalist Guy-André Kieffer, who has been missing in Ivory Coast since May, and the other was the controversial statement on the actions of Stevie Cameron in March. 5. Executive Director’s Report - J. Dickins J. Dickins reported that it has been a very busy and positive year, especially with membership numbers on the rise. Some of the increase is due to the membership initiative, which will be continuing this summer. Online registration has also brought in a number of new members. Renewal is, however, a problem, as members can be quite tardy in regards to this, but this is often due to hectic schedules and forgetfulness. J. Dickins traveled to Prince Edward Island with P. Schneidereit in February to meet with the small Charlottetown chapter that is forming, and the team putting the NWS together. This team is excited about the NWS and are definitely committed to hosting a successful conference. Advertising for the NWS will probably begin in July. The Vancouver conference made $10,000, when it had been budgeted for $17,000. Some of the reasons for the deficit from the Vancouver conference were lower attendance than expected and lower funds raised. After talking with the executive director at the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, it seems the CAJ is not the only organization have difficulty fundraising. We fundraised $30,000 instead of our target of $40,000, which is considerably lower than the $60,000 we were able to get in the past. One of the reasons is that companies are not donating the same amount they did in the past: the Globe and Mail gave $1,500 this year, where in the past they have given $4,000, and Canadian Press and Bloomberg did not contribute anything. However, this should not effect the bottom line significantly. We will likely end up saving money in other areas and if the NWS conference brings in what it is expected to, the year should end on budget 6. Conferences NWS Charlottetown: J. Dickins reported that the conference will be at the Rodd Hotel, October 23-24. R. Friesen raised the concern that some of the guests have done other conferences and the more general issue of finding new speakers for conferences in the future. Conference locations: J. Dickins reported that he has been having trouble with the Inn on the Forks and it is not booked yet. The conference will be either the first or second weekend in May. R. Friesen reported that the organizing committee has had several meetings with John Webb as the chair. The committee is at the point where they are ready to start making invitations to speakers, and one of the possibilities they are looking at is Michael Moore. CAJ/IRE workshop: J. Dickins reported that the IRE is keen on having the workshop in Windsor, as they feel that Toronto is too far away for them to get a good draw from the United States. The workshop will be held October 2. T. Beutel raised the question as to whether enough Canadians will come out to Windsor to cover the costs. R. Cribb noted that these types of workshops tend to be small by nature, and because costs will be cheaper in Windsor, getting large numbers will be less of a concern. 7. Membership Committee J. Fowler noted that K. Pauls’ report found that the chapter liaison has been underused, and said she will try to improve this. Board discussed list-serve members who are not members of the CAJ and the idea of asking them to give $15 or $20. 8. New Business Board discussed e-mails that had been received regarding the press release issued by the CAJ on the actions of Stevie Cameron. J. Dickins reported that he had spoke to Stevie Cameron in two phone calls she made to his office. During the first call, she was concerned as to whether she should attend the CAJ conference in Vancouver, and by the end of the conversation, she had decided she would. The second phone call was to inform J. Dickins that she had changed her mind, and would not be attending. P. Schneidereit put forward the motion to strike an ad hoc committee to look at if, when, and how public statements criticizing journalists should be issued and that the committee will consider submissions by members on this issue. The committee will forward their recommendations to the board meeting in September for review, and the Board’s conclusion will be presented at the annual General Meeting. M. MacAfee seconded. Motion passed. P. Schneidereit and J. Fowler volunteered to be on committee. Deb Jones, Stephen Ward Julian Sher and Murray Brewster will be asked to join. S. Ward will be asked to chair. Board decided not to contact Stevie Cameron personally until committee has given report. 9. New Business C. Bury reported that he has been hearing from journalists that they have been having problems crossing the United States’ border, such as being turned away and strip searched. J. Dickins reported he had put in a call to the U. S. embassy regarding one particular case, and expects to get in touch with someone this week. P. Schneidereit reported that he will be e-mailing Ryerson Review magazine regarding the article that appeared in the Review in the spring. R. Cribb reported that in the Bagora v. Washington Post case, the U. S. Court of Appeal has approved the application to appeal. R. Cribb will send board members an e-mail on this with more information. 10. Adjournment J. Fowler moved to adjourn, T. Beutel seconded. Meeting adjourned. canadian, association, journalists, CAJ, journalist, journalism, canada, society, group, national, nedia, reporter, editor, producer, radio, television, newspaper, magazine, web, writer The Canadian Association of Journalists is Canada's largest organization for professional journalists and promotes excellence in journalism, investigative journalism and the public’s right to know.