Board meeting minutes – May 23, 2019 at Serra High
Agenda
Call to order – Jim Kirkland called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m.
Minutes – There were no minutes to review
Financial report – Dave Price reported that the club has about $12,000 in the bank.
Items:
Recognition – The SFPC board welcomed Curtis Sparrer to his first meeting
New board members vote – Curtis Sparrer was elected unanimously as a new board member.
Contests – The ongoing Orange County and New Orleans journalism contests still needed volunteers. Various board members raised their hand to take on additional categories until all open slots were covered.
Internship programs – This remains a work in progress. How do we pay for the program? And where does the money come from.  Much of the discussion focused on building the program around a social media focus. Perhaps a future intern could help define the social media presence for the San Francisco Press Club, with an eye toward First Amendment issues and notable stories from around the Bay Area. The intern might also write stories for the club’s website about intriguing issues or figures in local journalism.  (The recent Carmody case, for example, would be an ideal fit for our website). We might also write about notable student publications.
Curtis suggested culling lists of, say, the most tweeted stories in the Bay Area. His expertise in the social media field would help us put together such lists.
At this point, it looks as if $2,000 per year might be available to a promising high school (or possibly college) journalist.
Panel discussions / guest speakers – Juan Gonzales, though not present, passed along an update that the Society of Professional Journalists was interesting in co-hosting a panel. The topic would be on the relationship between media and law enforcement, in the wake of several troubling incidents of journalists in danger.
That said, the SFPC board members are also interested in hosting our own panel. And perhaps watching (or participating) in the SPJ event would help serve as a guideline for our approach.
New business – It was mentioned during our meeting that the SF Press Club should honor Katherine Duffel at the annual awards banquet. Duffel is the faculty advisor for the Stockton school newspaper who withstood the threat of being fired over first-amendment rights. Her stance sparked a national discussion that was covered by both the Columbia School of Journalism and the New York Times. The consensus with the board was that she should be bestowed some kind of “First Amendment Hero” at our annual awards ceremony.
Curtis Sparrer also recommended that the SFPC reach out to the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. The board agreed that it would be a good idea to strengthen its ties to such an organization, whether at the annual holiday party or other social/professional gatherings.
Adjourn – The meeting was adjourned at 6:58 p.m.