"broadcast news" fall 2014

7
L ast August, journalists covering the events in Ferguson, Missouri found themselves in the middle of protests and the focus of arrests, reminding us that domestic reporting can be just as fraught as working in global “hotspots.” To get the story, reporters oſten find themselves in dangerous and high-risk situations. From conflict zones to natural disasters, safety is an ever-present issue. Eli Rosenberg, a reporter for KMBC-TV/ KCWE-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, has first- hand experience juggling the safety concerns that came with reporting from Ferguson. “Covering the unrest in Ferguson was unlike any story I’ve covered before,” he recalled. “We were witnessing the story, living the story, and docu- menting the story. ere were dicey situations, and times where we pulled back, always balanc- ing the desire to tell this story with ensuring our safety so we could continue providing compelling images and videos to our audience back home.” Working in an ever-evolving situation required planning, he said. “Every day we had a plan when it came to our safety — from positioning our news vehicle in a way so we could jet if we needed to, to ensur- ing we were always on the sidelines, and not in between the protestors and police,” Rosenberg said. “We also stayed together as a team. You really could feel the strength in numbers when it came to having each other’s backs.” For the union, working with members and their station management during the Ferguson events was the number one priority. SAG-AFTRA Missouri Valley Local Executive Director J.D. Miller began fielding calls from members during the first night of protests. “We had reports that a live truck was damaged and had its windows broken. Other reports came in that our members felt that they were NEWS IN BRIEF KPCC APPROVES CONTRACT // More than 70 reporters, newscasters, correspondents, producers, videographers/photographers, data journalists, show hosts, news anchors and apprentice news clerks who work on the air and online have approved a first-ever three- year contract with KPCC (Southern California Public Radio) in Pasadena. The new unit voted in January 2013 to recognize SAG-AFTRA as their union. PHILLY HOSTS ORIENTATION // The Philadelphia Local recently hosted a broadcast contracts orientation for 30 freelance members at CBS3 and KYW-AM. The program focused on helping freelance members understand and appreciate the differences with broadcast contracts, specifically how they are bargained and enforced on the local level. CPM ENGINEERS VOTE FOR UNION // Engineers and technicians at Chicago Public Media have voted for SAG-AFTRA representation. They join the newly-organized on-air unit at CPM. CONTRACTS CONCLUDE IN NY // Staff at WOR-AM (Clear Channel) and WHLI-WKJY (Connoisseur Media) in New York recently concluded negotiations on their respective contracts. WESTWOOD ONE CONTRACT UPDATE // Washington-Mid Atlantic staff have negotiated an extension to two existing Westwood One (Cumulus) contracts, covering newscasters and editors. The extension comes after recent news that Westwood One will be moving from an NBC news feed to a CNN news feed. TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED WITH KING-FM // A tentative agreement has been reached with KING-FM in Seattle on a successor CBA for the publicly-funded station. The CBA has a three-year term and includes annual increases. BROADCAST News The Newsletter for SAG-AFTRA Broadcasters // VOL. 3 // ISSUE 3 // FALL 2014 SAFETY4MEDIA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES CONTINUES ON PAGE 5 >>> CONTINUES ON PAGE 6 >>> Members of the press, some wearing protective gear, cover civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in late August. ELI ROSENBERG/KMBC-TV

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The Fall 2014 edition of SAG-AFTRA's "Broadcast News," the newsletter for SAG-AFTRA broadcasters. This issue focuses on the Safety4Media campaign.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

Last August, journalists covering the events in Ferguson, Missouri found themselves in the middle of protests and the focus of arrests, reminding us

that domestic reporting can be just as fraught as working in global “hotspots.” To get the story, reporters often find themselves in dangerous and high-risk situations. From conflict zones to natural disasters, safety is an ever-present issue. Eli Rosenberg, a reporter for KMBC-TV/ KCWE-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, has first-hand experience juggling the safety concerns that came with reporting from Ferguson.

“Covering the unrest in Ferguson was unlike any story I’ve covered before,” he recalled. “We were witnessing the story, living the story, and docu-menting the story. There were dicey situations, and times where we pulled back, always balanc-ing the desire to tell this story with ensuring our safety so we could continue providing compelling images and videos to our audience back home.”

Working in an ever-evolving situation required planning, he said.

“Every day we had a plan when it came to our safety — from positioning our news vehicle in a way so we could jet if we needed to, to ensur-ing we were always on the sidelines, and not in between the protestors and police,” Rosenberg said. “We also stayed together as a team. You really could feel the strength in numbers when it came to having each other’s backs.”

For the union, working with members and their station management during the Ferguson events was the number one priority. SAG-AFTRA Missouri Valley Local Executive Director J.D. Miller began fielding calls from members during the first night of protests.

“We had reports that a live truck was damaged and had its windows broken. Other reports came in that our members felt that they were

NEWS IN BRIEF

KPCC APPROVES CONTRACT // More than

70 reporters, newscasters, correspondents,

producers, videographers/photographers, data

journalists, show hosts, news anchors and

apprentice news clerks who work on the air

and online have approved a first-ever three-

year contract with KPCC (Southern California

Public Radio) in Pasadena. The new unit voted

in January 2013 to recognize SAG-AFTRA as

their union.

PHILLY HOSTS ORIENTATION // The

Philadelphia Local recently hosted a

broadcast contracts orientation for 30

freelance members at CBS3 and KYW-AM.

The program focused on helping freelance

members understand and appreciate the

differences with broadcast contracts,

specifically how they are bargained and

enforced on the local level.

CPM ENGINEERS VOTE FOR UNION //

Engineers and technicians at Chicago

Public Media have voted for SAG-AFTRA

representation. They join the newly-organized

on-air unit at CPM.

CONTRACTS CONCLUDE IN NY // Staff at

WOR-AM (Clear Channel) and WHLI-WKJY

(Connoisseur Media) in New York recently

concluded negotiations on their respective

contracts.

WESTWOOD ONE CONTRACT UPDATE //

Washington-Mid Atlantic staff have negotiated

an extension to two existing Westwood One

(Cumulus) contracts, covering newscasters

and editors. The extension comes after recent

news that Westwood One will be moving from

an NBC news feed to a CNN news feed.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED WITH

KING-FM // A tentative agreement has

been reached with KING-FM in Seattle on

a successor CBA for the publicly-funded

station. The CBA has a three-year term and

includes annual increases.

BROADCAST NewsThe Newsletter for SAG-AFTRA Broadcasters // VOL. 3 // ISSUE 3 // FALL 2014

SAFETY4MEDIA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES

CONTINUES ON PAGE 5 >>> CONTINUES ON PAGE 6 >>>

Members of the press, some wearing protective gear, cover civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in late August.

ELI R

OSEN

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/KM

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Page 2: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

2

A MOMENT WITH JOE KREBS:

SAFETY IS A PRIORITY

Claaang!

It should have been a warning but it wasn’t – as a full beer can hit the stop sign beside us.

We were too amazed at what we were seeing and recording: Looters trudging through 16 inches of snow, breaking into liquor stores and drug stores, running out with booze and pills, laughing and celebrating. My photographer and I stood on a corner, capturing all this on tape.

Then, WHOOOMPH!

It hit me. Another full beer can, right into my back, cushioned only by my thick down jacket, but hitting just inches from my head.

It was the middle of the day – sometime in the middle of the 1970s – in the middle of Baltimore. Burglar alarms were ringing and blaring, but the cops couldn’t respond be-cause the big snow had pretty much trapped everyone in place, except for the few news crews with four-wheel drive vehicles.

We were alone and in jeopardy. The looters weren’t happy that we were getting pictures of their crimes and their faces. We made it back to our truck and left, moving faster with four-wheel drive than they could on foot.

That’s just one example of how suddenly a news story can turn, how danger can erupt within seconds.

These days, though, dangers much more serious have threatened journalists here in the U. S. and around the world. Sometimes they are, in fact, killing the messenger.

Our union, SAG-AFTRA, is responding. We’ve launched a web page and social media campaign to bring attention to safety for journalists. Check out www.safety4media.org to learn more, and read this issue’s cover story on the campaign.

Safety can be a life or death issue for journal-ists. It is an issue for all of us no matter where we work or what we cover. We need to make it a priority always.

Joe Krebs is chair, National Broadcast Steering Committee.

Support. That’s a key word we stress among the benefits for SAG-AFTRA members, as we meet both aspiring and accom-

plished media professionals at the journalism conventions and other gatherings our members and staff attend each year. I was honored to be part of the team representing SAG-AFTRA at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Boston.

In the field and inside the work place, we count on our union to help monitor and navigate the details of our salary and benefits, working conditions and safety concerns. It’s true that broadcast

journalists are often among those who run toward dangerous and compromising situations, just as first responders do. Your union not only has your back, but also works proactively with our employers to evaluate safety measures and responses.

We also have many other concerns about our well-being and our union staff and shop stew-ards can offer excellent advice. Have a question about your paycheck? Health care coverage? Retirement benefits? Medical or disability leave? Work environment? Unfair management? You can turn to your union reps for answers and support. They are here to help.

Catherine Brown is the national vice president, broadcasters.

CONNECTING WITH CATHERINE BROWN: HERE TO HELP

As 2014 comes to a

close, it’s impor-tant to reflect on the year this has been for the SAG-AFTRA broadcast members.

Our broadcast journalist mem-bers are working long days and six- and seven-day work weeks as a multi-platform approach to television and radio news operations increases. In music radio, SAG-AFTRA announcers are being asked to be the voice of several stations as employers acquire more properties but program them with fewer on-air staff. And, all members are being asked to use social media to expand their public profiles and distribute content, calling the definition of a workday into question and raising questions of journalistic integrity, as well as our members’ individual ownership and control of their public personas.

But you – the SAG-AFTRA membership – are fighting to address these issues at the bargaining table and through grievances and arbitration. While it is a difficult and unchart-ed territory, you are driving the conversation, engaging management and policing your union contracts.

Unfortunately, 2014 was also a year where we witnessed unspeakable crimes against jour-nalists and where safety and freedoms for those reporting domestically and abroad were threatened on several fronts. SAG-AFTRA remains committed to protecting the freedoms that ensure journalists can tell the stories of the world, and we mourn the losses of those who have given their lives over the years in pursuit of their vocation.

On Nov. 23, we will join with our partners in the International Federation of Journalists to remind governments around the world that impunity for those who commit crimes against journalists must end. Be sure to follow our Safety4Media campaign and SAG-AFTRA social media to be part of the global voice to #EndImpunity.

MESSAGE FROM CHIEF BROADCAST OFFICER MARY CAVALLARO

Page 3: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

JOURNALISM CONFERENCES

SAG-AFTRA’s News & Broadcast and EEO & Diversity departments hit the road this summer for the annual journalism conferences. From Boston to Chicago, D.C. to Nashville, SAG-AFTRA had a presence at each of the conferences. Attending these events is a huge part of the union’s outreach to its broadcast members, as well as future members, and highlight how

dedicated we are to diversity in the workplace. Most conferences have a large contingency of students, who are very interested in learning about the union and its work in negotiating fair contracts for broadcasters. The conferences are also a time to meet with members, as well as employers and educa-tors and provide information on the union to conference attendees on many issues. It’s a great way to heighten SAG-AFTRA’s profile as the union for news media professionals. Thanks to all the members and staff who participated in the planning and staffing at these events, and to Chief Broadcast Officer Mary Cavallaro and National Director, EEO & Diversity Adam Moore for attending the conferences.

July 30-Aug. 3 // National Association of Black Journalists (Boston)At NABJ, SAG-AFTRA presented a panel discussion, Terms, Conditions, Career Strategy and Planning: Salary Negotiation for Dummies, featuring leading industry professionals sharing best practices on how to proactively plan a career, negotiate the best pay and make informed decisions. The panel included Byron Barnett, WHDH-TV (Boston); Pam Cross, WCVB-TV (Boston); Todd Kazakiewich, WCVB-TV (Boston); agent Rob Jordan of Ken Lindner & Associates (Los Angeles); Vickie Thomas, WWJ-AM (De-troit); Rhondella Richardson, WCVB-TV (Boston); Beverly White, KNBC-TV (Los Angeles); and Chief Broadcast Officer Mary Cavallaro. Our SAG-AFTRA team of members and staff, including National Vice President, Broadcasters Catherine Brown also attended the President’s Reception hosted by NABJ Presi-dent Bob Butler, who is also a SAG-AFTRA National Board and Broadcast Steering Committee member.

Aug. 7-9 // National Association of Hispanic Journalists (San Antonio, Texas)SAG-AFTRA staffers Peter Fuster (News & Broadcast) and Lauren Perez-Rangel (Organizing) repre-sented the union at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference, held Aug. 7-9 in San Antonio, Texas. The two met many SAG-AFTRA members – and future members – as well as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.

Aug. 13-16 // Asian American Journalists Association (Washington, D.C.)SAG-AFTRA’s presence at AAJA included a booth at the expo as well as a plenary session, South Asian Women on Entertainment and News, featuring several prominent union members, including Sakina Jaffrey (House of Cards) and Lakshmi Singh (National Public Radio), and was moderated by Niala Boodhoo (WBEZ, Chicago Public Media).

Aug. 21-24 // National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (Chicago)Along with the broadcast materials at the booth, the union also provided printed copies to attendees of its study of LGBT in entertainment. The study, Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Diversity in Entertainment: Experiences & Perspectives of SAG-AFTRA Members, was conducted with UCLA’s The Williams Institute and published last year.

Sept. 4-6 // Excellence in Journalism (Nashville)This “super conference” brings together the Radio Television Digital News Association and Society of Professional Journalists and was the last jour-nalism conference of the summer. SAG-AFTRA took advantage of the large community of singer/songwriter members and presented a very special evening reception, SAG-AFTRA Presents: Stories & Songs, featuring four recording artist members performing some of their most famous songs they’ve penned and telling the stories behind them.

MEMBER NEWSJOHN SLATTERY, a WCBS-TV New York broadcaster and a union steward at the station for 15 years, died Sept. 25 at the age of 63. To read tributes to Slattery and learn more about his career, go to sagaftra.org/NY.

SAG-AFTRA member CARL KASSELL has retired after a three-decade career at NPR. Kasell is now Scorekeeper Emeritus of Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me! and continues to record custom voice mail greetings for the show’s lucky winners.

The northeast corner of 10th Avenue and West 43rd Street in New York City has been renamed Stan Brooks Way in honor of the late 1010 WINS reporter STAN BROOKS, who died last December at age 86.

NPR newscaster LAKSHMI SINGH was honored, along with seven others, by Women of Color in Communications at the ColorComm Circle award handed out in Miami on Aug. 7.

Ohio-Pittsburgh Local members were awarded several local broadcast Emmy awards on Sept. 20. Among the winners: Feature News Report: ANDY SHEEHAN, KDKA-TV for The Demon of Brownsville; Weather – News Single Story or Series: SCOTT HARBAUGH (meteorologist), AMY MARCINKIEWICZ (news reporter), TIMYKA ARTIST (news reporter), WPXI-TV for Wild Weather: Flash Flooding and Tornado Hit Western Pennsylvania; On-Camera Talent-Anchor-Weather: STEPHEN CROPPER, WPXI-TV; and On-Camera Talent-Host/Moderator: KIMBERLEY GILL, KDKA-TV.

Longtime KCBS/KCAL news anchor KENT SHOCKNEK, retired after more than 36 years as a broadcaster. Shocknek, 57, spent the majority of his career in Los Angeles. He reportedly anchored more hours of local TV news than any other in the Los Angeles market’s history. Shocknek was honored by the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local Board at the Sept. 29 meeting.

Washington D.C.’s ABC7 news anchor MAUREEN BUNYAN was knighted and inducted into the Order of Orange-Nassau, a Dutch civic order on June 13. The order is a chivalric honor given in recognition for exemplary contributions to society. Bunyan, a 44-year veteran who anchors the 6 p.m. weeknight newscasts for WJLA-TV, was born in Aruba, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

UNION FOCUSES ON SUMMER

See photos from the summer conferences on next page n

3

Page 4: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

4

National Association of Black Journalists //

BostonSAG-AFTRA broadcaster

and National Association of Black Journalists President

Bob Butler throws out the first pitch of a Boston Red Sox game during the

NABJ’s national convention in July/August.

National Association of Black Journalists // BostonFrom left, SAG-AFTRA New England Local Executive Director Susan Gorvine Nelson with WCVB’s Rhondella Richardson and Todd Kazakiewich.

Asian American Journalists Association // Washington, D.C.From left, SAG-AFTRA National Director of EEO & Diversity Adam Moore with members Sakina Jaffrey, Lakshmi Singh and Niala Boodhoo at the Asian American Journalists Association Convention.

National Association of Hispanic Journalists // San Antonio, TexasFrom left, SAG-AFTRA Assistant Executive Director of News & Broadcast Peter Fuster, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and SAG-AFTRA Senior Organizer Lauren Perez-Rangel.

Excellence in Journalism // Nashville From left, SAG-AFTRA singer/songwriters Pat Alger, Leslie Satcher, Dickey Lee and Stephanie Bentley tell the stories behind their hit songs at the Excellence in Journalism Conference in Nashville.

ON THE ROAD WITH NEWS & BROADCAST

Page 5: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

5

Veteran National Public Radio Correspondent Margot Adler

passed away on Monday, July 28, leaving behind a broadcast and SAG-AFTRA legacy that spans four decades. Adler succumbed to cancer at age 68.

The granddaughter of legendary psychotherapist Alfred Adler, Margot quickly established her own legendary career at NPR, beginning in 1979 in New York. She was one of the network’s first reporters based outside Wash-ington and reported stories about the Ku Klux Klan, the earliest stages of the AIDS epidemic, the Harry Potter phenomenon (get-ting the first American radio in-terview with author J.K. Rowling) and the Sept. 11 attacks. Eclectic on-the-air and off, Margot also wrote extensively about Wiccan and Pagan culture. Her last book, Out for Blood, looked at the fascination with vampires and the concept of eternal life.

Margot spent a decade hosting NPR’s Justice Talking, a program focused on constitutional issues. She often reported on aspects of American culture others ignored.

In a 2013 interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, Margot described herself as an “anthropological journalist.” She described in that interview the transformations she sometimes observes in her stories and the leading characters in them.

“It’s like the hero’s journey,” Margot told host Neal Conan. “A character becomes a larger per-son … and I try to do that a lot. I don’t always succeed, but that’s one of my goals.”

NPR colleague Susan Stamberg, remembered Margot as “a tal-ented reporter – so intelligent in her writing, in explaining compli-cated matters so we could absorb

them, finding just the right clip of tape, or sound, to make her reporting real RADIO.”

Margot spent many years as an AFTRA activist and shop steward at NPR, working behind the scenes on behalf of more vulnerable staffers. She often posed the toughest questions, quietly in phone conversations with fellow stewards and publicly in all-staff meetings with man-agement at NPR.

“She was always 10 steps ahead of everyone,” recalled Matt Allinson, a SAG-AFTRA Labor Counsel/ Senior Broadcast Representative in the Washington-Mid Atlantic Local. “[She] instinctually had a feel for where things were heading.”

Margot worked closely with Ken Greene, who was the AFTRA representative for the NPR bargaining unit for many years. Greene recalled Margot’s coor-dination of AFTRA meetings and activities at NPR’s New York bureau. “She naturally invoked a sense of warmth, closeness and camaraderie,” Greene remem-bered. “She sure got me caught up in her spell. I, like millions of

others, will really miss her.”Margot had emailed NPR col-leagues a few weeks before she died, reporting that cancer symptoms had returned. “She never sounded defeated or even rattled,” says NPR investigations correspondent Daniel Zwerdling. “She was matter of fact, in an al-most upbeat way, the way she did all her reporting: this is what I’m facing, these are the possibilities - here are some reasons for hope.”

Stamberg found Margot’s struggle inspiring. “Her resilience was staggering,” she said. “That great spirit was never broken. It’s only gone missing now.”

Margaret Low Smith, NPR’s Senior Vice President for News, said Margot “… exemplified what draws people to NPR. Her report-ing was singular and her voice distinct … and she always found humanity in every story she told.”

Margot is survived by her son, Alex Dylan Glideman-Adler, who reported her death on his mother’s Facebook page. That posting and others on social media drew thousands of re-sponses from grieving listeners, readers, colleagues and friends.

MARGOT ADLER: AN NPR VOICE REMEMBERED

SUDS REMINDERSAG-AFTRA has two dues structures:

Standard Dues and Single Unit Dues

(SUDS)/Broadcast.* Members who

are employed exclusively in the union’s

broadcast jurisdiction pay dues under

the Single Unit Dues Structure (SUDS).

The structure applies a lesser percentage

on all earnings above $100,000, and

SUDS dues are capped at the $250,000

earnings level.

Broadcasters who work at any time

under SAG-AFTRA’s other contracts,

including commercials, entertainment

television, theatrical/film, corporate-

By Howard Berkes/NPR

educational/non-broadcast, sound

recordings or new media do not qualify to

pay dues under SUDS.

Broadcast members who work under

SAG-AFTRA contracts other than

broadcast contract(s) will be billed dues

under the SAG-AFTRA Standard Dues

structure for all of their earnings, including

broadcast earnings, and the change in

billing status is irreversible. It is important

to note that a move to Standard Dues

billing status may result in a significant

increase to dues.

Broadcasters joining SAG-AFTRA pay an

initiation fee that may be lower than the

actor/performer fee in a given market. If

a broadcast member takes work as an

actor/performer, he/she will be required to

tender the difference in initiation fees, in

addition to the increased Standard Dues.

Members who are considering taking work

outside the SUDS/Broadcast jurisdiction

should contact their local office and speak

with their broadcast representative before

accepting the job, so they are aware of any

additional financial obligations in initiation

and dues structure.

* The SUDS/Broadcast Dues Structure is

subject to future review and change

pursuant to the SAG-AFTRA Constitution.

KSDK CONTRACT TALKS CONCLUDE //

Anchors, reporters, announcers, hosts and

MMJs at KSDK in St. Louis, Missouri have

concluded negotiations on their existing

collective bargaining agreement.

SAFETY HIGHLIGHTS WFSB DEAL //

Negotiations have concluded for on-air

staff at WFSB-TV (Meredith) in Hartford,

Connecticut. Parking lot safety was a major

issue for the unit, with the station agreeing

to a number of changes, including adding a

security fence around the perimeter.

BSC MEETS IN L.A. // The National

SAG-AFTRA Broadcast Steering Committee

met in Los Angeles on Sept. 13.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Margot Adler

MIC

HAEL

PAR

AS/N

PR

Page 6: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

6

THE WEINGARTEN CARD.DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!Don’t let a meeting with management get out of hand. If you’re called in to explain why something went wrong, stop and think about your Weingarten Rights. By presenting this card to man-agement, YOU have a right to stop a meeting until your steward,

assistant steward or a local rep arrives to accompany you.

“If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined, terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I request that

my shop steward or union officer be present at this meeting. Until they arrive, as is my right under a U.S. Supreme Court decision called Weingarten, I choose not to answer any ques-tions regarding this matter.”

LIST OF CONTRACTS APPROVED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SINCE JULY 2014(In alphabetical order):• KBIG-FM (Los Angeles)• KBLX-FM (San Francisco-Northern California)• KCBS-AM (San Francisco-Northern California)• KDKA-TV (Ohio-Pittsburgh)• KFWB-AM (Los Angeles)• KING-FM (Seattle)• KISQ-FM (San Francisco-Northern California)• KOIT-FM (San Francisco-Northern California)• KPCC-FM (Los Angeles)• KPIX-TV (San Francisco-Northern California) • KPLU-FM (Seattle)• KQED-TV (San Francisco-Northern California) • KSDK-TV (Missouri Valley)• KSEE (San Francisco-Northern California)• KTVU-TV Off-Air (San Francisco-Northern California)• KTVU-TV On-Air (San Francisco-Northern California)• L.A. Theater Works (Los Angeles)• San Francisco Giants (San Francisco-Northern California)• WBZ-AM Off-Air (New England)• WBZ-AM & TV On-Air (New England)• WBZ-TV Off-Air (New England)• WCCO-AM (Twin Cities)• WCCO-TV (Twin Cities)• Westwood One Editors and Producers (Washington-Mid Atlantic)• Westwood One Newscasters (Washington-Mid Atlantic)• WFSB-TV (New England)• WHEC-TV (Ohio-Pittsburgh)• WHLI-AM/WKJY-FM (New York)• WKRC-TV (Ohio-Pittsburgh)• WOR-AM (New York)• WPFW-FM (Washington-Mid Atlantic)• WQHT-FM (New York)• WRTV-TV (Chicago)• WSPZ-AM (Washington-Mid Atlantic)• WTEM-AM (Washington-Mid Atlantic)• WWJ-AM (Chicago)

in danger,” he said. “We asked for and received the stations plans for protecting members who were assigned to cover the story, working with management on the protocols and offering suggestions.

“We continued to work with the stations to provide gas masks and bullet proof vests for mem-bers,” he added. “Finally, we encouraged a policy that would allow a member to decline an assignment, if he or she felt the situation was too dangerous. Our members are tough professionals. They wanted to cover this story. At the same time, they should not be forced into situa-tions where either their lives or their livelihoods are in jeopardy.”

SAG-AFTRA has long worked to ensure journalists’ safety in the field by includ-ing important protections in contracts and tirelessly advocating for broadcasters. To broaden its reach, the union has launched a campaign, Safety4Media, to bring safety to the forefront and increase its efforts to monitor and intervene in situations that put journalists at risk in the face of growing dangers.

Safety4Media also serves as a clearinghouse for reports on safety and security concerns from U.S.-based journalists in the field. Any safety concern or event that is not being addressed by management – whether in a union or non-union shop – can be reported confi-dentially to the union. Collecting these reports allows the union to identify if there are trends that need to be addressed, whether in formal negotiations or in informal discussions with management. As first-person reports come in, SAG-AFTRA can take steps to protect broadcasters.

“SAG-AFTRA has always considered journalists’ safety – and our members’ safety – a critical area of focus,” says Chief Broadcast Offi-cer Mary Cavallaro. “By launching Safety4Media, we can get a better idea of how broadcasters are at risk on the job and ensure steps are in place to protect them.”

Safety4Media includes a Twitter feed, @safety4media (twitter.com/safety4media), which follows several journalist safety organizations and outlets and monitors what is happening across the globe. As demonstrated with Ferguson, social media can play a large role in reporting what is happening, and for SAG-AFTRA, watching Twit-ter, Facebook and other platforms provides insight into what mem-bers and others are experiencing that the union never had before. In turn, the union can be proactive in connecting with management to ensure our members’ safety is their top concern.

For more information, including downloadable safety tips, visit www.safety4media.org.

SAFETY4MEDIAFROM PAGE 1

SAG-AFTRA member Eli Rosenberg wears protective gear while covering the civil unrest in Missouri.

ELI R

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Page 7: "Broadcast News" Fall 2014

7

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BROADCAST News is published quarterly for news and broadcast members of SAG-AFTRA. Corrections, suggestions and submissions can be sent to [email protected].

© 2014 SAG-AFTRA (Vol. 3, No. 3)

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SAG-AFTRA HOLIDAY HOURSIn observance of the Thanksgiving

holiday, all SAG-AFTRA offices will

have a half-day closure on Wednesday, Nov. 26 and be

closed on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28.

Offices will re-open on Monday, Dec. 1.