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Matt DeCample
Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists set Sunshine Week schedule The Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) will host three events next week in recognition of Sunshine Week, observed this year from March 10 to March 16. The events are:
Matt DeCample, a former television journalist and press secretary for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, died Sunday, March 3. DeCample, 44, had been fighting a rare type of liver cancer for nearly three years. DeCample was a native of Renton, Washington, who moved to Arkansas to work for Little Rock television station KATV. He later served under Beebe throughout Beebe’s tenure as Arkansas attorney general and then when Beebe was governor. After Beebe’s term expired in 2015, DeCample was an independent public relations and communications consultant. He also did improvisational comedy. He chronicled his cancer fight in his own unique way in a personal blog he called “Mattie D vs. the Evil C.” The blog is at decample.tumblr.com A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, March 10, at 2 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. Another service is planned this summer in the Seattle area. DeCample is survived by his parents and a sister. Tributes by the hundreds poured in for DeCample, who was one of the most well-known and well-liked figures in Arkansas’s communications and political communities. KATV’s news director, Nick Genty, said in a quote published by the television station: “The outpouring of love on social media shows how many people Matt affected. Reporter, spokesperson, humorist, and maybe most importantly, a fighter. Rest in peace, Matt. You will be missed by so many.” Arkansas Publisher Weekly
• Freedom of Information Act Training and Q&A, Tuesday March 12, 10 a.m: Arkansas SPJ and representatives of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office will host a FOIA training followed by a question-andanswer session with local journalists. Participants can learn how to use FOIA to access public records and understand how the law is used practically by reporters. The training is at the Central Arkansas Library System Cox Bookstore at Library Square Building, 3rd floor, 120 River Market Ave., in Little Rock. • Sunshine Trivia, Thursday, March 14, 6 p.m.: Attendees can grab a drink and pizza while having their knowledge of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and its history put to the test. The fun night of FOIA trivia is at Vino’s Brewpub, 923 W. 7th St., in Little Rock.
Industry Quote of the Week “What a newspaper needs in its news, in its headlines, and on its editorial page is terseness, humor, descriptive power, satire, originality, good literary style, clever condensation, and accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!”
• Police, Press and the Public, Saturday, March 16, 2 p.m.: Join Arkansas SPJ for a panel discussion with representatives of local police departments and professional journalists. The panel will discuss public information, transparency, crime, community policing and how media and police work with each other. Panelists include Officer Tommy Norman of the North Little Rock Police Department, Lt. Michael Ford with the Little Rock Police Department, Mitchell McCoy of KARK and Clara Turnage of the Arkansas DemocratGazette. The panel discussion is at the Darragh Center in the Central Arkansas Library System Main Library, 100 S. Rock St., in Little Rock. Arkansas SPJ suggests a $5 donation for admission at each event, with the money going toward printing costs for the next edition of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act Handbook. The 19th version of the handbook, produced in conjunction with a number of stakeholders, will be printed later this year. The handbook is the state’s definitive and most up-to-date resource on FOIA.
Mark Your Calendar 2019 APA Convention June 26-29, Hotel Hot Springs
- Joseph Pulitzer 2
March 7, 2019