SEJ Board Election

Roger Witherspoon
Active Board Candidate

A half century ago, as a reporter for the student-run Michigan Daily, I went to Cobo Arena in Detroit to cover the presidential primary campaign of Gov. George Romney. For a 19-year-old engineering major, election night could only be described as electric. There were thousands of people, reporters and broadcasters from around the state and nation — and there I was, in the midst of that maelstrom with a plastic PRESS pass hanging from my neck.

That pass was a magic ticket. I could buttonhole officials and they answered questions and posed their own, wondering what I thought of the effectiveness of this strategy or that argument. That was new and different: the idea that what I thought and wrote actually mattered and could actually influence people and policies was something I’d never contemplated.

Two days later I called Dad and told him I was leaving school and coming home. I was going to be a journalist. I was going into a field that would let me actually influence the world we lived in; one that would let me make a difference. The following week, I started at NBC and never looked back. In the ensuing 50 years I’ve worked in all forms of the media — newspapers, radio, television and public relations — as a staff or freelance reporter, editor, columnist or producer. And there was always the same goal; to inform the public of what was happening and the ramifications of decisions made or paths not taken whether my beat at the time was politics, health, agriculture or business. 

By the late 70s these seemingly disparate beats had merged into what I considered the most important of all: the environment, a broad topic which encompassed all of the other newspaper beats except, perhaps, sports. In 2003 I was surprised and gratified to learn there was a community of reporters whose mission was to delve into a variety of environmental and energy issues and share knowledge, guidance, contacts and, most importantly, support as we all strove to do a better, more thorough job in informing the public.  I’ve been an active member of SEJ ever since and, for the past six years, have served on the Board of Directors.

Last November’s presidential election struck me as hard as that first presidential campaign I covered a half century ago. The election of Trump and his anti-environment, anti-regulation administration meant that this is prime time for journalists who understand environmental issues and are best positioned to explain to the public the ramifications of the decisions which will be made in Washington. This is a time when we are needed most.

The issue for the organization is how can SEJ best help members, both staff and freelance, in this tumultuous period? What services can we provide our huge block of freelancers whose knowledge of the impacts of environmental deregulation will be sorely needed in an era of general assignment reporters and Twitter? What reservoir of contacts and support can we provide staff writers who are pressed for time and resources?

These are evolving issues being considered by the Board, which is seeking wide input from members to help us successfully navigate what should, for us, be an exciting time.  I would like your support to continue serving SEJ as a Board member as we move forward.

Contact Roger: [email protected]

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