Update 30 June 2013: Governor Scott Walker has used his line-item veto power to strike the provision; the crisis is over and our collaboration has been preserved. Thank you! For discussion of “lessons learned” see the tip sheet from WCIJ and the blog post by SJMC Director Greg Downey.
Thank you for visiting our action page. This page will be updated regularly to reflect the latest information and links to this crisis. WisconsinWatch has a similar action page here.
On Wednesday June 5, the following amendment was added by the Joint Finance Committee to the pending budget bill, apparently approved along party lines (all Republican members voting yes, all Democratic members voting no):
Center for Investigative Journalism. Prohibit the Board of Regents from permitting the Center for Investigative Journalism to occupy any facilities owned or leased by the Board of Regents. In addition, prohibit UW employees from doing any work related to the Center for Investigative Journalism as part of their duties as a UW employee.
The School of Journalism & Mass Communication vehemently opposes this provision, not only because it prohibits a successful, productive, and award-winning collaboration in research, teaching, and service having clear and overwhelming benefits for both our students and the residents of the state, but also because it represents a serious threat to shared governance and academic freedom (not to mention the Wisconsin Idea).
Stand up for the Wisconsin Idea. Stand up for our students. Stand up for the future of freely-available, professionally-produced, non-partisan news. And save our innovative research, teaching, and service collaboration with investigative journalism!
How to take action
Political participation by public stakeholders is important in this crisis. Whatever your views, if you wish to take action in this debate, I encourage those of you who are Wisconsin residents to email your state legislators:
http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
And whether you are a state resident or not, I encourage you to express your opinion — again, whatever your views may be — in an email to legislative leaders and to our Governor:
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau:
608-266-5660,
Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov
Assembly speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester,
608-266-9171,
Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/Contact-Us
The WCIJ tracks the reach and impact of its stories here. Nearly 250 news outlets across the country (mostly in Wisconsin) have used or cited WCIJ stories over the past four years. For example, here is a list of Wisconsin news outlets that have used or cited at least ten stories from WCIJ since it was founded:
La Crosse TribuneCapital TimesWausau Daily Herald
Green Bay Press-Gazette Marshfield News-Herald Stevens Point Journal Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter Isthmus Appleton Post-Crescent Wisconsin State Journal Chippewa Herald Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune Portage Daily Register Fond Du Lac Reporter Rivertowns.net Ontario County Line Oshkosh Northwestern |
Sheboygan PressAshland CurrentSuperior Telegram
Augusta Area Times The Sun Prairie Star Eau Claire Leader-Telegram Juneau County Star-Times The Daily Reporter The Oshkosh Northwestern WISC-TV Janesville Gazette Beaver Dam Daily Citizen Milwaukee News Buzz Wisconsin Rapids Tribune Beloit Daily News Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
If you live in an area served by one of these fine news outlets, please consider writing a letter to the editor about the current attempt to prohibit the successful and award-winning collaboration between WCIJ and the UW-Madison.
A petition drive (goal of 1,000 signatures) headed by Lea Thompson, SJMC Distinguishd Service Award recipient and member of WCIJ’s Journalism Advisory Board, expressing support for the WCIJ-SJMC collaboration: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/999/807/696/support-for-the-wisconsin-center-for-investigative-journalism/ (Reached 250 signatures in the first 24 hours; student journalists should of course check with their employers regarding conflict of interest policies before signing this, or any, petition.)
Follow SJMC on Twitter: @UW_SJMC
Follow WCIJ on Twitter: @WisWatch
Like SJMC on Facebook: www.facebook.com/uwmadisonsjmc
Like WCIJ on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wiswatch
What we’ve learned so far about the budget provision*
*Thanks to the work of investigative reporters! (Links to original sources below.)
- The budget provision, Motion 999, was added around 6am on Wednesday June 05 2013.
- The provision was introduced by the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, state Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, and Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills.
- Neither WCIJ nor SJMC received any advance notice that such a provision was under consideration.
- The provision passed along party lines, 12 Republicans voting yes and 4 Democrats voting no.
- Since that morning, reasons offered for the measure have varied:
- “Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said Wednesday that he didn’t want taxpayer support going to the investigative center, since he believed it had a bias.“
- On Thursday, Vos seemed to extend this to prohibiting any news organization collaborating with UW-Madison faculty and staff: “I think a case can be made that this organization, albeit it Bill [Leuders] is here, you know, albeit one that has created a unique relationship with the university is one that members in our caucus has concerns about the propriety of having a news gathering organization, right, left, center, whatever.“
- Vos also seemed to indicate that the criteria for prohibiting a relationship between an outside organization and UW-Madison faculty might be based on what “some in the public might perceive”: “Taxpayers provide the resources for University of Wisconsin System. I think it’s a legitimate function of state legislators as representatives of the people to say whether or not the university should be creating arrangements that some in the public might perceive to be helping one organization or another without giving the same access.“
- Also on Thursday, Vos gave a different rationale based on process, not project: “The university didn’t go through a (request for proposal) process. They didn’t say let any organization apply and we’ll choose that which is best.“
- For Vos, the issue came down to the concern over supposed “subsidies” received by an organization collaborating with UW-Madison: “As we go through this we want to set a policy standard, which is that there should be separation to make sure that no organization receives undue subsidies.“
- “Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) said he saw the center as a different type of operation than public broadcasting, which receives taxpayer money in addition to state facilities.“
- Rep. Nygren defended the measure through a hypothetical situation, imagining “if the university was using resources to fund news outlets that some see as right-leaning, such as Fox News and the MacIver Institute” according to reporting in the Green Bay Press Gazettee. Nygren was quoted as saying “We’re just being consistent. We shouldn’t be providing resources to this organization.“
- Sen. Darling suggested that all relationships with outside groups at UW might be subject to the same prohibition, in an interview with WKOW 27: “We just don’t think the taxpayers should pay for the overhead and give benefits to a non-profit. If a group wants to have a relationship with the UW, that should be explained to the taxpayers and we’re just not for the taxpayer’s dollars being used for a non-profit.“
- Finally, “Assembly leaders refused to say Thursday which of their members proposed kicking an investigative journalism center off the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, but said they have no intention of removing the provision from the state budget.“
- The Joint Finance Committee has actually benefited from WCIJ investigative reporting in the past: “The Joint Finance Committee recently made use of the center’s investigation into the reliability of GPS tracking of offenders to curtail the governor’s requested expansion of GPS tracking until the reliability can be proven.“
- The 2013-2015 budget bill “must now be passed by the Assembly and Senate and signed by Walker,” who does have line-item veto power.
What people are saying in support of the collaboration
UW and WCIJ reactions
- Andy Hall, Director, WCIJ: “We were blindsided by the action of JFC, the Legislature’s budget-writing committee. Oddly, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism doesn’t receive direct state funding. Its $400,000 budget is supported by private foundations, individuals and news organizations.“
- Greg Downey, Professor and Director, SJMC: “There are a lot of big important issues as stake. This is not just about one small center or two rooms in a 1970s building on campus. This is about whether the UW-Madison is really able to stand behind the ‘Wisconsin Idea,’ of making sure our education and our research connect with what’s going on in the state.“
- Gary Sandefur, Dean, College of Letters & Science: “Arbitrarily prohibiting UW-Madison employees from doing any work related to the Center for Investigative Journalism is a direct assault on our academic freedom; simply, it is legislative micromanagement and overreach at its worst.“
- UW System Spokesperson David Giroux “says departments on every UW campus collaborate with hundreds of non-profit groups. One such example at UW-Madison is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ ‘Field To Foodbank’ partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank, which helps increase the amount of fresh food handed out to hungry families,” according to a WKOW-TV report.
- UW System President Kevin Reilly: “Legislators shouldn’t be telling faculty who you can and can’t partner with. That’s alarming, to say the least.“
- Open letter from eleven former WCIJ interns and UW-Madison students: “Both the involvement of UW faculty and the presence of the Center on campus are critical to providing students with the opportunity to learn the ethics,values and logistics of reporting for the public good.We urge the members of the Assembly and Senate to vote to remove Provision 999 from the 2013-2015 Budget.“
- Lucas Graves, Assistant Professor, SJMC: “I really can’t stress enough what a huge asset it’s been to have a working newsroom operating independently right in the middle of the department, and what a loss it would be to see them go. They do the kind of investigative work that a lot of career journalists never get the chance to, and which has been so hard hit by the newspaper crisis. That makes them a really unique resource for training journalism students.“
- Katy Culver, Assistant Professor, SJMC: “Just last year, the center and school won the Associated Press Media Editors’ first-ever award for Innovator of the Year for College Students. Brant Houston, the center’s board president and Knight Chair in Investigative Reporting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said, ‘The school and center have pioneered effective ways to involve students in producing award-winning journalism in the public interest.’ Every educator, reporter and organization that champions forward-thinking journalism education should fear the legislature’s effort and the censorial intentions behind it. Efforts to kill the intern model here in Wisconsin endanger other pro-am efforts housed at public universities in other states.“
- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning Professor, SJMC: “I regard the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism as an exceptional educational resource for our journalism students. They are trained in analytical thinking, in in-depth research and, equally important, in rigorous fact-checking through working with the center in our classes. It’s not surprising that many of their reports have won not only state-wide awards but received national recognition. It not only helps make our students more skilled, it helps make them some of the most employable young journalists in the country. The collaboration with WCIJ is a one of remarkable value to our institution and one that should not be lost.“
- Donald Downs, Professor, Political Science, on behalf of the Committee for Academic Freedom and Rights (in a letter sent to state legislators): “Investigative journalism is an important aspect of the profession, and the program at Madison has made a major contribution to the School of Journalism and its national reputation. In addition, the prohibition regarding faculty participation constitutes legislative interference with scholarly work and development. We and numerous colleagues on campus consider this provision highly inappropriate and damaging to the University.”
- John Drew, UW System Board of Regents, “condemned a provision that prevents the Center for Investigative Journalism from operating in its current offices at UW-Madison in Vilas Hall.“
- Magda Konieczna, Ph.D. candidate, SJMC: “For these reasons — its independence, training and production of investigative journalism, and a model that gets quality journalism to the most sparsely populated corners of this state — the center is a fascinating experiment in the journalism of the future. And so the state legislature’s affront on the center is more than a problem of academic freedom and student teaching. The center is one hopeful model of the journalistic institution of the future. But journalism needs to be independent, and the state legislature’s desire — and apparent ability — to reach into the university poses a particularly tricky problem for those who have felt hopeful about this model of doing journalism. It also violates a century of innovation and collaboration between journalism and the university, one that helped form the character of both institutions in this state.“
- Center board member Herman Baumann. “I am a less-government, lower taxes, Second Amendment-loving, business-owning conservative. I also proudly serve on the Board of the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WCIJ). That’s why I was surprised to hear WCIJ incorrectly characterized as a ‘liberal organization’ by some members of the State Legislature.”
- Department of English chair, Professor Theresa M. Kelley, along with 36 of her faculty and academic staff colleauges: “Together with faculty in The School of Journalism & Mass Communication, the faculty and academic staff in the Department of English whose names appear below oppose this provision, not only because it seeks to end a successful, productive, and award-winning collaboration in research, teaching, and service which has clear benefits for both our students and the residents of the state, but also because it represents a serious threat to shared governance and academic freedom. We ask that Senators and Assemblymen and Assemblywomen of the Wisconsin State Legislature and Governor Scott Walker rescind this provision in the proposed state budget.”
- Robert Drechsel, Director, UW-Madison Center for Journalism Ethics: “No legislator has yet been willing to candidly explain why this punitive, unwarranted, targeted action was taken, much less why it was passed without any debate or opportunity for challenge. If it remains in the budget, the Joint Finance Committee’s action will affect not only WCIJ, but the Ethics Center and J-School faculty, staff and students as well. And the impact will be nothing but harmful for all.“
- The UW-Madison chapter of United Faculty and Academic Staff (Local #223) endorsed our plea to preserve collaboration with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
- The WCIJ Board of Directors: “Through this innovative arrangement, students are learning the highest standards of journalism and producing some of the finest investigative journalism in Wisconsin. Their stories have led to reforms in state policies, educated the public and policymakers about important issues facing the state and resulted in legislative actions that made Wisconsin a better place. […] The Center also has been a leader in creating the ethical and professional standards for the new wave of nonprofit, university-based newsrooms in the United States. The Center leads by example, too. It is transparent about its funding and accepts no outside control or influence on its reporting. In addition, it has worked to achieve a diversity of funding to prevent reliance on a single funder and its supporters include six foundations and more than 60 additional donors. We believe the Center can contribute much more in the future to Wisconsin citizens, faculty and students through its present location at the university. Thus, we respectfully request removal of language that would curtail what has been a productive and rewarding collaboration for all, providing students with pay, real-world experience and expanded opportunities for employment while helping residents understand major issues facing their communities.“
- The University Committee and the Academic Staff Executive Committee at UW-Madison released a joint statement endorsing our collaboration: “We strongly urge you — in the name of academic freedom and the State of Wisconsin’s grand tradition of free inquiry — to remove the restrictions placed in the budget on the capacity of faculty members and students of our School of Journalism and Mass Communication to engage with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. These restrictions are a direct challenge to academic freedom. They hamper intellectual discovery, reduce opportunities for students to get hands-on experience putting what they’ve learned into practice, and run counter to the Wisconsin Idea by curtailing the university’s ability to serve the public good. In short, the proposed legislation sets a dangerous precedent. It constrains what instructors may teach and what students may learn. It begins to undo what makes the University of Wisconsin-Madison one of the world’s great public universities.“
- The UW-Madison Teaching Assistants’ Association: “The Department of Journalism and the College of Letters and Sciences have made strong statements that the motion is a violation of academic freedom, and that the Center contributes significantly to educating journalism students on campus. We would add that this provision turns back the clock on 100 years of journalistic innovation and exploration at the university, going back to the founding of the nation’s oldest radio station at UW.“
- UW-Madison Interim Chancellor David Ward: “The best and brightest researchers – and entrepreneurs, and families, and investors in Wisconsin’s economy – cannot function when a government body holds more sway over their decisions than years of careful experience.“
- School of Journalism & Mass Communication faculty & staff: “We ask: what are the legal implications of Resolution 999 for this widespread collaboration with nonprofits that is woven into the very fabric of the UW-Madison, and many other campuses as well? Millions of dollars a year of foundation and government funding are brought to our campus, based on our collaboration with nonprofits, not only in journalism, but also in agriculture, health, science, and many other aspects of community life. If this principle is applied, will all nonprofit collaboration be threatened? If not, why not? What legal principles distinguish this action from others? We respectfully submit that the Resolution has legal and economic implications that reach far beyond the Center and the Journalism School. For the health of the newspaper industry in Wisconsin, for the good job opportunities for students and UW graduates, for the flow of communication in our local democracy across the state, and for the legal implications of the Resolution for all nonprofit collaboration, we ask respectfully that the Legislature remove Resolution 999 from the budget.“
State legislators
- Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine): “To say that we don’t like the work that the investigative journalism center is doing because we don’t like what they have to say, so we’re going to basically evict them from the UW campus, is really petty, and it’s beneath our democracy.“
- Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center): “It is the height of arrogance, and everybody who voted for that should be embarrassed. It smacks of the kind of tactics you would expect from Vladmir Putin or Hugo Chavez — not in Wisconsin“
- Sen. Mike Ellis (R-Neenah): “I don’t know why we would go after any element of a free press, even if we don’t like them.“
Opinion columnists
- Wisconsin State Journal columnist Chris Rickert: “Republicans’ bid to cut the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism off from the state’s flagship university made me sad — and not because the award-winning center puts out a quality product at a time when traditional news organizations face increasing difficulties.It’s sad because given a political environment where quality matters less than the company you keep, we could have seen it coming.”
- Capital Times columnist John Nichols: “So how does the Joint Finance Committee get off barring a specific organization – one organization and no other – from interacting with the University of Wisconsin? That’s a thorny question that the legislators, in their 2 a.m. rush to punish the center, did not consider. Legislators have a lot of leeway when it comes to defining how public funds are expended. But when they get into the business of prohibiting a specific organization from using office space, interacting with and providing tangible benefits to the University of Wisconsin, they cross a very old, yet very important, line.“
- Charlie Sykes — self-described as a member of the “conservative media” — called the motion “Petty, Vindictive, Dumb”: “The GOP’s budget motion was a vindictive attack on a journalistic operation on ideological grounds. Does that sound slightly familiar? At a time when conservatives should be embracing government restraint, the motion combines some of the worst aspects of the IRS and DOJ scandals – using government to punish those perceived as political enemies combined with a clear assault on the free press.“
- Jonathan Krause (WOSH AM radio personality) called the motion “puzzling” and wrote, “hopefully, a well-rested and wide-awake State Assembly and State Senate will remove the vindictive and petty measure targeting the Center for Investigative Journalism from the state budget. Don’t we already have enough low-information voters as it is?“
- Neil Heinen, Channel3000.com: “These Republican legislators don’t like investigative journalism. They don’t like the UW either and since the UW is a partner in this enterprise they attacked the UW as well. They provide no rationale for the move. None. This is an assault on independent media, an assault on the UW and the Wisconsin Idea, and an assault on the citizens of this state. It is so egregious we can’t believe Governor Walker won’t simply tell lawmakers that this is unacceptable.“
- William R. Barth, editor, Beloit Daily News: “Often, deep factual reporting is controversial and highly annoying — or worse — to powerful people and interests. Sometimes, those powerful people and interests take steps to retaliate. So be it. Reporters and editors scrutinize others’ conduct. We need thick enough skins to accept it when others scrutinize ours. The pure petulance of the Joint Finance actions against the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism takes that natural adversarial relationship too far. It’s a shot across the media’s bow by the JFC’s Republican majority saying, essentially, “Challenge us at your own peril.” We have a question for Governor Walker, Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald: Are you really going to go along with this?“
- Dave Zweifel, The Capital Times: “Republicans in Washington label it a scandal when they discover that the attorney general has been snooping into telephone records of news reporters. But here in Wisconsin, Republicans elect to use government to kick out journalists from, of all things, the university’s journalism school. Now that’s a real scandal.“
- Steven Greenhut, Watchdog.org “As vice president of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, I’m sensitive to ideologically motivated attacks on journalists. We’ve gotten our share of criticism because our work tilts in a free-market direction. So sign me up for the ‘Support the Center for Investigative Journalism’ effort.“
Editors and editorial boards
- The Capital Times “We hope the Assembly and Senate will strip this absurd provision from the budget. And, should they fail to do so, we hope that Gov. Walker will use his veto power to remove it from the budget.“
- Wisconsin State Journal “The full Legislature and citizens across Wisconsin now are learning more about the center’s strong role in training the investigative reporters of the future, including many paid student interns. The full Legislature should reject the budget committee’s micro-managing of university office space. And if it doesn’t, Gov. Scott Walker should veto the clumsy measure.“
- Racine Journal Times “If you’ve brought one of the state’s leading conservative commentators and one of its leading liberal commentators together in opposition to your idea, that should tell you just how bad your idea is.“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “If the center does have a bias, it’s against fraud, waste and favoritism in government, and we can understand how that would make some legislators uncomfortable. This is payback, pure and simple, for articles that legislators didn’t like. It’s petty. It’s vindictive. It’s unbecoming of people who call themselves public servants.“
Professional and non-profit associations
- The Society for Professional Journalists (Madison) declared “The center’s work with UW-Madison has been an effective collaboration that has allowed young journalists to obtain vital training. It offers the public a look at the changing journalism present and the kind of journalism operations that will exist in the future. The center is nonpartisan, and its work seeks to hold government officials accountable for decisions that affect all Wisconsinites. The state is richer for its presence.“
- The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education writes “a total ban on UW–Madison faculty working with the WCIJ would be a gross violation of professors’ rights to make decisions about how they teach their students and conduct academic research. Professors and past WCIJ interns have testified that the experience interns gain is critically important to their development as journalists. JFC’s motion should concern not only those associated with the school but all citizens who support academic freedom and a free press.” (full letter here)
- Kent Eymann, president, Wisconsin Newspaper Association: “It is alarming that the powerful Joint Finance Committee of the Wisconsin Legislature – at the end of a marathon final budget session – chose to directly attack the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. Legislators must remove this policy item from the budget document. It doesn’t belong in the budget and it is misdirected.“
- Kevin Davis, CEO, Investigative News Network: “We are puzzled by this proposal, and concerned about its impacts. Attempts to suppress or limit the Center not only undermine the educational experience offered by the University of Wisconsin at Madison, but also the level and quality of civic information available to the citizens of the state of Wisconsin.“
- Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: “In addition to the Center’s reporting, it has forged a terrific partnership with the UW’s School of Journalism to help train the next generation of journalists. The Center provides paid internships to J-School students and gives them practical experience and mentoring. Some of those students are among the Center’s award winners. Telling the UW it can have nothing to do with the Center is not only another creepy attack on the university and the academic freedom of its employees, it is a huge disservice to the students.“
- Charles Lewis, Investigative Reporting Workshop, American University School of Communication: “I am certainly not objective about this matter. I have known the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s founder and director, Andy Hall — one of the most respected investigative journalists in the U.S. — for roughly two decades, and I am, in fact, one of its founding board members (vice president). There is no better run, more impressive nonprofit journalism organization in the U.S. or the world today. His statement today about this outrageous assault on press and academic freedom — not to mention truth and common sense — is a model of restraint and a testament to his fundamental decency and his Eagle Scout prudence and judgment …“
- Simpson Street Free Press editors: “At Simpson Street Free Press, we stand with the Center for Investigative Journalism. Now more than ever, citizens need to stand their ground against government measures that limit personal privacy, academic freedom, and the right to a free press. We urge the Wisconsin legislature to vote down this oppressive budget provision.“
- Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers: “The Board of Directors of LION Publishers calls upon Wisconsin legislators to assess all of the facts involved before making a final decision on evicting the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and ending the successful collaboration between the Center and the university. The more than 100 members of LION Publishers are dedicated, as is the staff of WCIJ, to reporting local news with integrity and accuracy. Solid, comprehensive information such as is reported by the Center is key to an informed society and wise choices.“
- Investigative Reporters & Editors: “Beyond the impact of the stories it tells, the Center stands as a unique training ground for a new generation of young reporters learning the skills of investigative journalism under the guidance of executive director and former IRE Board member, Andy Hall. Targeting such work is indefensible. The Center’s mission is to facilitate a vibrant democracy, to educate readers and viewers on matters of public policy and to inspire engagement in the very political process — principles that legislators should instinctively share and defend.“
- Iowa Center for Public Affiars Journalism: “The Wisconsin State Legislature Joint Finance Committee’s precipitant vote taken shortly after dawn on June 5 to expel the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism from the University of Wisconsin and bar university employees from working with the organization is an attack on freedom of the press, a cornerstone of our democracy. The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism (IowaWatch) condemns this vote and urges the legislature to remove this provision from its budget.“
- Korean Center for Investigative Journalism: “[T]he highly productive partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has been regarded as one of the best working models, not only locally but also in international circles. As such, it is a great disappointment for us that the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee recently decided to break that model by prohibiting important partnership elements between newsroom and academia. We believe that every effort to build better watchdog journalism, especially in the form of hard-hitting investigative journalism should be strengthened, not discouraged.”
- Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) statement: “Particularly egregious is the Wisconsin legislative committee’s further attempt to prohibit journalism faculty members at UW-Madison from working with the WCIJ, which illustrates an exemplary case of academic-professional collaboration, and which should be a model for other journalism programs nationally and internationally. Such an ill- considered attempt is a clear violation of academic freedom, which is required to safeguard open inquiry and the creation of knowledge. We need more investigative reporting than ever in an age of ever-shrinking independent journalism due to financial constraints facing the news media as a whole.“
- Vermont Journalism Trust: “The board of the Vermont Journalism Trust supports the Investigative News Network’s statement of “disappointment and concern” at the Wisconsin State Legislature’s maneuvers, which appear to be designed to thwart an independent and highly respected news organization. We strongly urge the legislature and governor’s office to reject this ill-conceived and harmful proposal.”
Other journalism educators and programs around the nation
- Joint letter of support from Professors Leonard Downie, Jr. (Walter Cronkite School, Arizona State University), Bill Grueskin (Columbia Journalism School), Nicholas Lemann (Columbia Journalism School) and Michael Schudson (Columbia Journalism School): “No magic bullet has come along to restore the old journalism. The business model that collapsed when classified advertising and display advertising fled the newspaper pages for a variety of online alternatives has not recovered. Newspapers continue to shrink. Finding ways to support fact-based, hard-hitting journalism remains a problem. The Wisconsin legislature should reject the proposal to weaken journalism and to harm an institution that has made significant contributions to University of Wisconsin students seeking serious education in journalism that holds powerful institutions to account. We think that’s what the First Amendment is about and we hope that a large majority of Wisconsin’s legislators agree.”
- Stephen J. A. Ward, Professor and Director, George S. Turnbull Center for Journalism, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon-Portland (and former UW-Madison professor): “I protest in the most vigorous terms this outrageous interference of Wisconsin legislators in the operation of your center and its beneficial relationship with media academics at UW-Madison. The action represents a direct attack, along partisan and mean-spirited lines, on at least three great liberties that have defined this country: (1) freedom of the press, (2) freedom of association, and (3) freedom of thought and inquiry, particularly with respect to the work of universities, and their professors.”
Resources for action
Main web sites
- Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (WCIJ)
- UW-Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication (SJMC)
Key documents
- Two-page printable fact sheet on the collaboration
- Myth and Fact about the collaboration
- Facilities Use Agreement between UW-Madison and WCIJ
- WisconsinEye video of the legislative session
Official responses
- SJMC official response and update
- WCIJ official response
- UW-Madison College of Letters & Science official response
- Statement from the University Committee and the Academic Staff Executive Committee
- Statement from Interim Chancellor David Ward
Open letters of support from SJMC-affiliated individuals
- SJMC faculty and staff open letter
- Open letter from previous WCIJ/SJMC interns
- Open letter to Governor Walker from SJMC Director Greg Downey
Policies of interest
- UW-Madison policies on employee political campaign activities
- UW-Madison faculty governance statutes ch. 39.09(4)
- UW-Madison statement on “sifting and winnowing”
- AAUP information on academic freedom
- Wisconsin Government Accountability Board rules on lobbying
Other UW-Madison partnerships
Data source: UW-Madison’s Legislated (Act 32) Accountability Report (DRAFT)
Press reports and social media circulation
Google News search of “wisconsin center for investigative journalism”
Wednesday 05 June 2013
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “GOP lawmakers want to boot investigative journalism center off UW-Madison campus“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Investigative journalism group sounds alarm over state budget action“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Bail bondsmen, Lake Michigan among special-interest items in budget plan“
- JimRomenesko.com “Wisconsin Lawmakers Want Investigative Journalists Booted From Uw-Madison Campus“
- Columbia Journalism Review “Watch out, watchdogs“
- The Capital Times “What do Republicans have against the Center for Investigative Journalism?“
- Isthmus “UW-Madison officials say academic freedom at stake in GOP assault on Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism“
- Society for Professional Journalists, Madison “SPJ Madison supports investigative center“
- Emily Eggleston Storify
- Open letter from previous WCIJ/SJMC interns
- Charlie Sykes column 620WTMJ “Petty, Vindictive, Dumb“
- Wisconsin Public Radio “Investigative Journalism Group May Have To Leave UW-Madison“
- Daily Cardinal “State finance committee votes investigative journalism organization off UW campus“
- Rick Esenberg blog “Did UW pay for a lack of diversity?“
- Esquire, “Watching Scotty Grow, Continued“
- Neil Heinen, Channel3000.com editorial “GOP Sneak Attack“
- Milwaukee Magazine, “The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s Puzzling Rebuke“
- The Progressive, “Wis. GOP Tosses Out Investigative Reporting“
- WisconsinWatch.org “Center responds to JFC lawmakers’ early-morning eviction vote“
- Duluth News Tribune “Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism targeted“
Thursday 06 June 2013
- Joy Cardin 7am show “The proposed state budget is now in the hands of the Assembly after the Joint Finance Committee passed it on a 12-4 party-line vote. Joy Cardin’s guest lawmakers weigh in on various aspects of the plan, including an income tax cut, an expansion of school choice, rejecting federal Medicaid funding and more.” [discussion turns to WCIJ/SJMC at about the 20-minute mark]
- Green Bay Press Gazette “Legislators target Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism“
- Inside Higher Ed, “Journalism Center a Target”
- The Capital Times editorial “There is no right or left when it comes to press freedom“
- John Nichols column “Tragedy and farce in the Joint Finance Committee”
- Talking Points Memo “Wisconsin Lawmakers Vote To Expel Investigative Journalism Org From University Campus”
- The Capital Times “Conservative star Charlie Sykes rips GOP over Center for Investigative Journalism“
- Wisconsin State Journal editorial “Don’t boot center from campus“
- Chris Rickert column “Guilt by association snares Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Leaders mum on genesis of kicking journalists out of UW“
- Foundation for Individual Rights in Education “Wisconsin Legislative Committee Threatens UW Faculty, Journalism Nonprofit“
- PBS MediaShift “Wisconsin Lawmakers Try to Remove Investigative Reporting Center from University of Wisconsin“
- MaddowBlog (Rachel Maddow show), “Wisc. GOP’s new target: Investigative journalism“
- WisconsinWatch.org “Lawmakers’ attempt to evict Center arouses national controversy“
- BoingBoing.net “Wisconsin legislators ban university from collaborating with independent investigative journalism center“
- David Blaska blog “I like and admire Bill Lueders – off campus“
- Jonathan Krause blog “Cutting Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face“
- The Capital Times “In Case You Missed It: Assault on investigative journalism makes strange bedfellows“
- Wisconsin Reporter “Journalist squares off with lawmakers at Wisconsin Capitol“
- St. Paul Pioneer Press “Move to quash Wisconsin journalism center bashed by conservatives“
- University Herald “State of Wisconsin Votes to End Investigative Journalism Center’s Collaboration With UW-Madison“
- WKOW-TV “JFC ban on UW partnership with journalism group stirs controversy“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Regents accuse lawmakers of ‘micromanaging’ UW System“
- The Chippewa Herald “Move to quash Wis. journalism center bashed“
- Wisconsin Public Radio News “Provision On Journalism Nonprofit Receives Support, Scorn From Within GOP“
- Walworth County Today “Journalism group stunned by budget provision“
- The Northwestern.com “Republicans bash move to quash journalism center“
- Pierce County Herald “State Political and Government News: Protests come in for cuts to journalism center“
- The Raw Story “Wisconsin Republicans vote to muzzle journalism center“
- Watchdog.org “Republicans mistaken to target University of Wisconsin journalism center“
Friday 07 June 2013
- The Capital Times “State Debate: Dems must forget unions, Cieslewicz insists; bloggers froth over J-school flap“
- Daniel Bice column, “Belling, Sykes spar over Republican vote on journalism center“
- Student Press Law Center “Journalism groups worry about impact of Wisconsin legislators’ vote targeting investigative nonprofit“
- The Capital Times “Pressure mounting on GOP over Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism“
- Nieman Journalism Lab “On, Wisconsin! What happens when you try to kick a nonprofit journalism center off campus?“
- Urban Milwaukee, Bruce Murphy column “Don’t Mess with the Press“
- Racine Journal Times editorial “Friday Finishers: State Republicans shouldn’t be afraid of journalism“
- Tucson Sentinel editorial, “Indie publishers: WI lawmakers should take clear-eyed look at journalism center“
- WisconsinWatch.org “Investigative Reporters and Editors board calls for Wisconsin lawmakers to halt action against Center“
- Wisconsin State Journal letter to the editor “Tracy Cuccia: Investigative journalism center different than MacIver Institute“
- Dave Zweifel column (The Capital Times) “Punishment of investigative center displays legislators’ arrogance“
- Nonprofit Quarterly “Wisconsin Legislators Try to Evict Investigative Journalism“
- Watchdog.org “Week in Review: Bigger tax cut, evicting a watchdog“
- Poynter.org “Wisconsin mess: Could student newspaper get booted next?“
Saturday 08 June 2013
- Beloit Daily News editorial “Petty swipe at watchdog media“
- Wisconsin State Journal letter to the editor “Nancy L. Utesch: Neither Center for Investigative Journalism nor the people will be silenced“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial “Legislators build budget in the worst way“
Monday 10 June 2013
- The Capital Times letter to the editor “WI Newspaper Association President Kent Eymann: Lawmakers wrong to attack journalism watchdog“
- Nieman Journalism Lab “Saving ‘The Wisconsin Idea’: How the battle in Madison threatens a century of innovation“
- Wired “Journalism and Democracy in Wisconsin“
- The Capital Times “Everyone is punished by an assault on watchdog journalism, UW’s Deborah Blum writes“
- Bill Lueders column (WisconsinWatch.org) “Young journalists get harsh lesson“
- Sheboygan Press letter to the editor, “Your views: Is journalism school proposal Wisconsin’s scandal?“
- Rick Esenberg column (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) “More on diversity, UW and the WCIJ“
Tuesday 11 June 2013
- Knight Science Journalism at MIT “Wisconsin Legislators Move to Shut Down an Investigative Reporting Program“
- Huffington Post “Wisconsin Nonprofit Journalism Center Targeted For Eviction By Republican Lawmakers“
Wednesday 12 June 2013
- MinnPost “Wisconsin lawmakers take aim at nonprofit news organization“
- Milton Courier “Viewpoint: Budget provision harms the ‘Wisconsin Idea’“
- Vernon County Broadcaster “Budget proposal focused on journalism center is spiteful“
Thursday 13 June 2013
- Kenosha News “Finance panel ought to have a curfew“
Friday 14 June 2013
- Appleton Post Crescent letter to the editor “Investigative journalism center matters“
Sunday 16 June 2013
- WISN 12 Up Front with Mike Gousha “WCIJ faces eviction from UW Madison campus“
Tuesday 18 June 2013
- Dan Flannery column (Appleton Post Crescent): “Creating qualified job candidates only goes so far for UW“
- Free Speech Radio News: “Wisconsin investigative journalism center fights eviction led by Republican lawmakers“
- Dan Flannery column (Marshfield News Herald) “Some jobs apparently aren’t good enough“
Wednesday 19 June 2013
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Assembly OKs budget with income tax cuts, sweeping changes“
- Wisconsin State Journal “Assembly passes state budget; Senate to consider it Thursday“
Thursday 20 June 2013
- The Capital Times “State Dems: Little hope to sway GOP on budget“
- Wispolitics.com Budget Blog with updates throughout the day
- WisconsinWatch.org “Investigative journalism center hires prominent journalist Ron Seely as reporter, editor, mentor“
- Wispolitics.com “GOP says investigative center won’t be “muzzled” by eviction“
- Onalaska Holmen Courier-Life Dave Skoloda column “GOP lawmakers’ priorities are off“
Friday 21 June 2013
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Budget passes by one vote as vouchers take center stage“
- Wisconsin State Journal “Republicans secure narrow edge to pass budget“
- The Capital Times “It’s up to Scott Walker to help Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism“
- WisconsinWatch.org “Center’s eviction now in Walker’s court“
- UW-Madison News “Ward asks for vetoes of WCIJ, HR Design provisions“
Saturday 22 June 2013
- The Capital Times Mike McCabe column “A budget for two Wisconsins“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “If inclined, Scott Walker could change budget provisions with veto pen“
Sunday 23 June 2013
- The Capital Times Greg Downey column “Governor Walker, here’s how to save some good Wisconsin jobs“
- Green Bay Press Gazette editorial “Keep policy out of state budget“
- Dan Flannery column (Wausau Daily Herald): “Does state care about creating qualified job candidates or not?“
Monday 24 June 2013
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial “Scott Walker’s vetoes can improve state budget“
Tuesday 25 June 2013
- Wisconsin State Journal letter “Aarushi Agni and Stephanie Sykes: Gov. Scott Walker should veto the Legislature’s move to evict the Center for Investigative Journalsim from UW-Madison“
Wednesday 26 June 2013
- The Capital Times “Journalists can’t work at UW, but they can work at the Capitol?“
- Associated Press “Scott Walker to sign budget Sunday“
- Wisconsin Reporter “Is state money for newspaper advertising a ‘subsidy’?“
Thursday 27 June 2013
- Associated Press “Wisconsin Gov. Walker flooded with veto requests“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Faculty group asks Walker to veto budget provision evicting journalism center“
Friday 28 June 2013
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, David Haynes column “Walker must veto a petty assault on journalism“
Saturday 29 June 2013
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Rick Esenberg column “What Walker should veto“
Sunday 30 June 2013
- Wispolitics.com “Walker to nix bail bonds budget provision, touts tax cuts in budget“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “Scott Walker makes 57 vetoes, signs $68 billion Wisconsin budget“
- Wisconsin State Journal, John Smalley column “Wisconsin state budget recipe: Please avert your eyes“
- WisconsinWatch.org “Center responds to veto of eviction attempt, launches Education Fund drive“
- WisconsinWatch.org “WCIJ Education Fund launched to support training of investigative journalists“
Monday 01 July 2013
- Wisconsin State Journal “Gov. Scott Walker signs 2-year, $70 billion Wisconsin budget“
- The Capital Times, Jack Craver column “Scott Walker’s vetoes allow him to appear moderate“
- Columbia Journalism Review “How Wisconsin’s watchdogs kept their home“
- Poynter.org “Center for Investigative Journalism will continue to operate on U-Wisconsin’s campus“
- Wisconsin Public Radio “Walker Reverses Eviction Of Investigative Journalism Center“
- PR Watch “Gov. Walker Vetoes Bail Bonds, Attack on Investigative Journalism“
- Agri-View “Capital Update: Budget Passed; Awaits Walker’s signature“
- BoingBoing.net “Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism wins out against political opponents“
- Huffington Post “Center for Investigative Journalism Starts Fund Drive“
- UW News “Governor spares journalism center, approves delay in HR Design“
- Milwaukee Journal Sentineal, James Rowen column “Walker veto to assist UW-Madison journalism center is Smart Politics 101“
- Wired “A Win for Journalism and Democracy in Wisconsin“
- Investigative Reporters and Editors “Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism to remain at University of Wisconsin-Madison location“
- Free Speech Radio News “Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism spared eviction after governor removes measure from budget“
Tuesday 02 July 2013
- The Capital Times, Jack Craver column “How the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism won“
Wednesday 03 July 2013
- Inside Higher Ed, “Journalism Center Will Remain on UW-Madison Campus“
- Investigative Reporting Workshop “Wisconsin Watch stays the course“
- USA Today, Rem Rieder column “Investigative journalism center saved“
Our main web site, including the initial Director’s response to this issue and the Director’s update a week later, has been viewed over 15,000 times since the story broke on Wednesday June 05 2013.
This action page has been viewed over 1,500 times since the story broke on Wednesday June 05 2013.
As an alumnus of the SJMC, a faithful supporter of the School and the University, and a member of the Center for Journalism Ethics advisory board, I would like to know what the School and the University plan to do if this provision stands. Will the University abide by the amendment and sever all ties with the WCIJ? Or will it do the right thing and fight–either in court or simply by defying the provision? Because if the School is not willing to fight, then all of these nice words and petitions–while eloquent–don’t mean much. And frankly, my degree, my Distinguished Service Award and my ties with the School will mean a little less to me as well.
-Scott Cohn, ’81
Scott, it’s a fair question, and one I’ve been asked repeatedly in more than a dozen media interviews over this past week. I’ve avoided answering in order to keep the focus on the current situation — and because I just can’t imagine how any university could function in an environment where faculty and staff decisions about research, teaching, and service could be regularly and arbitrarily prohibited by any anonymous group of legislators without notification, discussion, or even justification. But speaking for myself, I don’t plan on giving up if indeed this provision survives in the final bill. (And I hope my record of not backing down from tough issues during the four years that I’ve been privileged to serve as Director of this School backs that statement up.) I should add that it has been heartening to see my fellow faculty and staff leaders in shared governance at the university level go on the record with a clear and forceful statement against the budget provision as well (http://profs.wisc.edu/?p=5370). Such words are an important precondition to any next step at the institutional level. And so is the continued support of vocal and active alumni like yourself, Scott. Thank you. — GREG