2014 Wisconsin Watchdog Awards reception and dinner
Date and time
Refund policy
Description
A celebration of open government and investigative reporting
Presented by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the Madison Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Lead sponsorship of the event is provided by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, Wisconsin State Journal, WISC-TV, WKOW, The Capital Times and two law firms -- McGillivray Westerberg & Bender and Schott Bublitz & Engel.
Charles Franklin, a nationally recognized polling expert, will deliver the keynote address at the fourth annual Wisconsin Watchdog Awards. Franklin plans to focus on the use and abuse of data in reporting.
He is the director of the Marquette Law School Poll and a professor of law and public policy at Marquette University Law School. In 2012, the poll correctly predicted the outcomes of six out of six elections, including the gubernatorial recall, GOP presidential primary and the November presidential and Senate elections.
Prior to moving to Marquette, Franklin taught for 22 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Charles Franklin is the authoritative independent voice in Wisconsin politics for polling and data analysis,” said Mark Pitsch, Madison SPJ president and an assistant city editor at the Wisconsin State Journal.
“We’re thrilled to hear professor Franklin’s perspectives on the use of data in modern politics, journalism and public policy.”
In 2005, Franklin co-founded Pollster.com, an award-winning website for the analysis of polling data. The site received the “Innovators Award” in 2006 from the American Association for Public Opinion Research, was featured in the New York Times Magazine’s “Year in Ideas” of 2007, and was cited by Time magazine as one of the 50 Best Websites in 2008. In 2010, the Huffington Post acquired Pollster.
Franklin is an election night consultant for ABC News’s Election Night Decision Desk and has been a member of the executive committees of a number of scientific and professional organizations. He is also a recipient, with his wife and academic article co-author Liane Kosaki, of the “Lasting Contribution Award” of the American Political Science Association. He served for eight years as a member of the Board of Overseers of the National Election Study and is past president and an elected fellow of the Society for Political Methodology.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Dave Umhoefer, winner of a Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 investigation into pension padding in Milwaukee County, has been named the 2014 recipient of the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award.
"For more than 25 years, Dave Umhoefer has held the powerful accountable for their actions and provided insights into key issues facing Wisconsin communities," said Andy Hall, executive director of the investigative center.
"When we created this award four years ago to recognize an individual’s contributions to open government or investigative journalism, all of us knew that Dave someday would receive it."
Past winners of the award are Dave Zweifel, editor emeritus of The Capital Times and a founder of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council; the late Dick Wheeler, founder of the Wheeler Report newsletter; and U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman, chief author of the state's open records law.
Umhoefer, a La Crosse native and University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, received the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Distinguished Service Award in 2009.
Umhoefer is a member of the Journal Sentinel’s Watchdog Team, where his work includes PolitiFact Wisconsin. He also is an instructor at Marquette University, where he teaches an investigative reporting class.
“His investigation into pension padding by Milwaukee County officials was so thorough and meticulous that county officials reported themselves to the IRS before the story even ran,” Greg Borowski, the Journal Sentinel’s assistant managing editor for projects and investigations, noted in nominating Umhoefer for the Distinguished Wisconsin Watchdog Award.
“That is emblematic of the work Dave has done. It often tackles complex and arcane subjects or involves reams of paper documents or millions of electronic ones. He is able to get past the spin, sort out the truth and then write with unquestioned authority.”
Other highlights include:
-- The annual Opee Awards, presented by the FOIC.
-- The Madison SPJ chapter will review the year in journalism.
-- Reception (cash bar) at 5 p.m.
-- Dinner (cash bar) at 6 p.m.
Just 120 tickets will be sold.
Discounts are available for purchases of tables. Contact lfuhrmann@wisconsinwatch.org for more information.
Click here if you're interested in becoming a sponsor of the event.
Subscribe to the WisconsinWatch.org free email newsletter to receive our free email newsletter highlighting recent stories and news at the Center.
