Contact:
Lynn Walsh, SPJ National President, 614-859-6194, Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com
Rachel Semple, SPJ Communications Coordinator, 317-920-4785, rsemple@spj.org

NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in the Society of Professional Journalists’ 107-year history, three women will lead the organization for the coming year.

Lynn Walsh, investigative executive producer at NBC 7 San Diego, became national president of SPJ tonight during the Presidents Installation Banquet at Excellence in Journalism 2016.

Rebecca Baker, managing editor at the New York Law Journal, is now president-elect, and Alex Tarquinio, special issues editor at The Real Deal, will as secretary-treasurer for the coming year.

Walsh graduated from the Ohio University E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and has worked as a journalist nationally for the E.W. Scripps national desk as well as locally across California, Ohio, Texas and Florida in data and investigative reporting. An Emmy award-winning journalist, Walsh currently leads the KNSD investigative team. She takes the baton from Paul Fletcher, publisher and editor-in-chief of Virginia Lawyers Weekly, who has served as SPJ president for the past year.

A member of SPJ since 2004, Walsh has served as secretary-treasurer and president-elect. She is also a member of the ethics and FOI committees, and was selected to serve on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) advisory committee, which works to improve the FOIA process.

One of Walsh’s goals during her year-long term is for SPJ to assist the public’s understanding of journalism and how it has changed.

“People are committing acts of journalism on a daily basis, mainly using social media and the internet. SPJ can help inform the public about what it means to report and disseminate information ethically, accurately and fairly.”

Another focus will be to make SPJ a go-to resource for information about journalism, ethical reporting, FOIA and diversity. She plans to partner with other groups already working toward similar goals so that the press and the public are no longer forced to fight for information that belongs to them.

“SPJ has been a connector for me in my journalism career in so many ways: jobs, advice, guidance. I want SPJ to be that connector for journalists, other journalism and media organizations and the public,” she said.

“I also believe SPJ can lead the way, protecting the right of the public and journalists to government information,” she continued. “A new president will take office in 2017 and it is imperative that we continue to push for government transparency, access to information and the public’s right to know.”

Coverage of the 2016 Excellence in Journalism conference is available from EIJ News. EIJ16 is a joint conference between SPJ, Radio Television Digital News Association and the Native American Journalists Association.


SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to informing citizens; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and fights to protect First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. Support excellent journalism and fight for your right to know. Become a member, give to the Legal Defense Fund, or give to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation.

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