Hopkins named VCOG’s V.P.

Wat Hopkins, a journalism professor at Virginia Tech, is the new vice president of VCOG. He succeeds Dave Cupp, former news director of WVIR-TV, Charlottesville.

Hopkins teaches communications law, serves on the Montgomery County School Board and is a member of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

Cupp’s last day at NBC29 was Dec. 17. Described as "the face of Charlottesville" in a recent newspaper profile, he anchored the station’s 6 p.m. news and oversaw a staff of 40 employees and three news bureaus.

He is leaving Virginia to join his wife in Cambridge, Mass., where she has taken a position with the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Re-elected to a new two-year term as VCOG’s president was Paul McMasters, the Freedom Forum ’s First Amendment ombudsman,

Ed Jones, editor of The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, and Harry Hammitt, publisher of Access Reports, were re-elected secretary and treasurer, respectively.

Fifer named to FOIA Council; 1 of 2 new VCOG directors

Gov. Warner appointed Craig T. Fifer to the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council. Fifer, formerly with Roanoke’s e-gov program, is e-gov manager for the City of Alexandria. He succeeds Richmond attorney David Anderson, a Gilmore appointee, on the council.

Fifer also was named recently to the Coalition’s Board of Directors, succeeding Jack Kennedy, Wise County clerk of courts.

A Washington and Lee University professor, Pam Luecke, also was recently elected as a VCOG director. She succeeds Hamp Smith, another W&L journalism educator.

Re-elected as public members were Rod Smolla, dean of the University of Richmond law school, and Cy Dillon, Ferrum College librarian.

Dorothy Abernathy, AP bureau chief, was reappointed to the board as a representative of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. Also named to a VAB seat was Kathy Mohn, general manager of WSLS-TV, Roanoke.

Lawrence McConnell, The Charlottesville Daily Progress publisher, was reappointed by the Virginia Press Association.

VPA and the VAB designate five VCOG board members each; 13 other board members, including Luecke and Fifer, are public representatives.

Lexington to host Access ’05

Save this date: Nov. 17-18.

That’s the date for Access 2005 -- our seventh annual state conference.

If you have suggestions for topics or speakers, please let us know.

Spreading the word

VCOG’s Web site keeps getting "hit" (in a good way).

Average page views exceeded 13,000 in October, a 35 percent increase over the same month in 2003.

Unique visitors exceeded 4,000 in October, almost double the rate of a year earlier.

Spreading the mission

The North Carolina Open Government Coalition sponsored its first North Carolina Open Government Seminar in Charlotte on Nov. 9.

Tennessee’s new Coalition for Open Government organized a statewide public-records audit and developed a Web site.

The new Maryland Foundation for Open Government gained IRS approval as a nonprofit. Frosty Landon addressed its steering committee at a Baltimore meeting in mid-November.

Kentucky also has begun organizing an open-government group.

Notice of bylaw change

VCOG’s board will vote on a bylaws change at its next meeting, March 3, in Norfolk. If approved, executive directors of the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters will be permitted to designate alternates as ex officio board members.

C-JOG’s Web site

The new Coalition of Journalists for Open Government has a Web site that tracks open government developments, particularly federal-level access issues:

http://www.cjog.net

The journalists’ group is based in Northern Virginia. Members include the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Correction

In our last newsletter, we incorrectly reported the cause of Jay Pace's death.

The long-time editor of Hanover County's semi-weekly newspaper died after a brief illness; however, the actual cause of death ws not publicly disclosed.