Journalists and the Courts topic of 2012 Montgomery Family Symposium

LAWRENCE — The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, in conjunction with the Montgomery Family Fund in the Kansas Newspaper Foundation, has announced the 2012 Montgomery Family Symposium will take place Nov. 9 in Topeka.

This year's event will focus on "Journalists and the Courts" and will be in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the Kansas Judicial Center. The event will be an opportunity for Kansas Press Association members, as well as broadcast journalists and attorneys, to learn about changes in the Kansas court system, with an emphasis on helping the media gather and report news about the courts.

"The Montgomery family has long supported special events and education for journalists in Kansas," said Dean Ann Brill of the KU journalism school. "This exceptional workshop is the latest example of their contribution to journalism and journalism education in the state of Kansas."

The event is being coordinated and presented by the Media Bar Committee of the Kansas Bar Association under the leadership of KU Law Professor Mike Kautsch.

"The symposium will be exceptionally valuable for journalists who attend, because justices of the Kansas Supreme Court and other judges will participate as speakers," Kautsch said. "The journalists will be able to learn directly from these outstanding members of the judiciary, as well as from top-notch attorneys who know the law that is of concern to Kansas media."

Topics covered in the daylong symposium will include Technology and Courts: The Impact of a New Supreme Court Rule on use of Digital Tools in Kansas Courtrooms; How E-Filing and Video Streaming Will Affect Access to Court Proceedings and Records; Transparency and the Kansas Courts with Chief Justice Lawton Nuss; and The Judicial System: Who Does What.

"This seminar is a tremendous opportunity to learn about the availability of digital records and new legal rulings that favor openness and transparency," said Pam Fine, Knight Chair and professor at KU, who helped organize the event. "The sessions will provide practical advice for working journalists and others interested in keeping up with changes brought by new technology and social media."

Panelists and moderators for the seminars include faculty from the KU School of Journalism and the KU School of Law, media members from WIBW-TV and WIBW radio news, justices from the Kansas Supreme Court, U.S. District Court, various county courts, the Kansas Court of Appeals, former legal affairs reporters and attorneys and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.

The deadline to register is Nov. 2.