St. Louis SPJ event to focus on sports

In celebration of March Madness and the thrill of sports, the Society of Professional Journalists is presenting “March Madness: Covering the Wide World of Sports” for this month’s News at Noon speaker series in St. Louis, which takes place March 14 in the AT&T Room of the Missouri History Museum (co-sponsor of the event), located at 5700 Lindell Boulevard in Forest Park.

A panel of veteran sports journalists will share the ins and outs of covering sports, and speakers will reveal how they got the best stories of their careers. The audience will get an insider’s view of the interviews, sports personalities and even behind-the-scenes anecdotes that never made it to print. From the stars of the high school playing fields, to college athletes, to World Series champions, our speakers have worked on the stories that have captivated our region’s sports fans.

Panelists include St. Louis Post-Dispatch assistant sports editor Don Reed, who has been with the publication for 23 years, and Kathleen Nelson, who recently retired from the paper after serving most of her 30 years there writing about sports.

Sports photo editor Lynden Steele, who has been with the Post-Dispatch since 2007, will show some of the publications best sports images and discuss strategies for visual coverage. Steele oversees a team of photographers, including those who shoot the Cardinals, Rams and local college and high school games.

From the Telegraph (the daily newspaper in Alton, Ill.), 40-year sports desk veteran Steve Porter will also join the lineup. In 2002, Porter was elected to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He also is a member of Amateur Softball Association and the Alton Golf Hall of Fame.