SPJ Phoenix

On July 27, 2007, two Valley television news helicopters collided over Steele Indian School Park in central Phoenix. Four journalists aboard the two aircraft were killed. As in past years, an annual commemorative ceremony will be held at a memorial erected at the site at 12:30 p.m. Monday, July 27, 2026, with a moment of silence at 12:46 p.m., the approximate time of the crash. The public is invited.
Pilot Scott Bowerbank and photographer Jim Cox of KTVK-TV, Channel 3, and pilot Craig Smith and photographer Rick Krolak of KNXV-TV, Channel 15, were killed when their helicopters collided while covering a police chase of a suspected criminal. No one else was harmed when the two aircraft fell to the ground.
The memorial is located at Phoenix Steele Indian School Park, Central Avenue and Indian School Road. Free parking is available just west of Herrera Way, which is the entry road from the park’s south entrance at 300 E. Indian School Road.

Editorial independence matters. So does knowing your rights. 💪💡

Join SPJ, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Whistleblower Aid for a free off-the-record webinar on how journalists can safely and legally disclose wrongdoing inside media organizations.

🗓️ 8:30 p.m. EDT May 19 via Zoom

⚠️ This session will be off-the-record.

🔗 Register now: https://bit.ly/4nxjSKq

Arizona news media people: SPJ Phoenix has a terrific lineup of speakers for Friday's very affordable, very applicable one-day in central PHX, SPJ Region 11 . Check them all out at https://bit.ly/spjphxconfbios, then sign up *today* at https://bit.ly/spjphxconference26

Improve skills & give your journalism more power, affordably and in 1 day, at ‘It’s a Dry Beat…’ conference, April 10 in Phoenix Photo courtesy of Flinn Foundation Conference speakers’ bios are at the bottom of this article. This April, we’re presenting a powerful, exciting and fun spring journalism conference in the h…

Waiting for just the right journalism training opportunity that's affordable, packed with useful stuff to add power to your journalism and done in one day? Wait no more! Join us Friday, April 10, for "It's a Dry Beat: Speaking Truth in a Truthiness Age," the Western regional journalism conference hosted by SPJ Phoenix, open to any journalist or student from Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada or the Pacific Islands. We'll gather at the fabulous Flinn Foundation building in central Phoenix (pictured), accessible by light rail (McDowell stop on the B Line). But sign up today as seats are limited. Low fee includes breakfast, lunch and two receptions. Link to details, registration is in the comments, including a way to get your entire conference fee rebated if you sign up by April 1! Arizona Press Club Arizona Latino Media Association Arizona First Amendment Coalition Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting AAJA Arizona SPJ Region 11 SPJLA SPJ San Diego Pro Chapter SPJ Northern California Hawaii Chapter SPJ Society of Professional Journalists

We’re hosting one of these conferences in Phoenix on Friday, April 10! Limited seats. Sign up today (it’s only $49 including food and two networking receptions) at https://bit.ly/spjphxconference26

🗓️ Mark your calendars! The 2026 SPJ Regional Conferences are coming near you. 📍

Join journalists and journalism students from across the country for a weekend of learning, connection and celebration. Attend educational and training sessions, meet new colleagues or reconnect with old friends, and celebrate the best of college journalism at regional Mark of Excellence Awards ceremonies.🏆

SPJ will provide $1,300 in funding to each regional conference in 2026 to support programming. Of that total, $500 per region is made possible through a generous sponsorship from the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism, helping support training, resources and opportunities that strengthen community and knowledge-sharing among journalists nationwide.

🔗 Learn more and contact your regional coordinator for more details: https://bit.ly/4uQ0hbF

Seats are limited! Sign up today for an affordable one-day conference that will give power to your journalism and connect you with fellow journalists from AZ, CA, HI & NV.
"It's a Dry Beat: Speaking Truth in a Truthiness Age," the SPJ Western Regional Conference, is Friday, April 10, at the Flinn Foundation building in central Phoenix. We'll be posting session highlights in coming days.
Get info and register today at https://bit.ly/spjphxconference26, where if you join SPJ or renew your current membership, your conference registration is free! Hawaii Chapter SPJ SPJ San Diego Pro Chapter SPJ Region 11 SPJLA SPJ Northern California Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting Arizona First Amendment Coalition SPJ CSUN Spj Csus Chapter Society of Professional Journalists Arizona Press Club Arizona Latino Media Association PEN America

It's a Dry Beat: SPJ Western Journalism Conference, Phoenix Lots of skills & interaction -- revitalizing your drive to be a journalist, packed into an affordable, relevant one-day conference.

Our Phoenix SPJ chapter mourns the recent death of longtime Arizona Republic journalist Abe Kwok. Since 1989, Abe worked in many capacities at the Republic, most recently in the opinion section. He was active in the Arizona chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association and had served as chapter president. We will dearly miss Abe's talents, professionalism, dedication to journalism and good humor.