Joel Engardio
Encyclopedia
Joel P. Engardio is a candidate for San Francisco District 7 Supervisor. The election is November 6, 2012. Engardio has previously worked as a writer, documentary filmmaker and civil liberties
advocate http://www.engardio.com/archive/Intro.html. His journalism work includes print, television and independent film. At the American Civil Liberties Union
, Engardio combined reporting and multimedia storytelling skills to pioneer more effective ways to mount lawsuits and communicate public education efforts. He was the ACLU’s first “story finder” and implemented a process that applied journalism methods to plaintiff-finding.http://www.joelengardio.com/Detroit_News.html Engardio found plaintiffs who had narratives that played well in both the court of law and public opinion. He also started a video department that produced shorts for online audiences, which prompted mainstream media to cover the same stories.http://www.engardio.com/archive/ACLU_Channel.html
, San Francisco Weekly, Los Angeles Times
, Boston Globe, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle
, Christian Science Monitor and P.O.V. magazine. In radio, he has written essays broadcast on NPR
’s This I Believe
series http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16505529 and KQED-San Francisco’s Perspectives.http://www.joelengardio.com/Speeches_%26_Radio.html In television, Engardio worked as an associate producer for ABC News
at the news magazine 20/20 and the network's documentary unit, Turning Point. Engardio wrote, narrated and directed Knocking, a documentary on Jehovah’s Witnesses that was nationally broadcast in the United States on the PBS
series Independent Lens
in 2007.http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/knocking/ It was named Best Documentary at the 2006 USA Film Festival. Knocking was also broadcast in Australia, Canada, Greece and Israel. It was released on DVD in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Russian.http://www.knocking.org/ In public relations, Engardio worked as a senior media strategist for Manning Selvage & Lee in San Francisco. He also organized a national outreach campaign for his PBS documentary and was a media consultant for Stanford University’s Asian Liver Center and Jade Ribbon Campaign.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/01/03/ED214948.DTL&hw=Engardio&sn=002&sc=456
award for science writing. In 2003, his opinion writing was recognized with a first place award by the Society of Professional Journalists
in Northern California. He was a finalist for the Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award in 2000. Engardio was also a finalist for the University of Missouri
1999 national writing award in multicultural journalism.
Kennedy School of Government in 2011 with a Master in Public Administration. He attended Harvard on a full-tuition scholarship from the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. His undergraduate degree is from Michigan State University
, where he majored in journalism and history. He was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan
where his mother was the only member of a large Italian Catholic family to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Engardio never joined the faith.http://www.engardio.com/archive/USA_Today_Free_Speech.html He currently lives in San Francisco.
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
advocate http://www.engardio.com/archive/Intro.html. His journalism work includes print, television and independent film. At the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
, Engardio combined reporting and multimedia storytelling skills to pioneer more effective ways to mount lawsuits and communicate public education efforts. He was the ACLU’s first “story finder” and implemented a process that applied journalism methods to plaintiff-finding.http://www.joelengardio.com/Detroit_News.html Engardio found plaintiffs who had narratives that played well in both the court of law and public opinion. He also started a video department that produced shorts for online audiences, which prompted mainstream media to cover the same stories.http://www.engardio.com/archive/ACLU_Channel.html
Career
Engardio is a 2011 MPA graduate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was a scholarship winner from the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Engardio has written for Washington Post.com, USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, San Francisco Weekly, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Boston Globe, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, Christian Science Monitor and P.O.V. magazine. In radio, he has written essays broadcast on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
’s This I Believe
This I Believe
This I Believe was a five-minute CBS Radio Network program hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow from 1951 to 1955. A half-hour European version of This I Believe ran from 1956 to 1958 over Radio Luxembourg....
series http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16505529 and KQED-San Francisco’s Perspectives.http://www.joelengardio.com/Speeches_%26_Radio.html In television, Engardio worked as an associate producer for ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
at the news magazine 20/20 and the network's documentary unit, Turning Point. Engardio wrote, narrated and directed Knocking, a documentary on Jehovah’s Witnesses that was nationally broadcast in the United States on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Independent Lens
Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS through ITVS, the Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens introduces new drama and documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of Independent Lens have been presented by hosts Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence Howard, Maggie...
in 2007.http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/knocking/ It was named Best Documentary at the 2006 USA Film Festival. Knocking was also broadcast in Australia, Canada, Greece and Israel. It was released on DVD in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Russian.http://www.knocking.org/ In public relations, Engardio worked as a senior media strategist for Manning Selvage & Lee in San Francisco. He also organized a national outreach campaign for his PBS documentary and was a media consultant for Stanford University’s Asian Liver Center and Jade Ribbon Campaign.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/01/03/ED214948.DTL&hw=Engardio&sn=002&sc=456
Awards
Engardio won a national opinion writing award at the 2010 American Academy of Religion Journalism Awards.http://www.aarweb.org/Public_Affairs/Press_Releases/2010/20100601.asp His short film "Voices from Guantanamo" received the Global Justice Award at the 2010 Media That Matters Film Festival, with screenings in New York and London.http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/films/justice_denied/ His film Knocking was named Best Documentary at the 2006 USA Film Festival. Engardio was the recipient of the 2000 National Press FoundationNational Press Foundation
The National Press Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides training for journalists and awards excellence in journalism. The Foundation was established in Washington, D.C. in 1976.- Activities :...
award for science writing. In 2003, his opinion writing was recognized with a first place award by the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
in Northern California. He was a finalist for the Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award in 2000. Engardio was also a finalist for the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
1999 national writing award in multicultural journalism.
Background
Engardio graduated from the Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Kennedy School of Government in 2011 with a Master in Public Administration. He attended Harvard on a full-tuition scholarship from the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. His undergraduate degree is from Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
, where he majored in journalism and history. He was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
where his mother was the only member of a large Italian Catholic family to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Engardio never joined the faith.http://www.engardio.com/archive/USA_Today_Free_Speech.html He currently lives in San Francisco.
Knocking Documentary
Engardio's PBS documentary film Knocking explored how the unpopular religion of Jehovah's Witnesses played a major role in First Amendment history, setting Supreme Court precedents that expanded individual liberties for all Americans. In interviews, Engardio said Knocking is not about the theology of Jehovah's Witnesses but instead uses the religion as a case study to examine how disparate and disagreeable groups can hold their unique beliefs without marginalizing or limiting the freedom of others. "We may not be each others' cup of tea," Engardio said on NPR, "but tolerance allows a variety of kettles to peacefully share the stove." Knocking won several film festival awards and was covered in Newsweek, USA Today and newspapers across the United States. Entertainment Weekly named it "What to Watch" for the week of May 20, 2007. Critics of Jehovah's Witnesses said the film did not deal harshly enough with controversies surrounding the religion, like the practice of shunning. Engardio told film festival audiences that "Knocking" contained criticism organic to the film's storylines. Engardio has written Washington Post essays critical of Jehovah's Witness practices, including shunning http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/11/when_religion_is_the_bully.html and refusal of blood transfusions.http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/02/witnesses_blood_and_spiritual_complications.html Engardio has also written essays for the Washington Post and USA Today about civil rights issues involving Jehovah's Witnesses outside the scope of his film. Most notable was the 2010 ruling by a federal judge that overturned California's ban on gay marriage, in which the key legal precedent cited by the judge was a 1943 Supreme Court case won by Jehovah's Witnesses.http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-08-06-engardio05_ST_N.htm Another Washington Post essay by Engardio warns that a ban on Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is a dangerous precedent that could lead to the loss of freedoms for other unpopular groups in the emerging democracy.http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/12/russias_ban_on_jehovahs_witnesses.htmlExternal links
- http://www.engardio.com
- http://www.engardio.com/archive/Intro.html
- http://www.knocking.org/
- http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/knocking/
- http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/lgbt/enda_20070917.pdf
- http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/11/when_religion_is_the_bully.html
- http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/12/russias_ban_on_jehovahs_witnesses.html
- http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-08-06-engardio05_ST_N.htm
- http://www.engardio.com/archive/USA_Today_gay_marriage.html
- http://blog.aclu.org/2008/06/25/supreme-court-v-american-idol/
- http://blog.aclu.org/2009/02/06/a-gay-rights-life/
- http://blog.aclu.org/2008/11/19/there-will-be-days-like-this/