SPJ Blogs

Op-Ed columnist Ray Hanania on why the U.S. Census is unfair to Arabs

RayHanania — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:30:00 GMT

The US Census is pushing to get American Arabs and Muslims to participate and help secure a "complete" count beginning in April. But many Arabs are concerned because the Census wants our help but gives Arabs nothing directly in return, such as recognition. That recognition is given to many other ethnic groups. American Arabs want to be included on the Census Form and be listed as "Arab" or maybe even Middle Eastern. Why not? There are now 28 other racial and ethnic groups listed on the census form. Census officials respond that they have no say over who is or isn't listed on the form, but that is an unacceptable, and even arrogant, excuse. They say we have to lobby Congress. Really? It might be easier to lobby Congress if Congress and the Government were getting feedback from the Census officials saying that many Arabs are concerned and want to be included. Refusing to stand up and convey that concern is what bothers me the most. And here is my YouTube commentary about that controversy. It's under 3 minutes. Click here to view Video

-- Ray Hanania www.RadioChicagoland.com

Shields up! Contact your U.S. senator today! (or at least before Thursday)

DavidCuillier — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:31:00 GMT

Now is the time to contact your U.S. senator to support the federal shield law. On Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider passing S. 448, the Free Flow of Infomation Act. The bill isn't perfect, but it would provide projection to people who commit acts of journalism from willy-nilly federal subpoenas.

Act now. It's easy. Go to the SPJ shield law Web site and also find links to U.S. senators. Click to fill out an easy form to submit your thoughts on the matter. For a list of the senators on the Judiciary Committee, with links to online contact information, see below. Also, for a great tip sheet on how to deal with a subpoena, check out this great tip sheet provided at the SPJ national conference last month.

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee members (click on the name below to get you to each senator's contact message form - it's easy!):

Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Ranking Member
Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
Edward Kaufman (D-Del.)
Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)
Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.)
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
Al Franken (D-Minn.)
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
Arlen Specter (D-Pa.)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chairman
Herb Kohl (D-Wis.)
Russell Feingold (D-Wis.)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:18:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Classrooms and Newsrooms blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:17:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the al-Sahafiyeen blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:16:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the SPJ Varsity blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:14:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Generation J blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:14:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of this blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:13:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Journalism and the World blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:11:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Independent Journalist blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:09:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Diversity blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:09:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Garden Center blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:05:00 GMT

The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the FOI FYI blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:04:00 GMT
The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No registration of any kind is necessary. You can find the new home of the Code Words blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:01:00 GMT
Programming Note: We've Moved! The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No new registration is necessary. You can find the new home of the SPJ Works blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL.

Other Links
— Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network
— RSS (All National Blogs)
— RSS (All Regional Blogs)

Programming Note: We've Moved!

bokeefe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:00:00 GMT
The SPJ Blogs Network has moved to the Wordpress platform, making it easier than ever to join the convesation. No new registration is necessary. You can find the new home of the Freedom of the Prez blog by following this link. RSS subscribers, update your readers by pointing it to this URL. Other Links — Visit the new SPJ Blogs Network — RSS (All National Blogs) — RSS (All Regional Blogs)...(read more)

Using social media to improve our readers’ experience

HilaryFosdal — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:30:00 GMT

As journalists, we need work on our relationships with our readers.

We're now realizing that the one-size-fits-all traditional method of delivering news no longer works for our audience -- or for us -- as competition increases and attention spans decrease. So it's up to us to come up with new, improved ways to reach them.

That's where social media comes into play.

It has already impacted how many digest news. Instead of picking up a paper at the corner newspaper box, people are finding their news on their favorite niche social news sites. Instead of opening the front door and picking up the morning paper, folks are heading to Facebook to watch an uploaded video, checking out the latest post from a subscribed RSS feed or clicking a tweeted link.

It's important to realize that our readers use sites like Facebook and Twitter because they can customize their experience and feel connected to other users. Since users can pick and chose where their information comes from, it's up to us to provide exactly what they want; whether that's a Twitter account that only chats about the latest movie reviews or an RSS feed of stories of news in their communities.

It doesn't stop there. These social sites provide an exciting opportunity for us to transform journalism from a one-sided phone conversation into a discussion among friends.

That said, readers no longer want to only read their favorite reporters or columnists; they want to meet them, befriend them on Facebook and chat with them on Twitter.

Every single experience every employee has with a user is increasingly important. These experiences will lead the customer to either recommend or condemn your company or personal brand. The power of word of mouth is tremendous. And now, with all sorts of social media tools available online, it’s easy for folks to share their opinions, which can impact your brand even more.

But there needs to be a strategy behind the madness, which is part of my job at the Chicago Tribune. For more than a year and a half we've been discovering the best ways to use social media and search engine optimization to increase our readers' experiences with ChicagoTribune.com. We've learned a great deal - best practices, tips and tricks - and we have much to learn.

We need to learn more about our readers and be willing to interact with them. We can no longer simply speak to our community; we have to be a part of the community. And that's only possible by understanding and participating on these sites.

But it takes a change of thinking. It takes an acceptance of how the journalism industry is expanding, and an honest desire to learn how to use social media tools.

I hope in the next few months we can help each other change our attitudes, improve our skills and continually prepare us for an ever-changing career.

Amanda Maurer is the online and social media producer at the Chicago Tribune, and blogs at acmaurer.com. <!—if you need the link: http://twitter.com/acmaurer--> You can also follow her (@acmaurer) on Twitter. 

From the Power to the Prezi

HilaryFosdal — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:59:00 GMT
ATTENTION: This post is for all the journalists who find themselves manning a desk more than a beat. Here is a cool digital tool for your managerial toolbox.

Are you dreading having to prepare yet another PowerPoint presentation?

Ready to take your work presentation to the next level?

Sounds like you are ready for prezi.

Prezi is ‘the zooming presentation editor.’

You won’t find any traditional linear slideshow options or square-boxed-constraints when you start building your prezi.

You start with an empty canvas and express your ideas using text, frames, media files and your creativity.

Want a word to be off-center? Use the ‘transformation zebra’ and place a word on a slant.

Want to emphasize a detail and then pull back to show the bigger picture? You can do it, visually, using prezi’s zoom in and zoom out features.

You can group your ideas within frames, add images, and you are always free to jump the tracks and zoom into a different section should you decide to construct a ‘path’ that leads your audience from one thought to the next.

Prezi also allows you to save your presentation offline. Now you’re ready to give your talk on any computer, at any time, no internet access required.

Curious? Want to learn more? Take Prezi out for a test drive...the public license plan is free.

Hilary Fosdal is the Interactive Content Manager for Barrington Broadcasting Group. You can read more of her work on her blog Running for Food (http://runningforfood.com).

SPJ Webcasts

AmyGreen — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:02:00 GMT
Hi guys, for those of us who work from home these Webcasts are a very helpful way to keep in touch with the changing journalism industry. Looks like Webcasts also are available at www.mediabistrom.com, for a fee for non-AvantGuild members. Amy Green, freelance committee chairwoman.

CATCH THE AUDIO ACTION

Of the many perks to SPJ membership, access to great professional development resources is certainly at the top of the list. If you missed the 2009 SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference, or would like to review programs you attended, see the SPJ Web site for a collection of audio from sessions and speeches. SPJ members can access the streaming media, including Roxana Saberi's keynote speech and a session on running a profitable freelance business. And anyone can read articles from The Working Press, the daily newspaper that follows convention news.

REMEMBERING WALTER CRONKITE

KevinSmith — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:45:00 GMT
It didn’t take me all of two and a half hours sitting at Walter Cronkite’s memorial service Wednesday to learn that my career is somewhat muted by the fact I never met the journalistic icon. I, like so many of my generation, were drawn to journalism by the likes of Cronkite, John Chancellor, David Brinkley and Chet Huntley. When I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be an astronaut and walk the moon like Cmdr. Buzz Aldrin, who, by the way, was on hand to eulogize Mr. Cronkite, I wanted to be...(read more)

Dimdim Web Conferencing

HilaryFosdal — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:03:00 GMT

I'm sure at one point or another you have participated or hosted a web conference call at work. Web conferences are a great way to deliver your PowerPoint presentation to several colleagues spread throughout the nation and show them websites that express your point in visual detail.

Dimdim (http://www.dimdim.com/) offers web conferencing for FREE.

Have 20 or less people scattered across the globe that you'd like to have gathered around a computer screen to meet and greet?

Maybe you are a chapter whose members are geographically spread out, but would like a way to maintain better communication?

One of the features I like the best about Dimdim is that it does not require the participants of a conference call to download any software or create an account.

The host creates an account (and downloads a small file, see instructions below) and sends out invitations via email to the participants. Participants open up the Dimdim meeting email invite, click on the link, and enter the conference call in just a few clicks.

Dimdim also provides you with a phone number (area code 702) and pass-codes for all participants to call in on.

Interested in trying it out?

HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT

Go to http://www.dimdim.com/

Click ‘Sign Up Now!’

Click “Free $0 FOR SMALL MEETINGS”

Fill out the ‘create an account’ fields

Un-check the box ‘Subscribe to news and updates at DimDim’ (my suggestion only!)

On the ‘Welcome to Dimdim’ screen, click ‘Sign In’

You have now successfully created your DimDim account. You will receive a ‘Welcome’ message from Dimdim saying you have an active account.

JOINING A CONFERENCE CALL

You do not need to have a Dimdim account to participate in a Web/Phone conference call

Open up the Dimdim meeting email invite.

Click ‘To join the meeting, simply click here.’ YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT TO JOIN THE MEETING.

Enter your name into the ‘Your Name’ field.

Click ‘Join’

That’s it. You are now in the meeting!

If you want to be heard, and seen (if you have a web cam) – click on the ‘allow’ button in the lower left-hand corner. Or click the the microphone button after your name in the Participant column, click Restart A/V broadcaster and the Starting Stream window will appear. Click ‘Allow.’

Call into the number listed at the top “Dial-in” and enter the pass-code listed.

HOW TO HOST A CONFERENCE

Sign into your account

You will be asked to select ‘Preferences’ – Click ‘Ok’

Change the time zone in the ‘General Tab’.

To share your screen with other participants you will need to install ‘Screencaster Plug-in 5.1’ – you will be prompted to do this when you click on the ‘Computer Screen’ tab at the top left corner.

Pick how you would like to start your conference. Begin!

The host has the ability to share their screen, use a whiteboard (to create images like you would in Microsoft's Paint), share a PDF or PowerPoint document and/or share web pages.

What I discovered playing around with Dimdim is that not all websites (URLs) like Dimdim. A great example is the New York Times website. The http://www.nytimes.com/ doesn't like to be i-framed, so it will, for lack of a better explanation, 'break' the conference and kick people out of the meeting. An irritating, but minor flaw for a great free product.

Hilary Fosdal is the Interactive Content Manager for Barrington Broadcasting Group. You can read more of her work on her blog Running for Food (http://runningforfood.com).

Kicking it Old School

HilaryFosdal — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:33:00 GMT
Digital multi-media features are increasingly commonplace in today's news outlets as print and electronic media have begun irreversibly cross-dipping into technologies previously exclusive to each other. What we once only read on paper we see and hear in an online video or narrated photo gallery, and the stories behind the broadcast feeds we once accessed only through a television station we also are seeing in words on a TV channel's Web site.

As multi-media practices become the new normal in journalists' skill set, content -- in-depth, meaningful, transformative content -- remains the ultimate news goal.

This summer I started www.inothernews.us, a blog site devoted to tracking online, community news start-ups following the rapid decline of legacy media. I wondered: Who, if anyone, is taking on the responsibility of bringing news content to areas underserved by established media outlets? As a daily newspaper reporter in Scranton, PA, who was laid off this year, I saw first hand how much news went uncovered in outlying municipalities that not only my former employer claimed to serve, but also the local television news outlets and competing newspapers. With the loss of staff writers over the years through attrition, layoffs and buyouts at my last paper, it was clear there are not enough bodies to generate stories important to a particular populace.

And I knew the dwindling news situation in Scranton was identical to that of hundreds of communities around the country. A glance at the rising tally of the laid off or bought out news staff around the country – 13,500 this year so far -- at Erica Smith’s Papercuts site tells that story.

Inothernews.us so far contains descriptions of 26 new news outlets, and that relatively small collection paints a promising, refreshing picture of the future of news coverage. Each of the listings represent online experiments ranging from commercial endeavors to non-profit organizations; from solo operations to collective efforts of dozens of contributors; from coverage of large metro areas that compete with established media companies to sites serving suburban outposts; and from subscription services to free access.

SeattlePostGlobe.org, a start-up following the drastic downsizing of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, one of two major metro dailies, reported on Sept. 7 a local homeless shelter needs a new location; EastsiderLA.com, news site devoted to the Northeast section of Los Angeles, recently notified readers that citrus trees in two neighborhoods will be targeted for pest treatment; and BaltimoreBrew.com on Friday posted a video simulation of a proposed Maryland Transit Authority line running through a section of town.

Without digital media opportunities, these sites may not exist as there are few legacy costs associated with them. I pay nothing for the WordPress blog account that runs www.inothernews.us, and I pay less than $10 a year for the domain name. Thanks to fair use provisions, I can post screen shots and pull quotes from each listing's site at no charge.

It is the hope of journalists today that what we are learning about digital media and what we already know about reporting the news will merge seamlessly to provide what matters most to our audience: content that is consistent, convenient and affordable.

Jessica Durkin knows community coverage. Throughout her five-year journalism career in two states, she covered municipal meetings from education to zoning. She is the Mid-Atlantic region director for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, an SPJ Keystone Pro Chapter member and is interested in media reform.

The price of information online

HilaryFosdal — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:16:00 GMT

L. Gordon Crovitz recently observed people often ignore the second part of author Stewart Brand’s famous quote “Information wants to be free.” In a February column, Crovitz, a media analyst and an executive with The Wall Street Journal, reminded readers the end of Brand’s quote is: “Information also wants to be expensive.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer will soon join a litany of media companies considering a new way to generate revenue from news after it has become a free and ubiquitous commodity. The paper, which faces a key bankruptcy hearing September 15, plans to start charging for online content by year’s end, including potentially demanding “micropayments” for each article.

But here’s why switching to a full- or partial-payment model for online news won’t resolve the media industry’s financial troubles. Newspapers are not only failing to provide enough compelling content to entice people to suddenly pay for it online or buy it in print, they’re cutting their newsgathering operations.

Other than adding a few photo slideshows, reporter Blogs and videos to their Web sites, newspapers are asking readers to suddenly pay for the same dwindling news and information they can find in the print edition. The fact is that enough people probably won’t pay — especially when the content was once free — to make the newspapers economically viable.

So, media companies should cease printing paper editions or publish their print versions far less often, and they should channel all the overhead they save into adding reporters. Then, newly potent, rejuvenated newsgathering operations could focus on the kind of hyper-local coverage, investigative reporting and watchdog journalism for which advertisers and readers would actually pay.

The trouble is newspapers still believe they offer something so special that people will always want to pay for them. But, in reality, much of reason the reason many people bought papers to begin with was they were monopolies. Yet, newspapers can still prove they have value by entertaining people with arts coverage and offering them the stories they crave on local sports, schools, taxes, politicians and other community issues.

It’s true that the public no longer values the ability of newspapers to lead the debate on issues or unify a community in discussing a particular topic. That’s because readers can do the same things in online communities or seek news and information from select Web sites that cater to readers’ unique socio-economic and political views.

Newspapers should have harnessed the Internet’s power a long time ago to shed the major costs of producing, printing and distributing dead tree copies of the news. Instead, they clung to the print model and gave away content online, while conceding free classified advertising to services like Craigslist.

Now, the Inquirer, Media News Group, Cablevision System Corp.’s New York Newsday and Hearst Co. think they can suddenly charge people for their digital content. But newspaper executives haven’t yet realized that continually cutting coverage gives advertisers and readers no reason to stop their exodus let alone pay more. As Tammy Lytle, the former Washington bureau chief for the Orlando Sentinel, recently told American Journalism Review, “I don’t think you sell more by giving people less.”

Written by Daniel Axelrod

How to build a Web site

AmyGreen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:52:00 GMT
Hi guys, another Web cast from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Nonmembers can listen in for a fee. Check it out! Amy Green, freelance committee chairwoman.

Whether you're launching your first website or want to take an existing one to the next level, our expert speakers will give you the inside scoop on showcasing your writing talents and professional skills for optimal impact. Get smart, easy-to-follow tips on design, search engine optimization, where to host, avoiding common mistakes, and adding sizzle to boost sales. In these challenging times for freelancers, knowing how to market yourself effectively is crucial for success and survival.

Moderator Lisa Collier Cool, a past ASJA president, bestselling author and winner of 18 journalism awards, has made more than $30,000 in sales to new clients who found her through her website, http://www.lisacolliercool.com , launched in February of this year. She's the author of How to Write Irresistible Query Letters and has sold more 500 articles to Reader's Digest, Parade, Wall Street Journal, Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, Glamour, Self and many others.

The speakers are:

* Rhea Drysdale is Co-Founder and COO of Outspoken Media, Inc., an Internet marketing company that specializes in competitive search results. Rhea has over five years experience in online reputation management, search engine optimization and social media, and has spoken at events like Pubcon, SEMNE, ACCM and IM Spring Break. Website: http://outspokenmedia.com

* Tim Harper, ASJA member and editor of The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing: A Professional Guide to the Business, for Nonfiction Writers of All Experience Levels, teaches and serves as writing coach at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where he helps young writers launch their websites. An award-winning journalist and author of 12 books, his credits include Atlantic Monthly; Readers Digest; Forbes; Time; Crain's New York. Advertising Age; Editor & Publisher; and many others. Website: http://www.nvo.com/timharper

* Barbara Krasner, ASJA member, is a senior web copywriter and editor at LexisNexis, and spent 30 years in marketing for Pearson, R. R. Bowker, AT&T, and Alcatel-Lucent. She's an award-winning journalist and author of four books. Website: http://www.barbarakrasner.com

* Eric Yaverbaum has been a regular on the talk show and lecture circuit for 25 years. You can find him everywhere from Good Morning America to Larry King and on the covers of USA Today, Forbes and Business Week. He has written five bestselling books, including Public Relations Kit For Dummies, Secrets of the WorldÆs Most Successful CEOs, and Everything Leadership, and ran the 11th ranked public relations agency in the country. Website: http://www.erichopr.com/meet.htm

Date: Thursday, September 24, 2009

Time: 5:30 to 8:00 PM (program/webcast starts at 6:00 PM Eastern time).

Place: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Room 308, 219 West 40th Street, New York City. Bring photo ID, which may be requested by CUNY staff.

Cost: $25 for members and guests; $35 for non-members; $5 for students. Sandwiches, soft drinks and desserts included in the price of admission. Sign up early -- space is limited.

Reservation required to attend the program. Members' signup:
http://www.asja.org/members/calendar/calmem.php

Nonmembers can reserve at:
http://www.asja.org/calendar/calendar.php

Viewing the live webcast is a free, members-only benefit. On the day of the program, check the members calendar page for the link:
http://www.asja.org/members/calendar/calmem.php

Nonmembers can buy a download of this or previous programs for $10 each at the ASJA Store:
http://www.asja.org/store/store.php

We hope to see you at the program!

Journalist Killed in El Salvador

IJC — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:35:00 GMT
The SPJ International Committee condemns the violence that took the life of journalist and documentary filmmaker Christian Poveda in El Salvador Sept. 2. He was covering gang violence in El Salvador. He expressed concerns about the increasing incidence of violence in an interview with the LA Times this week. A day after he was interviewed, he was shot and killed. Poveda had worked in El Salvador since the 1980s. He was a victim of the same violence he was documenting. An arrest has been made. We must remember him.

A call to membership

KevinSmith — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:23:00 GMT
As those of you who attended the convention last week will recall, I talked about a plan to turn our membership numbers around. While adding 1,000 people to our roll seems daunting in these most difficult of times, it will not be if many of us make an effort to reach out to journalists in this coming year and convince them to join our organization. I referred to it as my 10 percent plan. If one in every 10 members did this, we'd be back to numbers of almost two years ago. Maybe we...(read more)