Greetings,
NABJ Sports Task Force members...we are 9 days away from this year's NABJ convention in Philadelphia. I hope you are registered and ready for what is absolutely a can't miss NABJ convention. As promised, here is the updated schedule of NABJ Sports Task Force events and as always, I ask that you support NABJ Sports Task Force events so we can continue to be a leader of the NABJ Task Forces.
-Sherlon Christie
Thursday, August 4, 2011
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
SPORTS TASK FORCE MENTOR BREAKFAST
Powered by ESPN
Location: 119AB (Convention Center)
Join the NABJ Sports Task Force and ESPN for its annual mentorship breakfast. Aspiring journalists are paired with professional mentors from broadcast, print and online newsrooms.
Speakers: ESPN's Rob Parker and Claire Smith.
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
THE VANISHING BLACK SPORTS REPORTER: WHY DIVERSITY MATTERS
Location: 119A (Convention Center...same room as breakfast)
In an era where African Americans dominate the playing fields and arenas, the press boxes above and around them do not reflect that trend. The latest AP Sports Editors census reveals fewer people of color covering or leading newsroom coverage. What’s changed since earlier in the decade when America had six African American sports editors compared to today having one? What should those in power do to change the dynamic?
Panelists:
David Aldridge, Reporter and Analyst, TNT, NBA-TV and NBA.com
Hollis Towns, Executive Editor and Vice President-News, Asbury Park Press
Michael Anastasi, Managing Editor, Sports, Features and Production, Salt Lake Tribune
Steve Smith, Studio Analyst, NBA TV
Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group
Garry D. Howard, Editor-In-Chief, Sporting News
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CULTURAL TENSIONS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
Location: 115A (Convention Center)
Several issues have divided African Americans for years, including educated/uneducated, middle class/poor and urban/rural. As a result, offensive terms have been used to take aim at one’s "blackness.” Such instances have garnered national attention in the past year including ESPN analyst Jalen Rose’s "Uncle Tom” remark aimed at black Duke players in the 1990s; boxer Bernard Hopkins questioning the blackness of NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb; and Dr. Cornel West’s criticism of President Obama. In addition to closely examining these examples, we will also explore how these stories have been and should be covered by the media.
Panelists
Soledad O’Brien, Correspondent, CNN
Roland S. Martin, Analyst, TVOne, CNN, Essence
Dr. Argie Allen, Director of Clinical Training Programs, Drexel University,
Isiah Thomas, Former NBA Star and College Basketball Coach
Greg Anthony, Former NBA player and Current Basketball Analyst.
Nathaniel Normant, Chair and Associate Professor of African American Studies, Temple University
Bill Rhoden, Sports Columnist, New York Times
10:00 p.m. – 3:30 a.m.
SIXTH ANNUAL SPORTS TASK FORCE SCHOLARSHIP JAM
Location: Whisper Night Club (1714 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103)
What are folks saying about the best party at the NABJ convention the last five years running, CHECK OUT THE FACEBOOK EVENT.
Tickets are as cheap as $15 for NABJ members, get YOUR TICKET TODAY!
Friday, August 5, 2011
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
SPORTS PIONEER AWARDS CEREMONY
Location: 119A (same room as the breakfast from Thursday)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
10:30 a.m. – Noon
BLACK ATHLETE MANIFESTO
Location: 119A (same room as the breakfast from Thursday)
The Black Athlete has suddenly changed in front of our eyes. The superstars of our games are now born in the late 1980s, where they have faint memories of the Cosby Show or The Notorious B.I.G. and definitely have little concept of the Civil Rights Movement or the sacrifices of their predecessors. How do we deal with these athletes as journalists? How do we deal with those who are in the forefront of the Twitter generation, U-Stream craze and who seem to tattoo every one of their life achievements or opinions on their bodies? How do we close the generational gap and social gap between reporters and those athletes? And are these athletes more difficult to cover than those in the past?
Panelists
Kyle Draper, Studio Host, Comcast SportsNet
Jerry Brewer, Columnist, Seattle Times
Stephen A. Smith, Talk Show Host, ESPN Radio
Mitch Richmond, Former NBA Player
Vinnie Goodwill, Detroit Pistons Beat Writer, Detroit News
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Sports Task Force Business Meeting & Elections
Location: 118C (Convention Center)
Showing posts with label nabj. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nabj. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
UNITY: We're going to Las Vegas
The following is the e-mail UNITY sent out at 6:20 p.m. on September 8 announcing its next convention city.
NABJ had its 2007 convention in Las Vegas and it appears UNITY is loving Las Vegas too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNITY Selects Mandalay Bay in Vegas for 2012 Convention
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. selected Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as the host for its 2012 convention. The UNITY convention is scheduled for August 1-4, 2012.
The UNITY board of directors heard presentations from two other cities, Los Angeles and Houston, before selecting Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay property as the host site. Los Angeles was selected as the backup city. "All three venues presented exciting opportunities for UNITY especially during these uncertain times, we greatly appreciate the interest and effort put forth by Los Angeles and Houston," said UNITY President Rafael Olmeda, "we are pleased that MGM Mirage, the parent company of Mandalay Bay, is considered one of the leaders in diversity in a manner that is well aligned with our mission and goals."
"UNITY continues to seek cost-efficient opportunities for the convention while also maximizing participant experiences at all levels" said Onica N. Makwakwa, UNITY Executive Director. "Mandalay Bay offers UNITY the potential to house all attendees under one roof as well as to potentially host all convention events in one location. We anticipate that this will allow members of the alliance partners as well as recruiters and job seekers to maximize networking opportunities."
The most recent UNITY convention was held July 23 - 27, 2008 in Chicago drawing over 7,500 journalists of color and media executives. Other past UNITY conventions have been held in Atlanta in 1994, Seattle in 1999, and Washington, D.C. in 2004.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The upcoming NABJ/UNITY convention schedule
2010: NABJ in San Diego from July 28-August 1
2011: NABJ in Philadelphia from August 3-August 7
2012: UNITY in Las Vegas from August 1-August 4
2013: NABJ in Orlando (TBA).
2014: NABJ in New Orleans (TBA).
2015: NABJ in Minneapolis (TBA).
NABJ had its 2007 convention in Las Vegas and it appears UNITY is loving Las Vegas too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNITY Selects Mandalay Bay in Vegas for 2012 Convention
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. selected Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as the host for its 2012 convention. The UNITY convention is scheduled for August 1-4, 2012.
The UNITY board of directors heard presentations from two other cities, Los Angeles and Houston, before selecting Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay property as the host site. Los Angeles was selected as the backup city. "All three venues presented exciting opportunities for UNITY especially during these uncertain times, we greatly appreciate the interest and effort put forth by Los Angeles and Houston," said UNITY President Rafael Olmeda, "we are pleased that MGM Mirage, the parent company of Mandalay Bay, is considered one of the leaders in diversity in a manner that is well aligned with our mission and goals."
"UNITY continues to seek cost-efficient opportunities for the convention while also maximizing participant experiences at all levels" said Onica N. Makwakwa, UNITY Executive Director. "Mandalay Bay offers UNITY the potential to house all attendees under one roof as well as to potentially host all convention events in one location. We anticipate that this will allow members of the alliance partners as well as recruiters and job seekers to maximize networking opportunities."
The most recent UNITY convention was held July 23 - 27, 2008 in Chicago drawing over 7,500 journalists of color and media executives. Other past UNITY conventions have been held in Atlanta in 1994, Seattle in 1999, and Washington, D.C. in 2004.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The upcoming NABJ/UNITY convention schedule
2010: NABJ in San Diego from July 28-August 1
2011: NABJ in Philadelphia from August 3-August 7
2012: UNITY in Las Vegas from August 1-August 4
2013: NABJ in Orlando (TBA).
2014: NABJ in New Orleans (TBA).
2015: NABJ in Minneapolis (TBA).
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Atlanta Chapter NABJ Candidates Forum
I've been told on several occasions that my personality fits that of a Southern gentleman. I consider this a big compliment considering that I've lived 86 percent of my life in the Northeast between three states (Massachusetts, New York and now New Jersey). The other 14 percent was spent as a baby in Jamaica.
Prior to Saturday, my only visit to Atlanta was for the 2005 NABJ Convention. I still have my 2005 NABJ convention bag (one of the few that my mother hasn't confiscated). I'm not sure why she's infatuated with my NABJ convention bags but she asks to see the new bag every year. Go figure. It is hard saying no to my mother but I've stood my ground and held onto the 30th anniversary convention bag.
Nevertheless, I went to Atlanta again on what appeared to be the hottest day of the year (98 degrees...and I'm not talking about the music group). I felt the heat the second I walked outside of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Of course, I had on a suit and tie, so it felt like 108 degrees to me. As I'm walking outside the airport, I thought back to the day I received the invitation to come to Atlanta. I said "yes" without hesitation and booked a flight a few days later without even knowing if I could get the day off. I work Saturdays and while it usually isn't a problem to switch around my schedule in the summer time, I had to eventually use a vacation day to make my appearance possible.
I felt it was well worth a vacation day to meet the members of the Atlanta chapter and visitors to the candidates forum. It was also good to see a wide range of ages in the auditorium and some familiar faces from the NABJ listserves. I had several goals by coming to Atlanta:
1) I hope I made a good impression on the Atlanta Chapter members because I know they vote.
2) I hope I showed that I really want to be the organization's next secretary via my platform.
3) I hope that I showed I have the time to make a serious commitment to the organization for the next two years.
4) Most importantly, I'm crossing my fingers on getting some votes from the 404 area code.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Facebook Me! (Part 2)
We've got just under two months to go to election day...August 7.
Don't miss important updates from me about my NABJ secretary campaign.
Don't delay, sign up today!
My Facebook Group
http://tinyurl.com/nc89wm
My Platform
http://tinyurl.com/lern7e
Don't miss important updates from me about my NABJ secretary campaign.
Don't delay, sign up today!
My Facebook Group
http://tinyurl.com/nc89wm
My Platform
http://tinyurl.com/lern7e
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
NABJ Candidates Forum in New York City
On May 30, I participated in the candidates' forum at the NABJ Region 1 Conference. Here's the youtube video of my opening statement and the question and answer portion. I'm on the left in the brown suit and beige tie.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
My Platform
I wanted to show NABJ members that I've actually taken the time to sit down and analyze NABJ's current structure. I love some things that we do now but I feel there are several things we can do much better. The journalism world evolves every day and NABJ should evolve just as fast. I named this entry "My Platform: (Part 1)" because I anticipate there will be more editions to the platform.
But here's a recap of my platform thus far:
But here's a recap of my platform thus far:
- Releasing the workshops before the earlybird registration deadline: The organization has to think more practically when asking members to shell out their hard earned cash for the convention, regional conferences and other special events. I think it is extremely unfair to ask our members to commit to the convention before the workshops are released. In the future, this process must change. The pre-registration deadline shouldn't come before the full slate of workshops are released. If that means moving the announcement of the workshops up or moving the pre-registration deadline back, I'm in favor of either motion. Every decision that NABJ makes from this day forward has to be fair to our members and truthfully make sense.
- Think Web First: That's the first thing I would tell any student member now and any journalist currently in the business or that was recently laid off. The web is the new way of journalism and you should know as much about the web as possible because it will affect your career and most likely your paycheck. When I say web, what am I talking about? 1) Blogs. Know the popular blog software and know how to use and navigate it. Just about every reporter/editor is asked to blog these days and you should already know what a blog is before your employer asks you to do it. 2) Know how to shoot and edit video. Employers use the word "multimedia journalist" now and that term usually incorporates shooting and editing video. The shooting video part is the easiest of the two but the editing part will make you more valuable to your employer and more marketable if you are searching for work. 3) Know how to take and edit photos. 4) HTML. If you really want to get serious about the web than learning html coding is the way to go. If you know html coding and can create and design websites, you can work for anyone and probably name your price as far as a salary goes. I would strongly recommend any student or journalist seek out opportunities to learn this skill either at their school or within their place of employment or at a local community college or through any service that NABJ offers. I will fully support any program (like the NABJ Media Institute) or training session (like the NABJ Region 1 Conference: Online Tool for Digital Journalists, Part 2").
- Lowering Convention Costs I've paid my own way to the NABJ convention in 2001, 2002, 2005-2007 and the Unity Convention in 2008. I didn't attend in 2003 or to the UNITY convention in 2004 because I just started new jobs that year. In 2002 while I was still a student member on a small budget, I paid the registration fee for three students at Northeastern University that couldn't afford it. I wanted them there and dug deep into my pocket to make sure they could experience an NABJ convention. I know the sacrifice that NABJ members make every year because I'm one of them and when it comes to cost I'm always mindful of that aspect. I'm not in favor of raising convention prices or membership dues. In regards to the convention model as our source of income, we currently rely on 62 percent of our income from the Convention. We can't go cold turkey and not use the convention as a primary source of income because 1) we can't generate that type of cash the convention brings in right now from any other source and 2) media companies have cut back on what they can/will spend to come to our convention or support our initiatives. 3) We can be better at saving money, spending money and raising money (like the few ideas I proposed below). I would like to lower that percentage to 50 percent and have the "new money" make up the 12 percent difference.
- Going After New Money: To my knowledge, we don't make any money or very little off our website, which baffles me as I type this response. Our website, in a web-based world, should be a better source of income to NABJ. Should we have advertising on our website? Yeah. What type of ads and where they will be placed...would require some more thought. I'm not sure what we charge for jobs in our NABJobs Online section (and that probably needs a better placement on our website anyways) but maybe offer prospective employers a package deal that we'll feature their job in a prominent spot on the website for a slightly higher fee. Do we have a membership referral service? If not, for every new membership (someone that has never been an NABJ member) that a current nabj member solicits on behalf of NABJ, I say offer a $10 discount to that current member's renewal the following year. This would probably only be done online. As the deputy chair of the membership committee, I've proposed an idea that we create a marketing video something in the 2-3 minute range that can be sent as a DVD or even through e-mail on what it is like to be an NABJ member and attend one of our conventions or regional conferences. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any college or university that we get a "new student nabj membership." My thinking if there is one...there has to be more. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any employer that we get a "new professional nabj membership" Once again, my thinking is if there is one...there has to be more.
- More two-way communication from NABJ to its members: I mentioned in an e-mail to the NABJ forum on Friday, April 10 about a live chat/blog software called "Coveritlive." My paper started using Coveritlive in January 2009 to enhance our sports coverage in the Jersey Shore area. In just three short months, the live chat and live blog sessions are a huge hit with our basketball and lacrosse fans. I tell myself every morning to "Think Web First" and that is how I approach my sports coverage. The live chats and live blogs sessions give readers more access, instant feedback and it shows them that you care about their opinions. It also helps to grow your web visitors and also your web page views. I posted all of this to say there is new technology out there, like Coveritlive, that you can use in your newsrooms to better communicate with your readers/viewers (no matter what speciality you cover) and that NABJ can use in a way to increase interaction with its members. For example, I would love to see a bi-monthly or at least a monthly live chat with the NABJ President moderated by the NABJ Secretary. I would love to see a live chat or even a live blog on how to fill out the NABJ chapter audits and the NABJ chapter applications properly. If visual evidence is needed for the demonstration, an NABJ webinar would probably be more appropriate. If someone has a questions about the NABJ Chapter audits or NABJ chapter applications, they can get an answer on the spot. I'm sure the NABJ staff would appreciate its local professional and student chapters doing the audits and chapter applications, the correct way, the first time. This scenario can happen right now. It takes a minute to create a Coveritlive account and once Coveritlive generates the html coding all you have to do is cut and paste the coding into a blog entry. All the readers/viewers have to do is come to the blog and click on the start button to interact with the moderator and the featured panelist of the day/night. If you missed the chat, you can always catch it on replay at your own convenience. Speaking of blogs, I would love to see the NABJ President's Corner transformed into a blog. Once that is done, you can have live chats on the NABJ President's Corner blog with ease. I would also like to see the NABJ President's Corner blog updated with regularity on what the NABJ President is doing on behalf of NABJ members. A monthly NABJ President's agenda would be nice and of course updates on important deadlines would be better
The decision we make this year will go a long way in shaping NABJ's future. I want to be a part of that future with your help.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=62710576249&ref=mf
Thursday, April 30, 2009
NABJ Bowling in Philly (Recap)
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Christopher Nelson, NABJ student representative; Aprill Turner, NABJ Associate representative; myself, Sarah Glover, PABJ President; Deirdre Childress, NABJ Secretary; Jason Lockhart, GSABJ member).It was well worth taking a Wednesday off.
It was well worth the 1 hour and 15 minute drive to the city of Brotherly Love.
I felt right at home in Philly (forgot to get a cheesesteak though) with the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and I didn't become a victim of the A&E Show..."Parking Wars"
If you add two hours of bowling at North Bowl and the great food that night, it was the best social event I've attended in a while. Let me get back to the food for a second because I believe one of the marks of a good event is tasty food.
The mini-hamburgers, the chicken wings and the chips and salsa were perfect appetizers for the event and I felt a little guilty going back for a second and I think a third helping. I have one public service announcement for anyone that tries to eat a chicken wing and then get up to bowl: make sure you wipe your hands off cleanly. I nearly dropped the bowling ball on my foot not realizing there was still some grease on my hands. Thankfully, I have good reflexes and saved a trip to the emergency room and if you're wondering: I bowled a strike on that frame.
I didn't quite make it to my average of 160 (top game was 147) but I noticed there are quite a few bowlers in the Philly chapter. On a serious note, I was happy to make a contribution, albeit a small one, to NABJ's "On the Move Campaign".
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Think Web First
To add to my theme of "Think Web First", we started doing weekly video recaps of the past week's sports action at the Asbury Park Press.
Thanks to the APP video/photo staff, my co-worker Matt Manley and I co-hosted a boys basketball weekly recap show we called "Three in the Key." Each week, we went to a different high school in our coverage area to talk about the previous week's basketball action. With the addition of our basketball blog and live chats, we became more of a multimedia operation at the Asbury Park Press. The videos were a hit with our readers and we had to turn down several requests because we could only go to one high school each week.
Now imagine this: We create a marketing video something in the 2-3 minute range that can be sent as a DVD or even through e-mail on what it is like to be an NABJ member and/or attend one of our conventions or regional conferences. If you think you've heard this before, I said it on April 5 on the blog and I've been saying it behind-the-scenes well before that. The video would obviously be geared towards people that don't know about NABJ (hard to imagine) but there are plenty of people out there that fit that description. It would help if we all had tangible evidence of the benefits of an NABJ membership. We all now words can only go so far and a picture is worth 1,000 words. But how much is a good video worth that gives a detailed experience of an NABJ membership? I'm willing to bet a lot and it could be a source of new revenue for the organization.
Thanks to the APP video/photo staff, my co-worker Matt Manley and I co-hosted a boys basketball weekly recap show we called "Three in the Key." Each week, we went to a different high school in our coverage area to talk about the previous week's basketball action. With the addition of our basketball blog and live chats, we became more of a multimedia operation at the Asbury Park Press. The videos were a hit with our readers and we had to turn down several requests because we could only go to one high school each week.
Now imagine this: We create a marketing video something in the 2-3 minute range that can be sent as a DVD or even through e-mail on what it is like to be an NABJ member and/or attend one of our conventions or regional conferences. If you think you've heard this before, I said it on April 5 on the blog and I've been saying it behind-the-scenes well before that. The video would obviously be geared towards people that don't know about NABJ (hard to imagine) but there are plenty of people out there that fit that description. It would help if we all had tangible evidence of the benefits of an NABJ membership. We all now words can only go so far and a picture is worth 1,000 words. But how much is a good video worth that gives a detailed experience of an NABJ membership? I'm willing to bet a lot and it could be a source of new revenue for the organization.
Monday, April 13, 2009
I mentioned in an e-mail
to the NABJ forum on Friday, April 10 about a live chat/blog software called "Coveritlive."
My paper started using Coveritlive in January 2009 to enhance our sports coverage in the Jersey Shore area. In just three short months, the live chat and live blog sessions are a huge hit with our basketball and lacrosse fans.
As readers have told me in person, on the phone and via e-mail numerous times, the days of waiting for stuff to appear in the newspaper the next morning are over. I tell myself every morning to "Think Web First" and that is how I approach my sports coverage. The live chats and live blogs sessions give readers more access, instant feedback and it shows them that you care about their opinions. It also helps to grow your web visitors and also your web page views.
Here are examples of live chats
Here is an example of a live blog
I posted all of this to say there is new technology out there, like Coveritlive, that you can use in your newsrooms to better communicate with your readers/viewers (no matter what speciality you cover) and that NABJ can use in a way to increase interaction with its members.
For example, I would love to see a bi-monthly or at least a monthly live chat with the NABJ President moderated by the NABJ Secretary. I would love to see a live chat or even a live blog on how to fill out the NABJ chapter audits and the NABJ chapter applications properly. If visual evidence is needed for the demonstration, an NABJ webinar would probably be more appropriate. If someone has a questions about the NABJ Chapter audits or NABJ chapter applications, they can get an answer on the spot. I'm sure the NABJ staff would appreciate its local professional and student chapters doing the audits and chapter applications, the correct way, the first time. This scenario can happen right now. It takes a minute to create a Coveritlive account and once Coveritlive generates the html coding all you have to do is cut and paste the coding into a blog entry. All the readers/viewers have to do is come to the blog and click on the start button to interact with the moderator and the featured panelist of the day/night. If you missed the chat, you can always catch it on replay at your own convenience
Speaking of blogs, I would love to see the NABJ President's Corner transformed into a blog. Once that is done, you can have live chats on the NABJ President's Corner blog with ease. I would also like to see the NABJ President's Corner blog updated with regularity on what the NABJ President is doing on behalf of NABJ members. A monthly NABJ President's agenda would be nice and of course updates on important deadlines would be better.
In closing, I'm saying the NABJ secretary can be an essential asset to the organization and to the NABJ President specifically. If I get the privilege to be your next NABJ secretary, I'm confident that I can get this done and have NABJ "Thinking Web First" all the time.
My paper started using Coveritlive in January 2009 to enhance our sports coverage in the Jersey Shore area. In just three short months, the live chat and live blog sessions are a huge hit with our basketball and lacrosse fans.
As readers have told me in person, on the phone and via e-mail numerous times, the days of waiting for stuff to appear in the newspaper the next morning are over. I tell myself every morning to "Think Web First" and that is how I approach my sports coverage. The live chats and live blogs sessions give readers more access, instant feedback and it shows them that you care about their opinions. It also helps to grow your web visitors and also your web page views.
Here are examples of live chats
Here is an example of a live blog
I posted all of this to say there is new technology out there, like Coveritlive, that you can use in your newsrooms to better communicate with your readers/viewers (no matter what speciality you cover) and that NABJ can use in a way to increase interaction with its members.
For example, I would love to see a bi-monthly or at least a monthly live chat with the NABJ President moderated by the NABJ Secretary. I would love to see a live chat or even a live blog on how to fill out the NABJ chapter audits and the NABJ chapter applications properly. If visual evidence is needed for the demonstration, an NABJ webinar would probably be more appropriate. If someone has a questions about the NABJ Chapter audits or NABJ chapter applications, they can get an answer on the spot. I'm sure the NABJ staff would appreciate its local professional and student chapters doing the audits and chapter applications, the correct way, the first time. This scenario can happen right now. It takes a minute to create a Coveritlive account and once Coveritlive generates the html coding all you have to do is cut and paste the coding into a blog entry. All the readers/viewers have to do is come to the blog and click on the start button to interact with the moderator and the featured panelist of the day/night. If you missed the chat, you can always catch it on replay at your own convenience
Speaking of blogs, I would love to see the NABJ President's Corner transformed into a blog. Once that is done, you can have live chats on the NABJ President's Corner blog with ease. I would also like to see the NABJ President's Corner blog updated with regularity on what the NABJ President is doing on behalf of NABJ members. A monthly NABJ President's agenda would be nice and of course updates on important deadlines would be better.
In closing, I'm saying the NABJ secretary can be an essential asset to the organization and to the NABJ President specifically. If I get the privilege to be your next NABJ secretary, I'm confident that I can get this done and have NABJ "Thinking Web First" all the time.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A message from NABJ Secretary Deirdre M. Childress...
Did you know athletes took a series of standard IQ tests and bowlers scored highest: An average of 129, 29 points above the average. Golfers did the worst at 97. And, of course, journalists did better than both groups. (Guess which part of that is true!)
But on behalf of NABJ, an organization founded by our own Sandra and Acel with 42 of their friends like journo legends Claude Lewis and Chuck Stone, I, Deirdre Childress, want to extend an invitation to everyone. Please come on out and support one of NABJ’s kick-off events, planned to build momentum to our convention in August 2011 here in Philadelphia . This event is also a fundraiser for our new headquarters at the University of Maryland ’s Knight Hall, which is scheduled to open later this year. Your $25 gets you bowling shoes and lanes, food, billiards, folks and fun. NABJ is 'On The Move'...And We Want You To Come And Play!
NABJ 'In the City' Bowling Night
TIME: 6-8 p.m.
DATE: Wednesday, April 29, 2009
LOCATION: North Philly Bowl, 909 N. 2nd St .
Donation: $25; $50 for gold ticket sponsors who will receive special recognition.
*This donation is tax- deductible.We are requesting your support of a worthy initiative and we hope you will mark your calendars to come out and support us as we build toward our August 2011 Convention and Job Fair in Philadelphia . Acel and Sandra and journalists from many organizations will attend.
For more information...please contact
NABJ Associate Representative Aprill O. Turner at aprilloturner@gmail.com.
NABJ Secretary Deirdre M. Childress at dchildress@phillynews.com.
NABJ Members can purchase tickets at http://mynabj.org/
But on behalf of NABJ, an organization founded by our own Sandra and Acel with 42 of their friends like journo legends Claude Lewis and Chuck Stone, I, Deirdre Childress, want to extend an invitation to everyone. Please come on out and support one of NABJ’s kick-off events, planned to build momentum to our convention in August 2011 here in Philadelphia . This event is also a fundraiser for our new headquarters at the University of Maryland ’s Knight Hall, which is scheduled to open later this year. Your $25 gets you bowling shoes and lanes, food, billiards, folks and fun. NABJ is 'On The Move'...And We Want You To Come And Play!
NABJ 'In the City' Bowling Night
TIME: 6-8 p.m.
DATE: Wednesday, April 29, 2009
LOCATION: North Philly Bowl, 909 N. 2nd St .
Donation: $25; $50 for gold ticket sponsors who will receive special recognition.
*This donation is tax- deductible.We are requesting your support of a worthy initiative and we hope you will mark your calendars to come out and support us as we build toward our August 2011 Convention and Job Fair in Philadelphia . Acel and Sandra and journalists from many organizations will attend.
For more information...please contact
NABJ Associate Representative Aprill O. Turner at aprilloturner@gmail.com.
NABJ Secretary Deirdre M. Childress at dchildress@phillynews.com.
NABJ Members can purchase tickets at http://mynabj.org/
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Q & A with an NABJ member
I received a passionate e-mail from an nabj member that asked some very good questions. I've already answered them privately but I felt these same questions should be asked of any NABJ member running for an office this year. So, I've decided to share my answers to that member's questions. I apologize for the long answers in advance.
Q #1: The state of the journalism business is such that if you know only one thing, you're behind the eight-ball. What kinds of things would you champion within NABJ to help members, especially student members, those in small-to-medium news markets, and the unemployed, get the training they need to carve out a permanent place within the business? Would that training including training to become entrepreneurs within the business?
My answer to Q #1: 1. Think web first. That's the first thing I would tell any student member now and any journalist currently in the business or that was recently laid off. The web is the new way of journalism and you should know as much about the web as possible because it will affect your career and most likely your paycheck. When I say web, what am I talking about?
1) Blogs. Know the popular blog software and know how to use and navigate it. Just about every reporter is asked to blog these days and you should already know what a blog is before your employer asks you to do it. I'm experienced with Blogger and Word Press. But there is also...Squarespace, Typepad and a few others. I will eventually learn them all. The current buzz is around Twitter and I will get on that bandwagon very soon. 2) Know how to shoot and edit video. I can shoot video but I can't edit video. Employers use the word "multimedia journalist" now and that term usually incorporates shooting and editing video.The shooting video part is the easiest of the two but the editing part will make you more valuable to your employer and more marketable if you are searching for work. Final Cut Pro is the only video editing software that I've heard about but I know there are others. I'm no expert at using it but that will change in the future. 3) Know how to take and edit photos. I can use a zoom camera and a digital camera with no problem. I can't edit photos though. I know how to crop and resize but anything beyond that I would have to ask the photographers or photo editors at my job. I know Adobe Photoshop is a popular photo editing software but there are many others. 4) HTML. If you really want to get serious about the web than learning html coding is the way to go. I'm no expert at html coding but if you know html coding and can create and design websites, you can work for anyone and probably name your price as far as a salary goes.
I would strongly recommend any student or journalist seek out opportunities to learn this skill either at their school or within their place of employment or at a local community college or through any service that NABJ offers. With these skills and a creative idea, you can start your own online magazine like cousins Ashley Anthony and Nicole Galbreath have done with http://www.havengirls.com/. I will fully support any program (like the NABJ Media Institute) or training session (like the NABJ Region 1 Conference: Online Tool for Digital Journalists, Part 2") that incorporates the aforementioned skills. http://www.nabj.org/about/regions/region1/story/09conf.php. I will be in NYC on May 30 for the NABJ Region 1 Conference to learn more about Photoshop and Final Cut pro and I will also talk with NABJ members about running for NABJ secretary.
Q#2: I don't know if I'm going to be able to attend this year's convention because the folks at my employer aren't paying to send me. Although the prices for rooms, airfare, and entertainment are lower than they have been in other NABJ cities, they're still too high for someone who's check barely stretches far enough to pay rent and utilities. What will you do to begin the "we might need to think a little more about our members' fiscal health" conversation within NABJ? And as a follow-up question, what will you do to finally convince the folks on the board that having the convention be the sole source of our operating budget is an untenable business model that can't be sustained?
My answer to Q #2: That's a very good question. I've paid my own way to the NABJ convention in 2001, 2002, 2005-2007 and the Unity Convention in 2008. I didn't attend in 2003 or to the UNITY convention in 2004 because I just started new jobs that year. In 2002 while I was still a student member on a small budget, I paid the registration fee for three students at Northeastern University that couldn't afford it. I wanted them there and dug deep into my pocket to make sure they could experience an NABJ Convention. I know the sacrifice that NABJ members make every year because I'm one of them and when it comes to cost I'm always mindful of that aspect. I thought the NABJ pre-registration deadline should be extended anywhere between 2 weeks to a month from the original April 1 deadline and the NABJ board voted to extend it 2 weeks. I'm not in favor of raising convention prices or membership dues anymore than the 2009 prices. To my knowledge, we don't make any money or very little off our website, which baffles me as I type this response. Our website, in a web-based world, should be a better source of income to NABJ. Should we have advertising on our website? Yeah. What type of ads and where they will be placed...would require some more thought. I'm not sure what we charge for jobs in our NABJobs Online section (and that probably needs a better placement on our website anyways) but maybe offer prospective employers a package deal that we'll feature their job in a prominent spot on the website for a slightly higher fee. Do we have a membership referral service? If not, for every new membership (someone that has never been an NABJ member) that a current nabj member solicts on behalf of NABJ, I say offer a $10 discount to that current member's renewal the following year. This would probably only be done online. In regards to the convention model as our source of income, I don't know what the actual percentage is but I know it is a good amount. We can't go cold turkey and not use the convention as a primary source of income because 1) we can't generate that type of cash the convention brings in right now from any other source and 2) media companies have cut back on what they can/will spend to come to our convention or support our initiatives. 3) We can be better at saving money, spending money and raising money (like the few ideas I proposed above). As the deputy chair of the membership committee, I've proposed an idea that we create a marketing video something in the 2-3 minute range that can be sent as a DVD or even through e-mail on what it is like to be an NABJ member and attend one of our conventions or regional conferences. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any college or university that we get a "new student nabj membership." My thinking if there is one...there has to be more. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any employer that we get a "new professional nabj membership" Once again, my thinking is if there is one...there has to be more.
Q # 3: As a former chapter president, the one thing I've learned is that nothing radicalizes people who have been complacent and tolerating in their jobs more than a layoff notice. In the past, NABJ has been, to put it kindly, tentative when it comes to advocating for the needs of black journalists. Give me an instance in which you have had to serve as an advocate for black journalists, how you handled that incident, and what the final result was.
My answer to Q# 3: I've never been in that position and that's a hypothetical that I can't really answer without a specific case. In my opinion, "advocating for the needs of black journalists" should be one of the main responsibilities of the NABJ president and I'm not running for that office. I'm focused on running for NABJ secretary.
Q#4: What is your position on the suggestion made on the NABJ listserve that members begin pooling their own talents and creating a self-sustaining media entity that provides our members with work and could possibly serve as a means of providing exposure to members who are trying to take their talents to the next level? What would such an entity look like to you and how would you suggest it be marketed?
My answer to Q#4: If you mean creating our own newspapers and magazines. I'm all for that. Although I think our own blogs, web-version of newspapers or magazines are a more practical way to go. I don't know how feasible creating your own television/radio broadcast would be but I've seen examples of broadcast streaming. We are in a web based world and we should be thinking web first...every time. I would be in favor of an NABJ Journal story on members that start their own companies. I would be in favor of highlighting that on our website too.
P.S. I'm not saying I have all the answers but I'm saying I'm willing to think outside the box to get to a better solution.
Q #1: The state of the journalism business is such that if you know only one thing, you're behind the eight-ball. What kinds of things would you champion within NABJ to help members, especially student members, those in small-to-medium news markets, and the unemployed, get the training they need to carve out a permanent place within the business? Would that training including training to become entrepreneurs within the business?
My answer to Q #1: 1. Think web first. That's the first thing I would tell any student member now and any journalist currently in the business or that was recently laid off. The web is the new way of journalism and you should know as much about the web as possible because it will affect your career and most likely your paycheck. When I say web, what am I talking about?
1) Blogs. Know the popular blog software and know how to use and navigate it. Just about every reporter is asked to blog these days and you should already know what a blog is before your employer asks you to do it. I'm experienced with Blogger and Word Press. But there is also...Squarespace, Typepad and a few others. I will eventually learn them all. The current buzz is around Twitter and I will get on that bandwagon very soon. 2) Know how to shoot and edit video. I can shoot video but I can't edit video. Employers use the word "multimedia journalist" now and that term usually incorporates shooting and editing video.The shooting video part is the easiest of the two but the editing part will make you more valuable to your employer and more marketable if you are searching for work. Final Cut Pro is the only video editing software that I've heard about but I know there are others. I'm no expert at using it but that will change in the future. 3) Know how to take and edit photos. I can use a zoom camera and a digital camera with no problem. I can't edit photos though. I know how to crop and resize but anything beyond that I would have to ask the photographers or photo editors at my job. I know Adobe Photoshop is a popular photo editing software but there are many others. 4) HTML. If you really want to get serious about the web than learning html coding is the way to go. I'm no expert at html coding but if you know html coding and can create and design websites, you can work for anyone and probably name your price as far as a salary goes.
I would strongly recommend any student or journalist seek out opportunities to learn this skill either at their school or within their place of employment or at a local community college or through any service that NABJ offers. With these skills and a creative idea, you can start your own online magazine like cousins Ashley Anthony and Nicole Galbreath have done with http://www.havengirls.com/. I will fully support any program (like the NABJ Media Institute) or training session (like the NABJ Region 1 Conference: Online Tool for Digital Journalists, Part 2") that incorporates the aforementioned skills. http://www.nabj.org/about/regions/region1/story/09conf.php. I will be in NYC on May 30 for the NABJ Region 1 Conference to learn more about Photoshop and Final Cut pro and I will also talk with NABJ members about running for NABJ secretary.
Q#2: I don't know if I'm going to be able to attend this year's convention because the folks at my employer aren't paying to send me. Although the prices for rooms, airfare, and entertainment are lower than they have been in other NABJ cities, they're still too high for someone who's check barely stretches far enough to pay rent and utilities. What will you do to begin the "we might need to think a little more about our members' fiscal health" conversation within NABJ? And as a follow-up question, what will you do to finally convince the folks on the board that having the convention be the sole source of our operating budget is an untenable business model that can't be sustained?
My answer to Q #2: That's a very good question. I've paid my own way to the NABJ convention in 2001, 2002, 2005-2007 and the Unity Convention in 2008. I didn't attend in 2003 or to the UNITY convention in 2004 because I just started new jobs that year. In 2002 while I was still a student member on a small budget, I paid the registration fee for three students at Northeastern University that couldn't afford it. I wanted them there and dug deep into my pocket to make sure they could experience an NABJ Convention. I know the sacrifice that NABJ members make every year because I'm one of them and when it comes to cost I'm always mindful of that aspect. I thought the NABJ pre-registration deadline should be extended anywhere between 2 weeks to a month from the original April 1 deadline and the NABJ board voted to extend it 2 weeks. I'm not in favor of raising convention prices or membership dues anymore than the 2009 prices. To my knowledge, we don't make any money or very little off our website, which baffles me as I type this response. Our website, in a web-based world, should be a better source of income to NABJ. Should we have advertising on our website? Yeah. What type of ads and where they will be placed...would require some more thought. I'm not sure what we charge for jobs in our NABJobs Online section (and that probably needs a better placement on our website anyways) but maybe offer prospective employers a package deal that we'll feature their job in a prominent spot on the website for a slightly higher fee. Do we have a membership referral service? If not, for every new membership (someone that has never been an NABJ member) that a current nabj member solicts on behalf of NABJ, I say offer a $10 discount to that current member's renewal the following year. This would probably only be done online. In regards to the convention model as our source of income, I don't know what the actual percentage is but I know it is a good amount. We can't go cold turkey and not use the convention as a primary source of income because 1) we can't generate that type of cash the convention brings in right now from any other source and 2) media companies have cut back on what they can/will spend to come to our convention or support our initiatives. 3) We can be better at saving money, spending money and raising money (like the few ideas I proposed above). As the deputy chair of the membership committee, I've proposed an idea that we create a marketing video something in the 2-3 minute range that can be sent as a DVD or even through e-mail on what it is like to be an NABJ member and attend one of our conventions or regional conferences. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any college or university that we get a "new student nabj membership." My thinking if there is one...there has to be more. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any employer that we get a "new professional nabj membership" Once again, my thinking is if there is one...there has to be more.
Q # 3: As a former chapter president, the one thing I've learned is that nothing radicalizes people who have been complacent and tolerating in their jobs more than a layoff notice. In the past, NABJ has been, to put it kindly, tentative when it comes to advocating for the needs of black journalists. Give me an instance in which you have had to serve as an advocate for black journalists, how you handled that incident, and what the final result was.
My answer to Q# 3: I've never been in that position and that's a hypothetical that I can't really answer without a specific case. In my opinion, "advocating for the needs of black journalists" should be one of the main responsibilities of the NABJ president and I'm not running for that office. I'm focused on running for NABJ secretary.
Q#4: What is your position on the suggestion made on the NABJ listserve that members begin pooling their own talents and creating a self-sustaining media entity that provides our members with work and could possibly serve as a means of providing exposure to members who are trying to take their talents to the next level? What would such an entity look like to you and how would you suggest it be marketed?
My answer to Q#4: If you mean creating our own newspapers and magazines. I'm all for that. Although I think our own blogs, web-version of newspapers or magazines are a more practical way to go. I don't know how feasible creating your own television/radio broadcast would be but I've seen examples of broadcast streaming. We are in a web based world and we should be thinking web first...every time. I would be in favor of an NABJ Journal story on members that start their own companies. I would be in favor of highlighting that on our website too.
P.S. I'm not saying I have all the answers but I'm saying I'm willing to think outside the box to get to a better solution.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Facebook Me!
I've created a facebook group (link below) to stay in touch with everyone during the campaign process.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=62710576249&ref=mf
If you are on Facebook....then Facebook me...and let's talk NABJ.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=62710576249&ref=mf
If you are on Facebook....then Facebook me...and let's talk NABJ.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
NABJ Earlybird Registration Deadline extended till April 15
If you haven't heard already, NABJ President Barbara Ciara announced an extension of the NABJ Earlybird Registration Deadline till April 15 by the NABJ board of directors.
That gives you two more weeks to register at the rates of $250 (full member), $225 (full member and member of local chapter must fax or mail registration form), $250 (associate member), $140 (student member), $525 (non-member) or $225 (non-member student).
You can find the full set of registration prices and dates below
http://www.nabj.org/pdf/NABJ2009ConventionRegistrationForm.pdf
You can follow details of the NABJ Tampa Convention (August 5-9) here
http://www.nabj.org/conventions/2009/index.html
President Barbara Ciara added, "As an additional offering to members during this difficult financial time, NABJ is providing a select number of professional scholarships to cover travel, lodging, and/or tuition to pay for their attendance at the NABJ Tampa Convention up to $1,000. Applications are due May 15. Click below for more details.
http://www.nabj.org/programs/scholarships/2009scholarships/appinfo09.php
That gives you two more weeks to register at the rates of $250 (full member), $225 (full member and member of local chapter must fax or mail registration form), $250 (associate member), $140 (student member), $525 (non-member) or $225 (non-member student).
You can find the full set of registration prices and dates below
http://www.nabj.org/pdf/NABJ2009ConventionRegistrationForm.pdf
You can follow details of the NABJ Tampa Convention (August 5-9) here
http://www.nabj.org/conventions/2009/index.html
President Barbara Ciara added, "As an additional offering to members during this difficult financial time, NABJ is providing a select number of professional scholarships to cover travel, lodging, and/or tuition to pay for their attendance at the NABJ Tampa Convention up to $1,000. Applications are due May 15. Click below for more details.
http://www.nabj.org/programs/scholarships/2009scholarships/appinfo09.php
Monday, March 30, 2009
The 5 W's
Who: An article in the Winter 2004-05 NABJ Journal (page 36) explains half my story. If you don't have a hardcopy of that NABJ Journal, click on the link below. http://members.nabj.org/members/index.html. You'll need your last name and NABJ membership ID number to gain online access to the NABJ Journal. Since that story, I've moved to New Jersey to work for the Asbury Park Press as a sports reporter.
Any NABJ member that is involved in sports reporting, editing, etc., regardless of the medium, and current college students that want to pursue a sports journalism career, should contact me spchrist2@hotmail.com to get on the NABJ Sports Task Force Listserve.
Any young black journalist that lives or works in New Jersey, should also contact me at the aforementioned e-mail address.
What: I'm running for NABJ Secretary.
Where: I work in Neptune, New Jersey. In the past, I've lived in Boston and Schenectady, N.Y. I love to travel and will make a strong effort to attend all the official NABJ campaign stops.
When: The campaign started on March 27 and will end on August 7.
Why: I have too much energy to not get involved more in NABJ. I'm also a nosey person (as every good reporter should be) and since 2007 have contacted NABJ board members privately (via e-mail and phone) to find out why the organization does things a certain way. I've agreed with some of the answers that I received and I've also disagreed with other answers that I've received. The disagreements are why I'm running for NABJ Secretary. I strongly believe that everything isn't about the bottom line. The organization has to think more practically when asking members to shell out their hard earned cash for the convention, regional conferences and other special events. For example, I've followed the recent e-mails on the NABJ Forum about the Pre-Registration deadline being April 1st even though the full slate of workshops weren't released yet. Hmm. I'm willing to bet very few NABJ members can commit that type of cash/credit right now without knowing what they are getting in return. I think it is extremely unfair to ask our members to do this year after year, especially in the current economic climate. At minimum, the current deadline should be extended at least two weeks. I would even go as far as extending it a month to May 1st while we work as quickly as possible to get the full slate of workshops released. In the future, this process must change. The pre-registration deadline shouldn't come before the full slate of workshops are released. If that means moving the announcement of the workshops up or moving the pre-registration deadline back, I'm in favor of either motion. Every decision that NABJ makes from this day forward has to be fair to our members and truthfully make sense.
Any NABJ member that is involved in sports reporting, editing, etc., regardless of the medium, and current college students that want to pursue a sports journalism career, should contact me spchrist2@hotmail.com to get on the NABJ Sports Task Force Listserve.
Any young black journalist that lives or works in New Jersey, should also contact me at the aforementioned e-mail address.
What: I'm running for NABJ Secretary.
Where: I work in Neptune, New Jersey. In the past, I've lived in Boston and Schenectady, N.Y. I love to travel and will make a strong effort to attend all the official NABJ campaign stops.
When: The campaign started on March 27 and will end on August 7.
Why: I have too much energy to not get involved more in NABJ. I'm also a nosey person (as every good reporter should be) and since 2007 have contacted NABJ board members privately (via e-mail and phone) to find out why the organization does things a certain way. I've agreed with some of the answers that I received and I've also disagreed with other answers that I've received. The disagreements are why I'm running for NABJ Secretary. I strongly believe that everything isn't about the bottom line. The organization has to think more practically when asking members to shell out their hard earned cash for the convention, regional conferences and other special events. For example, I've followed the recent e-mails on the NABJ Forum about the Pre-Registration deadline being April 1st even though the full slate of workshops weren't released yet. Hmm. I'm willing to bet very few NABJ members can commit that type of cash/credit right now without knowing what they are getting in return. I think it is extremely unfair to ask our members to do this year after year, especially in the current economic climate. At minimum, the current deadline should be extended at least two weeks. I would even go as far as extending it a month to May 1st while we work as quickly as possible to get the full slate of workshops released. In the future, this process must change. The pre-registration deadline shouldn't come before the full slate of workshops are released. If that means moving the announcement of the workshops up or moving the pre-registration deadline back, I'm in favor of either motion. Every decision that NABJ makes from this day forward has to be fair to our members and truthfully make sense.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Secret is out!
I'm a candidate for NABJ Secretary. I'll have some opening remarks later this weekend.
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