THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011

7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION & WELCOME CENTER
Location: Broad Street Foyer
Make sure to visit the registration & welcome center for all of your convention materials. Sign up for the special events, including the golf tournament, the 5K Walk/Run, and purchase tickets to the Salute to Excellence Awards Gala and Saturday’s Gospel Brunch.

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
HEALTHY NABJ: MORNING WORKOUT
Location:

Kukuwa Nuamah, an internationally acclaimed African dance performer, dance choreographer fitness dance instructor and originator of Gye Nyame African Cultural Dance Company will lead a fun, low-impact, high-energy, cardiovascular African dance workout featuring a fusion of African soukous, makossa and soca rhythms.

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
SPORTS TASK FORCE MENTOR BREAKFAST
Powered by ESPN
Location: 119AB
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.

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
BREAKFAST: STILL LEFT BEHIND—COVERING THE EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT GAP
Powered by W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Location: 122AB

To hear some leaders describe the education crisis in America, you might assume all students – black, white, Hispanic, suburban, rural, urban, rich and poor – are struggling and achieving at lower levels than our international counterparts. But that’s simply not true. Countless studies have shown that vulnerable children, children of color and those from poor families, struggle academically at a disproportionate rate. In an effort to mobilize public support for a reform agenda, some have tried to focus the debate on issues pertinent to white middle-class kids and their families, rather than identifying the solutions that help vulnerable children most. And while much is being done to address the racial inequities that leave poor and minority children behind, by and large the media has overlooked those stories. Join us for a breakfast session that will help journalists gain new insights and great story ideas on this critical issue.

Moderator:
Rehema Ellis, Correspondent, NBC Universal

Panelists:
Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education
Alandra Washington, Program Director, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Amy Wilkins, Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications,
The Education Trust
Rochelle Riley, Columnist, Detroit Free Press

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
BREAKFAST: ENERGIZING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR—WHY TODAY’S ENERGY SECTOR MATTERS TO YOUR READERS AND YOUR COVERAGE
Powered by ExxonMobil
Location: 120BC

It’s beyond time for communities and journalists of color to get charged about the energy sector. The United States and the world are at an historic turning point when it comes to energy policies, but many Americans—and particularly people of color—lack understanding about the oil and natural gas industries. Yet they touch our lives in countless ways each day — fueling our cars, heating our homes and cooking our meals. From Beijing to Washington, D.C., the energy sector represents one of the power sources driving economic expansion, with an emphasis on "clean” fuels — including solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal heat and biofuels — as well as innovation in the production of traditional fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. According to the American Association of Blacks in Energy, this sector represents "the largest opportunity offering the greatest return for people of color in job creation and business development.” Has the media adequately covered minority participation in policy development and industry expansion and the impact on these consumers, businesses and communities? And have people of color — from white- to blue-collar workers to entrepreneurs — been able to take full advantage of these new developments? Join us for this provocative breakfast session in which you will gain powerful, insider perspectives from the best and brightest public-sector policy makers and private-sector decision makers. You’ll leave this session armed with fresh insights on covering one of today’s most critical industries.

Bertha Coombs, Reporter, CNBC
Carolyn Green, President and CEO and Chair, Professional Environmental Engineers Inc.
Jacqueline Patterson, Director, Climate Justice Initiative, NAACP
David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CAREER FAIR & EXHIBITION/ HEALTHY NABJ PAVILION
Location: Exhibit Hall E

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
NABJ AUTHORS SHOWCASE & BOOKSTORE
Powered by News Corporation
Location: Exhibit Hall E

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
THE CHILL SPOT: CYBER CAFÉ AND MEMBERSHIP LOUNGE
Powered by Rent-A-Center
Location: Exhibit Hall E

The Chill Spot is the place for journalists, entrepreneurs, students and all media professionals to meet up and collaborate. Take a break, chill and drink from a fountain of information. Check your e-mail and charge your mobile devices. A cool moment in time thanks to Rent-A-Center.

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
OPENING CEREMONY & NEWSMAKER PLEANARY
A CONVERSATION WITH ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
Location: Terrace Ballroom

Author, columnist, and media mogul Arianna Huffington will appear to address the changing media landscape. Huffington is best known for co-founding the popular news Web site The Huffington Post, making her one of the most influential women in media. Upon AOL’s acquisition of The Huffington Post, Huffington became the editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group. The merger created what AOL hopes will be the world’s premier content group providing diverse content across platforms: digital, mobile, video, tablet and beyond.

Moderator: Lester Holt, Anchor, "NBC Nightly News,” weekend edition; Co-Anchor, TODAY, weekend edition

Arianna Huffington, President & Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post Media Group

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
INTERACTIVE SESSIONS I

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
NABJ AUTHORS SHOWCASE: WHEN MEDIA BECOMES MEMOIR
Location: 122AB

Participants will learn the nuts and bolts of transforming the life stories of their work experiences and observations as working journalists into book projects worthy of publication.

Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent, PBS and Author, "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama”
Ellis Cose, Journalist and Author, "The End of Anger”
Eugene Robinson, Journalist, Washington Post and Author, "Disintergration: the Splintering of Black America”
Michele Norris, Journalist, National Public Radio and Author, "The Grace of Silence”
Soledad O’Brien, Correspondent, CNN and Author, "The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities”
Don Lemon, CNN Anchor and Author, "Transparent”

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
GOOGLE FOR JOURNALISTS
Powered by Google
Location: 118C

Google tools will be presented teaching journalists how to maximize Google juice.

Jake Parrillo, Manager of Global Communications & Public Affairs, Google

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHEN GAY GOES VIRAL
Location: 118A

This year several stories about Black LGBT people have gone viral on the Internet. From news about the first-ever lesbian wedding announcement on Essence.com to Vibe.com’s coverage on the "Mean Girls of Morehouse” to the allegations surrounding megachurch pastor Eddie Long’s interaction with young men; journalists are increasingly using digital media to break controversial stories and setting the Internet ablaze. Because resources are scarce and editors underestimate their audience’s interest in stories about LGBT people, stories about their lives have often happened at the margins of mainstream press. Not only does the Internet present opportunities for user-generated content (so LGBT people can tell their own stories) but also there are more opportunities than ever for online outlets to do the work that traditional media has dismissed.

Kellee Terrell, News Editor, TheBody.com
LZ Granderson, Columnist and Contributor, ESPN.com and CNN
Cheryl Kilodavis, Author, "My Princess Boy”
Danielle Moodie-Mills, with her wife Aisha, as the first lesbian couple in Essence.com’s "Bridal Bliss”

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

HOW TO LAND COVETED INTERNATIONAL REPORTING ASSIGNMENTS
Location: 118B

This panel will inform reporters on how they can land opportunities to go overseas, gain experience, and report international news stories at a time when news organizations are shutting down international bureaus.

Jerelyn Eddings, Program Director, International Center for Journalists
Calvin Sims, Program Officer, Ford Foundation
Nikole Killion, Correspondent, Hearst-Argyle Washington bureau
Mara Schiavocampo, Digital Correspondent, NBC Nightly News

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
HEALTHY NABJ: DECIPHERING HEALTH BY THE NUMBERS
Location: 116

No matter your beat, covering health, health policy and health disparities issues involve data and statistics, often without easily understandable context to report on your city, county or state. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis will introduce a new database, Ozioma Online, designed to help make navigating data and statistics from 50 databases including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health much easier. As a bonus, Ozioma Online also offers more than 500 graphics and photos to help illustrate your stories. Bring along your laptop and story ideas to get a hands-on demonstration in this interactive session that will help you quickly get to the heart of any health issue plaguing your community.

Timothy J. Poor, Publications Editor, Health Communication Research Laboratory, Washington University
Erin Robinson, Data Analyst, Washington University

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHAT’S COOKING IN THE INNOVATION LABS?
Location: 115C

Mobile applications, augmented reality and so many innovations to discuss. How should you use these futuristic ideas to tell better stories? And, what’s coming next? It’s purely innovative.

Dorothy Bland, Professor, Florida A&M University
Retha Hill, Director, New Media Innovation Lab, Arizona State University
Susan Curtis, Assistant Professor, Northwestern University
Justin Ellis, Assistant Editor, Nieman Journalism Lab, Harvard University
Kenneth Irby, Senior Faculty/Visual Journalism and Diversity Programs, The Poynter Institute

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
HYPERLOCAL NEWS: COVERING COMMUNITIES A WHOLE NEW WAY—PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN CLASSROOM & NEWSROOM
Location: 117

This panel is designed to explore how collaborations between professional news organizations and academic institutions can help fill the hyperlocal storytelling void.

Yvonne Latty, Director, Reporting New York and Reporting The Nation, NYU-Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute
Shawn P. Williams, Publisher and Editor, DallasSouthNews.org
Aldrin Brown, Regional Editor, Patch.com

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
CREATING MULTI-PLATFORM STORIES
Location: 115A

Learn how to put together stories across multiple platforms. Attendees will take skills from this practical how-to seminar back to their newsrooms, classrooms or freelance gigs.

Victoria Lim, Sports Reporter, Bright House Sports Network
Mark S. Luckie, National Innovations Editor, Washington Post

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
10 TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE WEBBINESS IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS JOURNALISM
Location: 121B

What are the tricks of the trade used to draw and keep an online audience? Improve your digital footprint and your news organization’s reach. The co-creator of Epic 2014, a video showing the future of journalism as they envisioned it years before, will lead this session.

Matt Thompson, Editorial Product Manager, National Public Radio

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
THE VANISHING BLACK SPORTS REPORTER: WHY DIVERSITY MATTERS
Location: 119A

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?

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

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
BRAND YOU: CREATING YOUR ONLINE IDENTITY
Location: 119B

Are you harnessing Twitter, Facebook and other social media to report and confirm information, find sources, broaden your reader/viewership, and establish your brand online? Come create a BRAND new you. Creating your own brand can help you stand out in the news/blogger crowd, boost your profile at your current job, lead you to your next job or even help you create your own entrepreneurial website or blog. Bring your laptops/tablets, because by the end of this interactive workshop, you will be well on your way to creating your own brand.

Benet Wilson, Online Managing Editor, Aviation Week – McGraw Hill
Natalie McNeal, Creator, The Frugalista Files
Jesse Washington, National Writer on Race and Ethnicity, Associated Press
Mario Armstrong, Chief Content Editor, Mario Armstrong Media

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
COLOR BY NUMBERS: REDISTRICTING AND ITS EFFECT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
Powered by Ford Foundation
Location: 115B

The changes in the Census showed America is browning whether we want it to or not. The Census shows shifts in the populations. Traditional "Chocolate Cities” look more like "Caramel Cities.” With the power in hands of governors, will the term "gerrymandering” eliminate "majority minority” districts? How are Black politicians across the United States reacting to these changes? In many cases, the changes will affect African-American and Hispanic communities (and some Asian communities) disproportionately. In this session, you will hear from those writing and reporting on the front lines; you will learn about the tools at your disposal; the experts will tell you how to make sense of the gobbledygook of databases; and learn how to convince editors, producers and assignment editors these are the stories that will make a difference.

Sonya Ross, Editor, Race in America, Associated Press, and Chair of the Political Reporters Task Force
Charles Robinson, Correspondent and Associate Producer, Maryland Public Television
Stephanie L. Young, Communications Director, Congressional Black Caucus
Anita S. Earls, Executive Director, Southern Coalition for Social Justice
Dr. Alana Hackshaw, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Dr. David Bositis, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Errin Haines, Newswoman, Associated Press
Gromer Matthews Jeffers Jr., Political Reporter, Dallas

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
TEN TIPS EVERY SUCCESSFUL NEWS ENTREPRENEUR NEEDS TO KNOW
Location: 121C

Ready to launch a local news startup? Want to grow an existing site? This session will offer 10 tips on how to have a successful news site. Hear from Glenn Burkins, founder of QCityMetro.com, who focuses on delivering news for African-American communities in Charlotte, as he joins J-Lab’s Jan Schaffer to explore what it takes to run sites of your own. Together they will offer advice and resources based on years of experience in this space.

Glenn Burkins, Editor and Publisher, QCityMetro.com
Jan Schaffer, Executive Director, J-Lab

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
NABJ FOUNDERS: BEHIND THE SCENES
Location:

For New Members, Students & Interested Convention Attendees

An informal give-and-take discussion between NABJ Founders and all convention attendees who want to know and understand more about the December 12, 1975 founding meeting of NABJ – and the early trials and tribulations these courageous pioneers faced. Founding panelists include Les Payne, Maureen Bunyan, Acel Moore, Sandra Dawson Long, Paul Brock, Leon Dash, Paul Brock and Sam Ford.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
NABJ CANDIDATES FORUM
Location: Terrace Ballroom

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
W.E.B. DUBOIS LECTURE PLENARY
Location: Terrace Ballroom

Black Out or Black In?

President Barack Obama is facing a tough re-election campaign in 2012. He enjoys huge support for African Americans, yet critics – even some of his ardent supporters – say he has not done enough to help those who look like him. Hear what our panelists have to say about elections 2012.

Michael Steele, President & CEO at The Steele Group, Inc.
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President, National Action Network
Dr. Cornel West, American Philosopher, Author, Critic, Actor, Civil Rights Activist
Kasim Reed, Mayor, City of Atlanta

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CULTURAL TENSIONS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
Location: 115A

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.

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

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
MEDIA RECEPTIONS

GREATER PHILADELPHIA TOURISM MARKETING CORP RECEPTION
Location: 119A

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY’S DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM AND TEMPLE UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM RECEPTION
Location: 118C

BET RECEPTION
Location:

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY RECEPTION
Location: 115C

7:15 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
NABJ PRESENTS: A Conversation with Steve Stoute
Powered by Target
Location: Terrace Ballroom

"The Tanning of America”

One of the most influential voices in pop culture examines how hip-hop transformed a new generation, conquered the global marketplace, and rewrote the rules of the new economy. Steve Stoute is the founder and chief executive officer of the award-winning, leading brand marketing firm Translation. His track record as a consumer brand marketer for Fortune 500 companies makes him one of today’s most influential voices in entertainment marketing and pop culture. Target is pleased to be a retail partner for the September release of "The Tanning of America”. Join us for an intimate conversation with Steve Stoute followed by party you won’t want to miss.

9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
NABJ AFTER DARK: MICHAEL BAISDEN – RELATIONSHIP FILM: DO WOMEN KNOW WHAT THEY WANT?
Location: 114 Lecture Hall

Best selling author and nationally syndicated radio personality Michael Baisden has made a career of provoking conversation about everything from Why Men Cheat to sexless marriages! Now, the outspoken relationship guru takes his raw style from the studio to the streets. No longer anonymous voices on the radio, would men be honest about their multiple relationships, interracial dating, and why they choose to date but not marry some women? And would women admit to having affairs with married men, take responsibility for their bad choices, and explain why they faked it? What started out as a cordial conversation with one simple question "Do Women Know What They Want?” exploded into a battle of the sexes that will have you laughing hysterically one minute and shouting at the screen the next!

10:00 p.m. – 3:30 a.m.
SIXTH ANNUAL SPORTS TASK FORCE SCHOLARSHIP JAM
Location: Whisper Club

10:00 p.m. – Midnight
STUDENT CHOICE AWARDS
Location:

NABJ student members will recognize their peers in the first-ever awards ceremony of its kind at NABJ. Categories include Best Broadcast Package, Best Radio Spot, Best News/Feature Article, Best Multimedia Package, and many more. You don’t want to miss this award show and party!