2013 Approved Workshops and Professional Development

2013 NABJ Convention Workshops
Tentative schedule and speakers
Names, titles, and organizations of speakers to be confirmed

Deep Dive Learning Labs
Full Day Workshops

Must register for learning labs at the time of registration

Skillset and Mindset: Change Now or Miss the Bus
This session is packed with smart, energetic, creative folks who have pushed past industry setbacks to create growth opportunities, learn online, cultivate their digital journalism and life skills or forge new paths outside journalism if needed. Join this team of experienced editors, recruiters, career advisors, leadership trainers and life coaches for straight talk, role playing, career tips and a few laughs.

Producing Better Producers
News directors say they have a hard time finding television line producers. From creating a show rundown, to writing well-crafted scripts, to making crucial editorial decisions, to managing on-air and off-air staff, the job of a producer is multifaceted. This interactive workshop will have veteran NABJ television journalists put attendees through exercises to shape them into better writers, managers and producers.

ONACAMP@NABJ
Looking for the latest in digital skills? Join us for a day of hands-on training with some of the top leaders in digital journalism. This day-long series of workshops will cover the latest in digital investigative reporting, mobile, social media, audience engagement and web tools. Get on the fast track to better reporting with greater impact using the power of the web. This intensive digital journalism training is organized by the Online News Association, courtesy of a generous grant from the Gannett Foundation.

Multimedia Boot Camp
Don't just put up any kind of work on your website or digital device. Learn how to separate yourself from the others with solid skills and great storytelling that will be noticed and stand out. The only way to do that is to have the skill set required in this exciting but competitive time in multimedia journalism. This one-day workshop will provide an in-depth experience of multimedia storytelling approaches. The workshop will be divided into three sections: Multimedia Skills Boot Camp, Mobile Media, and On Assignment. These three sections cover a variety of skillsets that anyone from beginner level to advance can take advantage of. It will deliver hands-on skills training to journalists interested in emerging digital news and multiplatform content.

Gravatars, Plugins, Widgets and Themes: The WordPress Crash Course
One of the most popular blogging platforms in the world, WordPress powers more than 25 million sites large and small, including BBC America, TechCrunch and ESPN analyst Stephen A. This crash course will show you how to get your blog or website off the ground. You will also learn how to make the most of this free and open source personal publishing software.

Half-Day Workshops
The Business of Me
Whether you're attached to a mainstream news organization or striking out on your own with a blog, news site or freelance business, we're all media entrepreneurs these days. In this half-day session, you'll learn how to brand and market yourself, pitch ideas, plus understand the basics of financial and time management. You'll also target the next steps needed to advance your career as an entrepreneur.

Digging Deeper With Social Media
For reporters, social media sites offer a treasure trove of clues about people, businesses and organizations. In this session, you'll learn new tricks and tactics for diving deeper with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social sites. In addition, we'll explore the rapidly changing field of geo-location, which enables reporters to find sources in real time in specific places. The payoff: fresher story ideas, more relevant sources, and a real-time reporting edge on deadline against your competition.

Data Deep Diving (CAR Reporting)
Computer-assisted reporting has been some of the cornerstones to investigative reporting in the last several years. From knowing the right software to use to how to analyze data and digging deep enough to find the story behind the numbers, reporters, data enthusiasts need this workshop.

General Workshops

How To Get Paid in 2013: Working Without Walls in the New Economy
Many journalists and professional communicators are struggling to earn a living in this era of downsizing and outsourcing. According to the Freelancers Union, one in three in the business are toiling as freelancers, temps, permalancers, perma-temps, contractors, contingent workers and the like. Increasingly, newsrooms are finding that it's easier and cheaper to use freelancers. How does a journalist thrive in this rapidly shifting world? How do you thrive? What do you need to do to make sure the bills get paid? What are the skills that you need to ensure a long and satisfying career in journalism? Is entrepreneurship the way to go? This workshop answers those questions and helps get you on the right track as a freelancer.

Ripped from the Headlines: a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of The Butler
The Butler, a movie Lee Daniels, the Oscar-nominated director of Precious, was adapted from an article written by Washington Post and NABJ award-winning writer Wil Haygood. In 2008. Haygood profiled the late Eugene Allen, a White House butler who served under eight presidents, including Barack Obama. Haygood and Daniels will discuss how they brought a newspaper story to the big screen. Daniels will also reveal how the movie was able to attract a cast of A-Listers, including Oscar winners Forest Whitaker and Jane Fonda, Emmy-winning talk show host and actress Oprah Winfrey, multiple Grammy-winning composer and musician Quincy Jones and Grammy-winning singers Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz

Photography and Video for the Non-visual Journalist
Just about everyone can take a picture and shoot video, but can you take pictures and shoot video that tell a story people understand? Now that photos and video are a big part of your job, wouldn't you like them to look better than grandma's vacation shots? In this 90-minute workshop, non-visual journalists will learn that by following common-sense photography rules, you can create usable art. The session also will include lessons in composition, lighting and exposure.

Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest: Oh My! Bringing Social Media Sanity and Analytics to your Newsroom
Social media has become a regular part of the newsgathering and dissemination process. But the learning curve is steep and you must find a way to analyze social media's effectiveness to the powers-that-be. In this workshop, veteran social media editors and community managers will discuss what works in their newsrooms, how they quantify the results and how to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to tools. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of available tools, best practices and the most effective ways to collect solid analytics for newsrooms.

Covering the Big Events: Getting on the Team and Getting the Best Stories
Planning for major events such as the presidential campaign, the Olympics, the presidential inauguration, the Super Bowl and the World Series begins almost a year ahead of time. News organizations hold monthly planning meetings, sometimes in conjunction with event committee members. Walk throughs of sites often take place. Organizations apply for credentials ahead of time. This workshop will explore what one must do to get on the team where the action happens and how to deliver the best stories and images once you make it on the team. You will hear from writers, visual journalists, editors and managers, both staff and freelance, on what it takes to deliver the big stories.

Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership
Navigating the waters of a newsroom can be perilous. Even veteran journalists are pulled under by the rip tides of technology change, added job responsibilities and difficult people. How do you steer through all this into the ranks of newsroom management? Once you become executive producer, assistant news director or news director, how you continue to deliver positive change, value, innovation and ratings? The answer may be summed up with one word -- leadership. Learn how to add value to your organization regardless of your title.

Celebrity Reporting: You Think You Know
The world of entertainment and pop culture is a complicated one. Join a panel of top-tier celebrity publicists, entertainment journalists and producers as they give a behind-the-scenes look at that world. This workshop will cover the biggest challenges, the nuances, the risks, as well as the rewards of celebrity reporting. This is an insiders' conversation about the real world of one of the glitziest jobs in the business.

Changing Times, Changing Terms: Claiming your Power in the New Media Newsroom
As your newsroom continues to evolve into a mobile, digitized, multi-platform workplace, how can you seize new opportunities for your career? How does acting as a one-man band affect the quality of your work and work life? Whether you are considering a new job, or facing reassignment, a buyout or layoff, leading industry professionals will teach you how to negotiate the strongest professional services contract possible, choose an agent, manager or lawyer and strategically switch jobs, companies or markets. They will also share best practices on how to be proactive in shaping your newsroom role, know what you need to transform your career vision into action and claim your power.

From the Blogs to the Runway: Fashion Reporting in the 21st Century
A few years ago, there were limited options for journalists wanting to cover fashion. They could try to get hired as a fashion writer at a newspaper or try to find an opening at a fashion magazine, but both were long shots at best. Now, with the explosion of fashion sites and street-style blogs, just about anyone, it seems, can be a self-made fashion star. But what does it take to make it as a fashion journalist today? Can you take your blog and parlay it into serious journalism? Industry insiders will cover how they broke into the fashion beat and what you can do to move ahead of the pack.

Making Your War Stories Meaningful in the Classroom
Many of us have known a professor who had a long career as a practitioner before entering the classroom or was an adjunct professor while working in the industry. You may also remember that he/she frequently began lectures with the words: "Back in my day.” Although the professor's stories might have grabbed your interest, what did you really learn from them that later applied to your career? This panel will round up former journalists and communications professionals who will share ideas for developing lectures and assignments that draw on career experience, but also have relevance for students.

Double Standard: Working as a African-American Woman in the Sports Journalism Industry
The numbers of women in the sports journalism industry are small and they are even smaller for African-American women. African-American women working in front of the camera and behind the scenes will discuss their career paths and experiences in the world of sports media. They'll relay that being a double minority in a competitive field is not easy, but not impossible either.

How Good Journalists Can Survive a Bad Public Controversy
It only takes a slip of the tongue, a hastily written tweet or a poorly worded joke overheard by others for a journalist or columnist to find years of hard-won credibility threatened by a highly partisan and critical public. But that one mistake doesn't have to mean the end of a career. Learn how to survive public controversy from some of the nation's best journalists, some of whom have overcome serious missteps before moving on to bigger and better opportunities in journalism. Learn how to tread carefully on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and email with proven techniques to keep you out of trouble. Learn when to apologize, when to stick to your guns, when to stay silent and when to defend yourself.

The Rookie JOURNal
The world of journalism is constantly evolving, and that brings with it a need for skills and training to navigate the changing landscape. Unfortunately, many students and recent graduates aren't fully exposed to the tools and tips that can better prepare them as informed and skillful emerging media professionals. This workshop will serve as a crash course for young journalists preparing to enter the world of work, with tips, advice and detailed accounts of experiences. The panel will feature young journalists in the early stages of their careers who can connect with participants. This forum will allow participants and panelists to share and build on their own successful techniques for shaping a stronger and more prepared class of young journalists.

Breaking into Business Journalism
Entrepreneurship, the Euro, local economic development, job creation, the stock market, small businesses and corporations — all are part of business reporting. In a survey by the Society of American Editors and Writers, 17.3 percent of news organizations said they plan to hire a business reporter in 2013. Most of the companies surveyed said they are looking to hire more reporters. This workshop will offer tips on how journalists can move into this exciting beat.

Social Media Jobs: The Next Frontier
The numbers of traditional media jobs are shrinking, but opportunities in social media are exploding. From social media editor in a newsroom to communications manager at Tumblr, the opportunities for work in social media are boundless. This workshop will highlight the opportunities in social media, the skills one needs to get them and why journalists should consider careers in this emerging field.

Got Ethics?
Ethical decisionmaking is a critical skill during times of constant information flow, intentional attempts to deceive and the age of the 24-hour news and blogging cycle. This is a much-needed time to pause and prepare by exercising ethical decisionmaking muscles. In this workshop, professionals will consider our enduring journalistic values while assessing the impact of change and speed on daily reporting. We'll place you in the midst of the current reporting and fact-checking debate. The goal is to teach the attributes of dialogue over diatribe in the pursuit of truth telling.

Writing On the Fly: Mastering Multimedia Storytelling
Multimedia journalists are now chargedwith doing it all. The most successful of them are truly all-platform journalists who can write web copy, write a broadcast script, take photos, post to the web, update social media, shoot video and report from the field. Key to all of this is good writing. But can the need for speed lower the quality of an MMJ's writing? This workshop has veteran multimedia journalists and reporters offer their tips for writing quickly without abandoning clear, concise and masterful storytelling.

The Forgotten Americas: Finding the Big Story That's Right Under your Nose
A look at how coverage of the Americas largely ignores Latin America and the Caribbean unless there are disasters or a missing Americans. The panelists - correspondents who have found a way to document the Americas - will discuss ways journalists can help cover international stories within and outside the U.S. The workshop will also highlight the work of journalists who carry a large torch with little help and point NABJ members to programs that can help them break into international reporting.

Welcome to 2013. It's Time to Share More Technology Tools
This interactive panel will showcase the latest in technology tools and apps for reporters. It will also explain the best uses for content producers and push attendees to formulate creative ideas on how they can use these tool. Come with your smartphones, tablets and laptops ready!

Mobile Journalism Must-Haves
Did you know that you can build out your own mobile journalism rig for less than $1,000? Come learn what equipment and apps the panelists recommend for journalists. You will also learn how to shoot, edit and file your first story from the field using an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. Bring your own device for this interactive, fast-paced workshop.

From Intern to Colleague: How to Survive your First Job in Journalism While Establishing Yourself as a Professional
One's first job can be a difficult experience in any industry, but in one as fast-paced and competitive as journalism, young professionals must be prepared for anything. Journalism schools and organizations like NABJ equip young journalists with the skills needed to snag their first media positions; however, they seldom provide the tools and insight needed to overcome the obstacles that come with them. A panel of media professionals will share their first job experiences and divulge the ups, the downs, the lessons learned and the information they wish they'd learned in journalism school prior to signing their first contract. Attendees will leave with tips on understanding your contract, handling being the "new kid,” learning office protocol, dealing with in-office hazing or bullying, making your editors and colleagues see you as a staff member, not a glorified intern, identifying opportunities for forward movement without "stepping outside of your lane” and handling being the only person of color in a homogeneous newsroom or office.

Meet the Black Press: A Hidden Gem for New and Veteran Journalists
Members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and NABJ will share why working for the black press is a good start for everyone from interns and entry-level journalists to industry veterans and media professionals. The uniqueness of the black press often breeds a lack of familiarity about the goals and objectives of African-American owned outlets, versus outlets whose goal is to serve predominantly African-American audiences. Speakers will share their experiences in the black and why working a job there is a good career move. The conversation will also address how the black press will evolve in an increasingly multicultural and digital society.

How to Land Coveted International Reporting Beats Despite Budget Cuts
In today's globalized environment, how can African-American journalists land those coveted international reporting jobs? In an era when all citizens, including those who live in African-American communities, are affected more intensely than before by international issues, newsrooms are increasingly cutting back on coverage and shutting down overseas bureaus. The panel will provide practical advice on how you can land those prestigious international opportunities that will ultimately take your career to the next level.

Find Your Way Back to Your Purpose and Passion Through a Journalism Fellowship
Journalism is in your blood, but these days you're weary, sometimes questioning if you made the right career choice. You've even considered getting out of journalism. How about a year off to recommit to the career you love? Take time off to think, to learn from top minds of top universities, to travel or to delve into journalism entrepreneurship. All of that is possible through a year-long journalism fellowship. Most importantly, you can hunker down to focus on how you want to reinvent yourself for 21st century journalism. Fellowship alums head newsrooms, are thought leaders in new media and are industry influencers. Find out why NABJers say a journalism fellowship propelled them up the career ladder.

Legends of the Game: A Candid Conversation with Ken Griffey Jr., Gary Sheffield and Raymond Langford
When they dominated Major League Baseball, these three players were known for their candor. Come engage in a provocative conversation with three baseball greats, who will share their experiences and give their thoughts on the future of African-Americans in baseball.

Becoming a Power Producer: From Local News to the Network
This workshop will give attendees a realistic look at the expectations for becoming a network news producer. What skills are transferable from local news to the network and what new skills will you need to acquire? How do you climb the ladder while telling great stories, conquering challenges and seizing every opportunity? Hear from respected producers who have excelled and made it in the high-stakes world of network news.

It's More Than Playing The Hits - Radio 101
Once the most dominant form of media, radio has fallen behind television, digital and print media in terms of prestige. There have been changes and challenges, but all is not lost. Journalists think radio is just about playing music so they ignore it as a career option. And by doing so, they miss out on myriad opportunities including online, satellite, mobile and syndication. Don't sleep on radio! Instead, listen to a group of radio veterans discuss their career paths, the available jobs and how to make your skills work in this medium.

Getting in on the Technology Beat
Technology innovation is changing everything we do. Cities and universities have innovation offices. Local startups are chasing millions of dollars in investment money to try to be the next big thing. Hack spaces are the sexy new hangouts. One day a tech company is up and the next it is down. As the person tasked with covering innovation, how can a tech beat reporter give a clear-eyed assessment of new innovations without undue hype, unnecessary alarm or overly dramatic reporting on failure? This workshop helps reporters interested in the tech beat to stay focused as they report on innovation, civic data initiatives, angel investments and flaming failures, which are not always a bad thing.

Breaking In: Securing Journalism Internships to Set you Up for Success
Internships during college are the building blocks to landing a stellar journalism job. But navigating the world of deadlines, cover letters and resumes can be tough. This panel will feature some of NABJ's top student members and recent graduates who will discuss how they used internships to propel their journalism careers. Learn where to find the best internships, how to stand out in a crowd of applicants and what it takes to maximize the intern experience to your best advantage.

Crossing the Line: From Journalism to PR
So you decided to leave the newsroom and land your first public relations or communications job. It takes more than being able to write a news release or knowing how to pitch a story to local and national media outlets. Workshop attendees will hear proven strategies on not only on how to land that first job, but also how to keep it. It will discuss today's competitive environment and offer strategies to retain the job, including the areas of corporate public relations, agency public relations, or going out on your own. Participants will be able to gather information about how to enhance the longevity of a transitioning journalist and/or newly promoted media professional.

Talking Heads 2.0
It's no longer enough to be able to report. Today's journalist must be ready to serve as an expert and provide perspective, analysis and commentary on their work to the public via local and national media outlets. The problem is, while they may be deft at interviewing, many print and online journalists have never learned how to give good interviews for a broadcast audience. This session will offer tips for specialty journalists who cover entertainment and sports and are now wading into the world of radio and television interviews. it will also serve as a crash course on communicating effectively from the other side microphone.

As the Page Turns, Swipes & Zooms: A Look at the Future of Magazines
Top experts assess the future of magazines and how they're evolving as multimedia brands in the new digital landscape. Find out what's behind the news of consolidations and acquisitions. Learn what it takes to make it today as a freelancer, staff member or entrepreneur.

Data Visualization and Community as Storytelling Devices
Covering social, demographic and economic difference can be challenging using traditional broadcast or print media. In a world with free and accessible data and digital presentation tools, reporters and editors can easily find ways to crunch numbers and present data in visual ways by using graphs and charts to illustrate major economic stories, such as the growing income gap in the U.S. And data isn't the only way to represent major stories like this visually -- embedded photos and videos and interactive photo projects can encourage audiences to participate in major reporting projects. The Marketplace Wealth & Poverty desk has spearheaded a number of these initiatives and can help journalists in other newsrooms find ways to use emerging data visualization software and interactive project tools.

Spreading the Gospel: Understanding Faith-Based Public Relations
Whether it's about bringing in new members, responding to a crisis situation, promoting spiritual literature or music, or simply using faith-based values to appeal to a specific audience, faith-based public relations is a growing industry. A strategic communications plan that accesses the needs of one's audience is essential to any successful PR progrgam, even when one's goal is to promote to the church or to promote a place of worship. In some communities rather than church being a communal experience. It's also now becoming a virtual one. When prayer requests are sent via Twitter, or services are streamed online, how do you connect with your audience? We have an in-depth conversation with media-related professionals in this emerging field as they share their stories and divulge their secrets on walking the fine line while engaged in the art of faith-based public relations.

Going Solo: The Joy and Pain of Independent Consulting
So you want to be a PR consultant or are you pondering a switch to freelance writing? Join this Q&A with our expert panel designed to give you an inside look at the rewards and challenges of building a successful freelance career. The benefits of working on your own are significant, but so is the workload and responsibilities, especially for the inexperienced. Learn actionable steps you can take to start, maintain and grow your practice. If you need to know how to find and secure clients, negotiate rates and manage precious resources, then this is a panel you don't want to miss.

Fighting For Your Story: Going From Breaking News to a Multimedia Documentary
2012 NABJ Salute To Excellence winners Margaret Bernstein and Stan Donaldson will take you on their journey of how they had to fight to tell the story of a serial rapist and killer in Cleveland, Ohio. Learn what it takes to rally for the story you believe in and find where the story can take you. How does a breaking news story go from being national news to an award winning series to the subject of a documentary? Bernstein and Donaldson depict how they came together, sometimes on different timelines, to tell the story of the deaths and lives of 11 women in a series published in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. They also wrote the award-winning series about the victims after covering the arrest and trial of Anthony Sowell and worked with a filmmaker on a documentary on the story.

Navigating the Field and Newsroom: Being Pro LGBT in Pro Sports
Professional sports teams and leagues play a vital role in reinforcing our nation's values. More and more athletes are moving beyond the locker room and the field to the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) equality. Reporters who want to learn how to pitch and cover fair and accurate LGBT-inclusive stories about athletes coming out, standing up, or just loving their families should attend this workshop. This session will explore the role reporters play in elevating LGBT affirming athletes. Whether it be taking a stand against anti-LGBT bullying or in favor of marriage equality, does LGBT advocacy serve as a distraction from the game or is it very much a part of the sports news cycle? A panel of sports journalists, athletes and advocates will address the persistent problem of homophobia on the field and in the stands as well as the media's role in reporting on these issues and promoting messages of acceptance.

Give Yourself a Job In Radio: Syndicate Yourself!
The radio game keeps changing. Pay-for-play, syndication, and voicetracking have led to the erosion of local radio jobs. So what can you do? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. There aremyriad options and opportunities for you to be a job creator. Take your experience and talent and launch your own national radio show!

Science Journalism 101
The African-American community's relationship with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has been fraught with challenges. One barrier to participation is lack of knowledge about these topics. Opportunities to report on recent discoveries at local colleges or by African-American scientists has largely been overlooked by the media targeted at this audience. Additionally, lack of news coverage by Ethnic News organizations on important topics such as energy, the environment, technology, product safety, personal health and other science topics is partly due to the unease general news reporters may have in covering science-intensive stories. This workshop will focus on helping reporters cultivate relationships with key scientists and engineers, and provide a list of media-ready African-American scientists and engineers.

The Art of the Live Shot
Live shots remain a staple of television news. Reporters are under pressure to make their live shots compelling, concise and relevant to viewers. This interactive workshop will demonstrate the do's and don'ts of television live shots. Is it ok to stand still? How do you walk and talk without distracting the viewer? How do you handle disruptions without getting yourself in trouble? Veteran, mid-career and beginning journalists will benefit from this discussion.

Branding of Y.O.U.
Be successful, consistently, by branding yourself as a life-long learner, a flexible and nimble worker and a change agent who gets results. It doesn't matter what your job is, you are the leader, manager, supervisor and decision maker of Y.O.U. YOU have to build, manage and update your identity. OWN who you are, and sell the best of who you are. Universally recite the things you want others to know, and say, about YOU. It's no longer good enough to rely on phone calls and emails. If you're not using social media, strategically networking, finding "gaps" and filling them, you're already behind. Walk away with a game plan with action steps, some of which you'll develop in the session. Each attending participant will have join a branding group online and receive a FREE three-month followup consultation. NOTE: Please bring web-accessible devices, i.e. smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.

The Juggling Journalist: How to Do it All, and Do it Well
As journalists, we all learned the basics very early: present a balanced story. Attribute your quotes. Double, then triple check every fact. But when you have to worry about lighting an interview, single-handedly transporting yourself (and your gear) across town or posting updates to three different social media platforms, do some of those things slip through the cracks? Or is it those "extra” obligations that must suffer? How do you find time to creatively shoot a story, but make sure your reporting doesn't suffer? How do you compete with full crews from other stations? And how do you navigate your own newsroom – staying competitive with the two-person crews and not being pigeon-holed into telling "cute, B-block” stories? In this workshop, we will focus on multimedia journalism as a career: how to "do it all,” and do it well.

Play-By-Play: 25 Years of Sports News and Advocacy
2013 NABJ Hall of Fame inductee Wendall Smith was a legendary baseball reporter. During his day, he was denied entrance as a member to the Baseball Writers Association because of his race. Stories like this were the norm for black journalists. Twenty five years ago, the NABJ Sports Task Force was born to help provide a formalized support and advocacy system for those who wanted to pursue this craft. Five years later, the Sports Journalism Institute was created out of the Sports Task Force as a program geared to train college students for careers in the industry. We examine the impacts of both institutions on the industry and where are we headed.

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