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Updated: Friday, November 24, 2006
Published: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 |
Contact:
NABJ Communications
(866) 479-NABJ
Plenaries on New Media, Hurricane Katrina and Minority Ownership Mark National Association of Black Journalists 31st Convention Highlights
INDIANAPOLIS, August 16, 2006 -The following are highlights of the 31st Annual Convention of the National Association of Black Journalists, August 16 -19, at the Indianapolis Convention Center:
Wednesday, August 16
Newsmaker plenary session, “A Conversation with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia,” will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Sagamore Ballroom. Johnson-Sirleaf, who was recently elected president of the war-torn nation -- making her Africa’s first female Head of State -- will participate live via remote from Liberia. Lester Holt, host of The Today Show, Weekend Edition for NBC will moderate.
Thursday, August 17
Plenary session, “W.E.B. DuBois Lecture: Leading Black America-Who is in Charge”, will assess the future of black leadership and discuss established and new public figures that are looking to change the country and the world, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Rev. Al Sharpton, founder, National Action Network, is the keynote speaker.
The moderator will be Suzanne Malveaux, White House Correspondent, CNN.
Workshop: “How To Write About Them”, 2:45 p.m.-4:15 p.m. What words and phrases do LGBT readers and listeners object to and why? How do you know if you are using the correct pronouns?
Panelists include: Eric Hegedus, president, National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association; Katina Parker, poc media manager, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; and Jerry McCormick, copy editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The moderator is Jasmyne Cannick, freelance journalist/media activist, National Black Justice Coalition.
Friday, August 18
Plenary session, “Owning Our Own: Black Media Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century”, 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. will explore the realities of “the black media” — in particular, what it means to own and operate a media company that delivers black-oriented news and information for minority consumers.
Panel will include: Max Siegel, president, Zomba Music Group-Gospel/vice president
of Jive Records; Sheila Brooks, president and CEO, SRB Productions; Cecil Cross, editor-in chief, LOOK Magazine; Barbara L. Thomas, president and CEO, National Black MBA Association; Alfred Edmond, senior vice-president/editor-in-chief, Black Enterprise.
The moderator will be Michel Martin, National Public Radio.
The afternoon session, “Covering Katrina: Truth and Consequences”, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin will discuss what he has planned for the city of New Orleans over the next four years. Also, a panel discussion, featuring award-winning journalists and officials who were in New Orleans and South Mississippi during and after the storm, will tackle the journalism and societal issues the storm uncovered.
Panelists include: Ray Nagin, Mayor of New Orleans; Trymaine Lee, reporter, The
Times-Picayune; Bryan Monroe, president, NABJ, vice president/editorial director,
EBONY& Jet Magazines; Anzio Williams, assistant news Director, WESH-TV; Kristen Mack, reporter, Houston Chronicle; and Suzanne Malveaux, White House Correspondent, CNN
The moderator will be Michele Norris, host, All Things Considered, National
Public Radio.
Workshop: “The State of Free Speech at HBCUs”, 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. In this session, a panel will discuss the concerns over image against the responsibility of encouraging students to empower themselves through journalism. Panelists will include an HBCU graduate who stood at the center of a free speech controversy at his school and two experts who will discuss the historical links of free speech issues at HBCUs today, how they compare against other colleges and what it all means to both future and current black journalists.
Panelists include: Mark Goodman, executive director, Student Press Law Center; Daarel Burnette II, reporter, The Louisville Courier-Journal; and Derrick Hackett, director of student media, Southern University.
The moderator is Sean Lyons, assistant journalism professor, Quinnipiac University.
Saturday, August 19
Workshop: “By the Numbers: Women and Minorities in Local Television and Radio”, 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. The percentage of minorities working in local television news last year rose to the second-highest level ever but minorities working in local radio news was down. In this session, Ball State University Professor Bob Papper will examine the latest RTNDA/Ball State University’s Annual Survey of women and minorities to look at trends in local media.
Workshop: “New Media: Digital Storytelling Goes Beneath the Surface”, 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. The industry is looking for journalists who are knowledgeable in multi-media storytelling. In this session, participants will learn how cutting edge technology is becoming a critical factor in creating more engaging and in-depth news stories and how to position themselves for new media opportunities.
Panelists include: John Strauss, multimedia editor, The Indianapolis Star; Shannon Williams, editor, The Indianapolis Recorder; and Roland S. Martin, executive editor, Chicago Defender.
The moderator will be Serbino Sandifer-Walker, journalism professor/new
media expert, Texas Southern University.
Over 2,500 journalists from across the country are expected to attend the 31st Annual Convention, August 16-20 at the Indiana Convention Center. The convention will also feature the nation’s largest journalism career fair along with specialized workshops, plenary sessions, professional development breakfasts targeted to various journalism disciplines, a Hall of Fame banquet, gospel brunch and media receptions for veteran, up-and-coming and future journalists.
NOTE: Members of the working press who will be covering the NABJ convention as a news event are required to obtain media credentials. As part of the process, reporters must submit a request for credentials on company letterhead signed by their supervisors. The letter must also include the specific days that the reporters will be covering the convention and the names and titles of all staff members who are requesting media credentials. A photo ID or press pass will be required for each person. For additional information on obtaining credentials, call Kristin Wilson at kwilson@nabj.org.
An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with more than 4,100 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.
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