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Updated:
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
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Contact:
Abraham Mahshie, Communications/Production Manager
(866) 479-NABJ
NABJ to Establish Professional Scholarships
for Laid-off Journalists
Scholarship will cover admission to UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention & Expo
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 6, 2008 — In response to the large numbers of journalists of color cut from the nation’s newsrooms in 2008, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has established professional scholarships for members affected by the job cuts to attend the quadrennial UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention, July 23-27, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.
“It’s our responsibility to ensure these talented journalists receive the best available opportunity for networking, professional development and recruitment,” said NABJ President Barbara Ciara.
”With drastic cuts in broadcast and print newsrooms throughout the country, this year’s UNITY convention in Chicago offers an extraordinary chance for our members to find new employment opportunities.”
According to the annual report by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, 266 African Americans working for newspapers lost their jobs last year or left the business. Countless veteran journalists working in television newsrooms are in the same predicament.
Each scholarship will cover registration cost to UNITY: Journalists of Color Convention. The application deadline is June 1, 2008. To qualify, applicants must be full members of NABJ with a minimum of two years in journalism. Applications can be found online at www.NABJ.org.
Taking place at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, the conference will mark the largest gathering of journalists of color in the world. Almost 10,000 journalists will be expected to discuss issues affecting journalism and the media industry.
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. is a coalition of the four alliance partners: the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association. Recruiters onsite include Hearst-Argyle television stations, McClatchy Newspapers, the Associated Press and major broadcast networks.
The five-day convention will feature daylong workshops on the digital revolution taking place in broadcast and print media, workshops on moving into newsroom management and other professional development sessions.
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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