ONA/SPJ is extremely excited and honored to go to the 2015 Excellence in Journalism conference in Orlando. SPJ liaison Lisa Fu and Evelyn Andrews are attending several workshops and will come back and share with new topics and tools they learned about. Here are some workshops they’re excited about.
Branding Yourself in a Changing Journalism Landscape- In a changing media world with restructuring and staffing changes, having a strong brand is important. The workshop will give participants the knowledge and tools needed to brand oneself whether the field is broadcast, print, online, or freelance media. Interviews and data from successful journalists who rebranded themselves will be included.
New Economic Data You can Use in 2015 and Beyond- Participants will learn to create original reporting on earnings, spending, and investments using new economic data being released in 2015 by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. New data on health care, state economic activity, consumer spending, etc will be used to better cover existing economic events.
WDBJ Shooting: A Tragedy Unfolds in Real Time- This is actually exactly what we talked about at our first meeting! Journalistic ethics and questions will be raised about how to report on graphic violence. In this digital age, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are also involved in spreading information. Should they censor materials and accounts related to the shooting?
To Comment or Not to Comment- Almost every news site has a comment section, but how should they be handled? Arguments on both sides about moderating discussion, pushing it to social media, and banning comments on certain stories will be heard. Research-based techniques for improving comment sections will also be discussed.