Excellence In Journalism 2012 » Breakout Sessions

Breakout Sessions

There's something for everyone in this year's schedule. Check out a list of the breakout sessions we're offering in Fort Lauderdale, and check back frequently as many more programs are announced and more details become available!

Pre-Conference Workshops

In addition to regular programming, we're offering a handful of Pre-Conference Workshops on Thursday, Sept. 20:

— Video Storytelling Bootcamp
— New Directors Bootcamp
— Great Bosses Bootcamp
— Tracking Companies’ Influence on Politics
— Unlock Your Potential

Click here to read about each workshop and the trainers who will be conducting them. Limited space is available!

Transparency in Action: Pinpointing Influence of Money in State Politics

The massive, easy-to-use, free database of campaign contributions in all 50 states at the National Institute on Money in State Politics provides an unparalleled and invaluable resource for journalists. Learn to mine the resources at FollowTheMoney.org now. Develop story ideas on the spot. Learn how to investigate elected officials' connections to lobbyists and their client companies, special-issue groups and influential individuals. Explore groundbreaking databases for independent spending and lobbyist expenditures that pull back the curtain to reveal powerful influences on state politics and policy. Add depth to 2012 elections stories, and keep your blog fresh with free APIs, widgets and data downloads.

Trainer: Edwin Bender, executive director, National Institute on Money in State Politics

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Edwin Bender, executive director, National Institute on Money in State Politics
Edwin Bender, a founding incorporator of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, has been executive director since 2003, and serves on its board of directors. Prior, Edwin was research director for eight years. He has been conducting money-and-politics research projects since 1992. Building on his previous experience as an award-winning reporter and editor at newspapers in Montana, Alaska, and Washington, Edwin actively develops projects with academic researchers, news and other organizations, and has dramatically increased the Institute’s outreach, training, and technical assistance to reporters, civic activists, and the voting public.

Stumbling Upon Video

We don't always have the right equipment when we stumble upon compelling video subjects. Learn how to make do with cell phones, still cameras, audio recorders, and other devices and how to enhance the raw footage you capture.

Trainer: J.D. Bruewer, editor/reporter, The Lima (Ohio) News

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J.D. Bruewer, editor/reporter, The Lima (Ohio) News
J.D. Bruewer has spent 20 years working the streets of smaller town America as a reporter and editor. An early adopter of new technology, he's learned from many mistakes. He is currently a utility reporter/editor for The Lima (Ohio) News, where he's worked for 14 years. He has worked as a night editor, Internet content editor, weekly newspaper editor and more. In 2011, he created some of The Lima News' top videos, often shot on non-standard equipment in less than ideal situations.

Planning for the Big One

All newsrooms are challenged with product differentiation and winning the big news or weather story of the day. One way to provide unique, high viewer-interest content is to “plan for the big one” by having real-world practice in advance and moving your newscast to the field. See examples of high production value, multi-camera and/or multiple location remote newscasts that can prepare news teams for executing similar productions during major breaking news or weather events. With planning and field experience involving multiple station departments, stations in any market can utilize and deploy resources and all available capacity to response to the big one. We’ll view severe weather coverage examples as well as remote newscast feature and issue examples.

Trainers: Dan Dennison, news director, WDBJ-TV; Chad Cross, news director, Sunflower Broadcasting

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Chad Cross, news director, Sunflower Broadcasting
Chad Cross is News Director at Sunflower Broadcasting, Inc. in Wichita, which owns KWCH and KSCW. In 2011, Chad launched three new newscasts, including one in Spanish for KDCU, a Univision affiliate. The station also has a 24-hour weather channel, four websites and three apps. He’s been with the station for 10 years in different managing roles. Chad also anchored/produced at KTKA in Topeka and produced at KEYE in Austin. Chad is originally from northern Colorado. He has a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dan Dennison, news director, WDBJ-TV
Dan Dennison is a veteran broadcast journalist, currently serving as News Director at WDBJ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Roanoke, VA. He has news director experience at KHON-TV, KHNL/K5-TV in Honolulu, KRDO and KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs/Pueblo and at KSBY-TV in San Louis Obispo, CA. Prior to moving into the news director’s chair he was the long-time Western Slope Bureau Chief for KUSA-TV in Denver and previously worked as a bureau & legislative reporter at KMGH-TV in Denver. At different stations he has supervised the planning and execution for multi-camera, full newscast live remotes on a variety of subjects and issues from tsunami awareness in Hawai‘i to Hokie football mania at Virginia Tech. Dan is a native of Colorado, has a bachelor’s in technical journalism from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in journalism media management from the University of Missouri.

FOI in the Trenches

Do you lack confidence dealing with FOI laws and submitting records requests? Learn how to finesse requests, deal with denials and understand the fine print from journalists who've spent years figuring out everything. If we don't know the answer to every question, we'll at least know where to look.

Trainers: Linda Petersen, chairwoman, SPJ FOI Committee; Dave Cuillier, former chairman, SPJ FOI Committee

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Dave Cuillier, former chairman, SPJ FOI Committee
David Cuillier is secretary-treasurer for SPJ and was the Freedom of Information Committee chairman 2007-2011. He conducted the 45-day Access Across America tour in summer 2010 and has been an SPJ newsroom trainer since 2006. He teaches and researches access to public records at the University of Arizona, where he is director of the School of Journalism, and is co-author with Charles Davis of “The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records.” He is a winner of the SPJ First Amendment Award for his work in FOI, and before academia worked as a newspaper reporter and editor covering government in the Pacific Northwest.

Linda Petersen, chairwoman, SPJ FOI Committee
Linda Petersen is the managing editor of The Valley Journals, a group of 15 free, total market coverage, monthly community papers in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah.

She is president of the Utah Foundation for Open Government, a citizen coalition that works to educate and advocate for open government.

She is the SPJ national FOI committee chair.

A past president of the SPJ Utah Headliners pro chapter, she is currently the chapter’s FOI officer and treasurer.

For her open government advocacy, she has received the Utah Press Association John E. Jones Award, the Utah Headliners Clifford P. Cheney Service to Journalism Award and the 2011 SPJ national Howard S. Dubin Outstanding Pro Chapter Member Award along with the Utah League of Women Voters 2012 Community Service Award.

Integrating your Newsroom and Web Teams

Focus on the benefits of integrating Web and newsroom teams into one operation. Exploring how to lead staffs into being fully engaged in producing/editing content for the Web as well as the importance of having journalists running your website hand-in-hand with programmers will be discussed.

Trainer: Teresa Schmedding, president, American Copy Editors Society

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Teresa Schmedding, president, American Copy Editors Society
Teresa Schmedding is the president of the American Copy Editors Society and the assistant managing editor for the Daily Herald Media Group where she oversees publication of print products and digital platforms. The Daily Herald was recognized by Editor & Publisher as one of 10 Newspapers That Do It Right for its web/print integration. Schmedding has a bachelors in journalism and a masters in media management from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

SEO for Journalists: How to Get Web Hits without Sounding like a Machine

Having good SEO skills doesn't mean you've sold your journalistic soul. Learn the basics of SEO and how to fold it into your work without generating stilted content.

Trainer: Teresa Schmedding, president, American Copy Editors Society

Crisis U.: When National News Breaks on your Campus

The Jerry Sandusky molestation scandal and the hazing death of a Florida A&M band member were national news — but for the campus media, they were also intensely local stories with unique challenges. We'll talk about effectively covering a nationally publicized scandal in your own backyard, withstanding pressure to downplay the negative, and using beyond-the-obvious records and sources to stay ahead of the pack.

Moderator: Frank LoMonte, executive director, Student Press Law Center

Speakers: Lexi Belulfine, editor, The Daily Collegian, Penn State; Clarece Polke, editor, The FAMUan, Florida A&M

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Frank LoMonte, executive director, Student Press Law Center
Frank LoMonte joined the Student Press Law Center as Executive Director in January 2008 after practicing with the Atlanta-based law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP and clerking for federal judges on the Northern District of Georgia and the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Before law school, LoMonte was an award-winning investigative journalist and political columnist in state Capitol bureaus in Florida and Georgia and in Washington, D.C., with the Morris newspaper chain. LoMonte graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was a senior editor of the Georgia Law Review.

Lexi Belulfine, editor, The Daily Collegian, Penn State
Lexi Belculfine served as the editor in chief of The Daily Collegian for the 2011-12 academic year, during which sex abuse charges were filed against Penn State’s former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The Daily Collegian is an independent, 20,000-circulation daily run by Penn State students.

During her undergraduate career, Belculfine was awarded the 2010 Mark of Excellence Award national winner in feature writing, as well as two recognitions by the Hearst Foundation. She traveled with an international reporting class to Cape Town, South Africa in March 2011, where she wrote about the controversies surrounding cage diving with great white sharks.

Belculfine graduated from Penn State University in May with a degree in print journalism and is currently is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Clarece Polke, editor, The FAMUan, Florida A&M
Clarece Polke, a senior print journalism student scheduled to graduate in April 2013, has been on staff with The Famuan, FAMU's tri-weekly student newspaper, since her freshman year. During the summer 2010, she was one of six student delegates who were part of the multimedia team that covered the FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. She won first place in the Black College Communication Awards competition for her multimedia work and fourth place for best sports writing with Southeast Journalism Conference. She also spent her 2011 summer semester as a reporting intern with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers located in South Florida. She is also a scholar for the Center for Global Security & International Affairs Scholars Program, and conducted in-country research while visiting Xi'an, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing in July 2011. She was editor in chief of the Famuan during the fall 2011 semester when the hazing scandal surrounding the death of student Robert Champion made international headlines. She also participated in a study-abroad exchange in China, studying journalism courses at Shantou University in Shantou, Guangdong for five months.

Striking Out Alone in the World: Winning Strategies for International Freelance Reporting

Presented by the Stanley Foundation

In an environment of shuttered foreign bureaus and less traditional media resources, how does a journalist break into the world of covering international news? One option is to connect with fellowships and independent funding to bring the story to your news outlet. Another option is striking out on your own, either by choice or necessity. You’ll need to be the reporter, editor, business manager, fundraiser and marketer of your own journalism. Hear from those who’ve built successful models for traveling the world to bring under-told stories to a wider audience.

Speakers: Kira Kay, reporter, co-director, Bureau for International Reporting; Jason Maloney, producer, cameraman, editor, co-director, Bureau for International Reporting; Jina Moore, international freelance multimedia reporter; John Schidlovsky, director, International Reporting Project

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Kira Kay, reporter, co-director, Bureau for International Reporting
Kira Kay is Co-Executive Director and the primary reporter for the nonprofit Bureau for International Reporting (BIR). Kay’s assignments through the BIR have included serving as correspondent and producer for a multiple award-winning report on the conflict in Northern Uganda that aired on PBS NewsHour and HDNet World Report, as well as for a broad range of reports from Bosnia, East Timor, DR Congo, Liberia, Lebanon, Haiti and Cambodia on topics as diverse as war and post conflict peace building, international justice, health and global economic challenges.

Prior to founding the BIR in 2007, Kay was a network news producer for 15 years, reporting both internationally and domestically for PBS, ABC, CBS and CNN. Some of her recent non-BIR projects include covering US military actions in Africa for Dan Rather Reports, exploring the economic impact of a rising global middle class for PBS NOW and reporting on the plight of Iraqi refugees in Jordan for PBS Wide Angle. Kay is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Jason Maloney, producer, cameraman, editor, co-director, Bureau for International Reporting
Jason Maloney is Co-Executive Director of the Bureau for International Reporting (BIR) and serves as its primary producer, cameraman and editor. Some of his BIR highlights include a series of reports on the Georgia/Russia war and an examination of Russia’s Muslim Republic of Tatarstan, for PBS and HDNet. His coverage of the civil war in Northern Uganda won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and received two Emmy nominations. Outside the BIR, some of Maloney’s recent projects include an Emmy-winning PBS report on the rise of the Indian middle class for PBS and an exclusive look inside the Russian youth movement Nashi for HDNet.

Maloney holds a BA from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His is the co-author of “Your America: Democracy’s Local Heroes”, published July 2008. In addition to his reporting work, Jason is a Clinical Associate Professor at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

Jina Moore, international freelance multimedia reporter
Jina Moore is a freelance multimedia reporter who covers foreign affairs, human rights and Africa. A regular correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, her foreign reporting has also appeared in Foreign Policy, Newsweek, The Walrus (Canada), Miller-McCune, Glamour, and the Columbia Journalism Review, among others, and on public radio's World Vision Report and PRI's The World. Moore won the 2011 Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Gold Medal and a 2009 Fulbright Fellowship in Journalism for her reporting from Africa. Follow her at www.jinamoore.com or on Twitter @itsjina.

John Schidlovsky, director, International Reporting Project
John Schidlovsky is the founding director of the International Reporting Project (IRP), a non-profit journalism program he began in 1998 to encourage more in-depth international news coverage in the U.S. media. Based in Washington, D.C., the IRP has awarded reporting grants to nearly 400 journalists to report from more than 100 countries for leading news organizations, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, PBS, TIME, Newsweek, CNN, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Slate, and many others. A veteran international correspondent, Schidlovsky was director of The Freedom Forum Asian Center in Hong Kong and previously was curator of the Jefferson Fellowships program for journalists at the East-West Center in Hawaii.

Schidlovsky was a reporter for nearly 20 years, including 13 years with The Baltimore Sun. He was The Sun’s Beijing bureau chief from 1987 to 1990 and closely covered the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations and government crackdown. Earlier he served as The Sun’s New Delhi bureau chief. Before joining The Sun in 1977, he was a freelance reporter in Beirut and Cairo. He received a B.A. in English from Columbia University. He has studied at the American University in Cairo, the University of Hawaii and was a journalist in residence at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

Leading a Social Media Revolution in Your Newsroom

A can’t-miss for news leaders who are ready to create real results from social media. This step-by-step guide will show leaders of print/broadcast/online newsrooms how to take stock of the way their staff currently interacts with social media and then implement strategies to improve content curation and viewer engagement while setting goals for website traffic referral, fan acquisition, ratings and revenue. Walk away with a simple, executable action plan for implementing best practices, increasing accountability and limiting liability.

Trainer: Kim Wilson, founder, SocialNewsDesk

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Kim Wilson, founder, SocialNewsDesk
Kim Wilson is the Founder of SocialNewsDesk, the only social media management solution built for newsrooms. After graduating from the University of Florida, Kim began her career in Television News as an assistant to Dan Rather at CBS News. She went on to become Executive Producer of News at WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, FL prior to founding SocialNewsDesk.

SocialNewsDesk is a web-based software suite which transforms the way news organizations interact with social media. While working as a journalist, Kim observed that Facebook and Twitter were fundamentally changing the way people consume and interact with news; and many local television stations were either technically incapable or completely unaware of how to embrace this revolutionary change. Relying on her experience as a journalist, she conceptualized the software tool and then put together a talented team of designers and programmers to bring her idea to life. The product allows customized monitoring and cultivation of news content using one specially designed interface. It establishes and enforces best practices and enables journalists to engage with their Fans and Followers using custom-designed Facebook applications.

Kim is a contributor to several popular social media blogs including LostRemote.com and KimWilson.com. She has served as a member of the University of Florida’s Advisory Council to the College of Journalism since 2004 and regularly teaches in the University’s Telecommunications Department as an Adjunct Lecturer.

Social Media Ethics: Still making it Work for You

This session is a progression of last year's popular ethics session Social Media Ethics: Making It Work for You. A year later, the world of social media has only become crazier and more dangerous to navigate without a proper ethical compass. Take another journey and join in the audience-friendly discussion about the ethical protocols of using social media for reporting.

Trainer: Stacy Woelfel, ethics chairman, RTDNA; Kevin Z. Smith, ethics chairman, SPJ

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Kevin Z. Smith, ethics chairman, SPJ
Former SPJ President Kevin Z. Smith is a career journalist, having worked in newsrooms as a reporter, photographer and editor for more than 20 years. He earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from West Virginia University and a master's degree in mass communications from Miami University (Ohio). Smith has worked at various daily papers in West Virginia including publications in Fairmont where he was managing editor, Morgantown as city editor, Parkersburgas a business writer and Grafton as sports editor. He also worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Financial News in Washington, D.C. Smith was inducted into SPJ as a West Virginia University student in 1978. He joined the ethics committee in 1988 and served as chair of the committee from 1994-96, the two years when the ethics code was rewritten. He is a contributor to two of the SPJ ethics books, "Doing Ethics in Journalism" and he has written for trade publications and scholarly journals on ethical issues. He also served as the society's Sunshine Chair, an advocate for open meetings and records laws in West Virginia, for five years. He served on the national board in 1997 as a campus adviser-at-large. He also has worked on the convention's resolution and nominations committees.

Stacy Woelfel, ethics chairman, RTDNA
Stacey Woelfel is an associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism and the news director for KOMU-TV, the University of Missouri-owned NBC affiliate for central Missouri. The commercial station serves as the teaching laboratory for the Missouri School of Journalism. Students at KOMU-TV are the reporter, producers, writers, photographers, and editors of five daily newscasts that go head to head with competing newscasts in the market.

He is the national chairman of the Radio Television Digital News Foundation, former chairman of the Radio Television Digital News Association, is a member of the association’s Executive Committee, and has served as the chair of the ethics committee, and a member of the convention planning and education committees. He also serves as a member of the board of governors of the Mid-America chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Woelfel is a winner of the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism, the Emmy, the Edward R. Murrow, and numerous regional and local awards. He is a frequent instructor in free media practices for journalists worldwide. Woelfel is the author of Suspicious Signs: Effects of Newscaster Scripts, Symbols, and Actions on Audience Perceptions of News Organization Bias and penned a chapter in Silenced: International Journalists Expose Media Censorship. He holds a doctorate in political science.

Mastering Math to Tell Better Stories

Presented by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism

Too many journalists needlessly fear math — an anxiety that can keep them from effectively tackling the biggest story in the world today: the economy. Brush up on basic calculations and learn to judiciously use numbers to tell better stories in text and graphics.

Trainer: Ron Nixon, domestic correspondent, Washington Bureau, The New York Times

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Ron Nixon, domestic correspondent, Washington Bureau, The New York Times
Ron Nixon is a domestic correspondent in the Washington Bureau of The New York Times, where he has worked since 2005. He is the former computer-assisted reporting editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a former training director for Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Getting it All Done: Managing Your Time in the World of Real-Time Reporting

Tweeting, blogging, posting online, writing for print and broadcast: just another day in the life of a journalist in 2012. But how do you get it all done in a way that best serves your audience and most efficiently uses your time? The key is picking the right way to tell each story. When you leave the session, you'll be able to do it, too. Reporters and managers will be better equipped to navigate their way through today's crunching demands, from real-time breaking news to filing a polished final product.

Trainer: Ron Sylvester, casino and gaming reporter, Las Vegas Sun; Patricia Mazzei, political reporter, The Miami Herald

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Patricia Mazzei, political reporter, The Miami Herald
Patricia Mazzei covers the Miami political scene — including congressional and state legislative politics, and the city of Miami — for The Miami Herald. She uses a variety of online tools to cover her beat and is a contributor to the Herald's Naked Politics blog and keeps public figures in check through PolitiFact Florida. She joined the Herald in 2007 after graduating from the University of Miami. Her previous beats include covering Broward public schools and municipal government in a variety of cities in Miami-Dade County. She was born and raised in Venezuela.

Ron Sylvester, casino and gaming reporter, Las Vegas Sun
During more than three decades as a journalist, Ron has had lunch with Johnny Cash, looked into the eyes of the BTK serial killer and now covers the Las Vegas Strip. An innovator in interactive and social media journalism, he helped pioneer trial coverage using Twitter in the courtroom while covering crime at The Wichita Eagle. At the Sun, he is bringing readers a new kind of beat coverage using social media and multimedia. A former national board member of SPJ, he has regularly presented sessions at our national conferences and has written articles about online journalism for The Quill and Nieman Reports.

Ethics on the Air and in the Field

Join your fellow journalists in a team competition to answer ethics questions your newsroom will face. We put you in the middle of the debate that will put you in the position to keep your journalists on the right track.

Trainer: Joseph Radske, assistant news director, WKOW-TV, Madison, Wisc.

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Joseph Radske, assistant news director, WKOW-TV, Madison, Wisc.
Joe Radske is the Assistant News Director at WKOW, the ABC affiliate in Madison, Wisconsin. Joe's a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BA in Mass Communications.

He has been a News Director in Milwaukee and Omaha. He has also worked as a broadcast journalist in Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Green Bay. Joe is proud of the news teams he worked with on events including the Jeffrey Dahmer case in Milwaukee, "Capitol Chaos" in Madison and Von Mauer mass shooting in Omaha.

He's the Vice President of the Society of Professional Journalists - Madison Pro Chapter, advisor to the UW-Madison SPJ campus chapter and Wisconsin representative for the Northwest Broadcast News Association.

Mapping Visualizations: When, Why and How to Use Them

Map interactives are showing up everywhere, but are they always the best tool for the job? Get a crash course on why and when to use mapping visualizations, and learn how it can be easy for journalists to take geographic information and present it for audiences.

Trainer: Ryan Murphy, data reporter, Texas Tribune

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Ryan Murphy, data reporter, Texas Tribune
Ryan Murphy is currently a data reporter with The Texas Tribune, where he assists in the development of the Tribune's growing collection of data interactives and applications, conducts data analysis and oversees the maintenance of the government employee salary database. Ryan graduated in 2010 with a degree in multimedia journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

Copyright Law in the Digital Age

Learn how U.S. copyright law impacts journalists' ability to gather and disseminate news. Particular attention will be given to the basics of acquiring copyright protection for original works; journalists' legal rights to incorporate existing works into online content; and how to minimize exposure for online copyright infringement claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor provisions.

Trainer: Mark R. Caramanica, FOI director, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

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Mark R. Caramanica, FOI director, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Mark Caramanica joined the Reporters Committee in 2010. He is a member of the state and federal bars of New York and worked as a commercial litigator in New York City. He received his bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Florida, Phi Beta Kappa. He also received his law degree and master's degree in mass communications from UF. During his time in law school, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the UF Journal of Technology Law & Policy and worked at The Gainesville Sun as a copy editor and page designer. Mark is also currently finishing his doctoral degree in mass communication from the University of Florida. During his time as a doctoral student, he taught undergraduate classes in mass media law and telecommunications regulation and also served as the Director of the Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project.

Copy Editing for the Digital Age

Digital and social media have transformed the copy editor’s role in journalism. No matter what we call it, copy editors have always aggregated, curated and edited content. From the news desk to the wire service to YouTube to Twitter, copy editors are now expected to aggregate, curate and edit and manage copy from a wide range of digital and social media sources. This session will train participants how to make effective use of the free, cloud-based curation tool Storify to manage and publish content. Participants will focus on workflow and industry best practice using live and archive examples of Storify. Using Storify, participants will explore building stories using contextual elements from social and digital media.

Trainer: Kelly Fincham, professor, Hofstra University

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Kelly Fincham, professor, Hofstra University
Kelly teaches journalism at Hofstra University at undergrad and graduate level. She has worked in journalism in the U.S, Ireland and Australia for 30 years and has spoken about journalism at conferences in Canada, the U.S., Scotland and Ireland. Her research interests include professional practices in journalism and social media in journalism and the classroom.

Back from the Future! Delivering the News in 2020: Trends, Tools and Viewer Expectations of the Next-Gen Newscast

FX Design Group and Magid Associates have “traveled to the year 2020 and brought back intel from the future of television.” The speakers will share how news delivery and presentation will change including on-camera technology, large-format Video Walls and Projection, Touchscreens, Tablets, 3D, 2nd Screen, and the integration of social media into newscasts. Hear how news delivery and presentation will change in the future, including cutting-edge trends, what viewers expect, and what is effective in connecting with viewers. Broadcasters will learn how to effectively invest in and plan for the future.

Speaker: Mack McLaughlin, CEO/Creative Director, FX Design Group

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Mack McLaughlin, CEO/Creative Director, FX Design Group
Mack McLaughlin graduated from UCF with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater in 1981. And after five years as a free lance designer in the entertainment industry, Mack started FX, a company serving the corporate meetings and events industry.

Since 1996, Mack and his staff have delivered over 500 set and lighting installs for the broadcast and cable industry, winning 6 Emmy Awards including KRON-TV in San Francisco and WXYZ in Detroit and 6 Broadcast Design Association Awards including WESH-TV in Orlando.

Recent projects include the high-profile HD launch in Boston for WCVB, ReelzChannel and KPIX in San Francisco.

Mack and FX were involved in some of the earliest HD projects including NBC’s Meet The Press, King 5 and KUSA. Other HD projects include KCRA in Sacramento, WTVF in Nashville, WSOC in Charlotte, WEWS in Cleveland, KRNV in Reno and WFTV in Orlando — the first to go HD in Florida and 10th in the country. FX’s skills and services are in such demand that many large station groups have arranged to work exclusively with FX.

Mack is also active in professional associations and boards he served as a member of the NAB Exhibitor Board for the past three years and is a member of both RTDNA and BDA. Mack has been in demand as a speaker at the NAB and Promax/BDA conferences for the past five years, as a national expert on set and lighting design as well as the implications of converting to digital and high definition broadcasting.

Taking Your Brand Personally

It’s one of journalism’s golden rules: You’re only as good as your sources. With an estimated 70 percent of new jobs filled through networking, it’s more important than ever to create your personal brand. You’ll be subject to Google searches, Facebook frisks, LinkedIn screenings and Twitter inspections. Branding will help set you apart from your competition. Learn how to increase your social circle, network, and form meaningful professional relationships. You’ve heard employers ask you to describe yourself. Don’t just tell them, show them.

Trainer: Lara Salahi, ABC News & Boston Globe

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Lara Salahi, ABC News & Boston Globe
Lara Salahi is an award-winning multimedia journalist that works with ABC News and the Boston Globe. Lara writes breaking medical news stories and feature health and wellness pieces for ABCNews.com. She also field produces in the New England region for Good Morning America and World News with Diane Sawyer. She is also a digital content producer for the Boston Globe.

A whole-hearted journalist, Lara shoots, writes, and edits her own stories. She has also created, contributed to, and manages numerous websites. She has worked in local, network and cable television, international print, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on numerous news sites and blogs. To learn more about Lara, visit her website: larasalahi.com.

Is That a Knot in Your Stomach? Digital Journalism Ethics Roundtable

Is social media re-shaping news values? Is disclosure more realistic than objectivity? Is privacy possible? It's a critical time for news innovators and leaders to wrestle with digital journalism's ethical challenges and their implications. Discuss the unavoidable ethical dilemmas of digital journalism. You are invited to help define and explore strategies to address core dilemmas in the developing world of digital journalism.

Moderator: Sally Lehrman, professor, Santa Clara University

Speakers: TBA

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Sally Lehrman, professor, Santa Clara University
Sally Lehrman is an award-winning reporter and writer on medical and science policy for some of the top names in national print and broadcast media, specializing in genetics, sexuality, race and HIV. Her byline credits include Scientific American, Nature, Health, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Salon.com, and The DNA Files, distributed by NPR.

She is author of News in a New America, a fresh take on developing an inclusive U.S. news media. Her journalism honors include a 2002 Peabody Award, Peabody/Robert Wood Johnson Award for Excellence in Health and Medical Programming, and Columbia/Du Pont Silver Baton shared for /The DNA Files/; the SPJ Wells Key (the Society of Professional Journalists' highest honor); various other reporting and writing awards; and the 1995-96 John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University. She is a Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Scholar and teaches courses on science, race and multiculturalism and the news.

Stokes Young, director of multimedia, MSNBC.com
As director of multimedia at msnbc.com, Stokes Young manages the teams responsible for production and programming of all video and still photography on msnbc.com. Stokes began his career as an assistant at the Black Star photo agency. He has since been a multimedia producer for the msnbc.com business team, the east coast supervising multimedia producer at msnbc.com, director of editorial assignments at Corbis, a video producer at MSN Video, and the director of video at msnbc.com.

Covering Latino Issues

Coverage of Latino issues and disadvantaged communities continues to be a key issue for all news organizations. For more than 20 years, Maria Hinajosa, one of the most accomplished Latino journalists in the United States, discusses the changing demographics of America and coverage of Latinos and other diverse communities. Hinajosa will provide resources and perspectives on these issues of importance.

Trainer: TBA

Modern Cuba and Its Future

As the Fidel Castro regime ends, indications are that Cuba is changing dramatically, loosening some of the restrictions on citizens and ownership of property and is possibly moving to a more democratic system of government. What are the changes taking place in Cuba today? What are the resources for covering this important 21st century story?

Trainer: TBA

Creating Multiplatform Stories

Learn to take advantage of the strengths of each platform to create your own multiplatform stories. Become your own “team coverage.” Find out how to get viewers, readers and surfers to watch, read and surf your content. Whether you're a Jack (or Jill) of all media, or work with a team of journalists from other platforms, this interactive session will help you turn your story ideas into multiplatform stories when you head back to your newsroom.

Trainer: Victoria Lim, multiplatform freelance journalist

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Victoria Lim, multiplatform freelance journalist
Nicknamed the "Queen of Convergence," Victoria Lim became an award-winning multi-platform, multimedia reporter before anyone even knew what that was... or would become.

You can read, watch and surf Victoria's stories covering personal finance to education, sports to pets. Victoria's reports from Haiti earned an Emmy nomination during her time at Bright House Sports Network, a 24-hour regional sports cable channel serving central Florida. Prior to joining BHSN, Victoria served as the senior consumer investigative reporter for WFLA-TV, the Tampa Tribune and tbo.com, where she pioneered convergence journalism. Her reporting earned more than two dozen honors including an Emmy, an Associated Press Individual Achievement award and being named Florida "Journalist of the Year" by the Society of Professional Journalists.

She's taught communications, news writing, and multimedia reporting at the University of Tampa, University of South Florida, and the highly regarded University of Missouri Journalism School. Her alma mater, Temple University, honored Victoria with induction into its journalism hall of fame, the Lew Klein Award. Victoria provides newsroom training to journalism professionals nationally and internationally.

Big Camera Videojournalism with a Small Camera

Video cameras have evolved over the years, getting cheaper and lighter. The multimedia world has evolved into using smaller cameras, whether it is DSLRs or even point-and-shoots. Many of those cameras provide high-quality images at a fraction of the cost of high-end video cameras. Yet they have drawbacks such as getting good quality audio and getting steady hand-held video. Videojournalists will learn the best way to get good video and sound with small cameras.

Trainers: Chuck Fadely, videographer, Miami Herald; G. Stuart Smith, Hofstra University

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Chuck Fadely, videographer, Miami Herald
Chuck Fadely is a video producer at the Miami Herald.

In a long career as photographer, editor and videographer at the Herald, he has contributed to four Pulitzers. His award-winning video work for the paper's investigative team has been broadcast nationwide on PBS and ABC.

He built a video team at the paper and has trained dozens of photographers and reporters. He has been a speaker and trainer at video and multimedia workshops across the world, including the US, Canada, Europe, and China.

He has a degree in Philosophy from the University of Virginia.

On the web, he's known as mister "NewspaperVideo" and has for many years provided email lists, blogs and social media about video and technology for journalists learning multimedia.

G. Stuart Smith, Hofstra University
G. Stuart Smith is an associate professor in the department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations at Hofstra University. He is an award-winning reporter and videographer with more than 30 years experience in the field from radio reporting and management to TV reporting, videography, producing and management. Working as a solo videojournalist, he produced two documentaries that aired on public television nationwide. He is the author of "Going Solo: Doing Videojournalism in the 21st Century," (University of Missouri Press 2011), which is the first book to show aspiring journalists how to work both as a reporter and a videographer in TV or online news sites.

Finding and Backgrounding Sources on Social Media

For reporters seeking sources on any story, social media provide a potential embarrassment of riches. Active users of social media publish too much information about themselves, including work history, professional expertise and professional and personal connections. But how do you separate the credible sources from the impostors and blowhards? Learn how to get from a virtual lead to a concrete interview, including techniques that are appropriate for breaking news.

Trainer: David Carr, editor, The BrainYard

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David Carr, editor, The BrainYard
David F. Carr is Editor of The BrainYard, the community for social business on InformationWeek.com, covering social media and the new generation of enterprise collaboration technologies. David is a former Technology Editor of Baseline Magazine and Internet World magazine and has freelanced for publications including CIO Magazine, CIO Insight, and Defense Systems. He has also worked as a web consultant and is the author of several WordPress plugins, including Facebook Tab Manager and RSVPMaker. David works from a home office in Coral Springs, Florida.

From Competition to Collaboration: How Print and Broadcast are Working Together

More and more organizations are seeking ''strategic partnerships'' to leverage content. The partnerships can vary from an occasional content and marketing share to more in-depth ''joint investigations'' and group reporting. Hear how these partnerships work, what the advantages are, and how to avoid ''pitfalls'' and ''stumbling blocks'' between the distinct cultures in newsrooms.

Moderator: Neal Bennett, assistant news director, WPTV, West Palm Beach

Speakers: Jeff Brogan, director of news strategy and operations, E.W. Scripps Company; John Labonia, WLRN

Unleash Your Inner Broadcaster

Presented by Public Radio News Directors, Inc.

In today’s media landscape, “broadcasting” isn’t just for radio and television people. More and more print journalists and those new to broadcasting are now required to use their voices for podcasts and other online content. However, finding your voice isn’t always easy. Learn techniques so you can deliver copy in a clear, conversational manner and more effectively communicate with your audience. If you’re already doing voice work please bring either a CD, flash drive, or website with an example you’d like to work on. If not, don’t worry, we’ll have scripts to help you unleash your inner broadcaster. While this session is a great way for print journalists to develop stronger vocal ability, it’s also an excellent session for radio and television broadcasters to fine-tune their skills and sound better on the air.

Trainers: George Bodarky, news director, WFUV FM, Bronx, N.Y.; Amy Tardif, news director, WGCU Public Media, Ft Myers

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George Bodarky, news director, WFUV FM, Bronx, N.Y.
George Bodarky is the News and Public Affairs Director at WFUV FM, an NPR affiliate station, based on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in the Bronx. George serves as the Training Committee Chair for Public Radio News Directors, Inc. and the President of the New York State Associated Press Board of Directors. He is an award-winning journalist who trains undergraduate and graduate students at Fordham University in multi-platform journalism. George is widely known for his vocal coaching and journalism training. Over the years his students have won countless awards and have secured employment as anchors, reporters, writers and producers in commercial and public television and radio outlets across the nation. Prior to working at WFUV, George spent many years as an anchor, reporter and news manager in commercial radio and television.

Amy Tardif, news director, WGCU Public Media, Ft Myers
Amy Tardif is the FM Station Manager and News Direction at WGCU Public Media in Fort Myers, Florida where she manages 3 news staff, an LJC reporter, 2 production staff and a Radio Reading Service manager. She’s an award winning reporter and talk show host most recently winning a Peabody award in 2011 for her radio documentary “Lucia’s Letter” on human trafficking. It also won an Edward R. Murrow award, PRNDI award and Gold World Medal from the New York Festivals. Amy hosted Morning Edition for 14 years, a weekly talk show on the arts around southwest Florida for 8 years and was the managing editor and a producer for a monthly television documentary program on the environment for 5 years. She’s received voice training from Marilyn Pittman and NPR’s Sora Newman and is known for her internship program in which award-winning graduates are sought after by other public radio stations.

Big Media on Campus: When the Pros and the J-School Converge

Across the country, journalism schools are turning into front-line news content creators, with high-end investigative work being done. In a recent report, the New America Foundation called on colleges to adopt a ''teaching hospital'' model where they assume responsibility for not just providing training, but serving as primary information sources for their communities. Are college news collaboratives the future of journalism, and if so, how can they be structured to best co-exist with their host institutions?

Speakers: Frank LoMonte, executive director, Student Press Law Center; Geanne Rosenberg, professor, CUNY-Baruch College and an associate of Harvard's Berkman Center; Tim Regan-Porter, director, Center for Collaborative Journalism

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Frank LoMonte, executive director, Student Press Law Center
Frank LoMonte joined the Student Press Law Center as Executive Director in January 2008 after practicing with the Atlanta-based law firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP and clerking for federal judges on the Northern District of Georgia and the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Before law school, LoMonte was an award-winning investigative journalist and political columnist in state Capitol bureaus in Florida and Georgia and in Washington, D.C., with the Morris newspaper chain. LoMonte graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was a senior editor of the Georgia Law Review.

Tim Regan-Porter, director, Center for Collaborative Journalism
Tim Regan-Porter took over as the first director of the Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University in March 2011, running the ultimate converged news operation that brings together the resources of Mercer's journalism program, The Macon Telegraph newspaper, and the Georgia Public Broadcasting affiliate WMUM-FM to jointly serve the information needs of the Middle Georgia community.

Tim is a nationally recognized digital media innovator. He co-founded Paste Magazine in 2002 and spent 10 years building it into the third-largest music publication in the English-speaking world, behind only Rolling Stone and Spin. He developed the strategy and technology that allowed pastemagazine.com to build traffic to 2 million unique visitors a month and was also responsible for the company’s social media strategy. Prior to co-founding Paste, Regan-Porter worked for seven years in the tech industry as lead architect for IBM’s e-Business Group and director of development for Enterpulse, whose clients included AT&T, the City of Chicago, Coca-Cola, CNN, T-Mobile and Sprint. Certified in Scrum (CSM), Java, WebSphere and Broadvision, he is a fervid advocate of Ruby on Rails and agile development.

He has a B.A. from Olivet Nazarene University in economics and mathematics, and an MBA from Georgia State University.

Geanne Rosenberg, professor, CUNY-Baruch College and an associate of Harvard's Berkman Center
Geanne Rosenberg is a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and a professor at Baruch College and at City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism. A journalist and attorney, Geanne directs the Harnisch Collaborative Future of Journalism Projects and is the principal investigator of McCormick Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and David and Katherine Moore Family Foundation-funded journalism projects relating to media law, journalism education, citizen journalism and news literacy. She was founding chair of Baruch’s Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions.

Geanne has written for The New York Times, the National Law Journal, Columbia Journalism Review and many other news outlets. She has worked on a pro bono basis at the Associated Press on state and federal freedom of information appeals. She authored and produced Knight Citizen News Network’s Top Ten Rules for Limiting Legal Risk and the Citizen Journalist’s Guide to Open Government.

Geanne has a J.D. from Columbia University’s School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism; and a B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College.

We'll Let You In... If We Like Your Story! The Maddening World of Media Access to Prisons

Need information and go-to resources for information on state policies regarding access to correctional institutions? This session provides a new look at an old issue and how to deal with the needless secrecy.

Moderator: Charles Davis, University of Missouri and co-author of “The Art of Access”

Speakers: Jessica Pupovac, University of Missouri; Ian Urbina, national correspondent, The New York Times

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Jessica Pupovac, University of Missouri
Jessica Pupovac is a multi-platform reporter, editor and producer and an often belligerent proponent of open government. She lives and works in Washington, D.C., where she is the Data and Digital Coordinator at NPR StateImpact, a project that aims to inform and engage communities with explanatory, data-driven reporting on how government decisions affect people's lives. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Reader, Prison Legal News and Illinois Issues, among other outlets. She was a 2009 Soros Justice Fellow, a recipient of the Chicago Headline Club's 2009 Peter Lisagor Award for investigative reporting and a winner of the National Women's Political Caucus' 2010 Exceptional Merit in Media Award. She recently earned a Master's from the Missouri School of Journalism, where her research focused on media access to state correctional facilities.

Ian Urbina, national correspondent, The New York Times
Before joining The New York Times, Ian Urbina was in a dual doctoral program in history and anthropology at the University of Chicago, where he specialized on Cuba. He was a Fulbright scholar and did his doctoral dissertation research in Havana. He left the doctoral program early to join the Times in 2003.

Mr. Urbina is currently an investigative correspondent for the Washington Bureau of the newspaper. Previously, Mr. Urbina had been a national correspondent covering the mid-Atlantic states since 2005. In that role, he was instrumental in keeping The Times out front on the West Virginia coal mining disaster and the Gulf oil spill, breaking story after story about BP's cutting corners, lax oversight by federal regulators, moratoriums broken and the Alaska BP project. Before that, he was a reporter for The Times' Metro desk.

In 2012, he received A Society of Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) "Best In Business" award for his investigative series, "Drilling Down", which focused on oil and gas drilling in the U.S. In 2010, Mr. Urbina received the New York Press Club's award for feature reporting, for his series "Running in the Shadows," which focused on the sexual trafficking of minors and the growing number of young runaways in the United States. He was a member of the team of reporters that broke the story about then New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer and his use of prostitutes, a story for which the Times was awarded a Pulitzer in 2009. He was also a member of the team that wrote a series about diabetes, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and also received a public service award from the Society of Professional Journalists' New York City chapter and a Society of Silurians award for science health reporting.

Born in Washington DC on March 29, 1972, he has degrees in history > >from Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and his writings, which span from domestic to foreign policy, have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Harper's Magazine, and elsewhere. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and son.

Finding Freelance Success

It can be hard to distinguish yourself in the crowded field of freelancers. If you’re looking to bump your freelance business from fledgling to soaring success, this is the session for you. Learn from a freelancer who sold stories to The New York Times in college, then pursued a traditional newspaper career, and went out on her own again when she had her first child. Hear how to take a business from a side effort to a full-time (and then some) business that incorporates traditional writing for online and print publications; social media training; planning and execution; public relations writing and consultation; document writing and preparation; and project management. Learn to think more broadly about your skills and different ways to apply your talents to find more work.

Trainers: Robyn Davis Sekula, freelance journalist; Jeff Cutler, content specialist-social media

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Jeff Cutler, content specialist-social media
In 1992, Jeff Cutler was delivering words to MacConnection, HomeQuarters Warehouse, the Boston Herald and the Mariner Newspaper chain. From there he expanded into projects for Fidelity Investments, WearGuard, Talbots and a host of other respected businesses.

These days, in addition to his new-media presence, Jeff's a credentialed reporter covering events like major golf tournaments and sporting events, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and film festivals and lifestyle events all over the world.

His current project load includes articles and features for Gatehouse Media, a slew of social-media projects including blogs and podcasts, columns and editorials for a variety of clients, as well as the completion of marketing and branding initiatives for recognized names like Brookstone, TJX and UNO Restaurant Group.

Robyn Davis Sekula, freelance journalist
Robyn Davis Sekula is a Twitter addict (@itsRobynwithay), iPhone-a-holic, music junkie, writer, blogger and social media consultant. She has long been active in SPJ, first joining while in college at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., and more recently serving on the board of the Louisville Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She spent most of her pre-freelance career as a newspaper reporter, working as a crime and courts reporter in North Carolina, a business editor in Missouri and as a reporter at Business First in Louisville. She now primarily consults with organizations and business in public relations. She counts among her clients Asher Agency in Fort Wayne, Ind., restaurant group Eddie Merlot’s, English, Lucas, Priest and Owsley, a law firm in Bowling Green, Ky., and several non-profits. Sekula writes advertising, brochure and web site copy, press releases and manages Twitter feeds and Facebook pages for her social media clients. She also writes editorial pieces for magazines and blogs. You can find her web site at www.robyndavissekula.com. If you want to get her attention, show her a new gadget.

It's Just Video — Until a Storyteller Creates an Experience

Learn the visual storytelling tools that can transform your work, regardless of your assignments or time constraints. Work more efficiently while producing focused and impactful visual stories that will stand out from the others on-air or online.

Trainer: Boyd Huppert, reporter, KARE-TV, Minneapolis

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Boyd Huppert, reporter, KARE-TV, Minneapolis
Boyd Huppert has earned a national reputation as a both a practitioner and teacher of visual storytelling.

As a reporter at KARE-TV in Minneapolis, Boyd has been honored with some of journalism's top honors, including this year's national Edward R. Murrow Award for writing and this year's Sigma Delta Chi Award for feature reporting. This is Boyd's third SDX Award and seventh national Murrow Award. Boyd's reporting earned him a national Emmy in 2007.

In addition, Boyd has presented more than 100 visual storytelling sessions at venues including Poynter Institute, Danish Broadcasting, TV New Zealand and NRK in Oslo, Norway. He is a long-time member of the faculty at the NPPA's Advanced Storytelling Workshop held each spring at Texas State University - San Marcos.

Boyd grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Prior to his arrival at KARE in 1996, he spent time at WSAW-TV in Wausau, Wisconsin, KETV in Omaha and WITI-TV in Milwaukee. Boyd and his wife Sheri have two sons, Sam and Matt, in college.

10 Local Stories on Health Reform

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on health reform, what stories should reporters focus on? One presidential candidate promises to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, another to enhance it. Either way, changes will affect every community in America. Where do we stand at the moment? What stories can be done before the year ends? Learn how to localize this huge story that touches everyone.

Trainers: Joanne Kenen, deputy health editor, Politico; Stacey Singer, investigative reporter, The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post

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Joanne Kenen, deputy health editor, Politico
Joanne Kenen is deputy health editor of Politico PRO and the health reform “topic leader” for the Association of Health Care Journalists. She has covered health policy in Washington, D.C., since the mid-1990s. She has worked for Reuters, served as a Kaiser Family Foundation media fellow, been a senior writer at the New America Foundation and a freelance contributor to numerous outlets including Slate, The Washington Post, Health Affairs, Kaiser Health News, Miller McCune, Washingtonian, AARP Magazine.

Stacey Singer, investigative reporter, The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post
Stacey Singer is an investigative reporter for The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post. She has covered health, science, biotech, consumer issues and government for nearly two decades. Her recent work has focused on conflicts of interest among government officials charged with making health policy.

Online, Social Media and New Technology: Where TV Is and Where It's Going

The TV news industry is expanding again. But it's also changing. There are shifts online, a new emphasis on social media and new technology that's changing everything. Hear exactly how the industry is doing and where it's going.

Trainer: Bob Papper, professor and chair, Department of Journalism, Hofstra University

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Bob Papper, professor and chair, Department of Journalism, Hofstra University
Bob Papper is the Lawrence Stessin Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Chair of the Department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations at Hofstra University. A graduate of Columbia College and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, he’s worked as a producer, writer and manager at television stations in Minneapolis (WCCO-TV), Washington, DC (WRC-TV), San Francisco (KPIX-TV), and Columbus, Ohio (WSYX-TV).

He’s the author of Broadcast News & Writing Stylebook and has won more than a hundred state, regional and national awards, including four regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and a DuPont-Columbia for “Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.”

He’s a past president of the Maine Association of Broadcasters and a long-time member of the national education committee of the Radio Television Digital News Association. In 2006, he was honored as the Ball State University Researcher of the Year; in 2007, the Associated Press inducted him into the Indiana “Hall of Fame (Award), For Distinguished Service In Broadcast Journalism”; in 2011, he was named Hofstra University "Distinguished Teacher of the Year."

Bob is in his 18th year overseeing the annual research for RTDNA and is the co-editor of Electronic News: A Journal of Applied Research & Ideas.

Five Great Tools to Connect Political Influence to Your Coverage

Washington, D.C. is awash with people and organizations in the business of trying to influence politics and policy. But just because the process happens in the nation's capital doesn't mean your audiences aren’t affected. Learn to use five data-driven tools that illuminate the influence game and can help you connect the dots back to your specific region or beat. Learn to investigate key donors (both seen and unseen) to federal candidates and mysterious outside groups; find out who's spending what to lobby the federal government; connect federal spending and pork to politicians; and even scour White House visitor logs.

Trainer: Russ Choma, reporter, OpenSecrets.org/Center for Responsive Politics

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Russ Choma, reporter, OpenSecrets.org/Center for Responsive Politics
Russ Choma is the money-in-politics reporter for OpenSecrets.org. Choma has a background in investigative journalism, having worked as a reporter for the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, and he spent five years as a newspaper reporter in New Hampshire. Besides transparency, Russ has also covered the green energy and the federal judicial system for a number of outlets and helped train reporters on both topics.

Moving In and Making It in News Management

Whether you are eyeing a promotion or trying to juggle all of the responsibilities of a manager's job, here's your chance to get advice from the experts. Find out what recruiters are looking for when they're filling management positions and how some of the best in the business handle the day-to-day challenges of being the boss.

Speakers: Virgil Smith, vice president/talent acquisition & diversity, Gannett, Co., Inc.; Dan Bradley, president/market leader (Ohio/Rhode Island market), Media General; Caroline Little, president and CEO, Newspaper Association of America/American Press Institute

Google 101 for Journalists

Learn how to get the most from search and other free tools from Google. Whether you’re in broadcast, print or digital journalism, this session will introduce ways you can search smarter, keep better tabs on your beat, see what’s hot and what’s not, add a visual edge to your online content, and use Google on the go when you’re reporting in the field. Walk away with tips and tricks and an online resource for Google Search, Hot Trends, Insights, Reader, News, Maps and more.

Trainer: Jake Parrillo, Google

Fair Use Without Fear: Finding the Journalist's Best Friend in Copyright Law

When is it OK to use someone else's copyrighted material without licensing it? When can someone else use my material without licensing it? Will fair use threaten or save the future of journalism? Join us for a workshop that gives you the grounding you need in the fair use doctrine, gives you tools to make copyright decisions, and shares the latest results from SPJ's initiative to create a set of principles on fair use in journalism.

Trainers: Patricia Aufderheide, professor, American University and co-author, “Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright”; Brandon Butler, counsel, Association of Research Libraries

Unleashing the Narrative Writer

Technology has altered the news industry — and our jobs — in countless ways, but one thing remains steadfast: the power of story. There is no substitute for stories that combine strong reporting with a compelling narrative, and this is as true for a week-long series as it is for 700-word dailies filed on deadline. Narrative writing remains the hallmark of journalism, and is even more valuable now in this world of instantaneous blogging and round-the-clock updates.

Trainer: Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer

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Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
Connie Schultz is a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate, and a regular essayist for Parade Magazine. She won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for columns that judges praised for providing “a voice for the underdog and the underprivileged."

Also in 2005, Schultz won the Scripps Howard National Journalism Award for Commentary and the National Headliner Award for Commentary. She was a 2003 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing for her series, "The Burden of Innocence," which chronicled the ordeal of Michael Green, who was imprisoned for 13 years for a rape he did not commit. The week after her series ran, the real rapist turned himself in after reading her stories. The series won the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Social Justice Reporting, the National Headliner Award's Best of Show and journalism awards from Harvard and Columbia universities.

In 2004, Schultz won the Batten Medal, which honors "a body of journalistic work that reflects compassion, courage, humanity and a deep concern for the underdog."

Schultz is also a fellow with the Vietnam Reporting Project. Her 2011 series, “Unfinished Business,” explored the long-term impact of Agent Orange in the U.S., and in Vietnam. Recently, the series won the Associated Press Managing Editors Journalism Excellence Award in International Perspective.

Schultz is the author of two books published by Random House: "Life Happens — And Other Unavoidable Truths," a collection of essays, and “...and His Lovely Wife,” a memoir about her husband Sherrod Brown’s successful 2006 race for the U.S. Senate.

Schultz and her husband have four grown children, and one grandson.

Writing in Color

In a time of tweets and Facebook, the long-form story is sometimes seen as an Edsel, a Sopwith Camel. The cold truth is, if you want to make a good living in this business you have to master it; if you want people to remember you after you are gone, you had damn well better. You had better learn how to write in color, with drama, detail, power and grace, maybe not Faulkner and maybe not Hemingway, but in a style all your own that makes reading not just a way to absorb information, but a thing of pleasure.

Trainer: Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer

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Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
Rick Bragg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and author of best-selling and critically acclaimed books on the people of his native South, including All Over but the Shoutin’, Ava’s Man and The Prince of Frogtown.

Bragg, the son of a woman who picked cotton in the red dirt of Calhoun County, Alabama, has written about people and issues around the country and world, but calls his books on family the proudest examples of his writing life, what historians and critics have described as heart-breaking anthems usually written only in fiction or clichés. They chronicle the lives of his family, mill workers, whiskey makers, long sufferers and fist fighters.

Bragg, who has written for magazines ranging from Sports Illustrated to The Smithsonian to Food and Wine, was a newspaper writer for more than two decades, covering everything from high school football back home to militant Islamic fundamentalism for The New York Times.

He won more than 50 significant writing awards, in books and journalism, including, twice, the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award, and the Harper Lee Award. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993, and has been, for about 40 years now, a freshman at Jacksonville State University.

He is currently the Clarence Cason Professor of Writing at the University of Alabama, and lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Dianne, a doctoral student there, and his step-son, Jake. They have a house in Fairhope, which he calls “the place I can draw a breath.”

He also writes a monthly column for Southern Living.

His only real hobby is fishing, but he is the worst fisherman in his family line.