I spend a lot of time encouraging NABJ members, especially our younger ones, to attend the association’s annual convention. I always want to hear back from them to see how their experience was. Some of our members were kind enough to share their experiences, below.
Elijah Baker
The 2019 National Association of Black Journalists in Miami was my best convention by far. I can’t explain it. I prayed that God would allow me to be intentional with my behavior and words. Leading to the conference, I did my best to prepare our students and younger journalists on expectations and budgeting via social media. They said, “Are you the guy who did that video on Twitter?” I said, “Yep!” I did it for us.
In return, the family looked after me. I’ve been struggling these past 20 months in my personal life, at church and at work. It got to the point where I felt like I was slipping away. I wasn’t taking care of myself. I felt paralyzed.
For the first time, I believe, NABJ had a managing your mental health while on the job. You have no idea how much I needed the support of my brothers and sisters in that workshop. I was able to release the pain I buried on the inside. Black men hugged me. Black women encouraged me. NABJ was the first time I asked for professional mental health advice.
I see clearly how NABJ changes lives. When we stop merely seeing our conventions as the come-up, we’ll start to see our gathering as a space to heal. We’re really good at hiding our pain until it overcomes us. I am refreshed now. New Orleans was my first NABJ experience. Detroit was my second. Miami was therapeutic.
Janay Reece
This year, NABJ was different for me. It was my first convention as a working television
reporter/MMJ. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish: Get a TON of feedback on my reel, meet new friends, and take the first steps toward becoming an investigative reporter. Little did I know, hardly any of that would happen.
Instead, I learned more about myself and connected with people in a different way. I went to a session about mental health and it made me realize that I need help. Our health as media professionals is beyond skin deep. Listening to the panelists made me realize the journey we take in the media industry can’t be done alone, and I was trying to do that. It was draining me and I didn’t even know.
Hearing my peers and other experienced journalists discuss what they have been through, made me see I am not alone and my support system is right in front of me. This year at NABJ —- yes —- I still got my reel critiques, gained new skills, and had a good time, but I saw the village of people here to support me. Before my first reporting job, I had no idea how draining things would get. Every single person I spoke to during the convention breathed life back into me and it was an experience I needed.
Nicholas Lawrence Vaughn
Vaughn is a rising senior at Morehouse College and an intern at the Atlanta Voice.
My experience at my first NABJ convention was magical. It was great being around so many people who want to go into the same profession. It was similar to being at Morehouse, where the competition makes you work that much harder to get what you want — but increased by 100 percent, with so many people there from all over the country.
The convention was inspirational and motivating. I not only saw local reporters and writers, but also the ones I see on TV every day. They were all nice and willing to help the next of us because at the end of the day, everyone wanted to help each other make it to the top and be the best that they can be.
Note: While attending the convention, Vaughn learned he had been selected as one of five Online News Association HBCU Digital Fellows. He will attend the ONA conference in New Orleans next month, where he will write for the Student Newsroom and receive digital skills training.
Royal Thomas II
This year’s NABJ conference in Miami was honestly an eye-opener for me. On several different fronts, I learned so much about the field and its inner workings. The most obvious takeaway is networking; meeting so many fresh, successful, BLACK faces is an experience unparalleled to anything I have come across. I also received great tips and guidance at the conference. Seeing what others are working on and how they go about their craft was great food for thought. I have identified several areas to which I can make improvements in my own work.
I thank all the people who shared their NABJ Miami stories. It’s always good to have a reminder of the true power our organization has to change lives. Watch this space for tips to save money for Washington, D.C.!
1. NABJ changes perceptions. I posted the above photo on my Facebook page. It is still racking up views. I thought all my friends should see a different view of black men, including my mentee Avery Braxton (far left).
2. NABJ’s next generation came to slay. I was SO proud to see so many of my mentees, who are all doing SO well in their careers. And they were all prepared when it came time to go to the exhibit hall.
3. I value my time with founders. I had the chance to spend almost two hours with Founder Sandra Long Weaver. We talked about everything from teaching the next generation to the history of Jack Daniels.
4. There were too many workshops to choose from. Did you see this year’s schedule? It was chock-a-block full of sessions that competed, making it hard to choose. I was happy to see that some panels were live-streamed, and I hope that will be a trend that continues in D.C. next year.
5. Black people *want* their washcloths. There was a situation for those of us staying at the host hotel where the Turnberry Isle ran out of washcloths. So much so that it was the runner-up in this year’s Overheard at #NABJ19.
6. The Young Black Journalists Task Force rocks! As task force co-chairs Chelsea Fuller and Walter Randolph-Smith wind down their tenure, I want to give them a shout out for all their hard work representing the future leaders of NABJ.
7.Suite talks are really cool. The Visual Task Force always has great programming. But this year, VP-Print Marlon A. Walker also hosted two days of suite talks for the NABJ Freelancers Task Force. Roy Wood missed his talk because he was sent to Iowa, but the other talks were intimate and informative.
8. We worked it out when it came to the bar. Yes, the bar was small. Yes, the drinks were expensive. But there was a very reasonably priced happy hour at Corsair Kitchen and Bar from 3-6 p.m. every day that helped.
9. Bring back the spa booth. The person who set that up outside of registration is a genius! That definitely needs to return next year in D.C.
10. You *must* have your tribe! Every year, we end NABJ with brunch. And it was doubly good because we were celebrating Aprill Turner’s birthday. See you all in D.C.!
I usually have this post done the Monday after the 18th annual Online News Association conference. But there was so much to unpack I needed extra time to process everything. And for those of you who didn’t make it this year, it was just as good as it looked on social media, so I hope you’re preparing for New Orleans next year. So here’s my review.
The ONA board is very popular! We have a record 22 folks running for six board seats, including me. No matter who wins, the board will be in a great position to help implement ONA’s strategic plan, already in progress. Click here to see the video, listen to the audio or read the social media on the candidate’s forum. Did I mention there was a bar? You have until Sept. 27 to vote, here.
Partial group photo of #NABJAtONA#TheBrownAndTheBeautiful photo at ONA, styled by Paul Cheung.
2. Diversity a thing! I remember when there were so few of us attending the ONA conference that we all fit into a picture. But not this year! My #NABJ tribe took a photo but had to take several in order to get everyone, and we still didn’t do it. I saw many more people of color and got to see many friends I made at my first (and the last true) Unity convention in Chicago in 2008. And my heart was warmed seeing how many NABJ members say they will attend ONA in 2019. Overall, the diversity at this year’s conference was pretty good. Wait until New Orleans! #NABJAtONA
The HBUC Fellows and Leader Michael Grant at ONA’s awards banquet.
3. The ONA HBCU Fellows crushed it — again! THESE are the #ONA18 HBCU Digital Journalist Fellows at our awards banquet. Left to right: Xavier McKnight (Savannah State); Leah Proctor-Ford (Spelman); Shayla Simmons (Tennessee State); Kyla Wright (Hampton); Daja Henry (Howard); and Program Lead Mentor Michael R. Grant (Grambling State). I strongly encourage you to check out their work here, under HBCU FELLOWS REPORTING. And if you’re looking to diversify your newsroom internships, contact them; they’re all seniors! Or contact me — I’ll help you find them and other deserving students of color in need of paid internships.
4. I get by with a little help from my friends. I have to thank all of my friends who stopped by to speak with the HBCU fellows. They took time out of their busy schedules to share their experiences and wisdom with these young people. Most importantly, they made the HBCU fellows really think about the realities of a journalism career. So shout out to my boss Mandi Woodruff, executive editor at LendingTree; Rochelle Riley, award-winning columnist at the Detroit Free Press; 2018 CNN Diversity Fellow and SB Nation staff writer Tyler Tynes; Sarah Glover,NABJ President and NBC Social Media Editor; Ebony Reed, director of innovation and the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Futures Lab at the University of Missouri; Imaeyen Ibanga, senior producer and presenter with AJ+ and ONA board member (vote for her here); Akoto Ofori-Atta, senior editor of The Trace; and Jamal Jordan, 2017 CNN Diversity Fellow and digital storytelling editor at the New York Times.
Award winner Marissa Evans.
5. And the winner is… This is my mentee Marissa Evans. Marissa worked in the Online News Association Student Newsroom (along with Anna-Lysa Gayle) in 2012. She is now the health policy reporter at the Texas Tribune. She was one of a few journalists of color to win an ONA journalism award for her story comparing the childbirth process in Poland and Texas. Marissa won a grant from the Pulitzer Foundation to pay for her trip to Poland (after meeting the granters at NABJ in New Orleans) to report on the story. These awards are prestigious and they are always competitive, but the right person won. P.S. If you’re looking to hire a talented journalist for your newsroom, you should definitely give Marissa a call. Or email me here — I have a lot of people who would be great for your newsroom. Seriously.
6. Amy Webb was…soothing! Her panel, “Tech Trends For Journalists,” is always packed. It’s known for dropping some serious wisdom — and scaring the crap out of us. But this year, Amy flipped the script and focused on the optimistic side, and gave us cocktails to boot! You can view, listen to and read about her session here — and I highly recommend that you do.
Emma Carew Grovum (leader, Journalism Mentorship Collaborative), Kim Bui (board secretary), Mandy Jenkins (board president) Benet Wilson (board VP), Charo Henríquez (board member) and Rubina Madan Fillion (board candidate).The annual #BlackGirlMagic photo at Amy Webb’s tech trends presentation.
7. Women rule. This is a photo of women who are kicking ass, both on the ONA board and in their careers. I hope that every one of them ends up running ONA, now and in the future.
8. Time management. The truth is, I *suck* in this area. There was always a workshop to attend, a person to have coffee with, mentees to hug, board duties to perform, receptions and parties to enjoy, dinners to eat and cocktails to enjoy (thanks, Mandy Jenkins for making me stay up when I really wanted to sleep).
Companies participating in the ONA Midway.
9. I saw the future of journalism. One of my favorite things about the ONA conference is The Midway. I call it an exhibit hall on steroids because you have great companies creating interesting tools and tech that help us do our jobs smarter and better. There are hands-on demonstrations and presentations on what’s next. Check out this 2:10-minute video on what you missed.
10. The ONA staff kicks ASS! Led by Executive Director Irving Washington, this staff — a perfect blend of full-timers and great consultants — always manages to raise the bar with our conference every year. If there were issues, we never saw them. Every single time I saw a member of the ONA team, they were cool, collected and smiling. And a BIG shout out to the newest member of the staff, Diana Lopez, who started on the job mere days before we descended on Austin.
It’s well known that attending ONA isn’t cheap. Every year, the conference sells out because people see the value it brings to the table. But one of the many things I love about this particular event is how open and accessible it is.
If you can’t be in Austin, you can still join us — for FREE — thanks to our amazing video, audio and social teams that cover almost every workshop. And we’re also doing, for the first time, we’re also doing the ONA on Air podcast, which will be available on Soundcloud, Google Play, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.
Look at the “How’s My Story Doing? Custom Analytics and Empowered Local Newsrooms” workshop. The Audio and Screen symbols mean that this particular session will be live streamed and also have audio available. You can also sign up to gets notifications when the live stream and social conversation begin. Not every session will be live streamed, but between that, audio and social, you’ll get access to the majority of our programming. It’s not like being in Austin, but it’s pretty close.
So below are my picks of 10 workshops that can help digital journalists of color remain relevant in their newsrooms.
11th Annual Tech Trends For Journalists (AUDIO & VIDEO): This is THE must-attend session of the convention every year. If you had the chance to see a version of journalist and futurist Amy Webb’s presentation at NABJ’s Philadelphia convention in 2011, then you know what I’m talking about. If not, check out a presentation where Webb will blow your mind via insights into what trends will impact journalism, what tools are on the horizon and how newsrooms can use them, while also avoiding potential disruption.
Notes from the Journalism Diaspora (AUDIO & VIDEO): This year’s NABJ Region I conference included a Diversity and Management training program led by former Deputy Regional Director Nicki Mayo. One of the panels, “New management and leadership skills for journalists,” featured Justin Ellis, a journalist who wrote for Neiman Lab and ESPN the magazine. At that time he had taken a job as a researcher on former “Daily Show” correspondent Wyatt Cenac’s new HBO show “Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas.” As newsrooms continue to cut editorial jobs, this panel discusses how journalists can develop skills that are useful within and outside of news media.
Screenshot of AirTran Airways’ website on Aug. 15, 2000.
Setting the Record Straight by Going Wayback (AUDIO): If you attended my NABJ Innovation Bubble workshop, “Tools & Apps for Digital Journalists,” you know that one of the tools I highlighted was the Wayback Machine, The Internet Archive, which allows anyone to see archived versions of web pages going back to 1996. Site director Mark Graham will discuss how newsrooms and journalists can use it to build out their archive-sourcing capabilities and leverage the internet’s long memory because it’s true — just because you delete it or archive it doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.
Vicarious Trauma Response Planning (AUDIO): We’ve had a year when it comes to covering traumatic events. This is a great panel for newsroom leaders and reporters on how to plan for this coverage and ensure that teams leave room for self-care.
Beyond Audiograms: Audience Engagement in Podcasting (AUDIO): It seems like we’re seeing news-related podcasts being released on the regular. But it’s not enough to just throw one out there. In this workshop, panelists will look at things like social metrics, SMS, chatbots and Facebook groups that are portable, scalable concepts that promote products while also fueling storytelling.
Alerts, Apps and Algorithms: Loyalty in a Mobile-First World (AUDIO): It seems like new and updated digital tools come out every day. This workshop is designed to help newsrooms building mobile channel strategies, decision makers trying to understand where traffic and loyalty intersect and anyone trying to get a handle on the impact of mobile OS-driven algorithms.
Subscriptions, Metrics and the Newsroom: How Journalists are Getting Involved (AUDIO): Online newsrooms have always had a focus on these topics, but legacy newsrooms have been slower to the game. But we know that metrics are driving how stories are written and who stays and goes based on the numbers. This session is for anyone looking to get a handle on how to read conversion metrics.
Ten Secrets of Fast Writing and Powerful Storytelling (AUDIO & VIDEO): As newsroom leaders and editors push to create content to feed the beast, sometimes you can feel like you’re constantly grinding and not telling the stories you want to tell. This workshop helps you balance speed with good storytelling.
Beyond Facebook: How to Survive and Thrive After Newsfeed Changes (AUDIO): Facebook, for good or bad, has become an important tool for newsrooms to push out their content. But every time you think you’ve mastered the algorithm, change comes, causing chaos to your feed. This panel will discuss how you can use tools like Reddit, Flipboard and Pocket to keep their audiences and reduce their reliance on things like Facebook and Google.
VP-Broadcast Dorothy Tucker hosted a webinar earlier this evening with Kim Godwin of CBS News. It was a lively discussion on her rise from an investigative reporter to one of the highest-ranking black women in the news business. Click HERE for a recording of the webinar.
Godwin also discussed open jobs at CBS News and why they would be of interest to NABJ members. Click HERE for a full list of open jobs and internships, and check out the list below.
CBS THIS MORNING: Broadcast Marketing Associate(contact John Peck)
Office Manager(contact Ray Ortiz)
CBS THIS MORNING Associate Producer (contact Brian Applegate)
SATURDAY:
CBSN: Media Manager – freelance(contact Lindsey O’Connell)
Associate Producer – freelance (contact Rob Gifford)
DALLAS BUREAU: 4.03(g) Maintenance Technician (contact Dan Klos)
DC BUREAU: Political Director(contact Chris Isham)
ELECTION AND SURVEY UNIT: Unit Coordinator – part-time(contact Jennifer De Pinto)
OPERATIONS DC: 4.03(g) Technician Editor (contact Bob McKinley)
RADIO NEWS: Digital Content Producer (contact Craig Swagler)
4.03(g) Technician(contact Craig Swagler)
Editorial Manager (contact Craig Swagler)
Unit Manager (contact Craig Swagler)
CBS INTERACTIVE: Associate Video Producer for CBSNews.com – freelance(contact Paul Kim)
The Digital Journalism Task Force will continue hosting these members-only webinars. If there’s a topic you think we should cover or if you want to host a webinar between now and August, please contact us HERE.
I’ve been in the journalism business for more than 30 years. I have worked my way up into management, with some companies doing a great job training me, while others not so much.
I was delighted when NABJ partnered with the Poynter Institute in 2016 to create the Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media. The class of 25 represent emerging leaders in digital media who have demonstrated an aptitude for leadership through current projects and references.
They come to Poynter’s St. Petersburg campus for a week to receive guidance on navigating newsroom culture, leadership styles, the business of journalism and entrepreneurship, as well as networking and one-on-one coaching. I’m honored to be one of the instructors of this amazing program, which trained its second class in December 2017.
It’s important that the next generation of diverse leaders get training here, because they may not be in newsrooms that support their efforts. So when I put out the call for the 2016 cohort to do a management webinar, Nicole Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution stood up and created this webinar.
Smith has created a unique master class — with panelists Erica Henry of CNN, Herman Wong of the Washington Post and Indu Chandrasekhar of Wired magazine — for those who are ready for the next level. In this webinar, attendees will learn how to bolster your leadership skills, gain career allies, nurture relationships, and articulate vision to a team. Click here for more information and to register for this free, hour-long webinar.
One of the goals of the NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force’s New Year, New You webinar series is to help members do their jobs smarter and better in 2018. A big way of doing that is learning how to write respectfully and with knowledge about communities and groups that may not always be ones you cover.
So we were delighted when the co-chairs of the NABJ LGBTQ Task Force — Tre’Vell Anderson and Ernest Owens (who also is the current NABJ Emerging Journalist of the year) stepped up and created this webinar.
This webinar will discuss industry reporting standards, emerging trends and areas of improvement regarding coverage of the LGBTQ communities in print, broadcasting, and digital platforms. After this one-hour event, attendees will leave with ways to intersectionally improve their newsrooms’ coverage of LGBTQ people.
Join us on Monday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET for what we expect to be an interesting and informative conversation. Click here to register.
If it’s the beginning of the new year, that means it’s time for the NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force’s annual “New Year, New You” webinar series. Every year, we kick off January with a series of webinars designed to help you jump-start your career. As usual, we partner with NABJ Task Forces and members to create this programming.
Usually, you must be a paid NABJ member to participate, but for January, anyone can join us. But going forward, you will need to be a paid member (local membership doesn’t count) to participate in future webinars. Click here if you want to join NABJ.
Below is a list of the webinars we have scheduled this month. And if you have ideas for future webinars email us herewith your ideas and we’ll work on making them happen. I thank all the NABJ members who have stepped up to make this happen!
It’s almost a tradition that we kick off the New Year, New You webinar series with a resume review session with Benét Wilson, an aviation journalist and NABJ’s immediate past VP-Digital. She’s done hundreds of resume reviews for everyone from students to executives and has her own businessfor those who need help.
Benét has partnered with NABJ Student Board Representative Kyra Azore to do a resume webinar. In this session, she will offer her top 10 tips to use to craft a resume that won’t get thrown away. She will also do live resume reviews and answer your questions. This session is for students, but anyone is welcome to join us on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Click here to register. Hope to “see” you there!
I thought I’d go ahead and get this down on the blog while it’s still fresh in my mind. If you didn’t attend this year’s Online News Association conference in D.C., you missed one of the best events of the year. Here are 10 things I learned — and start getting ready for #ONA18 in Austin, Texas!
The ONA HBCU Digital Fellows with Instructor Michael Grant and Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times.
2. Michelle Johnson of Boston University and Katia Hetter of CNN kick ass! These women, along with their team of mentors, ran this year’s Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab. Not only did they oversee the stories written by students, but they also focused on innovations including new tools and creative storytelling. Check out their stories and innovation here.
#NABJatONA
3. #MediaDiversity is alive!! I saw it in what was a record number of overall and diverse attendees in D.C., and NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA and NLGJA were all represented. This is impressive because it wasn’t so long ago that there were conferences where I could physically count the diverse attendee. I also saw it on the panels and at the sold-out diversity reception.
4. There are employers who want to do better. We had more than 20 hiring managers attend year three of “Workshop for Inclusive Recruitment, Hiring and Retention.” Led by Doug Mitchell, speakers (including me) discussed trends and tips on creating and maintaining diverse newsrooms.
5. Amy Webb STILL rocks with her “10 Tech Trends For Journalists” session. We all know that you need to get there early if you want a seat. This year, Amy handed out free copies of her book, “The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream” and Google set up their coffee bar to have us caffeinated for her talk. If you saw her presentation at NABJ Philly in 2011, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Click here for access to a Dropbox with all her data for the trends. And click here to watch the one-hour presentation.
Tiffany Lew, me and Ayumi Fukuda Bennett, left. Ayumi’s sketchnote of the #ONA17 opening keynote address.
6. Sketchnoting is a thing. For real! I was a mentor at the ProPublica Diversity Breakfast and I was paired with Ayumi Fukuda Bennett and Tiffany Lew (who are both great). When I asked Ayumi what she did, she pulled out a Moleskin notebook and POW — it was an amazing sketchnote of the opening #ONA17 keynote address. She does this live and is done with a sketch 20 minutes after a session is over. See a video of her doing her thing here. Follow her on Twitter and check out her website on Medium. And seriously — you need to hire her for your next workshop, panel or event. Seriously.
7. Facebook is here to help. They held office hours on the exhibit floor where specialists took appointments to teach skills. I took the CrowdTangle and Instagram consults and I can’t wait to play with them. You can check out some lessons here.
8. The ONA Midway was a great place to get down and dirty with tools and tech. I’m sad that I only had a few minutes in this cool space.
9. We have another stellar (and diverse) group of ONA board candidates. You can check out the video from the Lighting Round session, where 11 board candidates made their pitches on why they should be one of the five candidates elected.
10. There wasn’t enough coffee!! There was a coffee shop on site and Google had a coffee bar across from registration. But the lines for both were always long, so I got my java fix in the Student Newsroom and the very kind folks at the Knight Foundation Lounge.
4. There are employers who want to do better. We had more than 20 hiring managers attend year three of 
NABJDigital Blog 