NewsPro: National Association of Black Journalists Convention

Stories for August 2009:       

• Twitter Makes Serious News: In the modern news world, the idea that the respected news professionals at ABC’s “Nightline” are involved with a program with the unlikely name of “Twittercast” seems perfectly normal. But it would have sounded absurd even just a year ago.The “Twitter” in Twittercast, of course, is the new Web-based text-broadcast service that played such a pivotal role in getting news out of Iran during the early days of protest following that country’s controversial presidential elections ...
• As Local Sharing Progresses, New Concerns Emerge:  New. Experimental. Here to Stay?That would be the tease for the rapidly spreading practice of fiercely competitive television stations joining to pool their resources as a way to reduce costs and expand coverage.The pooling of broadcast news video, also known as local news sharing (LNS), is a concept that has caught fire in recent months—but not without controversy—and is under way in several dozen markets, including all five of the nation’s largest DMAs ...
• SPJ Grapples With Loss of Members at Century Mark:  When the Society of Professional Journalists was founded as a journalistic fraternity at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., in 1909, few could have imagined the upheavals that now roil the profession. But as it celebrates its 100th anniversary, the nation’s oldest journalism organization, founded as Sigma Delta Chi, can credit its survival to its ability so far to keep pace ...
• SPJ's Harper Leaves Laughs in His Wake:  He never worked as a professional journalist, but Terry Harper, the late executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation, knew how to write laugh-out-loud prose that could also bring a reader of his blog to tears. His many friends and colleagues got a last installment of his humor on June 2, the day he died from a brain tumor ...
• Success Story: NY One Wins by Adding News Stories Online:  If recent news events have taught us anything it’s that viewers absolutely expect stories to run on-air and on the Web at the same time.That’s why when NY1 News gave its Web site a much-needed makeover late last year, the 24-hour Time Warner Cable-owned channel stuffed the site with lots of videos and launched some serious promotion ...
• Online: In Pursuit of the Perfect Web Site:  For television and radio stations and newspapers across the country, adjunct Web sites are an essential tool. But creating the most relevant site can be a challenge, however, and maintaining its effectiveness is a never-ending process. So is there a road map for the creation and maintenance of a successful site? ...
• Technology: Letting the Public Tell the Story:  It’s nice when someone else can help you do your job, especially if they’ll work for free. Audience submissions are coming into their own as a resource for news networks, local stations and newspapers, which are increasingly incorporating layman-generated video and feedback into their offerings ...
• Sign Off by Tom Petner: Preparing for Life With Leno:  Comedy is big news this season, particularly in September, when NBC will go from dark and bloody to light and funny—dropping Jay Leno into the 10 p.m. slot traditionally reserved for scripted drama. It’s a move, however, that is no laughing matter for NBC affiliates, possibly altering the viewing landscape forever.

National Association of Black Journalists Convention

• Bridging the Job Gap: In these difficult economic times, as newspapers continue to shutter, TV advertising sales lag and newsrooms demand more from ever-smaller staffs, this year’s National Association of Black Journalists’ convention and career fair could prove one of the most important to date to its members ...
• Economy's Cuts Felt Deeply by Minorities: Widespread unemployment, little or no job security and the need to evolve to keep up with a rapidly transforming profession are challenges currently faced by all journalists. But some observers contend that journalists of color have been more vulnerable than others in this troubled economic environment ...
• 'Washington Watch' Offers a New Perspective on D.C.: When Roland S. Martin says that he has a fresh perspective for the 21st century, he means it. The multifaceted journalist is preparing to host a new Sunday morning public affairs program for TV One called “Washington Watch” for a sound and important reason—diversity ...
• Wilbon Sporting a New Honor: Michael Wilbon, longtime Washington Post sports columnist and co-host of ESPN’s popular daily sports talk show “Pardon the Interruption,” will be honored with the National Association of Black Journalists Lifetime Achievement Award on Aug. 8. He recently spoke with NewsPro correspondent Allison J. Waldman ...
• AAJA Shares the Goal: The Asian American Journalists Association, one of NABJ's partners in the Unity: Journalists of Color strategic alliance, will also be exploring ways to reinvent the business of journalism and helping its members make new career choices at its national convention, scheduled for Aug. 12-15 in Boston ...

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