Updates on conference, board elections
Greetings, from the Oregon SPJ board.
It’s October, which means it’s time for board elections, and our annual conference. We hope to see you get involved in both.
SPJ BOARD CANDIDATE DEADLINE EXTENDED
We’re extending the deadline to run for the SPJ Oregon board. You now have until Oct. 8 at 11:59 p.m. to sign up. It’s a volunteer position that gives you a seat at the table in protecting journalism in the state. Board member obligations are one Zoom meeting per month, and whatever initiatives — from lobbying in the Legislature to planning fundraisers — that you’d like to get involved in.
There are 5 seats up for election this year.
More info on how to apply is here.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE JUST WEEKS AWAY
Our annual Build a Better Journalist Conference) conference will be at the University of Oregon in Eugene on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you don’t have a ticket yet, get it here.
The event will bring in experts from around the state and a range of publications to talk about top issues in journalism today.
Plus, we’ll have your 2024 SPJ award plaques and certificates ready to be picked up and taken to their rightful places in your newsrooms. Conference attendees will get their awards faster than other journalists waiting on deliveries.
Here’s a sneak-peek at the panel topics:
Public records -- How public records law can help you better inform the public, including new resources and strategies to overcome delay and denial.
Internships -- Back by popular demand, the ins and outs of getting an internship and shining while you are there.
Solutions journalism -- Investigative reporting fulfills the essential accountability role underlying press freedoms. Solutions journalism combats growing cynicism and mistrust of the media by demonstrating even the thorniest social challenges can provide opportunity for hope. By combining the two methods, journalism can put greater pressure on leaders to solve problems by showing readers that problems are not intractable.
Covering Trump 2.0 -- What are the challenges of reporting today, what are some best practices, and how should media outlets respond to growing hostilities between Trump and what he perceives as an enemy? Also, personal safety for journalists in these times.
Data visualization for non-experts -- Learn how to use easy, free tools including Datawrapper and Flourish to draw more eyes to your stories with simple interactive maps, charts and searchable tables. Bring a laptop for hands-on practice.
AI: Love it or hate it, here's how to report on it -- The "do's" and "don'ts" of how journalists frame AI. Journalists play a key role in moderating public acceptance and fear of technologies, and therefore story choice, language, and, of course, use also contribute to how innovations are perceived. Our guest panelist will draw on examples ranging from virtual reality to games and AI itself to provide practical guidelines for reporters in discussing and communicating this increasingly mainstream technology.
Localizing the Legislature/state government -- So you're a million miles from Salem, but news keeps happening there that impacts your local coverage area. Here's how to incorporate it and deepen your reporting.