Pre-convention Workshops

9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Oct. 31  |  $50

Pre-registration is required, and space is limited.

Covering Elections

2020 is already shaping up to be one of the most contentious American elections ever.

In this workshop a campaign reporter for POLITICO will teach you the tactics of the political reporter, from reading campaign finance reports and analyzing polling data to covering debates and interacting with campaign staff.

Zach Montellaro, POLITICO

Student Leadership

It’s not enough to worry just about your section editors working with their reporters and photojournalists to produce solid content for your newspaper and site. Now you lead a newsroom that provides news to its community in many ways and on many schedules. And you’re doing it with tighter budgets at a time when you’re accused of providing fake news to the public.

Let’s sort this out and provide you with a compass to guide your newsroom.

Kenna Griffin, College Media Association
Mark Witherspoon, Iowa State Daily

Storytelling for Video Journalists 

Today’s nonfiction video storytelling exists on multiple platforms, from web to broadcast to social and mobile. The best of these videos rely on a key element — the story.

This workshop will focus on how to identify the components of a strong video story and provide a crash course in video shooting and editing. Leading the session are the producer and director of “Charlottesville: Race and Terror,” the Vice News Tonight documentary on HBO and the former National Geographic short biography.

Bring a laptop and camera (or mobile device) to participate in hands-on portions of the workshop.

Josh Davis, San Francisco State University
Kathryn Carlson, SideXSide Studios, former video producer for National Geographic

So, You Want to Start a Podcast

Everyone from your favorite celebrity to your Aunt Sally now has a podcast. But making something that is authentic and engaging — and that people will listen to — isn’t easy.

A veteran NPR host/producer who recently launched the new podcast “Spectacular Failures” will walk you through planning and producing a podcast and offer tips on breaking into this expanding field.

Lauren Ober, “Spectacular Failures”

Fast and Furious:
The Society for News Design QuickCourse

For 40 years, SND has been the authority on news design, shaping the future of journalism through stronger visuals. You’ll get a chance to work with Washington Post designers to learn better practices, have your work critiqued and gain new perspectives. Come prepared to think, collaborate and critique.

This session will cover both print and digital design. Bring copies of your publication or site, in print, screenshot or PDF, for the best part — our group critiques.

Aviva Loeb, Virginia Singarayer and Amy Cavenaile, The Washington Post

Law of the Student Press/
Supreme Court Tour

All proceeds go to Student Press Law Center.

Tour the U.S. Supreme Court with SPLC Legal Counsel Mike Hiestand, a member of the bar of the Supreme Court.

After viewing exhibits and meeting with court staff, the group will walk to the Newseum, where Hiestand will brief you on your rights as student journalists and take on your most vexing questions.

Mike Hiestand, Student Press Law Center

Helping Student Newsrooms Cover
the Whole Story with Solutions Journalism

For advisers/faculty only

We’ll explore the key tenets of solutions journalism and how to apply it in college newsrooms. We’ll look at college-level reporting examples, as well as the abundant resources available through the Solutions Journalism Network.

Participants will gain story ideas and a sense of how to guide student journalists who want to incorporate the approach into their reporting.

Samantha McCann, Solutions Journalism Network

Google Tools for Journalists

Free

Google Tools are essential for journalists, who use them for everything from verification and research to digital visualization and mapping.

You will learn a broad range of practical tools that will enhance your reporting, including Google Search, Google Alerts, Google Scholar, Google Maps/Earth, Google Translate, Google Trends, Google Public Data Explorer and YouTube.

Benét J. Wilson, Google News Initiative