Our pre-convention workshops have helped hundreds of collegiate journalists.

$50 per person per workshop. Space is limited, and pre-registration online is required.

Being a leader in your newsroom

Jackie Alexander

Your newsroom faces enormous change and challenges as the college media landscape rapidly evolves.

Navigating it requires leadership, and this crash course will help you find ways to meet those challenges and equip you with tools you can use to make sound decisions.

Social justice reporting

Arvli Ward

Many student journalists found themselves thrown into action covering the protests that occurred last summer in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. An award-winning adviser who has coached student journalists will share experiences, perspectives and insight on reporting for social justice.

News design basics: A hands-on session 

Paige Connor and Ellen Collier

The importance of news design cannot be overstated. A journalist may pen the most significant story of our time, but if it lacks good design and consumability for the audience, it may go unnoticed.

Regardless of the format — be it short form, long form investigative, or a collection of stories spanning pages — the design and visual presentation play a pivotal role in captivating readers, ensuring they engage with the content and grasp its significance.

Join us for an immersive and inspiring workshop on news-design basics, led by members of the SND Foundation and the Society for News Design. This pre-conference workshop is for any student with an interest in news design, regardless of their level of experience. Whether you’re a journalist, a graphic designer, or educator, you’ll find valuable insights to elevate your storytelling skills and make your news presentations stand out.

During this hands-on session, participants will delve into the core principles of news design, exploring how to effectively communicate complex information through compelling visual storytelling regardless of medium. The workshop will cover the following key areas: typography, layout, visual hierarchy, data vizualizations, photo selection and editing, and interactive elements. 

Improving your sportswriting skills

Joe Gisondi and Sam Crenshaw

Sportswriters capture a game’s energy, reveal players’ personalities and detail the ups and downs of a team’s season across all platforms.

We’ll offer tips, advice and hands-on activities to become a better sportswriter, broadcaster and reporter.

Media law crash course

Presented by FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Lindsie Rank and Anne Marie Tamburro

In this interactive session, we’ll teach you how to make the law work for you — how to recognize and evade censorship, and how to avoid legal pitfalls.

We’ll start with a quick and dirty overview of media and First Amendment law.

Then we’ll talk about your experiences and draw on true-life case studies to investigate what really happens when you face censorship, get sued or have a legal question.