SPJ/LA March Newsletter

Greetings dear SPJ/LAers, and welcome to our chapter's first newsletter of spring!

The latest news...

  • SPJ/LA is expanding the list of categories for our annual Distinguished Journalists Awards. Last month, our chapter's board of directors voted to create a visual storytelling category, which will allow us to highlight the work of photojournalists, graphic designers, data journalists and others.

  • Our chapter will also be adding two student awards categories, honoring those who produce journalism in Southern California while attending two-year and four-year colleges. Finally, we are making changes to our broadcast radio category, renaming it audio journalism. That change will allow us to recognize not just those who are in radio, but those working in the podcast arena.

  • We're looking for volunteers to help us plan an in-person regional journalism conference in Los Angeles, which is being tentatively scheduled for late summer. If you have ideas for timely and interesting workshops or panels, please don't hesitate to drop us a line.

In case you missed it...

Our chapter held a lively panel last month on the interactions between journalists and public information officers. If you missed out, you can catch the video HERE. We'd like to thank both our panelists and our moderator, Benjamin Davis, journalism professor for Cal State, Northridge. A special shout-out goes to SPJ/LA board member, Xavier Higgs for organizing the event.

  • SPJ/LA recently joined with the L.A. chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association to host a career session at this year’s Associated Collegiate Press Conference in Long Beach. The session featured hiring managers from Southern California News Group and KPCC/LAist and an early career journalist from the Los Angeles Times, who offered advice on internships or entry-level positions in the news business.

  • You might have received an email recently about some technical issues that new members may have experienced when trying to join SPJ/LA. Please open it and respond! We are working with our counterparts at SPJ national to resolve the problems -- and want to make sure that everyone who wants to get involved in our chapter has a chance to do so.

From the national organization . . .

  • SPJ will offer a free session at 1 p.m. on Wednesday for freelancers and others looking to strengthen their resume-writing skills. The event will feature Ruth Thaler-Carter, co-author of the Editorial Freelancers Association's 'Resumes for Freelancers: Make Your Resume an Effective Marketing Tool... and More.' Registration info HERE

Read other SPJ news here.

Finally...

I want to let all of you know that I will be handing off the newsletter to others at SPJ/LA. Because of my work obligations, I have made the painful decision to step down from the board. It tears me up to do this, because I believe so deeply in our mission of supporting journalists and journalism.

In many ways, the SPJ community has become a second family. So let's just consider this step as a pause, since I hope to work with everyone again very soon. And of course, please remember my two magic words: Join SPJ/LA!

Believe and stay safe!

Navid Nonahal
Membership Committee Chair
SPJ/LA

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