Event: 21st Annual Asian American Journalists Convention

When: August 4 to 7, 2010.

Where: Renaissance Hotel, 1755 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The annual Asian American Journalists Association returns to Los Angeles for the first time in 17 years August 4-7, 2010 at the Renaissance Hotel near the world-famous Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex. Our world-class program features panels and workshops to strengthen your skills in this dynamic field. Learn new technologies and techniques for investigative journalism, developing stories for multi-media platforms, covering ethnic communities and foreign coverage.

Some conference highlights:

Job recruiters from The Associated Press, CNN, The Detroit News, Eli Lilly and Company, Gannett Co., Inc, Gilead, Marketwire, The McClatchy Company, NBC News, The New York Times, NY Daily News, Social Imprints, USA TODAY, The Washington Post and more TBA.

Laura Ling, a correspondent for Current TV, who was detained in North Korea for 140 days and brought back to the U.S. by Bill Clinton. She has since become an advocate for imprisoned journalists around the world and trafficked women.

Ben Fong-Torres, a former senior editor and writer with Rolling Stone magazine, who was portrayed in Almost Famous, the 2000 film by Cameron Crowe. The Renaissance Media Man blazed trails both print and broadcast media during the revolutionary, counter-cultural civil rights-embattled 1960s.

AAJA’s founders and other Asian American media pioneers.

Free dinner cruise of the beautiful Long Beach Harbor, home of the historic Queen Mary. Transportation to and from the harbor included.

-Opening night reception

-Silent auction

-Gala banquet

-Networking mixers

-Field trips to Disneyland, The Price Is Right TV show, Huntington Gardens

Register online or download the convention registration book which includes travel information, convention highlights, national awards forms, and more.

Save 25% with early-bird registration. Pay only $225 (professional members) $100 (student members) if you sign up by April 16. Registration costs $300 (professional members) $150 (student members) thereafter. On-site registration costs $375 (professional members) $200 (student members). First 100 registrants to book their hotel by May 1 gets free wi-fi access in their rooms.

By VANESSA HUA

Russ Stanton thinks anyone who would want to have lunch with him wants to discuss the Los Angeles Times.

Stanton, who is editor of The Times, is one of the media leaders who agreed to be auctioned off as a prize at the AAJA Gala Silent Auction at the UNITY convention in Chicago.

“I’m not sure I would pay to dine with me,” Stanton joked.

From newbies to veterans, AAJA-LA chapter members are gearing up for UNITY convention, which will be held July 23 through July 27 in Chicago. UNITY is the nation’s largest gathering of minority journalists. Nearly 10,000 journalists and media executives will meet at the convention to discuss timely issues affecting journalism and the media industry.

Board Member Cynthia Wang, who also serves as AAJA’s national treasurer, is charged with organizing the silent auction on behalf of the Los Angeles chapter. Even with the economic downturn, donations have been steadily coming in, she said.

In addition to lunch with Stanton, Los Angeles chapter board members have secured items such as floor seats to a Los Angeles Clippers game, a weekend stay at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa, tickets to show tapings of “Ellen,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Other items include tickets to a results show for the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars,” a Guitar Hero III console for Xbox, a tour of L.A.’s K-town nightlife with James Kyson Lee, who stars as “Ando” on the NBC hit “Heroes.”

Stanton said he would take the winner to Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse in downtown Los Angeles if the bid winner is in Los Angeles. Or, as an alternative, he will take the winner to lunch in Chicago during the convention.

He guessed a number of potential job candidates may try to win lunch with him. Stanton also speculates that bidders wants to discuss the changing media, the growth of online, how to meet that challenge while still tackling print or how The Times is remaking itself. 

“And I’d like to hear ideas from them on how we can improve our hiring process and our coverage of non-white communities,” Stanton said.

Wang has a goal of exceeding the amount raised at last year’s auction. To that end, she has asked each of AAJA’s 20 chapters to provide a travel-related item, a media-related item and a sports-related item from their region for the event. There will also be a photo collection from AAJA photographers and a table of books, DVDs and CDs for instant purchase.

Last year’s auction at the AAJA Miami convention earned $16,000.

Vanessa Hua is an AAJA member and Unity stipend recipient.

POSITIONS

• Metro/community news reporting – Story assignments will depend on the intern’s ability and development. He/she will work directly with editors at our Woodland Hills office or bureaus. Shifts are flexible and may include some nights and weekends.
• Online – Intern will assist in creating and posting stories, photos and multimedia packages for dailynews.com and sister Web sites. Shifts are flexible and will include nights and weekends.
• Sports – Intern will get a taste of all aspects of the sports department, from covering events and writing stories to copy editing and designing pages. Shifts are flexible and will include nights and weekends.
• Photography – Intern will cover news and sports events and shoot feature photos. In addition, he/she will learn about digital photography and pre-pressing photos. Shifts are flexible and will include nights and weekends.
• Layout/Copy desk – Intern will copy-edit stories and write headlines and captions. He/she will design pages and paginate on deadline and post to the Web. Days are flexible, hours range from 3 to 11 p.m.

DETAILS

• The 10-week program begins in June and requires an intern to work 12 to 16 hours per week.
• Students must be an AAJA member and show a demonstrated interest in online and print journalism.
• Qualified students will be tested, interviewed and selected by Daily News editors and AAJA-LA representatives.
• Pay: The successful applicant will be awarded a stipend of up to $1,000 sponsored by AAJA-LA

APPLICATION

• Include a cover letter and resume detailing what position interests you and why. Apply via e-mail or regular mail. Cover letter must state that you are applying for the AAJA-LA summer internship.
• Include a list of three references.
• Reporter applicants should submit no more than eight writing samples.
• Layout/copy desk applicants should submit no more than eight page designs (digital files or hard copies) and/or headline examples.
• Photography applicants should submit a portfolio (digital preferred) of no more than 10 photos and one photo story.
• Online applicants can submit live links to past work.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 16, 2008

Apply to:
Melissa Lalum
Managing Editor
Los Angeles Daily News
PO Box 4200
Woodland Hills, CA 91365
melissa.lalum@dailynews.com

Please indicate that you are seeking the AAJA-LA summer internship on the envelope or in the subject line or the e-mail.