In the continually shifting media landscape – and particularly in today’s brutal economy – more and more reporters and editors are finding themselves forced to contemplate or confront an unplanned and often unwanted change of career from professional journalism. Their skill set equips them for a variety of communications, research, political and advocacy work, but they may well be wondering how to retain and integrate into a post-journalism career the traditional SPJ values and ethics of openness and transparency, honesty and accuracy, accountability and responsibility that have been the foundation of modern professional journalism.

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists invites the public to join in dialogue with a distinguished panel of former journalists to address these issues:

Aaron Curtiss – member of Sitrick and Company strategic communications firm, former Los Angeles Times staff writer, editor, advertising manager, online-transition leader
Laureen Lazarovici – Senior Communications Consultant with the Kaiser Permanente Labor-Management Partnership, former staff writer for Los Angeles Weekly, communications staff member for the AFL-CIO in Washington, DC, and United Nurses Association of California
Allan Parachini – Public Information Officer, Los Angeles Superior Court; former Los Angeles Times staff writer; Director Of Public Affairs, ACLU-Southern California; Vice President For Communications for California Community Foundation
Ted Rohrlich – researcher/investigator for Service Employees International Union Local 721, former staff writer and investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times

WHAT: Panel Discussion: “Journalism Ethics in a Post-Journalism World: How to Regain Your
Career Without Losing Your Soul”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, 2009

WHERE: Bradbury Room, Omni Hotel, 251 S. Olive St., Los Angeles
Directions:

http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/LosAngelesCaliforniaPlaza/MapAndDirections.aspx

COST: FREE! Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP: Seating is limited, so please let us know whether you’re coming by Monday, April 24. E-mail to SPJLosAngeles@gmail.com or call (323) 259-3350.

PARKING: $12 valet available (east, enter on Olive St.), or limited meter parking on Grand Ave. (west).

Details about the event will be posted on our Web site, http://spjla.wordpress.com/

Hollywood, CA. The Los Angeles Press Club is hosting a special hands-on Twitter workshop this Thursday tonight with Mark Briggs. The social media expert will show how journalists and news organizations can use Twitter to shape a new kind of storytelling. He will also have tips on how to mine the ever-growing universe of tweets for breaking stories and sources. Finally, he will share best practices so journalists can ensure the information is reliable.

WHO – Social Media Expert and Journalism 2.0 author, Mark Briggs

WHAT – Hands-On Twitter Workshop with Mark Briggs

WHEN – Thursday, April 16, 2009; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WHERE – The Los Angeles Press Club @ 4773 Hollywood Blvd. , Hollywood , 90027; Plenty of free parking behind the building (enter off of Berendo Street ); Click here for a map; Metro: Red line, Sunset/Vermont station
WHY – When a jetliner landed in the Hudson River in January, editors at Associated Press scanned Twitter for messages or “tweets” from cell phones near the plane. They also found a photo of the downed plane. Twenty-one year-old Janis Krums fed it from his iPhone, beating out professionals by many minutes. The image of the plane floating as passengers walked on its wings was adopted by the AP and other news agencies-and now it is the one many of us remember when we think of the crash. That is just one way journalists are harnessing Twitter’s power to bridge citizens and journalists; Twitter news feeds from print, TV, radio, and web organizations are another.

FYI: Free to press club members. All others: $20. Bring your laptops and cell phones.
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The Los Angeles Press Club stands as an organization devoted to improving the spirit of journalism and journalists, raising the industry’s standards, strengthening its integrity and improving its reputation all for the benefit of the community at large. Serving the Southland since 1913, it is the only Southern California journalism group that speaks for all journalists working for daily and weekly newspapers, radio & TV, magazines, documentary films and online. For more information, go to www.LAPressclub.org.

Come to the Beverly Hills Public Library on March 25 for a discussion on the ethical guidelines of reporting the arrests and legal battles of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the age of TMZ, blogs and the Internet.

Join the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Wednesday, March 25 at the Beverly Hills Public Library for a panel discussion on the ethics of entertainment reporting in the age of paparazzi, blogs and the Internet.

The panelists are:

TMZ managing editor Harvey Levin

Los Angeles Times reporter Harriet Ryan

Attorney Blair Berk

First Amendment attorney Jean-Paul Jassy will moderate the discussion.

WHAT:  Ethics and Entertainment

WHEN:  Wednesday, March 25, 7 p.m.

LOCATION:      Beverly Hills Public Library auditorium

444 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

COST:  $10 for SPJ members and students; $15 for non-members. Light refreshments will be served.

PARKING:  Parking is available adjacent to the library at 450 N. Rexford Drive. The first two hours are free, and then it costs 75 cents per half hour.

RSVP:  Email SPJLosAngeles@gmail.com or call the SPJ/LA reservation hotline at (323) 259-3350.

For Immediate Release

Contact – Edward Headington, Publicist

(323) 669-8081 or Edward@LAPressClub.org

What to do After You Leave Your Job in Journalism

The panel discussion will be moderated by Jill Stewart, L.A. Weekly News Editor, Press Club Board Member and veteran print and broadcast journalist

Hollywood, CA. The Los Angeles Press Club is hosting another great panel discussion next Thursday night at the Steve Allen Theater called “What to Do After You Leave Your Job in Journalism.” Two well-known Los Angeles journalists who have made the leap into new careers will join two job experts to offer practical advice for Southern California journalists who have left, or expect to be leaving, their jobs.

WHO – Moderated by Jill Stewart, L.A. Weekly news editor and veteran print and broadcast journalist.

Brent Hopkins: Award-winning former reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News, who specialized in urban affairs, crime and government. Brent is now an officer trainee with the Los Angeles Police Department, and in his off hours has been “on assignment” for the Press Club gathering personal stories from other L.A. journalists who, like Brent, have recently left journalism.

Ken Mandler:Sacramento’s leading trainer in how to land a good job in government in any city that has state agencies (like L.A.). He will explain state job opportunities for journalists, ranging from policy research to human services to management, and he will show how a 50-something person can still work their way to a state pension. Ken says that despite the unfolding budget disaster, California is hiring, because there always openings in the 300,000-plus workforce.

Gayle Pollard-Terry: Award-winning reporter and editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times, Gayle specialized for many years in education coverage. She is now the Deputy Director of Media and Communications at Los Angeles Unified School District. She will talk about her choice to jump the fence, and what it is like to become a spokeswoman for the people she once wrote about.

Career consultant, TBA: From a major, nationally known firm that specializes in how to make mid-career switches, create new career paths, and acquire extra skills or education. Name of panelist to be announced.

WHAT – Moderated Panel Discussion on “What to Do After You Leave Your Job in Journalism”

WHEN – Thursday, February 26, 2009; 7 p.m.

WHERE – The Steve Allen Theater at the LA Press Club; 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 90027; Plenty of free parking behind the building (enter off of Berendo Street); Click here for a map; Metro: Red line, Sunset/Vermont station

WHY – With L.A. journalists facing serious downsizing, the panelists will offer their sometimes-upbeat and sometimes-harrowing personal stories, woven together with no-nonsense rules for pursuing a post-media career. Come prepared to hear a few myths burst, and to learn some positive, useful ideas for what to do next.

FYI: Free to press club members (R.S.V.P. here). All others: $10 prepaid or $20 at the door. Students $5. Includes all drinks and appetizers.

]]> http://aaja-la.org/2009/02/la-press-club-panel-what-to-do-after-you-leave-your-job-in-journalism/feed/ 0 http://aaja-la.org/2008/04/chapter-board-members-reach-out-to-student-journalists/ http://aaja-la.org/2008/04/chapter-board-members-reach-out-to-student-journalists/#comments Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:39:13 +0000 Admin http://aaja-la.org/?p=123 By RICHARD CHANG

The AAJA-Los Angeles chapter partnered with California State University, Fullerton in April to present a professional panel and networking lunch for students interested in journalism and journalists’ organizations. The panel was a college/university outreach for the chapter, and it was also an official event of CSUF’s annual Comm Week.

Panelists included Suzie Suh of CBS 2/KCAL 9 and an AAJA-LA board member; Henry Mendoza, a Cal State Fullerton journalism professor and member of CCNMA: Latino Journalists of California; Julio Saenz, editor and general manager of Excelsior newspaper and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; and Sonya Smith, a reporter at The Orange County Register and regional representative for the Society of Professional Journalists.

Richard Chang, an arts and entertainment writer for The Orange County Register and AAJA-LA board member, served as moderator. Also assisting with moderation was Thomas Clanin, journalism professor at Cal State Fullerton and president of the SPJ-Orange County chapter.

It was quite a successful event. About 40 students were attendance, plus about seven faculty members from CSUF. Panelists discussed networking, getting started in journalism, and their career paths. Panelists also gave tips on the job search and surviving in media today, and discussed diversity issues in journalism and newsrooms.

AAJA-LA provided Lee’s Sandwiches for lunch, and Cal State Fullerton provided drinks, chips, napkins and clean up. The event was held in the Ontiveros Room of the Titan Student Union.

A few students wrote e-mails afterward, thanking the panelists and participants for organizing the event.

Richard Chang is an arts and entertainment writer for The Orange County Register and AAJA-LA board member.