Just as newsrooms across the country are adjusting to operate with smaller staffing and new technology, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) has redesigned its student convention project to simulate the convergence newsroom of today. This program will provide “mojo” (mobile journalism) and other news training opportunities to college students and professionals at the AAJA National Convention in Los Angeles Aug. 4-7, 2010.
AAJA’s National Convention will be held Aug. 4-7, 2010 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles, CA. The Convention News Project team arrives Aug. 2 and departs Aug. 8.
professional application (deadline March 15, 2010)
student applicatiion (deadline March 15, 2010)
Download both here: http://www.aaja.org/programs/for_students/journalism_trainings/newsproject/
From the applications, 20 of the most promising students will be selected as finalists and given the opportunity for building skills and developing their portfolios. They will participate in pre-convention training that will include interactive online courses in interviewing, multimedia, ethics, and an option of visual and audio techniques. They will also be given pre-convention assignments covering issues related to the journalism industry today and/or the Asian American/Pacific Islander community. Of those students, 12 will be selected to cover convention, with travel and hotel accommodations provided.
Professionals are being selected based on their ability to mentor and teach, as well as their experience in news editing, production and design. For some, this will also be an opportunity for direct experience with mojo reporting.
AAJA’s Convention News Project team will cover the latest news about journalists, the state and future of the industry, and how the newsroom changes affect the community. Their works will be featured and updated around the clock on the convention website and in a magazine-style publication to be distributed to convention attendees on the final day of convention.
The 2010 Convention News Project director is Marian Liu, a Seattle Times reporter who practices mobile journalism. For more information about sponsoring AAJA’s Convention News Project, contact Nao Vang, Student Program Coordinator, at programs@aaja.org.