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2018: Baltimore


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Going beyond the press release! How newsrooms can win with election coverage.

Depending on where you live, the 2018 mid-term elections kick off in 37 days. Some local newsrooms around the nation have been preparing for weeks or even months since the primaries, but some stations have not even started. It is possible to still win your election coverage.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
EIJ 2018 By the Numbers

As the 2018 Excellence in Journalism News conference winds down here in Baltimore, attendees are beginning their journeys home. Over 1,100 people attended this year’s conference. Of these attendees 73% were professionals, 22% were students, and 2% were retirees. Some traveled further than others to get here.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Incoming president wants SPJ to be the profession’s big tent organization

With a career in journalism that has covered Politics, business and foreign affairs, J. Alex Tarquinio, incoming Society of Professional Journalists president, is looking to make the organization the voice of press freedom through organizational partnerships. Tarquinio views SPJ as the “Big tent” for the journalism profession.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Rethinking news coverage of mass shootings

Headline after headline, the news coverage of mass shootings – and a larger gun violence problem – challenge the media on their journalistic approach on reporting a problem that has already claimed the lives of more than 10,000 individuals this year.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
How to power past public information officers

Public information officers are a common challenge for reporters who cover both the public and private sectors. Attendees at the Excellence in Journalism conference got the inside scoop at the Censorship by PIO: Challenging Gag Orders on News Sources panel Saturday morning.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Pete Williams and Bill Whitaker Honored

Pete Williams and Bill Whitaker received some of the highest honors at the Excellence in Journalism Conference. Pete Williams, Justice Correspondent at NBC News since 1993, was honored with the John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award. Bill Whitaker, currently a correspondent on 60 Minutes, has been a part of CBS News since 1984.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Student newspapers struggle with print advertising collapse, quick transition to digital

In the past decade, traditional newspapers have been faced with extreme adversity as the rise of digital news has negatively impacted advertising and circulation. At a session on Saturday morning, a panel of student journalists, student advisors and professionals explored whether student media will face the same fate.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Why choose to be a journalist

Five (former) journalists talked about their first job in the news industry. Someone made a career change and came back to his journalism career again; someone started her first job as an anchor and reporter and still sticks to her original path; and someone switched his path from real world journalism to journalism teaching.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Humans of EIJ

“I am moving from my hometown, Rochester, NY. I was born and raised there. I moved back there about, oh my God, 18 years ago, because that’s where my husband always wanted to retire. So we did that. He died in March. 


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
In a post-Capital Gazette world, one company wants to provide newsrooms with ‘The Power of Preparedness’

Mass shootings in America seem to be a new norm. In 2017, there were over 300 shootings, and in 2018 the numbers continue to increase. This surge in violence does not discriminate. Violent mass shootings can happen on government property, in classrooms, in corporate offices, and, most recently, even in a newsroom.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
No Power, No Station, but the News Goes On

Hurricane Florence’s damage to one news station led them to reporting in challenging conditions. Today, the news station continues to perform its duties.


September 29th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Distrust in Media: Searching for Solutions

    President Trump and the news media have something in common: low approval ratings. The latest Gallup poll has the presidents average approval rating at 40%, just below the news media’s 41%. At this weeks Excellence in Journalism News conference, EIJ News reporter Adam Hushin talked with attendees about what the news media needs to do to regain Americans trust.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Who’s Really to Blame for the Lack of Diversity in Newsrooms?

Despite decades of discussion on newsroom diversity, the field of journalism continues to be marked by obstacles. Obstacles that reveal themselves in the stories of those who have overcome. Tahera Rahman is an individual whose journey has inspired her community, region and nation.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Mental Health in the Newsroom

Journalists have been attacked, they have had to cover floods, young kids dying, and mass shootings including Columbine. Some of those stories can put an emotional toll on them not only during their coverage, but after their coverage. How are various newsrooms addressing mental health?


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
District attorney breaks down Ford, Kavanaugh testimonies

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to send Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate for a vote. EIJ News 18 reporter Kaitlin Washburn talked with a legal expert who said, in the end, she expects Kavanaugh to be confirmed.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Got data? The U.S. Census Bureau does.

If you think the Census Bureau is only relevant once a decade, you’re sorely mistaken. The Census Bureau also conducts the American Community Survey and the Economic Census, among others. Its website, census.gov., has a number of useful tools for journalists.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Silent no more: female journalists of color raise their voice at EIJ18

Female journalists of color and allies alike gathered at the 2018 Excellence in Journalism conference to raise the question “what happens when women of color are silenced in the newsroom?” Through a thoughtful conversation moderated by María Peña, Vice President of Print, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, panel attendees were left with advice and tips on how to navigate the industry as a minority and how to support their fellow minority journalists.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Maryland crab industry in a pinch due to Trump’s change in immigration visa program

If you’re in Baltimore, you’re likely to eat crabs. Crab bisque, soft-shell crab, steamed crabs, king crab, snow crab, and of course, crab cakes. But locals and visitors alike, are finding it quite expensive to satisfy their crab cravings. The entire crab industry and its consumers are hurting.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
SDX name change resolution approved

Update: Sigma Delta Chi Foundation is moving forward to change its name today to the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation. The Foundation board overwhelmingly passed its resolution Friday. The foundation approved a name change resolution to its bylaws during Friday’s board of directors meeting, but it awaits approval at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Saturday business meeting, which is considering a name change of its own.


September 28th, 2018 • 2018: Baltimore
Me Too: What Journalists are Thinking About and What’s Being Done to Fix the Problem

  It’s been almost a year since October 2017’s Me Too movement revealed a host of media personalities’ sexual misconduct. EIJ18 featured a supersession with reporters who covered the #MeToo Movement as it was happening, including Amy Brittain, who was one of the journalists who worked to verify the Charlie Rose accusations.