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2008: Atlanta


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
McCloskey's work earns Wells Key

The closing awards banquet of the SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference on Saturday night was all about good food, good company and recognizing the men and women whose accomplishments in journalism earned them the respect of SPJ and their peers.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
In Pictures: Bill McCloskey, Wells Memorial Key honoree

In Pictures: Bill McCloskey, Wells Memorial Key honoree.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Al Smith, Fellow of the Society

The following remarks were prepared for delivery at the SPJ President’s Installation Banquet Sept. 6, 2008.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Industry Evolving

On the door of Southern Utah University’s campus newspaper, a sign reads “platform agnostic.” “We want to tell every story in whatever media we can,” senior staff member McKenzie Romero of the University Journal said.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Donation to needy man sparks introspection

I’m not known for my confidence. Never was and probably never will be. When I first got into Atlanta I hadn’t slept much in two days. I was nervous about working. And throughout the day, I second-guessed my abilities as a writer and — because it’s so inextricably linked to my profession — as a person.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Weather or not, stand-in speaker delivers the forecast

The session with The Weather Channel Saturday morning was planned to be a panel about the do’s and don’ts of covering severe weather. Except the original speakers couldn’t make it — because of severe weather.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Ethics survey doesn’t violate Code of Ethics

Looking for a free lobster dinner? David Cuillier, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Arizona and SPJ FOI Committee chairman, could help out.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
SPJ to celebrate 100 years

As SPJ approaches its 100th anniversary, it is working to stay relevant, new SPJ president Dave Aeikens said.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Networking with readers

The conversation can’t end once your story is published, said panelists in a session titled, “Networked Journalism.” User-generated content is the new peg for reporters who want to remain relevant and collaborate with readers online.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Changing industry forces mid-career journalists to adapt

Vicki Smith’s editor called her into a staff meeting at the Press of Atlantic City. He came equipped with a flip chart on which he wrote three letters: ‘www.’


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
New officers installed

New national leaders for the Society of Professional Journalists were elected and sworn in to cheers and applause at Saturday’s business meeting. Kevin Smith won the president-elect position by a landslide vote of 106-22. There was a vote by acclimation for all unopposed positions, and all positions were filled.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Landing, succeeding in internship isn't as difficult as you think

Students, listen up. Internships are as essential to your future as Facebook is to your social life.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Journalism project would connect Atlanta foot, bike traffic

Karyn Lu and Lila King are hard at work on a unique civic journalism project that could interconnect Atlanta’s citizens through their own stories.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Explore racial, gender tensions, Hunter-Gault says

Diversity in America and in journalism is at a critical point, and there are many lessons and principles journalists need to keep in mind, Charlayne Hunter-Gault said in a special event Saturday.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Don’t let history repeat itself

Bobbi Jewell tuned in to NBC’s nightly newscast during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and watched as anchor Tom Brokaw said that her son, Richard, had carried out the bombing at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. She turned to her only child, sitting next to her on the sofa, and said, “Richard, what have you done?”


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Storms stifle plans for convention attendees

A string of tropical storms and hurricanes is headed toward the Atlantic Seaboard as SPJ convention attendees prepare to head home this weekend.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Inter-networking moves to the forefront

Some call it a theory while others argue that it’s the plain truth: The person you know could be just as important as your skills and talents in the news industry. If you believe it to be fact, the Internet is full of ways for journalists and media professionals to expand the list of people you know and who know you. Several SPJ convention seminars this year have been dedicated to offering advice and tips related to the art of online media.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Journalists go from writing about policy to trying to implement change

There is one item Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin may wish to delete from her resume: television sportscaster.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Breaking the habit

At the SPJ Convention Opening Night Reception Thursday, journalists jostled to bid at the Silent Auction, people laughed over glasses of wine and cans of Guinness — and two nuns in full habits taped interviews with half a dozen convention participants.


September 6th, 2008 • 2008: Atlanta
Thomas’s key strokes

W: White House press corps veteran Helen Thomas’s Olivetti Lettera 32 portable manual typewriter is up for auction. She used the typewriter while she covered presidential administrations in the 1970s and ’80s, including for President Nixon’s 1972 visit to China.