Training is an invaluable tool in any newsroom. And, whether you have a staff of one or dozens of reporters filling the newsroom, training is something that should be on your priority list.
Attending training seminars, Webinars or a conference, could prove to an invaluable resource for reporters and editors. From ethics to computer-assisted reporting to management styles and honing a reporter’s writing, there is a seminar to fit any need. With the help of the Internet, there’s also offerings to fit any budget.
I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite training opportunities:
National Press Foundation: I was a fellow for the Affordable Housing & Community Development program in 2001 and the intensive four-days I spent in Washington, D.C., has served me for years. The programs deal with a range of topics – retirement issues, violent weather, business and economics and biomedical engineering are among the topics for future programs – presented by experts in their field. It’s also a great opportunity to discuss common issues with journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcast and the Internet. The programs are generally limited to 15, so start working on your application. Fellowship includes travel and accommodations. Visit www.nationalpress.org.
American Press Institute: Offering programs targeting “tracks” – advertising, newsroom, etc. – the American Press Institute has one-day and multi-day seminars. Topics this year include “Fifteen Paths of Paid Online Content – one that should be of interest to everyone – and “Beyond the Newsroom.” Most workshops are held in Reston, Va., but some workshops are offered in other locales. Tuition prices start as low as $150 for some of the one-day seminars, but they do offer fellowships to newspaper staff, as well as to journalism educators. Visit www.ameicanpressinstitute.org.
Reynolds High School Journalism Institute: The Reynolds Institute is an all expenses paid, intensive two-week journalism training program for high school teachers and staffers. Topics include reporting, photojournalism, layout and design, First Amendment issues and much more. The institutes are held in June and July at locations across the country. Work with the high school in your community to send a local teacher.
Investigative Reporters and Editors: Designed for all those reporters and editors that love to crunch numbers and know the benefit of a spreadsheet, the Computer-Assisted Reporting Conference in March is for you. Topics range from statistics to Internet tips to crime and education to the census and Twitter. Hosted by Investigative Reporters and Editors and National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. Visit http://data.nicar.org/CAR2010.
Computer-Assisted Reporting Boot Camps will be offered in March and August, with intense multi-day workshops covering – you guessed it – using and analyzing spreadsheets and databases, among other tools. There also are boot camps for Web programming and mapping. Fees are on a sliding scale and some fellowships are available. Visit www.ire.org.
IRE also hosts a On The Road series of workshops around the country. The Watchdog Workshop series brings affordable training for reporters, editors and producers covering topics ranging from hard-hitting story ideas, to databases and documents to Internet tools. There will be a workshop in Austin in mid-February before heading to Oklahoma City in March. Visit www.ire.org for details and additional dates.
As well, Ethnic Media Watchdog Workshops are offered for print, broadcast and online journalists across the country. Visit www.ire.org.
Readership Institute: The Readership Institute and the American Society of Newspaper Editors have been partners for five years leading workshops around the country on growing audience and reach in the newspaper and online. The workshops focus on practical steps newspapers can take to increase readership based on the Institute’s Impact Study. I found the information from the Impact Study invaluable when I attended a workshop in 2004.
The workshops are offered at locations around the country, with the next in March in Los Angeles. Visit www.readership.org. You can see an annotated presentation of the workshop online.
ASNE will host its annual conference April 11 to 14 in Washington, D.C., with the focus on “the future of journalism.” It’s gear to journalists in every medium, as well as students and teachers.
Pointer News University: No training budget or not enough to get to the closest metropolitan area? Then, NewsU has what you’re looking for. You can take a class or set up a time for the entire newsroom to take part in a seminar over the Internet. Order pizzas and have a lunch time training session.
Topics include Math for Journalists, Anatomy of a Newspaper, leadership and management, as well as ethics and reporting skills. Course prices range from $25 to several hundred dollars. Visit www.newsu.org.
Freedom Forum Diversity Institute: Programs include an internship program, along with the American Indian Journalism Institute and the Native American Journalism Career Conference in April – both geared toward students.
Workshops also are offered, including the upcoming Multimedia Boot Camp in mid-February for journalism educators and professionals. Look for additional dates in August and November. Journalism educators, professionals, students and others can develop and hone their skills in audio, photo and video storytelling at the boot camps. Visit www.freedomforumdiversity.org.
State associations: State press associations are a valuable resource offering regional seminars and workshops. As well, the annual state association conference can be a great place to talk about topics specific to your community and network with other journalists.
Host your own workshop: If you’re part of a group of newspaper in a close geographic region, bring the trainers to you. It will be more cost-effective to cover the cost of a trainer then sending a dozen employees from multiple publications in the same group. Talk to the editors at your sister publications and look for common training needs. Then, work together to develop a plan that will appeal to all of publishers, who will each only cover a portion of the total cost.
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