Contact Information: For more information, contact: Jane McDonnell Executive Director Online News Association Sherry Skalko Editor Journalists.org
ONA Offers First Free Parachute Training to Journalists in Michigan
| Source: Online News Association
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - October 14, 2009) - The Online News Association, the world's
largest membership organization of digital journalists, has opened
registration for its first Parachute Training session, to be held in
Michigan, supported by a $50,000 seed grant from the Gannett Foundation.
The free pilot training, targeted at areas hard hit by media closures and
job losses, enables ONA to use its considerable resources to bring together
digital journalists of all stripes to learn from experts and each other.
The sessions, held Oct. 22 at the Campus Inn in
Ann Arbor, are tailored specifically to the needs of 100 independent,
community, non-profit, displaced and employed journalists, bloggers and
entrepreneurs in the area. Trainers include leaders in their fields, among
them Neil Chase of Federated Media, T.J. Ortenzi of the Huffington Post,
Tiffany Campbell of Seattletimes.com and Shawn Smith of Optimal
Webworks/New Media Bytes.
Training is offered in two tracks -- beginner and intermediate -- to cover
multimedia, blogging, mobile, legal and business issues, marketing through
social networks and finding your niche on the Web. There also will be two
half-day video sessions, limited to 25 participants on a first-come,
first-served basis (on-site).
As a bonus, attendees also are invited to an evening of conversation on
Oct. 21 to discover the news and information needs of the local community,
hosted by The Poynter Institute.
The event is open to the first 100 registrants. A $10 charge will be
applied toward meals.
Registration and more details are available here.
The Online News Association is the world's largest association of online
journalists. ONA's mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among
journalists to better serve the public. The membership includes news
writers, producers, designers, editors, bloggers, technologists,
photographers and others who produce news for the Internet or other digital
delivery systems, as well as academic members and others interested in the
development of online journalism. ONA also hosts the annual Online News
Association annual
conference and administers the Online Journalism Awards.