UNITY 2012 Convention

Go In-Depth With UNITY12 Day-Long Workshops

Get to Las Vegas early so you can take advantage of these great sessions on Wednesday, Aug. 1.

Sign up for the UNITY12 convention today for the best rate, then join us for some cutting-edge journalism training. (Pre-registration — accepted beginning July 1 — is required for these Aug. 1 sessions.)

The Business of Me. Sponsored by Reynolds Center for Business Journalists.

Striking out on your own? Learn from journalists who pioneered the art of media entrepreneurship. From devising a business plan, pitching clients, setting up a home office, managing your own taxes everything in between — this session has you covered.

Occupy Unity: Covering the Economy Better. Sponsored by Reynolds Center for Business Journalists.

We’ve all seen stories about the latest jobs reports and images of protesters on Wall Street clamoring for economic change. But business journalists will tell you that today’s up-and-down economy is yielding stories far richer in depth, humanity and impact. Our panel of reporters share insights on how they are sifting through the post-recession data and trends to yield reporting gold.

Visuals > Words. Sponsored by The New York Times.

Great journalism goes beyond words. Images, graphics, databases, sounds, video, animation - they could enhance, oftentimes surpass and occasionally even replace, a text narrative. We’ll show you how to use graphics to tell the who, what, when, where and why.

Audio Storytelling Workshop. Sponsored by NPR.

What makes a good audio story? Whether your goal is to do a full-blown radio story, use audio clips in your blog, accompany photos on the web, or create a podcast, this one-day overview workshop will show you how to understand audio’s storytelling strengths, select the best audio, write for the ear, and write to sound. You’ll also get an opportunity to use audio recording equipment and to do digital audio editing. The session is limited to 6 people.

At UNITY12, Learn to Navigate Conficts of Interest

Social media and blogs have made it easier for the public to learn about a journalist’s personal life. The public can learn whether a reporter is affected by the issues they cover, if they serve on a board, own stock or socialize with elected officials or community and business leaders — or married to people who do. It’s a complex and complicated world and journalists need to pay attention to maintain credibility. We’ll walk through some of the issues on separating personal from professional information and offer guidance on what to do when you can’t.

Presenter Steve Drummond is the senior national editor for NPR News. He oversees the network’s national news coverage and a team of more than 70 reporters, producers and editors in Washington and NPR’s domestic bureaus.

Attend this session or more than 60 others on journalism topics that will keep you ahead of the curve.

Pre-register by June 29 for the best UNITY12 rate.

UNITY12 Shows You How to Protect Your Online Reputation at UNITY12

Journalists and other communicators are taught to avoid libel and invasion of privacy in reporting, but in the age of the Internet, sources and consumers are turning the tables on the press. Blogs criticize reporters. Journalists are investigated. Readers’ comments get out of hand. Journalists are now plaintiffs in defamation and invasion of privacy cases. And journalists can also expose themselves online —when questionable photos on social media sites are seen by potential employers. This workshop gives concrete ideas on how journalists and other communicators can protect and repair their own reputations and maintain privacy, while also learning how to be more ethical and legal in their own work.

Presenter Kevin R. Kemper is an assistant professor and diversity coordinator at the School of Journalism at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he teaches such courses as “Law of the Press” and “Advanced Reporting.”

Attend this session or more than 60 others on journalism topics that will keep you ahead of the curve.

Pre-register by June 29 for the best UNITY12 rate.

UNITY12 Program: Audio Slideshows for Non-Radio Broadcasters

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Adding audio can make those images more powerful. This workshop will teach you how to marry pictures and sound to create dynamic stories.

Presenters:
Sora Newman is senior trainer for NPR in Washington. She teaches seminars in writing for radio, on-air delivery, editing and audio storytelling. As an editor, she has won a DuPont-Columbia Award and a Peabody Award. Rolando Arrieta is a production and technology trainer for NPR News. In addition to being a tech guy, he is also a seasoned producer at NPR. Professional highlights include a Peabody Award and a Fulbright Distinguished Chair award to Portugal.

Attend this session or more than 60 others on journalism topics that will keep you ahead of the curve.

Pre-register by June 29 for the best UNITY12 rate.

At UNITY12, Get Educated on Native American Sovereignty

Indian Country has laws that many reporters do not know about and issues that can be confusing to non-native on how to go about reporting on it. We will also discuss ways on how not to report in Native American stories. Topics will include the Indian Child Welfare Act and how to address the story. Gaming issues, attending meetings on tribal lands, environmental issues and do the tribes have a freedom of press law? The why and how to address these issues will be explored.

Presenters:
Kevin R. Kemper is an assistant professor and diversity coordinator at the School of Journalism at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he teaches such courses as “Law of the Press” and “Advanced Reporting.” Jefferson E. Keel is in his second term as president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native tribal government organization in the country. Keel is in his fourth elected term as lieutenant governor of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Attend this session or more than 60 others on journalism topics that will keep you ahead of the curve.

Pre-register by June 29 for the best UNITY12 rate.

Spanish Session at UNITY 12: Video Para Non-VJs

Con seguridad cualquiera puede grabar un video y enviarlo a YouTube, pero esta sesión le mostrará cómo ser un contador de historias en video. Aprenda las tres partes básicas que su historia necesita, la “reglas de los terceros” y lo que significa el “espacio de mirada”. Ya sea que seas una banda de un solo miembro o un periodista que necesita agarrar otro elemento mientras esta haciendo una historia, le mostraremos cómo capturar una historia efectiva cuando aprietes el botón de grabación.

Presenter Yezmin Thomas is a multimedia journalist and news producer at Telemundo Dallas. She is a one-man band in charge of enterprising, producing, shooting, writing, editing and presenting stories for Noticiero Telemundo Dallas and telemundodallas.com. Yezmin has received four Emmy nominations from the Texas and Arizona chapters of the National Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences. In November 2011, she was awarded an Emmy for best feature news report.

Attend Yezmin’s session — plus others geared at Spanish-speakers — as well as dozens of English-language sessions on journalism topics that will keep you ahead of the curve.

Pre-register by June 29 for the best UNITY12 rate.

Listen to These Great Tips About #UNITY12

#UNITY12 sessions are going to be engaging discussions, not one-way talks. RT @nextgenradio: Tell it brother!!”Tired of legacy panels…”

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) June 6, 2012

Hear more about what’s in store Aug. 1-4 during UNITY12 in Las Vegas. Convention Programming Co-Chairs Paul Cheung and Robert Hernandez provide a rundown of this year’s sessions, which offer journalists the best possible training in a short window.

They’re excited, and you should be, too! Be sure to register by June 29 for the best rate. And listen to their tips here:

Why You Should Attend #UNITY12

UNITY12 Programming Co-Chairs Paul Cheung and Robert Hernandez will tell you what’s hot about this year’s sessions. Skills-building, career planning and how to be a healthier journalist are just a few of this year’s highlights.

Tweet your questions in advance to #UNITY12whygo.

Join the conversation live at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, June 6. (Go to the same link later to listen to the archived audio.)

And be sure to register for UNITY12 by June 29 for rates as low as $225. We’ll see you in Las Vegas, Aug. 1-4!

#UNITY12 programming is stellar

What have UNITY12 Programming Co-Chairs Paul Cheung and Robert Hernandez got planned? They and their committee members from the UNITY alliance associations are working overtime to make sure that you learn journalism skills needed to thrive in the 24/7 news environment.

Preview some of the 60+ forward-looking sessions here. There is so much training planned for the four days of our convention!

And be sure to sign up by 11:59 p.m. Pacific for the early-bird UNITY12 rate.

Why #UNITY12? Let us count the ways.

Have you signed up for UNITY12?

Top 10 reasons to join us …

1. $325 for professionals and $150 for students today — if you are a member of a UNITY alliance group. Prices go up by $75 tomorrow.
2. Revive your narrative storytelling.
3. Meet colleagues from around the world.
4. Make new friends through the Roommate Bulletin.
5. Supercharge your multimedia know-how.
6. Work on improving yourself outside the newsroom.
7. Avoid social media pitfalls.
8. Gain knowledge on industry hot topics.
9. Give back to your fellow journalists.
10. You can’t afford to miss this.

And … a bonus 11th reason:

Smile for the camera at one of the world’s most famous landmarks.