A taste of what’s in store at Montreal convention

The August issue of Press Pass Q, a monthly newsletter about LGBT media issues, features two stories about the upcoming NLGJA Convention in Montreal set to take place September 10 – 13.  Reporter Chuck Colbert, who will be moderating a panel during the LGBT Media Summit filed two stories about what to expect during NLGJA’s first confab outside of the states.

Organizers are hoping that the international locale will be a draw in itself, as convention programming co-chair Fred Kuhr explained:

“Montréal is a city like no other in the United States,” said Kuhr, editor of Press Pass Q. “No matter how liberal you think your city is, no city in the? U.S. includes the LGBT community as part of the fabric of its civic being like Montréal.”

Along with a focus on giving attendees skills they can bring back with them to the newsroom, this year’s planners have also taken into account the downsizing of newsrooms all across the country and in all platforms, from radio and TV to newspapers and magazines.

Consequently, organizers are focusing on “the Monday-morning push,” said Tom Avila, convention program manager. “What new skills can I bring back to the newsroom?” In other words, professional development is a major programming piece – all aimed at making sure members have the necessary tools to be an essential employee or freelancer.

“Or to transition out of journalism,” said Jeff Truesdell, programming co-chair. “There are a number of people who have lost jobs or are threatened with losing their jobs. We’ve tried to take that into account,” providing programming “to point people in different career paths if they choose.”

The LGBT Media Summit will also shine a spotlight on the economic woes LGBT publications and news outlets are faced with, with one panel called “The Ad Wars” aimed at sharing best practices on how to drum up advertising and new revenue streams.

It will also further the discussion that took place at the media summit last year in DC on what access – or non access – LGBT reporters are finding in the nation’s capitol now that Democrats are in control.

Already, at least one request for a presidential interview with gay media – that of veteran journalist Lisa Keen – has been “turned down,” she said. Keen, through her Keen News Service, provides LGBT-related content for at least half a dozen weekly gay media outlets, including those in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco and Seattle.

For info on how to register for the convention and media summit visit http://www.nlgja.org/convention/2009/index.htm

Participants of 2009 NLGJA Student Project

NLGJA has selected eight undergraduate and graduate journalism students to participate in a weeklong, intensive journalism education program in Montreal, Canada, this September. NLGJA’s Student Project is held in conjunction with the 2009 National Convention & 6th Annual LGBT Media Summit, which will take place Sept. 10-13, 2009.

Within a fully integrated newsroom environment, the student participants will work with seasoned journalists to conceive, create and develop stories flowing from panel discussions and presentations at the convention and summit, and also cover larger societal issues and topics relevant to the city of Montreal and the greater LGBT community. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to build their professional networks.

“These eight student leaders are examples of the bright future of journalism, and we are pleased they will join their soon-to-be peers to learn and grow in a real-world setting,” said Michael Tune, NLGJA’s managing director. “They will gain hands-on experience with accomplished mentors in the field. They will also get to meet nationally prominent journals presenting in Montreal and build relationships that can serve them throughout their promising careers.”

The 2009 Student Project participants are:

• Adam Griffiths of Kent State University, who has been editor in chief/art director of KSU’s Fusion magazine since January 2008. His professional newsroom experience includes Harper’s Bazaar UK, Cleveland Magazine and The Washington Post. He is majoring in visual journalism and minoring in LGBT studies.
• Jared Grigsby, a journalism graduate student at Ball State University. This will be Jared’s second year in the National Convention Student Project. He recently completed a summer internship with the Associated Press in San Francisco.
• Ryan McLendon, a journalism graduate student at New York University. He is a Fulbright Commission Scholarship awardee and the most recent winner of NLGJA’s Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship, which provides up to $5,000 in tuition funding to an outstanding LGBT student planning a career in journalism. His professional experience includes CNN, The Village Voice and CityBeat, an alternative weekly in Cincinnati.
• Blair Mishleau of Columbia College Chicago, pursuing an interdisciplinary major involving Interactive Arts & Media and journalism, with a minor degree in American Sign Language. Blair interned with Tribune Interactive.
• David Reinbold of The Pennsylvania State University, pursuing a BA in print journalism and returning to NLGJA’s Student Project for the second year. He has served as a copy editing intern with the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund (The Charleston Gazette) and the Centre Daily Times.
• Mandi Rice, studying comparative languages and linguistics and minoring in journalism at Earlham College. Among other newsroom experience, she was a multimedia intern with The Palladium Item in Richmond, Ind. This is Mandi’s second year with NLGJA’s Student Project.
• Anthony Williams of the University of Texas at Arlington, majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in Spanish. He interned with The Observer (LaGrande, Ore.) and the Houston Chronicle. He was the fall 2008 president of the UT Arlington chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.
• Lauren Wright, a visual communications major at Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga., who is returning to the project for the second year. She has served in a variety of editorial positions the student newspaper and currently serves as a graphic designer in the school’s public relations department.