By Betsy Model, President
SPJ Rio Grande (aka “the little chapter that could”) has done it again; a grant proposal for a continuing education program entitled ““Today’s Native America: Reporting With Insight” was submitted a few weeks ago and we’ve just received word that we’ve won a $500 grant towards making that program a reality.
The workshop, conceived by the chapter’s board of directors during our recent (and first ever!) annual retreat, will take place in first quarter 2011 at a venue and date still to be determined. The program will be facilitated by Rick Romancito (board member and entertainment editor at the Taos News) with assistance by Staci Matlock and Betsy Model. Current plans include a 90-minute fact-based workshop program done in conjunction with a panel made up of tribal leaders, Native American journalists and other experts on effective reporting on Indian Affairs followed by an opportunity for social interaction and one-on-one dialogue on how to gather data, build relationships and report with clarity and accuracy from vantage points both inside and outside our region’s many Pueblos and reservations.
Congratulations to the chapter for creating a dynamic that continues to earn us visibility and, um, working bucks.