Denver street art. Photo by Julie Ann Grimm
Traveling to another city to talk about journalism instead of staying in my hometown actually doing journalism is a tough decision to make. Ok, maybe not that tough. We all need a break from time to time.
I feel fortunate to be spending two days in Denver this week representing our Rio Grande Chapter and The Santa Fe New Mexican at the SPJ Region 9 conference. These events are equal parts pep talk and training – and both are valuable. I’m bringing home some tips about carving out time for investigative work, writing better headlines for the web, and some much-needed inspiration to keep at what one speaker called “our calling.”
David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona Journalism School (and an SPJ trainer who will be visiting us in New Mexico this summer for a workshop), said it best: “People are relying on you.”
If journos are not out there disseminating information, he said, “We are sunk as a country.”
Without journalists, said Kevin Vaughan, city editor at The Denver Post, “the system” will continue to fail the vulnerable.
While we are all scrambling to make sure we’re socially networked, search engine optimized, and breaking it first, Fred Brown, SPJ Ethics Committee chair, reminded a packed room about doing it right.
“You can’t keep up with changing delivery systems,” he said. “But you can insist on abiding principles.”
Doug Bell, editor of the Evergreen Newspapers, told the largely student crowd the same thing. “Focus on telling stories,” he said, “and doing it in an ethical way.”
Kevin Dale, news director of Denverpost.com, expressed optimism. Despite financial challenges, he said, it’s a great time to be a journalist. “There are more tools in your hands now than have ever been available before.”
Tonight is the Top of the Rockies award presentation, where I hear that New Mexico media made a good showing. We’ll post the news from The Denver Press Club as soon as it’s available.
Snow is in the forecast here in the coming days, which reminds me that the National SPJ conference this year is in sunny Fort Lauderdale. Anyone want to meet me there?
