Conferences, Seminars Focus on Management, Entrepreneurship and Specialized Journalism

Contact: NABJ Communications, 866-479-NABJ

WASHINGTON, July 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- National Association of Black Journalists is pleased to announce the launch of the newly developed NABJ Media Institute.

The Media Institute offers professional development opportunities, educational programs, conferences, workshops, entrepreneurial guidance as well as Web seminars which will consist of quality content and provide resources for journalists of color. 

Content for the 'new and improved' Media Institute will premiere at the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention which will be held July 23-27, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

"There is a fierce commitment to journalism education," said NABJ President Barbara Ciara. "As a result of the layoffs and buyouts that have occurred, African American journalists need resources to stay competitive due to the technological changes taking place.  The goal of the Institute is to provide black journalists with the tools necessary to prepare them for the newsrooms of tomorrow." 

The Media Institute program schedule includes a number of educational programs that will take place from August 2008 through June 2009.   NABJ has joined with Belmont University/Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, Georgetown University, Morehouse College, The New York Times and The Poynter Institute to deliver first-rate classroom instruction and online training. 

The Media Institute provides conference workshops which explores topics ranging from multimedia technology and political reporting to health care issues.  The conferences offered include Lessons from the Multimedia Battlefield; Conference on Political and Congressional Reporting; Health Care Disparities; and Media Related Professionals.

The Institute also will feature seminars designed for those who aspire to advance to management level in newsrooms or networks, and it also addresses issues surrounding the achievement gaps in education and national standardized testing.  In addition, participants can learn how to transition into freelancing and to make it a successful business.

The series of web seminars (webinars) will cover a range of topics related to management in today's newsroom.  These tools will help prepare journalists for their new role in a supervisory position and show them how to become more effective and productive.  Participants will discover the importance of how influence and relationships can determine their success as a manager.

The Institute also offers the following opportunities and fellowships - The Ethel Payne African Fellowship and the NABJ/NY Times Leadership Academy.

"We want to encourage companies not to just pay lip service to the issue of diversity, but to make a commitment and support associations in training and keeping those who love journalism competitive," said Kathy Times, NABJ vice president/broadcast. "We want to prepare journalists for the transformation taking place in newsrooms across the country so that they can better position themselves for future career success."

To register for the conferences, log on to www.nabj.org/mediainstitute.

The Institute is funded through corporate grants and private donations to NABJ Freedom Fund (an initiative launched to help the organization become more self-sufficient through individual support from members and the community). 

The Media Institute also seeks to teach, compile, disseminate and chronicle information about African Americans in the field of journalism, and acts as a clearinghouse for information to entities interested in the media and establishing a connection with black journalists.

For more information on the NABJ Freedom Fund, contact:

Karen Wynn Freeman

Executive Director/COO

1-866-479-NABJ

kfreeman@nabj.org

Or, if you have programming questions about the NABJ Media Institute, contact:

Ryan Williams

Director, Programs and Professional Development

1-866-469-NABJ

rwilliams@nabj.org

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with more than 4,100 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.