APME NEWSTRAIN/CHICAGO
Full Program
February 3 - 5, 2006
The Mid-America Press Institute and APME NewsTrain present this national training program that emphasizes the development of management and editing skills in frontline editors. Sponsored by the Associated Press Managing Editors, the program receives substantial funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The local partners for NewsTrain/Chicago are the Chicago Tribune, Scripps Howard Foundation, Illinois Press Foundation, The Associated Press and Roosevelt University.
Workshop location:
Holiday Inn Chicago City Centre, 300 E. Ohio St. Chicago, IL 60611
We will be using conference rooms on the meeting floor (one level below the hotel lobby), the ground floor and the second floor (one level up). Look for signs in the hotel lobby.
Special thanks to conference planners John David Reed, executive secretary of the Mid-America Press Institute; Margaret Holt, Chicago Tribune; Joe Hight, The Oklahoman; Linda Jones, Roosevelt University; and Bill Handy, Ric Brack and John Dowling, Associated Press.
| DAY 1: Friday, February 3: | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Registration Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 8:00 p.m. | Keynote address: "Writing and Editing for the New Digital Age" The winners in the great digital news shakeout of the early 21st century will be those who understand how to take advantage of the unique attributes of the different media, and how to make the lives of news consumers less complicated. The question is whether newspapers, in particular, are evolving quickly enough. Newsroom innovator Ken Sands of the Spokesman-Review and spokesmanreview.com will encourage individual editors to make a difference in their newsrooms and their communities. Presenter: Ken Sands, publisher, spokesmanreview.com Location: Ontario Room |
| Hospitality reception Sponsored by Chicago Tribune Location: Ontario Room and foyer |
|
| DAY 2: Saturday, February 4: | |
| 8:00 a.m. | Registration Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 8:00 a.m. | Breakfast Coffee, rolls and newspapers, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 8:45 a.m. | Introductions and Welcome to NewsTrain (All) Presenters: Margaret Holt, senior editor for standards and staff development, Chicago Tribune and Elaine Kramer, NewsTrain project coordinator Location: Superior Room |
| 9:30 a.m. | Coaching Writers (Green Team I w/Green Students) Why: More talk leads to an easier edit An approach to coaching writers that involves reporters and editors working together throughout the entire story process, discussing ideas, focus, reporting, organization and prose. Presenter: Michael Roberts, deputy managing editor, The Arizona Republic Location: Ohio Room |
| 9:30 a.m. | Coaching Writers (Green Team II w/Green Students) Why: More talk leads to an easier edit An approach to coaching writers that involves reporters and editors working together throughout the entire story process, discussing ideas, focus, reporting, organization and prose. Presenter: Kate Long, writing coach, radio producer, songwriter Location: Superior Room |
| 9:30 a.m. | Dealing with Conflict (blue Team I & II) Why: Disagreement is inevitable in a newsroom, whether it's about stories, overtime or turf wars Learn how to deal with these conflicts effectively. Find out how to recognize a developing conflict and to approach it so that tensions don't escalate. Learn the steps for resolving problems, how to defuse an emotional situation and how to preserve the working relationship. See the benefits of honest feedback, difficult conversations and true collaboration, and help others to see them, too. Presenter: Jill Geisler, leadership and management group leader, Poynter Institute Location: Ontario Room |
| 9:30 a.m. | Peer Management (Blue Team Student Journalists) Why: It's very difficult to be the "boss" of someone who is your peer. You may have the title "editor," but you are also a friend of all the other students on the staff. Nonetheless, you have decisions to make and stories to get up on the website or into the paper. Learn strategies for collaborating with and coaching other student journalists. Presenters: Joe Hight, managing editor, The Oklahoman, and Margaret Holt, senior editor for standards and staff development, Chicago Tribune Location: Huron Room |
| 11:00 a.m. | Break Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 11:15 a.m. | Telling Description (Gream Team) Why: Richer stories are more compelling. Description is an essential ingredient in good story telling. How to identify and use telling description, in news stories, features and narrative forms. Presenter: Michael Roberts Location: Ohio Room |
| 11:15 p.m. | Time Management (Blue Team) Why: Though time can get away from you, it's possible to take back your day. Middle managers get on a treadmill Monday morning and get off five days later. They spend their days answering to bosses, directing reporters, answering the phone, reading faxes and keeping abreast of the news. Getting time to think is a luxury. Is it any wonder that front-line editors burn out? You'll learn how to set priorities, improve your ability to delegate and how to help your staff better manage their time. Presenter: Jill Geisler Location: Ontario Room |
| 12:15 p.m. | Lunch Location: State Room I, State Room II and Huron Room |
| 1:15 p.m. | Training: Get on Board (All) Why: Because newspapers are a business, too A discussion of why some news organizations are putting more emphasis on their staffers' professional development. Resources you can use to get valuable training for yourself and push for more training for those you lead. Share local anecdotes of programs. Presenter: Elaine Kramer Location: Superior Room |
| 1:45 p.m. | Dealing with Conflict (Green Team I & II) Why: Disagreement is inevitable in a newsroom, whether it's about stories, overtime or turf wars. Learn how to deal with these conflicts effectively. Find out how to recognize a developing conflict and to approach it so that tensions don't escalate. Learn the steps for resolving problems, how to defuse an emotional situation and how to preserve the working relationship. See the benefits of honest feedback, difficult conversations and true collaboration, and help others to see them, too. Presenter: Jill Geisler Location: Ontario Room |
| 1:45 p.m. | Peer Management (Green Student Jounalists) Why: It's very difficult to be the "boss" of someone who is your peer. You may have the title "editor," but you are also a friend of all the other students on the staff. Nonetheless, you have decisions to make and stories to get up on the website or into the paper. Learn strategies for collaborating with and coaching other student journalists. Presenters: Joe Hight and Margaret Holt Location: Huron Room |
| 1:45 p.m. | Coaching Writers (Blue Team I w/ Blue Students) Why: More talk leads to an easier edit An approach to coaching writers that involves reporters and editors working together throughout the entire story process, discussing ideas, focus, reporting, organization and prose. Presenter: Michael Roberts Location: Ohio Room |
| 1:45 p.m. | Coaching Writers (Blue Team II w/ Blue Students) Why: More talk leads to an easier edit An approach to coaching writers that involves reporters and editors working together throughout the entire story process, discussing ideas, focus, reporting, organization and prose. Presenter: Kate Long Location: Superior Room |
| 3:15 p.m. | Break Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 3:30 p.m. | Time Management (Green Team) Why: Though time can get away from you, it's possible to take back your day. Middle managers get on a treadmill Monday morning and get off five days later. They spend their days answering to bosses, directing reporters, answering the phone, reading faxes and keeping abreast of the news. Getting time to think is a luxury. Is it any wonder that front-line editors burn out? You'll learn how to set priorities, improve your ability to delegate and how to help your staff better manage their time. Presenter: Jill Geisler Location: Ontario Room |
| 3:30 p.m. | Telling Description (Blue Team) Why: Richer stories are more compelling. Description is an essential ingredient in good story telling. How to identify and use telling description, in news stories, features and narrative forms. Presenter: Michael Roberts Location: Ohio Room |
| 4:30-5:30 p.m. | Management Strategy Circles (Green Team and Blue Team) Why: This NewsTrain is full of people who understand what you do, have many of the same challenges you face and have great ideas that may help. Take this opportunity to learn from each other in small management strategy circles. Presenter: Elaine Kramer Location: Beginning in Superior Room, and migrating to Ohio, Ontario or Huron, as needed |
| 4:30-5:30 p.m. | Mentoring sessions (Student Journalists) Why: Feedback helps. Student journalists will have the chance to get advice or ideas from some pros. Location: Beginning in Superior Room, and migrating to Ohio, Ontario or Huron, as needed |
| 5:30 p.m. | Lessons of Song (All) Why: Good writing crosses boundaries. Kate Long, who has coached journalists for 25 years, is also a national award-winning songwriter, radio producer, and fiction writer. In this session, you'll see how the same writing tools can be used in various forms: a hard news story, a feature, a poem, a song. Presenter: Kate Long Location: Superior Room |
| 6:30 p.m. | MPI Board of Directors meeting Location: Huron Room |
| DAY 3: Sunday, February 5: | |
| 8:00 a.m. | Breakfast Coffee, rolls and newspapers, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 8:45 a.m. | Non-Traditional Story Forms (All) Newspapers are using more and more non-traditional or alternative story forms to quickly convey information to readers. These forms include a variety of info-graphics, grids, "charticles," lists, annotated photos and other creative alternatives to columns of prose. A sampler of several dozen non-traditional forms and a chance to create packages using different forms. Presenter: Michael Roberts Location: Superior Room |
| 10:45 a.m. | Break Location: Ontario Room foyer |
| 11:00 a.m. | CHOOSE ONE: |
| Building Credibility & Trusti: More Voices Why: Readers want to see their lives reflected in our news coverage. Who gets into the newspaper and who doesn't? Examine what difference that makes to the news organization's credibility, and how newsrooms can do a better job of covering the entire community. Presenter: Jim Herman, recruiting, training and religion editor, Indianapolis Star Location: Ontario Room |
|
| -OR- |
|
| Building Readership You've heard about the Readership Institute's groundbreaking study and subsequent research, but you're not sure what to make of it all. Are newspapers really using this stuff, and is it making a difference? You bet it is, and we'll show you some of the best examples from around the country. You'll take away good, useful ideas that can help your newspaper increase its readership. Presenters: Scott Angus, editor of The Janesville (Wis.) Gazette and chairman of APME's Readership Committee, and Brad Dennison, VP for editorial at CNHI Location: Superior Room |
|
| 12:15 p.m. | NewsTrain Caboose Taking the lessons home. Presenter: Elaine Kramer Location: Superior Room |
| 12:30 p.m. | Optional Tribune Tour Presenter: Margaret Holt Meet at: Ontario Room foyer |