|
|
|
|
|
|
President’s letter: Covering tough subjects
 Dear JAWS members:
These have been a troubling few weeks for journalists and for the world. And I am grateful for JAWS members who have helped to explain and reflect on what is happening through our network, support and work. Thank you for the posts and discussion on the killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown and the continued aftermath in Ferguson, Missouri and beyond. And thank you, too, for the coverage and conversation following photojournalist James Foley’s execution. In both stories, many people see their sons, their fathers, their brothers, themselves.
I am hoping we can continue these conversations about the world and the role of journalists in it on the listserv, on Twitter, on Facebook and at our Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) at the end of October.
We will be hosting a panel on social justice reporting, featuring Sandy Close, Kari Lydersen and Susan Smith Richardson. I am sure these recent events will be at the top of our minds as we try to figure out how to talk about and report on stories that matter.
I am also very much looking forward to advisory board member Dori Maynard’s Fault Lines Diversity training panel. Dori will lead us in a discussion of how to talk about diversity issues across the “fault lines†of race, class, gender, generation and geography.
As you know, Anna Holmes will be our keynote speaker at dinner on Saturday, Nov. 1. Many of you told the board in our annual survey and in private correspondence that you hoped she could come to CAMP someday. Anna will share her personal story as well as her thoughts on navigating evolving media platforms as a female journalist and entrepreneur. I have also asked her to talk with us about what “diversity†means for women journalists in 2014 and beyond.
And, as I announced last week, I am thrilled that Jill Abramson accepted our invitation to come back to CAMP this year. She will speak to us in another Q&A-style public interview. What a treat to have her at CAMP back-to-back years. I am curious to see how this year’s discussion compares to last year’s given her departure from The New York Times.
We also have a special JAWdess, Peg Simpson, leading the Legacy Luncheon this year. She will tell us stories about the JAWS women for whom the Legacy Fund is named. They helped JAWS become what it is today and helped pave the way for future women to make careers in journalism.
I hope to see many of you at CAMP.
Again, thanks to those who are covering tough subjects crucial to understanding — and, I hope, bettering — our world today. And please, let us keep having these difficult and necessary conversations.
All my best,
Lauren
|
|
CAMP update
By Adrienne Lawrence, JAWS Interim Operations and CAMP Director
 There are some important deadlines coming up with the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) and the entire CAMP team wants to make sure you don’t miss out on the fun!
- Hotel booking: All rooms must be booked by Sept. 30 to receive the special $149 + taxes and fees — that’s for a room which normally costs at least $320! We have a great rate and if you want to go to CAMP, please make sure you book a room before the deadline. Please note: The hotel will charge the credit card for one night to hold the room. It’s part of the contract.
- Regular registration: You can still go to CAMP at a great price — $375, including meals! Most journalism conferences charge you for registration and add a separate fee for food. JAWS doesn’t do that. Instead, we negotiate the best prices so you can stay at top resorts, eat good food and learn from the very best in the industry. Then there are also the keys to what makes JAWS different = mentoring and networking.
Are you looking for a roommate or need a ride from the airport? Make sure to read Emily Beaver’s update in this newsletter. We have sign-up sheets and want to make sure that you are ready to attend CAMP.
Still not sure if CAMP will benefit you? Here are some of the events we are looking forward to: Anna Holmes, founder of Jezebel.com, will be a keynote speaker; Jill Abramson will speak to us again; there will be one-on-one tech trainings; and you’ll have a chance to attend a panel on social justice, podcasting or online harassment.
Any questions? Can’t log in to YourMembership? Email Adrienne Lawrence, CAMP Director, at camp@jaws.org.
|
|
CAMP Roomshare, Rideshare and hotel shuttle
By Emily Beaver, JAWS Bay Area Regional Captain
 Looking for a roommate for the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP)? Planning to drive to CAMP and want to give another JAWdess a ride? Need to catch a ride from the airport on the hotel shuttle?
We’ve created some sign-up sheets for you to plan for JAWS CAMP 2014:
- The Roomshare/Rideshare spreadsheet, if you’d like to share a hotel room or a ride to CAMP
- The Hotel Shuttle sign-up sheet, if you’d like to take a shuttle from the airport to La Quinta Resort and Club. (Please note: we’ll add information about how to pay for and reserve a shuttle when it becomes available.)
*Please note: The information in the spreadsheet is accessible to anyone with these links, so please do not distribute them outside of our JAWS group.
To register for CAMP, visit the registration page.
To see the online schedule, visit JAWS on SCHED.
For questions about the spreadsheet, contact Emily Beaver at emily.beaver@gmail.com. For questions about CAMP, contact Adrienne Lawrence at camp@jaws.org.
|
|
Jezebel founder Anna Holmes: CAMP keynote
 I am so pleased to announce that Anna Holmes has agreed to be our Saturday night keynote speaker at this year’s Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP). She’s excited about it and so am I.
Anna is founder of Jezebel and recipient of the 2012 Mirror Award for Best Commentary for her columns in The New York Times and the Washington Post. She is the editor of two books, “Hell Hath No Fury: Women’s Letters from the End of the Affair†and the “Book of Jezebel: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Lady Things.†She now works as a columnist for the New York Times Book Review and as an editor at Fusion.
Read more here.
|
|
Jill Abramson to speak at CAMP
 Dear JAWS members:
I’m happy to report more good news about our Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP)!
Jill Abramson will be joining us again and has agreed to speak again as well. We’re still working out the details of when she will talk, but probably at some point on Saturday, Nov. 1.
At CAMP last year, New York Times reporter and JAWS advisory board member Diana B. Henriques interviewed Jill about her experience being the first female executive editor of the Times.
Read more here.
|
|
|
Come early and join the all-day Investigative Training on the Thursday before CAMP. Registration for this event is separate from CAMP registration.
|
|
Vote for your favorite T-shirt design!
The Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) is fast-approaching (register here today) and we want to get you involved with the CAMP T-shirt this year.
The finalists for the CAMP T-shirt design will be posted on the JAWS Facebook page, and the entry with the most likes will be chosen as the official CAMP T-shirt design. The winner gets a free membership and the glory. Finalists will be uploaded to the JAWS Facebook page for voting — and liking! Feel free to email Rachel G. Bowers with any questions.
|
|
Calling all authors!
By Kelly E. Carter, Coordinator of Books, Browse and Booze for CAMP
 Did you know that showcasing your book(s) at the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) can help pay for your registration and hotel?
That’s right! If you participate in Books, Browse and Booze, taking place Saturday, Nov. 1, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., you may sell enough books to cover your regular registration fee (deadline is Sept. 30) and room at La Quinta Resort and Club. Book your room by Sept. 30 to take advantage of the special JAWS rate of $149 plus taxes and fees.
Books, Browse and Booze is where CAMPers can buy books by JAWS authors, meet the authors and chat with them about their latest work.
Read more here.
|
|
|
Come early on the Thursday before CAMP and join the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) for an Editing Boot Camp. JAWS members get a discounted rate: $90 per ACES/JAWS member and $150 per nonmember. Registration for this event is separate from CAMP registration. For details and to register, visit ACES’ website.
|
|
Introducing CAMP Fellows
Congratulations to our 2014 fellows, who will be attending the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Palm Springs, California, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.
Amy Stretten received the JAWS Diversity Fellowship.
Suzanne Cosgrove received the JAWS Mid-Career Fellowship.
Melissa Ludtke received the JAWS Entrepreneurial Fellowship.
A list of the Emerging Journalist Fellows.
|
|
|
Register for the regular rate for the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) by Sept. 30 and book your room at La Quinta Resort and Club by Sept. 30 for the special rate of $149 a night!
|
|
Board member blog post
A shared love of storytelling
 In 1985, before many of you were born, JAWS began its journey that continues today.
I was one of the lucky 16 women who gathered in Estes Park, Colorado, that weekend. Most of us didn’t know each other, but we all shared the love of storytelling.
Rather than telling other people’s stories, we told our own. Some extraordinary, some relatively normal. We laughed. We cried. We hugged with affection and in support.
Read more here.
|
|
Board nominations submitted for consideration
By Nancy Day, JAWS board member
 After open calls for nominations of themselves and others, we had a record number of women step up to volunteer for board service. The Nominations Committee is now reading the questionnaires returned by candidates. In addition to allowing us to choose from a stellar group of nominees, the questionnaires provide guidance for our discussions at the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) about the future of JAWS. We asked nominees to give us their top three priorities going forward, as well as ideas for how JAWS could better serve its membership.
The slate of nominees will be presented to the membership in September and voted on at the 2014 business meeting at CAMP, the morning of Sunday, Nov. 2, per the JAWS bylaws.
|
|
Fundraising update
 JAWS is pleased to report financial contributions from a growing number of partners who believe in our mission of empowering women in journalism and who want to support our signature event of the year: Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP), being held Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at La Quinta Resort and Club near Palm Springs, California.
So far, we have received generous support from the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford in support of a panel on entrepreneurial journalism, the Financial Times for a panel on women in technology, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation for a session on social justice journalism and FindTheBest for tips on searching for and collecting data. In addition, we have general support from Digital First Media and Comcast California and specific support for our fellowship program from the Financial Times, the Ford Foundation and GrantHer.
Given the strength of CAMP this year, we expect additional support from other foundations, corporations and individuals to be announced soon.
Thanks go to Sue Cross, who is helping with our corporate sponsor outreach; Emily Goulding, who is working on foundation grants; Meg Heckman, who spearheaded our very successful crowdfunding campaign for the fellowship program; Lisen Stromberg, chair of the fundraising and development committee; and the many other women who are helping to spread the word and collect contributions in support of JAWS and the work we do with mentoring, training and networking for our members.
|
|
YourMembership update
 JAWS is pleased to announce the addition of how-to videos regarding the use of YourMembership, the members-only site for JAWs members. We have uploaded video tutorials on how to use the site — the videos are accessible on the JAWS Vimeo page. Some things we go over include:
- How to sign in.
- How/who to ask for help if you need it.
- How to create a profile.
- How to update a profile.
- How to change your password.
- How to register for the Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) or the investigative training workshop.
- How to log in and then see the member-only rates for CAMP.
If you have any questions regarding YourMembership, feel free to contact Connie K. Ho, the web manager, or Adrienne Lawrence, interim operations and CAMP director.
|
|
Regional gathering recap
JAWS Frederick: The Frederick, Maryland, regional group of JAWS had a special event for our July mixer. We were able to celebrate and attend the public reading of a play written by JAWS member Nancy Luse. The group met at a wine bar before the reading to toast Nancy and then headed to the Maryland Ensemble Theater to watch a reading of Nancy’s play, “Bus Buddies.†It was a hilarious and touching play and the actors and actresses reading the play were phenomenal.
During a Q&A following the staged reading, the producer suggested that their group will do more workshops of Nancy’s play and that she should try her hand at getting it into a festival. The theater was packed with Nancy’s friends, family, JAWS members, colleagues and supporters. It was great to see so many people there supporting her! If you want more information about mixers in Frederick, please join our Facebook group.
|
|
JAWS Spring Fling roundup
By Jen DePaul, JAWS member
 Thank you to all of the wonderful hosts who helped make this first annual JAWS “Spring Fling Potluck†a success! Here is a recap of what happened in your neighborhood and around the country. Let’s continue to meet, share stories, drink wine and encourage one another to be the best JAWdesses we can be. A few local groups include:
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Read more here.
Bay Area, California
Read more here.
Boulder, Colorado
Read more here.
Frederick, Maryland
Read more here.
Southern California
Read more here.
New York City
Read more here.
Washington, D.C.
Read more here.
The JAWS chapter in Chicago also held a potluck gathering. Thanks, ladies, for helping organize – looking forward to next year's Spring Fling Potluck!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
