The Chicago Headline Club is sponsoring the workshop with the help of Loyola
University's School of Communication and SPJ-Loyola Student Chapter.

WHEN: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 14

WHERE: Beane Hall, on the 13th floor of Loyola University's Lewis Tower, 820
N. Michigan Ave. (Entrance is to the north, on Pearson Street.)

HOW MUCH: Free for Headline Club members, $25 for nonmembers, $5 for
students. Join Society of Professional Journalists/Chicago Headline Club and
be admitted free. Payment will be accepted at the door.

RSVP: By noon Friday; call (312) 553-0393 or e-mail chc.kathy@gmail.com

Robert M. Steele and Al Tompkins, two Poynter ethics and multimedia
applications experts, will lead the workshop that will explore the
increasing use of digital information and the possible pitfalls.

Local journalists joining them include: Wes Bleed, news director for WGN-AM;
Nicole Dizon, news editor for the Chicago bureau of The Associated Press;
Steve Edwards, acting program director for WBEZ-FM; Ron Gleason, director of
news and programming for WBBM Newsradio – 780; Jeff Kiernan, CBS 2’s new
news director; Anne Swaney, executive producer, online operations for ABC 7
Chicago; Norm Parrish, night editor for the Chicago Sun-Times; Frank
Whittaker, vice president of news and station manager of NBC 5; and Don
Wycliff, former public editor of the Chicago Tribune.

Steele and Tompkins will involve the audience of journalists, bloggers and
students in an interactive discussion of privacy and copyright issues,
documentation of research, video usage, Twitter and Facebook and how to
maintain credibility and integrity across all platforms. The workshop will
be interactive so that participants can join in on discussions, case
studies, role-playing and other exercises.

Labels: ASBPE Chicago, Chicago Headline Club, digital media, ethical journalism, Poynter

This blog post is also appearing on the ASBPE National Blog as well.

By Roy Harris ASPBE Past President

Several ASBPE chapters are known for their powerful program planning. But it would be hard to top the work done by the Chicago chapter in designing this month's half-day workshop titled "B2B Survival Strategies for Difficult Economic Times."

Featured speakers at the Nov. 7, program, held at Columbia College in the Loop, were Marina Dock Age and Boat & Motor Dealer editor Peter Gallanis discussed how to use interns to your greatest advantage. Addressing multiplatform editorial strategies were Telephony editor-in-chief Carol Wilson, Time Out Chicago web editor Scott Smith and Pierce Hollingsworth, president of his own marketing consultancy. Just seeing a variety of websites up on the screen and the different way editors handle making them work for readers helped produce insights.

Carol's dedication to devoting slower afternoon hours to getting stories ready for early-morning runs, for example, pays off by giving other outlets good material from her site to be picked up during the day. That brings Telephony an extra promotional benefit from such stories.

As impressive as the firepower that Chicago leaders called in to discuss survival, though, was the careful thought that they gave to the program lineup. By making the first topic of the day ethics—the discussion I was honored to moderate—they took note of how vital it is that publications maintain the trust of their readers, especially when times are hard and the financial challenges are greatest.

It was clear to all the attendees—when the examples started pouring in during the Q&A—that newsroom ethics are far more than window-dressing. And that editors are the ones on the spot, not just for training writers in ethical behavior, but for confronting publishers who may be tempted to go over the edge when advertiser pressures mount. It is more and more important, in fact, as the advertising dollar looks to some companies like the ultimate goal, whereas we know that the goal must continue to be reader service.

I was proud to be able to point out in Chicago that ASBPE's redesign of our ethics code has provided useful guidelines for editors to follow in examining ethical questions and finding answers to practical questions. The proof has been in the response we've had since we installed a redesigned ethics program that uses a standing Advisory Committee to deal with inquiries reflecting real-life quandaries. We now get answers back to member questions within three days, and stand ready to back them up with their publishers, if that's required. And I was glad that the 30 attendees seemed so eager to learn how the code has been working of late under its new committee chairperson, Spring Suptic. The one-word answer: effectively.

For chapters seeking a model for programming, I suggest getting in touch with Chicago Chapter President Nikki Golden, or with Vice President Erin Erickson, who managed the program so well. Congratulations, Chicago.

Roy Harris is senior editor of CFO magazine.

Labels: ASBPE Chicago chapter, digital media

If your magazine or website has posted, or is considering, posting video, you'll want to jump over to this post on ProBlogger.

The post offers helpful instructions on how to select recording software as well as things to remember when recording your video, including:

• Always do a sound check
• Speak as if you are teaching someone sitting right beside you

Again, if you're even considering doing a web video, check this out.

Labels: digital media, training, Video, Web journalism

In an attempt to counter the challenges brought upon editors in the digital media age, the ASBPE Chicago Chapter presented its "Down and Dirty in the Digital World" workshop on February 29.

NAR's Rob Freedman examined how b2b publications could turn SecondLife into profit.



Paul Deffenbaugh provided a case study in converting a print magazine into a digital-only format.




Aligning your online brand with your print brand was the final topic of discussion with Anne Zender, Vice President of Communications, American Health Information Management Association; Mari Kate Costin, Director, E-Media Sales, Reed Business Information; and Steve Ennen, Director of Business Development, Neighborhood America presenting.

Labels: ASBPE Chicago chapter, digital media, Meeting Recaps and Handouts

The Chicago Chapter of ASBPE will be hosting its half-day winter workshop ‘Down & Dirty in the Digital World’ Friday February 29, 2008 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 2000 Clearwater Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523 (Reed Business Information Offices).

Update your digital media skills and learn how your fellow business press editors are making the most of e-media at ASBPE’s Half-Day Winter Workshop. We’ll hear case studies on moving from print to digital formats, how-to tips for aligning electronic media with your brand, and examples of using online media to expand editorial and revenue opportunities — even turning your subject expertise into a book.

For those interested in some extra networking time, there also will be an optional lunch at Houlihan’s (56 Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523) following the workshop. Please RSVP by faxing or mailing the following information to Nikki Golden by Friday, February 22.

Please send your check or credit-card payment with this reservation form by Friday, February 22.

Name __________________________________________

Job title ________________________________________

Publication/company name ___________________________________

Street address ________________________________

City, State, ZIP ________________________________

E-mail (will be included in attendee networking list) ___________________­____

Daytime phone number ________________________________________

Payment $20 for members, $25 for non-members
____ My check, payable to ASBPE Chicago Chapter, is enclosed.

Type of credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) _________________

Name as it appears on card __________________________________

Dollar amount _______________________________________

Credit card number _____________________________
Expiration date __________________

Signature __________________________________

Send this completed form and payment (checks payable to ASBPE Chicago Chapter) by February 22 to: Nikki Golden, 607 W. Campbell Ct., Arlington Heights, IL 60005, or fax to: (847) 298-9225

Questions? Contact Mary Boltz Chapman at mchapman@reedbusiness.com.

Labels: ASBPE Chicago chapter, digital media, online journalism

Should magazines blog?
How can you align your online brand with your print brand?
Will Second Life breath new life into your ideas?

ASBPE Chicago hopes to answer these questions and more as we present "Down and Dirty with Digital Media" on February 29, 2008.

We'll have official sign-up in the next month; however, this is a workshop you won't want to miss and space is limited.

Labels: digital media, networking

Have you checked out Journalism 2.0 yet? You should.

This how-to site can you teach and your staff how to code basic HTML, plan a website, market your content, redesign a layout -- the list is endless. It's a great site if you want to learn more about digital media.

One of the most relevant posts I've come across is the Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive PDF.

The TOC is listed below, but to download you'll have to visit the site. Go -- it's good information you can't afford to miss.

Introduction: A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skilled Sailor
Chapter 1: FTP, MB, RSS, oh My!
Chapter 2: Web 2.0
Chapter 3: Tools and Toys
Chapter 4: New Reporting Methods
Chapter 5: How to Blog
Chapter 6: How to Report News for the Web
Chapter 7: Digital Audio and Podcasting
Chapter 8: Shooting and Managing Digital Photos
Chapter 9: Shooting Video for News and Feature Stories
Chapter 10: Basic Video Editing
Chapter 11: Writing Scripts, Doing Voice-overs
Epilogue: Putting it All Together
Appendix: Script for Hurricane Family Feature

Labels: digital media