Diversity in Newsrooms, Diversity in Coverage – VIEW RECORDING
The events of the past year have put a renewed focus on what it means to promote diversity in news organizations, both in staffing and in the storytelling process from story ideas, sources, newsgathering, writing, editing and presentation. Keith Woods, Chief Diversity Officer for National Public Radio will discuss strategies and real-world approaches to bring new voices to the table.
Presenter: Keith Woods, Chief Diversity Officer – NPR

Covering Coronavirus – VIEW RECORDING
The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated news coverage for the past year, and is expected to remain in the headlines for the next several months as vaccines roll out across the country, restrictions on in-person interactions evolve, and new variant strains emerge. From the first reports of a deadly virus in Wuhan, China to the vaccination of millions of Americans, Chris Snowbeck at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and Catherine Richert at Minnesota Public Radio were assigned the COVID-19 beat. What did they learn from their first reports to the news of today? We’ll take a closer look at how your newsroom can improve its coverage and serve your audience with the best information available.
Presenters: Catherine Richert – Minnesota Public Radio; Chris Snowbeck – Star Tribune

Covering Civil Unrest – VIEW RECORDING
From a growing movement for social justice to the storming of the U.S. Capitol, protests have become a fixture of political expression across the country in the past year, and some have taken violent turns with clashes between protestors and police, as well as with counter-protestors who can mobilize quickly and change the dynamics on the ground. What are the challenges for media trying to cover the protests and put them into context for our audiences? We’ll take a deep dive with a reporter-photographer-producer team who covered the upheaval in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. They’ll give a firsthand account of what it was like trying to tell the story as the national guard confronted the protestors and the three were caught up in the middle of the unrest.
Presenters: Ryan Raiche, Reporter – KSTP-TV; Dylan Jacobson, Videographer – KSTP-TV; Ana Lastra, Investigative Producer – KSTP-TV

State of the News – VIEW RECORDING
What a year it has been. Journalists have been stretched to the limit, explaining a global pandemic, working virtually, learning new ways of storytelling, bringing context to a tumultuous election season, covering social unrest, and still getting through the day-to-day pressures of reporting the news. RTDNA Executive Director Dan Shelley works with journalists on these issues and many more. Join us for an informative hour to hear about the state of our business, the changes in how newsrooms operate, and the challenges we face ahead.
Presenter: Dan Shelley, RTDNA Executive Director

Do you qualify as an ally? – VIEW RECORDING
In this session, you will learn:
   •Why being an ally during a period of reckoning on racial justice and the ongoing pandemic is more important than ever.
   •How to have courageous conversations with the right words at the right time
   •How to keep bias from finding its way into decision-making
   •Why microaggressions aren’t really so “micro” and how to stop them
   •How to address the burden of “invisible work” that can harm underrepresented staff
   •Real-world situations in which newsroom allies made a difference for their colleagues — and created better journalism, too
Presenter: Jill Geisler – Power Shift Project

How any journalist can *earn* trust – VIEW RECORDING
Stop thinking of distrust in journalism as an unsolvable, big-picture problem. Instead, learn how to take audience assumptions, questions and feedback and turn them into strategies for journalists to actively demonstrate credibility and integrity. In this session, you’ll see what newsrooms are doing to tackle the problem of mistrust, and you’ll leave with ideas you can put into practice right away, no matter what your job is.
Presenters: Joy Mayer, Founder – Trusting News

Building a Personal Brand as a Journalist – VIEW RECORDING
Along with seeing your byline in the paper, your face on the television screen or the “News Team” bio page on your newsroom website, building a personal brand has become a multi-faceted, ongoing part of being a journalist in the public eye. From day-to-day interactions on the street to engaging viewers, listeners and readers through social channels, there are lots of things to consider. This session will dig into some practical strategies to better connect with your audience, without consuming every available minute of your spare time.
Presenter: Bill Schammert – KOLN-TV Evening Anchor

Morgan Chesky of NBC News – VIEW RECORDING
Morgan Chesky is a national correspondent for NBC News based in Dallas, Texas. Just in the last year, Chesky was on the front lines reporting on the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Covid-19. Prior to joining NBC News, Chesky worked at KOMO 4 TV an ABC affiliated station as a weekday evening anchor.
Presenter: Morgan Chesky, NBC News