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The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) does not endorse any company, product, or service sold by any corporation, institution or member supporting our organization. Corporate partnerships, advertisers and sponsors are not an endorsement of a product or service and may not be represented as such, in any way. The use of the ASJA name and/or logo, or representation of such, without the written consent of ASJA, is strictly prohibited.
.MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE NEWS
The other day I was listening to a podcast interview with Marta Kauffman, one of the co-creators of “Friends,” (could I be any more excited for the reunion special this week?!) “Dream On,” “Grace and Frankie,” among other sitcoms. She mentioned that she was an executive producer on the documentary “Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh” about a young Hungarian poet who volunteered on a paratrooping rescue mission into Nazi-occupied Europe. It threw me for a second — not in a bad way — that the woman who created Ross and Rachel had had a strong hand in a film about the arrest, torture and execution of a 22-year-old woman. I imagine there must have been something refreshing about taking on a project that was so different from her other work. We talk a lot about finding your niche, being specific, narrowing your focus, cultivating expertise, etc., and that can be good, yes. Sometimes, though, breaking out of your box, doing something that’s completely different from your usual work can create a fresh burst of energy — or a renewed appreciation for the path you’ve chosen. All the best, Holly Leber Simmons, ASJA Weekly editor
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Website Update: Content Curation Begins
ASJA
When creating a website, momentum builds as individual tasks — and then entire categories of tasks — move from the To Do column to the Let’s Celebrate column of the project schedule. At some point, attention turns from the structure of what you’re building to the content you’ll eventually display on your website. That's where the ASJA Website Committee is focused these days. Get the scoop at ASJA Confidential.
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Record-Breaking TCC!
ASJA
Today’s the last day of the record-breaking Tele-Connections event. We set up nearly 1,000 meetings between writers and editors, agents and content marketing managers. Remember, these folks want to hire you, but you need to follow up to get work. Push following up with your clients to the forefront of your goals this week. Strike while this iron is sizzling hot!!! And remember, to email us and ASJA headquarters about your success stories. This event requires hundreds of volunteer hours from dozens of volunteers, and we do this so you can reach your writing goals. Please share your success stories. That means the world to us. Cheers and happy writing and networking!!! Jeanette Hurt and Erin O’Donnell, Tele-Connections co-chairs
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Sign Up for SIGs Starting June 7
ASJA
Join up to 12 of your peers in a specialized four-week discussion group held on Google Groups. Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for this session include writing for film and television, and how to be a foreign correspondent. Registration begins June 7 at the SIG site on the member page.
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Virtual Client Connections Sign-Ups Begin June 15
ASJA
Get ready! The next Virtual Client Connections is a month away. At VCC you can meet editors and agents by phone or Zoom. You’ll get to pitch story ideas one-on-one or talk about what a particular editor is looking for. Sign-ups for the next VCC will run on 6/15-6/17 at 2 p.m. EST each day.
The VCC will be held June 29-July 1 and July 6-July 8. Stay tuned to the Forums, ASJA Weekly and the ASJA website for more information or contact Stacey.Freed@gmail.com or LisaRoepe@gmail.com if you have questions.
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Save the Date: Become an Idea Machine Mastermind Class is June 17
ASJA
Do you flip through magazines thinking, “Wow, who comes up with these great story ideas?” Sign up for our next mastermind session and it could be you! Whether you have a burning story idea in need of a tune-up or are looking for tips to boost your brainstorming power, writer and speaker Jack El-Hai will share his techniques for finding innovative ideas, weighing their merits, and manipulating them to make them even better. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you’ll leave with tips to employ immediately.
This mastermind will be held virtually on Thursday, June 17, from 2-3:30 p.m. EST. Space is limited, so sign up today.
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Prospective New Members Listed
ASJA
Another new group of applicants for membership in ASJA has passed the Membership Application Committee's review and the list of prospective members has now been posted. Active members may review the list and send any comments to the ASJA Office no later than May 2. All comments will be sent to the Application Committee for consideration and will be kept confidential.
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No carve-outs in the PRO Act; NY may propose app-based worker unionizing
ASJA
There’s been no movement on the PRO Act this week, but there are two interesting things to report. The Financial Services Institute, representing independent financial advisors, said they’ve been unsuccessful getting a carve-out. “I think they’re concerned there would be a parade of groups asking for their industry to be carved out and that makes it more and more challenging to move the bill,” they said.
Something else to watch: New York state legislators are preparing to introduce legislation for app-based workers to unionize, and to guarantee benefits like worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance. The unions and app-based companies are negotiating on language. It’s said this could be a model for national legislation.
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ASJA Volunteer Opportunities
ASJA
• SIG (Special Interest Groups) – Lead special interest groups. Looking for someone to take over the program starting in September. Contact Jennifer Billock at jenniferjoanbillock@gmail.com.
• Website Committee – Write web copy to help populate all 100+ pages of ASJA's spiffy new website. Take on as many or as few assignments as you wish. Contact dara@darachadwick.com.
• Virtual Pitch Slams – Find editors for monthly pitch sessions and handle registration logistics. Learn more about the program here. Contact Wendy Helfenbaum at wendy@taketwoproductions.ca.
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Member News
ASJA
Robin DeMattia this month is celebrating her 30th anniversary as a freelance writer and marketing consultant. Her clients have included the New York Times, Reuters, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Connecticut Post, Florida Weekly newspapers and many non-profit organizations. Robin received a Florida Press Association journalism award in 2017.
Profile writer Michele Meyer’s feature, “The Architects of Glamour: Mark Badgley and James Mischka,” on the fashion designers behind Badgley Mischka ran in the May 2021 issue of Palm Beach Illustrated.
Christina Hernandez Sherwood wrote the cover story for the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of Columbia Medicine magazine about the hunt for COVID-19 antibody treatments. It includes the story of how Regeneron's therapy — the one President Trump received during his infection — grew out of an idea proposed in a Columbia biochemistry lab decades ago.
Harriet Riley, a New Orleans based freelance journalist, recently published her latest article for Mississippi Folklife on the story of family-owned Peter’s Pottery and their hopes to revitalize the historic Freedman’s town of Mound Bayou in the Mississippi Delta.
Christina Leimer published an article about San Francisco's Supervisors asking corporate landlords to help their tenants with pandemic-related back rent and another about home funerals, a practice that increased during the pandemic.
Do you have professional news you'd like to share with the group? A new job, a story you've published (in article, blog post, book, cave painting, etc. form), a new project you've launched, an interview with someone fascinating, a speaking gig? Send your news (50 words or less) and a link if applicable to Holly Leber Simmons, ASJA Weekly editor at hello@redpeneditorial.co (that's .co like Coco Chanel).
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Reporting constructively on complex issues to avoid polarization
IJNet
Eva Blanc writes, "What if journalists didn’t simply parrot knee-jerk opposing viewpoints, but instead covered controversial issues differently — based on how humans behave when they are polarized and suspicious? We at the Solutions Journalism Network first asked this question two years ago, when we commissioned research and published a powerful essay by journalist Amanda Ripley titled 'Complicating the Narratives.'”
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Climate journalism: Bandwagon, zeitgeist or audience growth opportunity?
Journalism.co.uk
When the world entered into a pandemic last year, audiences paid more attention to the news to get their COVID-19 updates. This "coronabump" taught us an important lesson: If people see a genuine value in the content we offer them, they will respond in kind.
While coronavirus is still dominating the news cycle, that does not mean other important subjects have fallen by the wayside.
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Journalism at your service: How newsrooms help readers with everyday lives
Local News Initiative
Looking for a COVID-19 vaccine? Need your sidewalk shoveled?
Who are you gonna call?
Your local news outlet.
Many newsrooms are adopting a broader role in which they don’t just report the news — they help readers find the services they need to navigate their lives. The key to this is using effective communication methods such as texting and phone hotlines to reach the public and listen when they ask for help.
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A 3rd of large US newspapers experienced layoffs in 2020, more than in 2019
Pew Research Center
Staff layoffs continued to pummel the beleaguered U.S. newspaper industry in 2020. A third of papers with an average Sunday circulation of 50,000 or more experienced layoffs last year, a period complicated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis which examined news articles that cited staff layoffs at these outlets.
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Why we need a rubric for assessing local news coverage of traditionally marginalized communities
Columbia Journalism Review
For decades, scholars have studied how systemically racist practices in the media have resulted in both stereotypical coverage of BIPOC communities and poor relationships with BIPOC community members. More recently, journalists of color have stepped forward to share their experiences with discrimination in newsrooms. And as the integrity of some of the country’s foremost media publications has come under fire, the visibility of racism in journalism continues to grow.
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