JAWS Blog!

Albany Eats!: CelinaBean Beans

2010-09-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome Home?

2010-03-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

Reporting in Danger Panel: Zimbabwe

2009-10-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

A foreign correspondent talks about her battles to protect her sources in Zimbabwe. Many of those who are willing to tell their stories have lost everything else and survived "hideous" torture. They have nothing left to lose and all they have left is their "voices." They don't often understand what it means to put their voice or photograph out on TV or radio, and she uses her journalism judgment.

Zimbabwe's been in the midst of "silent genocide" for years now, she said. "We cover Zimbabwe when the violence peaks."

There's a real hunger for news in the country. Everyone has a cell phone and that's how the population gets its news. The government has started to squelch cell phone use by restricting text messaging, she said.

"I spend more time watching my rear view mirror than the road in front of me," she said about when the violence spikes and the government starts following her, sitting next to her in a coffee shop.

People tortured in the country are beaten on their feet so badly that they will never walk properly again. Others are beaten on their buttocks to the pelvic bone so they will never sit properly again. The message is clear because they return to their communities and everyone sees.

Reporting in Danger Panel

2009-10-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

"Where is my vote?" became a rallying cry for freedom of speech, a separation of religion and state, in the Iranian election and popular uprising this summer, shared Iranian journalist Tara Mahtafar. Women and new media played critical roles in the protests, she explained.

She described the coverage as "an explosion of citizen journalism on online platforms," Mahtafar said despite the censoring and slow-speeds of the Internet. People would take dozens of photos and video clips on their cell phones, return home and upload their

All the rallies were organized online, she said. Journalism transformed from information dissemination to becoming a channel for shaping the next day's events. It was interacting. The motive for documenting the events was to show the world what was happening, Mahatafar said.

My only criticism, Mahtafar said, is that the story "died" while it's still going on. Many news outlets have dropped coverage.

Women played a vital role in the struggle. Women's roles in society in Iran have changed as a result.

"Divorce is through the roof," Mahtafar said. The number one reason cited in divorce proceedings is sexual impotence, she said. The number of children Iranian women are having has declined to an average of two.

Convergence

2009-10-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

"We represent convergence," said former JAWS president Julia Kagan, because of our various fields of expertise, ages, race and interests.

JAWS has been at the forefront of computer-assisted reporting and multimedia, running trainings for its members and others rather than standing still in change.

Sept. 11 and International JAWS

2009-10-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Reflecting on how JAWS reacted to Sept. 11 and the impact of 9/11 on journalism. It changed how we needed to cover people worldwide "and cover them more respectfully," said NPR's Cheryl Hampton, a former JAWS president.

Edie Lederer transitions the conversation to the undercurrent of international issues at JAWS. Lederer talks about her reportage as a war correspondent at Vietnam and reportage by fellow JAWS member Tad Bartimus.

JAWS from the early years has had speakers focusing on international issues and women issues overseas, Lederer said. Kathy Bonk arranged video conferencing at some camps with voices telling stories from as far away as Beijing.

With us at this camp in Utah are women journalists from Mexico and the Phillipines.

Newsroom on notice

2009-10-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

"It put the whole newsroom on notice," said Kay Mills of the women who filed suits against the New York Times, Associated Press and Washington Post to open up opportunities to women.

JAWdesses are reflecting on how they "stand on the shoulders" of these pioneering reporters and editors. I am still learning how I stand on the shoulders of such courage. It will be interesting 25 years from now to see how women pioneered through this time, of social media exploding and print outlets imploding. So many of the women here are keeping the truthtelling alive from Teresa Puente's blog sharing the voices of Latina women to Lynn Sweet blogging and tweeting on the Obamas.

We're in Snowbird!

2009-10-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

And it's beautiful!
Yes, there's some snow, but there are also beautiful views from the top of the tram! The Snowbird folks offered us free rides to the top Friday, along with hot chocolate and other things we like (wine, beer)... The food is great and the camaraderie is wonderful as always...
We know you wish you were here, but we hope to keep you up-to-date with our liveblogging this weekend!

Science Panel: Live-Blogging/Q&A

2008-09-07T07:35:00.001-07:00

Q: What do the candidates think about science?

A1: McCain will not answer any questions. Obama has. Check it out for yourself: www.sciencedebate2008.com (K.C.Cole)
A2: McCain's campaign says they will address these questions soon. The delay is not reassuring. Times reporters have not been able to get interviews with either candidate about environmental platform. What about science/health? Not likely. Obama has given answers (although very general) on science issues. Early on, Obama was discussing technology infrastructure. It will also be interesting to see how the choice of Palin influences McCain's stance on issues like climate change and environmental energy. (Chang)
A3: Looking and medical/health issues locally. What about VA Hospitals on the state level? Georgia has the largest number of female veterans. (Thomas)
A4: I think we can overrate empiricism. Truth-telling facts/evidence are all critically important to us but to make compelling stories, narrative is extremely important to the greater public. No amt. of evidence is adequate to convince a certain group of people...show them examples.

Science Panel: Live-Blogging with K.C. Cole

2008-09-07T07:31:00.001-07:00

K.C. Cole
I. Science is Everywhere. Science can comment on everything.
-what is a WMD (somehow science falls into the same category as most of the
pressing news stories).
-race (meaningless since we are all indeed related)
-eyewitness testimony. (disproven scientifically again and again)
-Terry Schiavo/Organ transplants/What is death?
-know your numbers….know the difference between numbers

II. Sometimes science doesn’t make sense.
-it is true….but we can work to make it more palatable.

III. Dare to be stupid
-science is not rocket science…!!
-usually your basic common sense will inform your article. Go with your gut. Ask
those questions…

IV. There is no such thing as a theory of everything
-please just don’t write that….it does NOT exist!

Science Panel: Live-Blogging with Patricia Thomas and Ellen Ruppell Shell

2008-09-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Patricia Thomas
I. In her new job at the U. of Georgia, was asked to address the gap of knowledge in the South in three ways
1. work with the ethnic press
2. keep up with research
3. charged with starting a new masters concentration in health and medical
journalism with a focus on the SE.

Ellen Ruppel Shaw
I.Why Science Journalism?
-co-director of science journalism program at BU

II. Have you been assigned to write about science?
-science has been lumped into the “big categories/beats.” Even if you have an
expert on the other line…When speaking with a scientist keep the antenna up and
don’t take all statements for granted. Don’t let the “Dr” phase you.
,

Science Panel: Live-Blogging with Laura Chang

2008-09-07T07:22:00.001-07:00

Good Morning. We are here at JAWS 2008 in Bartlett, NH. Here is the latest from the Science Panel.

Our Panelists are:
Laura Change (NY Times)
K.C. Cole (USC)
Ellen Ruppell Shell (BU)
Patricia Thomas (University of Georgia)

Laura Chang (NY Times)
I. Why Science Journalism?
-enthusiastic about science since an early age
-an expert on nothing which makes her a great editor
-bringing a generalist’s view to the Times

II. Couple of principles to keep in mind
-remember the people, remember to speak about science for the people, make their life better through science
-remember that people are creating the science, people with various ambitions, motivations, and flaws.
-don’t dumb it down too much; it is indeed vigorous

Election Roundtable: Q&A

2008-09-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

A few questions and answers from the session....

Is who makes the most money really the best way to choose how you'll spread coverage around?
-- Sweet: Obama is a hometown guy; some candidates got more coverage than they deserved because they were interesting, etc.

There's not enough decoding of what is actually meant (should be done by reporters). There are not enough voices of color giving analysis or commenting (to give context like this).
The majority of top reporters covering politics at news outlets are white men over 50, says Jodi.

What do you read, watch, listen to, or not?
Felice: Loves Maureen Dowd, the Politico
Lynn: Mike Allen's Playbook at Politico, The Page (an aggregated site that looks at what moves the day), CBS/ABC aggregates, NYT, Wash Post, Chicago Sun-Times, and the links on her blog. She doesn't pay attention to one on one interviews. She needs places giving lots of information synthesized.
Beth: Mike Allen's Playbook, CNN, NYT for general coverage and Slate's XX Factor
Ann: Michele Cotta from the Republic, Rebecca Traister at Salon

Can the Obama campaign sustain the interest and energy?
Yes, they can sustain the energy, but will the young people who have mobilized for him really vote?? That's the question, said Beth. Lynn Sweet: Term Obama uses is "intensity gap" -- they say they're ahead of McCain. Palin revs up Repubs the way Obama has done for the Dems.

Places like the Politico don't have the same resource base as the old media institutions -- are there going to be journos covering political campaigns in a new media world? What's our strategy to keep the journalism in the campaign?
Beth said they're doing partnerships with papers like St. Paul Pioneer Press and Denver Post. Also launching Politico network -- content and ad revenue sharing program that will launch on Tuesday. It all has to do with marketing and advertising. Can't see advertising is our enemy.

Quality Campaign Reporting?

2008-09-06T11:59:00.001-07:00

Best predictor was the money collected in the first quarter of the election primary. Two Dems were ahead of everyone else: Obama and Clinton. That shaped coverage, said Sweet.

Is that how life should be?

Money chase meant two candidates could expand -- have local offices, etc. -- can't fault press for paying attention to who's getting paid (or donations). Plus, the Media found coverage could be a marketing decision: put Obama or Clinton on a cover and you'll sell issues.

There was no superstar Republican candidate.

Frerking:
She felt the sexism when she started covering the Hillary campaign. There were people on the bus who she had respect for that said they don't believe sentimental moments at all. People didn't believe the now-infamous teary eyed moment in the coffee shop during Clinton's campaign.

All political coverage is more complex than we think.

Ann Friedman:
Having women in the race has made a difference in getting a female voice onto larger platforms. That's important and points to the stats that say when women run, more women vote.

Beth Frerking: Speed is of the essence

2008-09-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

It's huge, Frerking said.

Pace for The Politico is relentless. And is essential. Good thing is that with the bloggers, they are transparent. (Edwards deciding whether to stay in the race or not, a Politico blogger got a bogus tip. Read about it here. But the blogger, Ben, also was transparent about what he did wrong.)

Go behind the curtain. Tell us what's behind the curtain. Interesting convos about politics happen when reporters go to lunch and talk about what's REALLY happening on the campaign trail.

We should be telling those stories.

Lynn Sweet

2008-09-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

The travelling press often gets advance information for "planning purposes."

"There is nothing that happens at a fully blown national campaign that isn't done for their purpose."

A lot of what you see and hear on a daily basis from the campaign comes from pool reports. (Apparently, however, not Lynn. Yesterday, she was writing a story -- she's the primary Obama reporter -- as the rest of us were eating dinner.)

Candidate is not accessible every minute when you are traveling with them. Special service agents were all around Obama early on.

Election Roundtable

2008-09-06T11:34:00.001-07:00

Here's what we're supposed to be talking about:
"Hear election coverage stories from JAWS women on the front lines and back in the newsroom. What's it like to be on the road with the candidates? What have the media covered well/poorly? How does coverage of this campaign compare to that of campaigns past?"

Moderator: Jodi Enda, vet political reporter and freelance journalist/program planner, Knight Center for specialized journalism

Beth Frerking -- Asst. managing editor, Politico
Ann Friedman -- Deputy editor, The American Prospect
Felice Belman -- Editor, Concord Monitor
Lynn Sweet -- Washington Bureau Chief, Chicago Sun-Times

Felice is telling us about what it's like to be at the center of election coverage, here in New Hampshire. The editorial board was split for a long time, so they called Clinton in, then later Obama, and then Bill Clinton came in. Obama then called and said, "hey, do you want Michelle's cell phone number?"

Early on, there are also lots of missteps by the candidates. Denis Kucinich refused to eat any food from a vegan potluck because, as Felice said, "he was persnickety." This is what they do when they think no one is looking?

Connie Schultz - live blog

2008-09-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

Getting a late start here... She's recounting how she and her husband, Sherrod Brown, decided he would run for the U.S. Senate, putting her, as a journalist, in an awkward position.

"All i could think about is I'm giong to be the big fat moon ahead of your star. ... I did not feel pressured to have Sherrod run and I did not feel pressured to leave the Cleveland Plain Dealer when I did."

The decision to take a leave of absence was made easier by a book deal. But she wrote in her journal, "What will become of me?"

About the title of her book "And his lovely wife..." - came from the campaign trail. Many older men suggested she should have changed her last name, including one who mentioned it in introducing Sherrod Brown's lovely wife... That led her to tell the story of her recently deceased father, a blue-collar worker determined to give his children a better life. His last name was Schultz too.

"My parents were two nobodies but they raised two somebodies."

A line that inspired her: "What they call you is one thing, what you answer to is something else."

On political coverage: "I've learned some things from being on the receiving end of it."

So many large newspapers are quoting from staff-generated quotes and saying it came from the Congress member.

"Then I found out all these op-ed pieces are staff generated and have their name on them."

In one instance, someone else wrote a book review under a congressman's name for the WSJ. It misleads the readers not to ask who actually said/wrote these things.

"I looked up his voting record on gay rights and choice before I said yes to a first date."

"Overall I was pretty proud of the coverage during our Senate race" especially from larger media.

"I always knew I was going to return to my job."

One reason she's partial to Hillary Clinton is that she called to congratulate Brown on his election and asked him to tell Connie that she should return to her career. Her return was announced with a news story and it's always clear who she's married to.

"I couldn't be more transparent if I were Saran Wrap."

Recalls Leonard Pitts asking her how she could go back. She said she didn't really write the column - woke up, got an idea, asked her husband to write if for her, lots of time to go shopping. Ha ha.

Her response to some readers who complain about her link to a U.S. Senator
"Marriage does not suck the brains out of a woman and make her incapable of an independent thought."

What about Sarah Palin? She wrote a column last week.

"I am so disgusted by this notion that any skirt will do."

Also disappointed that it puts a pregnant 17-year-old in the limelight.

"If this had been a Democratic candidate leaving an infant at home... When you have an infant with Down syndrome and a pregnant teenager ... it does call into question your judgment, your values."

"I think it's a dishonest and disingenuous ploy by the McCain camp... We all have these moments when it's a chance of a lifetime" but family has to come first. She was a single mother who gave up opportunities out of consideration for her daughter.

On the evolving blog dynamic: "Bloggers are not doing it. Bloggers rely on us. They want all the access and none of the responsibility of the media."

She thinks the American public is beginning to understand why real journalists matter. But "newspapers have never been good at promoting themselves... How do we change that?"

"I don't trust polls right now, because most Americans aren't paying much attention right now."

What we've got to be responsible about: "Race is the issue in this campaign. And I say this coming from the Heartland." People in the working class love their family who are racist, so they avoid having the conversation with them. "Do you want anybody to win on the basis of race?"

It's not an issue with younger folks, but it is with the older generation. It's also an economic issue. Hillary Clinton voters: more of an identification with her, not necessarily on the issues.

"I'm embarrassed that race is an issue." Ignoring it only makes it worse. And the Obama campaign doesn't want the media to talk about it. But she says it's important to go out and talk with people in the community and tell the stories, force the conversation so many don't want to have.

"Aren't we the ones to challenge them and shake them up? Think about what you're saying right here."

Even the stories exposing those who are racist. "It's not hard to get them to say these things." National media are calling her up to ask where they should go and she makes suggestions. "I want the heat on. I don't have to be unbiased when it comes to racism."

"We got in this business not to make the money, we wanted to change the world. We've got to own why we got into it."

Asked about future elections as the country becomes more multi-ethnic.

"The undercurrent all along is fear. Race is about fear."

If you graduated after 1971, chances of going to an integrated high school is far greater. Eventually, the older generation that has that fear will be gone.

"My parting note... The very thought of more than 100 women committed to truth, which is what we do still, to storytelling ... was enough to get me here. Just in this discussion about politics, do you see how important it is that you exist, that you weigh in?"

Tells story of a friend watching a newsroom meeting, wondering why she hadn't been invited. Said she wasn't asking the right question.

"If we waited for the invitation, we still wouldn't have the right to vote."

JAWS 25th Anniversary Fund!

2008-09-06T10:07:00.000-07:00

JAWS president Dawn Garcia is making a big announcement.

Journalism & Women Symposium has received another $50,000 grant from the Challenge Fund for Journalism! (We actually asked for $40,000...)That means we need to match this grant with private donations by Aug. 6, 2009, just in time for the 25th anniversary of our organization and the October camp in Snowbird, Utah.

The money raised will be used to keep cost of JAWS low, help pay for camp speakers and putting on more regional events.

We're asking for donations from members and we'll be looking for money from outside the organization to other women in journalism, family foundations and businesses.

If you're not here and want to donate, you may do so using Paypal through the Web site.

We'll also be posting more information about this on the Web site soon!

Multi-Media Training: Q&A

2008-09-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

Tools and Toys:
1. Invest in a wireless mic if at all possible. Check out www.bhphotovideo.com for great deals.
2. Shotgun mics are more affordable (be careful...they are sensitive to hand-handling).
3. Transom.org and International Women in Media organization has great info on mics..also take a look at Storycorps. UC Berkeley has great tutorials online.
4. Digital phone recorders
5. Take a look at www.poynter.org

Want to make multi-media? What are the ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS TO KNOW?
1. Photoshop
2. Flash
3. IMovie or Windows MovieMaker
4. Look at Soundslides (www.soundslides.com)

Work/Life Balance Session

2008-09-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

Rita Henley Jensen, editor in chief of Women's eNew,s moderated an insightful session on balancing work and life in an increasingly demanding industry. Panelists included Chicago freelancer Cindy Richards, former Ms. and Essence editor Marcia Gillespie and freelancer and author Courtney Martin.

Rita began the session by pointing out that only the US, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland do not guarantee paid maternity leave for others, and that in the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in the workforce have dropped 4 percentage points.

Rita then asked: How are these 3 extraordinary freelance journalists making a living?

Marcia has been writing books, speaking, and has been editor in chief of several magazines after she left Ms. She spoke about how with doing public speaking, the demand for you shifts over the years and how with even a large book advance, it is sometimes disappointing to still not have a monthly paycheck.

Courtney writes a biweekly column for the American prospect, writes books, blogs for Crucial Minutae and Feministing.org and has several consulting gigs at a time. Courtney pointed out that freelancing is difficult, and that many people have a parental safety net or savings in case of emergencies.

Courtney also spoke on the importance of keeping a regular, balanced work schedule. She works 9 to 6 and often meets up with other freelancer friends at the New York Public Library in a wireless-free room without the Internet surfing distractions.

Cindy balances freelancing full time with family time as she is raising two teens. She recommends nonprofit gigs, which pay awfully well, and also teaches part-time at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Cindy says she has many Chicago connections from working at the Tribune, Sun-Times and Chicago Parent, and that has helped tremendously. She mentors other freelancers and welcomes questions about the freelancing life. She says it is a wonderful life.

Rita then posed the question of how do you have a life when the basic business plan in journalism today is to pay the journalists as little as possible and work them so hard?

Marcia says, "We often get caught up in the essentialness of our work, and that’s when publishers can really take advantage of you. I was real clear about turning the lights out on work sometimes. We have gotten something as women that we have bought into the male model for how to do things. It doesn’t work. We really need to – I’m only here for 2 seconds on this planet, and you have to figure out what is important to you."

Courtney says, "One of these things that keeps me from working all of the time is that I have an amazing partner...y work is so much my life; I write about stuff that I care so much about. The work/life thing is something that’s really hard to wrap my mind around. It’s a beautiful problem to have, that I love what I do and the people I work with."

There was also much discussion about maintaining work/life boundaries, but also occasionally working late to meet deadlines -- within reason.

An audience member brought up the need for senior staff to set reasonable work hours and live that example for junior staffers. "You've gotta carry as you climb."

Health insurance came up! Most of the panel pays for it out of pocket, ranging from $240 to $800 and month and deductibles as high as $5,000.

An audience member asked the panel how much time they spend on self-marketing. All of the panelists agreed it's important to build personal relationships so you don't spend too much time on cold calling and writing pitch letters cold.

Mary Kay Blakely ended the session by talking about when her sons were young (and she worked from home) she had a note about "Deadline Day" on the bathroom mirror, and the boys knew that meant, "Be quiet or die." This got a big laugh from the audience, and she said it fostered for the future generation support for women working from the boys and their friends as they grew up.

Multi-Media Training: Live Blogging with Anh Ly

2008-09-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Introduction to Animation and Graphics on the Web with Anh Ly
I. Introduction to Photoshop
a. A program to edit photos
b. Allows you to enhance, resize, crop, etc.
c. Make sure you “Save for Web” which eliminates extraneous information
that might conflict with web content.
d. Adjust levels to change brightness

II. Flash
a. Importing photos from photoshop into FLASH.
b. NOTE: check out soundslides for another option (www.soundslides.com)
c. Important components: stage (where work is created), timeline (where
you want things to happen)
d. Library allows you to see and store the pictures you wish to work
with.
e. You may need to change the stage-size.

Multi-Media Training: Live Blogging with Sandra Fish

2008-09-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Social Networking, Blogging, and Twittering with Sandra Fish

1. Linked-in (www.linkedin.com) can be very helpful. Include a note if this
person is from the way-past.
a. Search engine within linked-in can be helpful.
b. Do it!

2. Gotta LOVE Facebook. Now you don’t need an .edu address.
a. Keep it private
b. Keep it clean
c. It is useful to keep up with folks. Connect with people you haven’t
seen in 20 years or more

3. Twitter
a. Sort-of like mini-blogging
b. Used heavily in recent conventions
c. Text message about what people are saying about Obama’s speech (how
are people reacting)
d. Sort of a constant react….immediate news, etc.
e. Rocky Mtn News had one link that was nothing but twitter feeding on
their homepage.
f. The message then goes to anyone who is following you…you can exclude
people as well.

4. Blogging
a. Fish has a blogging primer on the JAWS website. Take a look.

Multi-Media Training: Live Blogging with Roberta Baskin

2008-09-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Speaking on Camera with Roberta Baskin:

“You need your butterflies”

1. Sit up straight
2. Define your space
3. Avoid up-talking (takes away from authority). Use inflection but without taking away from yourself.
4. Breath and space is crucial.
5. Stay quiet when doing interviews. Sometimes space is good and can fill-up things.
6. Get Flip-video for less than $150.00. Great for blogs. Check it out HERE:
7. Don’t wear white, no stripes, no big jewelry (no dangly earrings). “When in doubt, throw it out.” No scarf. Voice should have color and energy. Avoid Black….can do weird things to the camera
8. Over-modulate (within reason).

Multi-Media Training: Live Blogging with Elizabeth Daza

2008-09-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Multi-media Training/JAWS 2008
Three Quick Tips for Multimedia Stories on the Web:
1. Knowing what is a multi-media story. (not the same text of the story in two
media elements…there is MORE to it!)
Examples: Showing Chinese consumerism by touring stores, etc.

2. The web IS NOT television. (Examples: A story for National Geographic on the
last-known hunter-gatherer tribe where photos were a bit raw. It’s OK for
things to be raw.

3. Learn to drive people to multi-media. Think about teaser lines…gives them
things that they cannot see…until they hit the website. “See the Greenest
House on Earth.” “The Cost of Raising an Olympian”

Shooting Video with Elizabeth Daza (MSN Money):

Major Dos and DO NOTS
1. Always white balance…program camera to register people in the room…regardless
of the lighting of the room. (Panasonic 3Chip Camera/DVH)
a. Tell the camera WHAT IS WHITE.
b. Zero in on something white and tell the camera… (read manual about making
this happen)
c. Make sure it is registered

2. FRAMING
a. Key for all web work. Make sure there is not TOO much headspace, etc.
b. Man on the street interview: Focus in, zoom in on the person speaking to the
reporter. It is fine if reporter is off-camera.

3. FOCUSING
a. Zoom in all the way and THEN FOCUS. Then zoom out. Your picture will then
be focus despite the zoom…..WOW.
b. This only works if your subject is in one-place…no movement action. If you
are doing movement shots, use the auto-focus.

4. MICs
a. ALWAYS remember to do an audio check.
b. Make sure you HAVE audio. Make sure you adjust audio levels that way. Read
your manual.
c. Never go in the red.
d. If there is an internal mic, think about whether you want to disable this mic
(if you are using a lav). Some of this can be edited post-shoot but not
always…. Sometimes the camera will understand these two audios and convert
them into two channels.

5. GAIN
a. Know your gain function. This can open the camera’s sensitivity to
light….allowing that more light comes into the frame.

International Panel: Tips from Q&A

2008-09-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

On Finding an Interpreter
From Lois Raimondo:
1. Go to local English classes and observe the stars in the class.
2. Learn from your interpreters (cultural norms and customs). Encourage individuals to "tutor you" on local customs.

2008-09-06T07:17:00.001-07:00

Sahar Sarshar gave us some tips on how to tell stories of international women -- locally and globally

Get to know the culture you're covering and show them that you care and understand their everyday life --- then find the stories that will inspire and motivate them.
Research is key.
Take what you present to your audience seriously
Find stories that can work across cultures and bridge the gaps across the globe.

Sarshar showed us a 30 second clip of an animation bumper VOA created for the Iranian New Year that showed a woman, Ms. Spring, who is so magical she can make the sun shine and flowers bloom with a snap of her fingers.

Here is the Web site for Voices of America.

2008-09-06T07:02:00.001-07:00

The women in Paola's book are her partners

She asks them their most interesting stories, interviews them in their first language and only works with women interpreters.

She records all of her interviews, transcribes the work and forms the chapter, and then sends the draft back to the partner in the other country and asks them to correct facts, spelling, etc.

That process has yielded some changes, but surprisingly, not many fact changes, she said. She also has the publisher give the women a copy of the book and allows non-profit organizations to use the photographs she uses in the books.

"it's an interesting collaborative system that really works for this type of project," she said.

2008-09-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Paola Gianturco has written a number of books about women's issues and their triumphs

Celebrating Women

Women who light the dark

Viva Colores

She's telling us about her travels -- and the stories in places like Zimbabwe,, Vietnam and Morocco where women use poetry to bring attention to childhood rape, who use puppets to talk about issues of domestic violence and a theatre group that showed illiterate women the impact of new laws that helped to ensure women were treated the same way as men, respectively.

Honor Killings

2008-09-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Lois Raimondo is showing us photographs from her story on honor killings.

A man gouged out his wife's eyes and sliced off her nose because she wouldn't give him a divorce. Raimondo was at the courthouse when the woman went to trial against her husband. The man, in chains, is shown smirking in one of Raimondo's photos.

His response to how he felt about what he'd done?

"She offended my honor, so I 'm proud of what I did."

The police he was with patted him on his back.

The story ran on the front page of the Washington Post (I'm trying to find the story online) and Raimondo said she felt sick about it and wanted to tell a story about the complexity of honor killings and the people involved.

International Panel: Live Blogging at JAWS 2008

2008-09-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Not able to make it to NH? Here is the latest from JAWS 2008.

International Panel:
Lois Raimondo (Staff Photog/Washington Post)
Paola Gianturco (Documentary Photog/Author)
Sahar Sarshar (Voice of America videographer and video/radio, Iran Channel)

First up:
Lois Raimondo:

Lois brings us pix from a piece on honor killings in Pakistan. Focusing on one assault of a woman in a rural village, Lois is able to attend the trial conducated by triabl leaders.

"All they wanted was choice." Lois visits a shelter for women and girls.

One young girl is the daughter of a drug-addict father and an imprisoned mother. Another woman is taking shelter from her husband after having an affair. "We are all sisters here," she says.

Next pics show women praying, mutilated women (usually by their husbands), sleeping one on top of another, playing. Another picture tells the story of a woman who had her masters in psych and had a baby....no husband came, no parents came. The hospital staff called the police and she was taken to the shelter. The baby then got sick and eventually died due to neglect. Its mother was very depressed and unable to speak when Lois arrived.

A woman who was raped by her father and bore his two children. Put into the shelter since she had two children out of wedlock.

In summary:
1. honor killings and what is going on.
2. what surrounds this issue. how do women survive? how can we tell the stories of what happened?

Paola Gianturco (Documentary Photographer/author)

Paola was truly affected by Beijing's Conference on the Status of Women. She left her life in business writing and took a one-year sabbatical to look into the life of women in the developing world. Ironically, this all came about as the result of reading an article in The Economist.

First pic: First book looked at women's artisans. Paola has now published various books....the second project arose from the first. As she was packing her camera in Gujarat (India), a woman approached her to offer access and understanding to a festival honoring a goddess. Second book then looked at festivals around the world that honored women. Seventeen were included but there are hundreds more. Together these festivals illustrated something interesting....women were honored for very different things (from reproductivity to warrior-like behavior).

Third book was about the people of Guatemala.....individuals (men, women, and children) rebuilding their lives after the bloody civil war.

Fourth book about women helping others....women helping others with the things that make life dark. Documented 123 women's groups in 15 counties.

Africa: One case in Zimbabwe....the issue of child rape. The new NGO "Girl-Child Network," has 4000 members ages 6-16. These young girls and women wrote poems about these issues....communities were mobilized after hearing of their experiences.

Vietnam: Women healing each other after abuse and domestic violence.

Morocco: Feminists have been working for 25 years to change the family code. Efforts were brought to a halt by Islamist women. King announced changes were momentous including some of the following.
1. men can only legally marry one wife
2. women must agree to be married AND divorced
3. women must inherit the same amount, not half as men.

Issue is that illiterate women don't know of these changes. One woman made it her mission that they be informed. She hired television actors to perform short pieces about these incredible developments...

Slovakia: Roma women facing discrimination. Grant-making organization funds their own projects. One includes a pre-school for Roma children since most Roma children are sent to state schools for the mentally disabled.

Brazil: Life after the favela? Life outside the favela? One woman provides education and arts classes for children in the favelas.

India: How do women and children work for their families? Photos follow children as they work on trains, platforms, etc. Another woman works to bring education to those who would normally only have time to work. Kids are taught hygiene, proper nutrition. Result is that 5000 children have transferred into public school as the fourth grade level.

Please feel free to contact those groups/festivals featured in the books. Check it out at the 'Celebrating Women' website.

Good source is Kavitha Ramdas (?) "Global Fund for Women," now the largest org in the world that gives funding to groups fighting for human rights of women and children.

Work methodology: (paraphrased, obviously) I consider that women in my books are my partners, not subjects. I explain exactly what I'm doing...I invite them to tell THEIR most interesting stories, stories that interest them the most...this can create moving results. I invite women to speak in their own language and use only female interpreters. This sometimes gives me people (interpreters) I'm not very confident about, quite frankly. The chapters are then drafted and sent back to the actual women to be re-read (in translation). This has given rise to very few corrections....(i.e. the correction of a medicinal plant in Ecuador, the spelling of Cameroon to Camerun). All of these techniques lead to a thoughtful collaboration.

International Panel

2008-09-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

The first of two morning panels is about to get underway here at the JAWS Fall Symposium. The session, an international panel, will discuss how "international issues are being covered at home, how hard it is to pitch international stories related to women, women reporting overseas and how to find -- and best tell -- the untold stories of women overseas."

The panelists are:

Peg Simpson, freelance writer from D.C.
Paola Gianturco, documentary photographer, author
Lois Raimondo, staff photographer The Washington Post
Sahar Sarshar, videographer for voice of America, and video/radio for the Iran chanel.

We're having a little trouble getting all of the technology in the conference room set up, but things should begin shortly.

Greetings from New Hamphsire!

2008-09-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome! The Journalism and Women Symposium annual camp is about to begin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

We've got a great program lineup with panels on multimedia, reinventing ourselves, science/environment/technology reporting, the 2008 election and more. We've also got two great keynote speakers, Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz and Drum Major Institute for Public Policy Executive Director Andrea Batista Schlesinger.

We'll be liveblogging the sessions. Fish also may twitter* from some of them via fishnette (that's her twitter logon). And we'll be using the easy Flip video camera for the two keynote addresses, with video available later Saturday or sometime Sunday in the members-only section of the JAWS Web site.

*On twitter: It's microblogging/text messaging/super live coverage. Posts are limited to 140 characters (that's actually less than a text). To follow and/or post, you go to the twitter Web site and sign up. Then select folks to follow... During the conventions, for instance, Poynter aggregated reporter posts under the name DNCjournalists - search for it, click to follow and you can see all those posts.

If you have questions about all this, add a comment or e-mail sandrafish(at)comcast.net

Group photos

2007-09-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Access to the blog site again!

Here is the group photo.

And if you want to see a slideshow of the Day 1 photos of the Multimedia bootcamp, dinner Friday night and the setting up from the Auction:
http://homepage.mac.com/nzacuto/JAWS/Day1-WI/index.html

More photos to come.

Fan letter from a Jawdess far away

2007-09-30T14:27:00.001-07:00

I love this blog.

I have been depressed for a month since I realized I could not get away from my current assignment in Algiers and would miss camp, but I have almost felt like I'm among you all reading this today. If you could now just put up a few posts on weather, shopping bargains and gossip the experience will be almost complete.

I am in Algeria, away from the investigative center in Sarajevo, temporarily, helping out a sister program designed to bring better management to an Arabic newspaper in this North African capital. I was leery about the assignment here, in part because I didn't think I would have the gravitas as a woman expert to inspire any kind of change.

Indeed, it is maddening how women here are not mistreated so much as overlooked. Disregarded. We go into a restaurant and the waiters rush to get the order of Del, my project partner first, making sure he has drink and napkin in lap before turning to me. I ask a question and the newspaper editors -- men -- look at him when then answer. Whoa, it's so 70s and I really didn't need to relive that part of my youth.

But a funny thing has happened over the past few months. While I have been depressed contending anew with chauvinistic bosses, the veiled and complaint young women in the newsroom were watching. And what they saw was a new way of contending with chauvinistic bosses.

Actually Del noticed it first, how the women listened when I raised questions with bosses about procedures, suggested other ways to do things than their way. And then there was the time I went into a very small screaming fit that no one had been assigned to cover the opening night of the African Games in Algiers. That's hard to disregard.

These are women who already have advanced light years over their mothers -- who could never have gone to university and held jobs. We pushed it a little more, helping to install the first female section editor. She is so bright, so talented, she puts higher-ranking men to shame just by doing her work. The other women watched that too. One day the managing editor rewrote a headline on her page -- and not in a good way. What are you going to do about it, we asked her? Nothing, she told us, what could she do? Go talk to him, we suggested. That first time, she took Del in with her to open the ground-breaking conversation that he reconsider a decision. But the editor did reconsider and the next time it happened, she handled him alone.

Even the idea that Del, a man whom the bosses could not overlook, was working in cahoots with the women has shaken up things around here. We found that a young woman assigned to keeping the photo archives actually was the newsroom authority on the photo department. She knew every failing of the department and had ideas how to fix them. But this wasn't her job, she told us, she couldn't do what she wasn't told to do. Yeah, you can, we suggested. And today she is sitting in news meeting, working with photographers on better quality and dealing with editors as more of an equal.

Newswomen's lib isn't our company's mission in Algeria but it has become this highly satisfying rabble-rousing sideline, I must say. So, there you go. Many miles may separate us, but I'm still trying to live up to those JAWS goals of empowering, mentoring and supporting.

Have a great camp. See you next year. Rosemary Armao (That's me in the picture in Algerian garb, minus veil, with Nadir, our translator, near the bay in downtown Algiers.)

Charreah rocks!!!

2007-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

One of our scholarship winners, Charreah Jackson, was so inspired that she composed a poem about JAWS. Her performance Saturday night ruled! We don't have audio or video yet, but here's her ode to JAWS!!

Open Wide
See Jaws are made for opening wide
Putting the fact I have both breast AND a brain aside
Telling a story the way it should be told.
Never accepting there's such a thing as too girly, too bold, too black or too old

See Jaws are made for opening wide
To sigh loudly when told "no"
No you can't write that, no you can't sit there
No because we said so, and you girls said it first, no means no

But no, we opened our jaws and said yes
Yes, I'll be the first at the copy desk
At NYT
Yes I'll be a political or sports editor
Why the hell not me?
No I won't just cook or sew
No, I won't quit because my womb has started to grow

See Jaws are made to open wide
To share the love we all have inside
A love for truth and all mankind
A love for Wisconsin cheese
And you know a glass of wine

See Jaws are built to open wide
To push aside pretension and pride
And so I thank you for opening yours
Kicking open doors that make me have a few firsts
Let the torch continue to pass and its light be our guide
Let the Jaws of Jaws always be open wide

Stories that Click, the liveblog...

2007-09-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Gina Setser, digital message editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is ready to moderate this panel with Peggy Collins, a multimedia editor and producer for msn.com, and Nora Paul, founding director of University of Minnesota's Institute for New Media Studies.

Yes, Gina's job actually involves sending stuff to cell phones. Here's what she says:

"Each format has its own sweet spot for reaching the people formerly known as audiences. For television that would be live action, for radio that would be voice and audio, for newspapers that would be in-depth stories... For the Internet i think there are actually two sweet spots. What pulled us into it was interaction... The other would be connecting the dots."

Interaction is empowering people to do more with what we give them, connecting the dots is putting things in context.

Nora says a lot of people need to get up to speed with the issues and where are we with multimedia. She says most sites are pretty derivative - the newspaper is the Web site on paper and vice versa. They look alike with the column concept.

The road to innovation has been pretty bumpy. There's little support for R&D in news companies since 2000. There's not enough training in new skills. Then there's the assembly line production mode of print, which isn't the best for the new environment. The television mode works better. The newsroom culture is not one that adapts to change easily. And we don't necessarily understand the new news audience.

That audience uses multiple appliances, Nora says, and they receive news in multiple ways, phones, PDAs, computers, etc., etc.

"We knew what the product was before we knew how to display it, now it's up in the air. There's no real common vocabulary for this stuff," Nora says. For instance, "what does interactive mean?"

She and a grad student examined the elements of digital storytelling. There's multiple media - stories, photos, graphics, videos. Then there's multimedia, a tapestry where sound, video, text and graphics are interwoven and can't be pulled apart. Here's her example from the Times-Picayune.

There's also content action. Is it static or does it move to help tell the story in a new way? Here's an example from the BBC. Then there's user action. Here's an example from the Morning News in Dallas that requires the user to click to get content.

The third choice is about the relationship. With print, radio and television, it's relatively passive. With the Internet, you have to interact by doing.

Nora's list of rethinking storytelling:
From explaining to experiencing. The example is from MSNBC on baggage handling in which you're graded.

From telling to exploring. An example from the Sarasota Herald Tribune by Nora's nephew using Flash.
From informing to inviting opinions. An example for the Seattle Times on balancing the budget.
From episodic to encyclopedic. An example for the Seattle Post Intelligencer.
From reading it to playing it. The South Florida Sun Sentinel has a hurricane maker. It's involved, but if it's a long-lasting item it's worthwhile.
From reporting it to databasing. You can let people find out about different aspects of the data, like in this Philly Inquirer homicide map.

Nora has some great info on eye tracking, reading and comprehending text. Her PowerPoint will make it to the JAWS Web site soon (along with others). If you want people to spend time there, thoroughness, brand recall, use Flash.

Nora says there are a lot of newspapers that are doing a good job. Consistenly doing this are the New York Times, the Washington Post. Now the shift is that still photographers are being told to shoot video and use screen grabs for the stills. Someone mentions the Denton Record Chronicle in Texas. She notes the Minnesota Public Radio effort to get sources for use in news reports, as opposed

Now on to Peggy. She notes that she didn't even know how to instant message when she went to msn.com. Multimedia is fundamentally still storytelling. "With multimedia, there's other ways to get information that would have ended up on the cutting floor in."

But, she notes, multimedia does not fit every story. Is there something in the story that the reader would like to see? Do you have a ton of data but don't want to clutter your story with numbers?

Don't be afraid of the "webtalk." You don't necessarily have to be the one to do the Flash graphics - or even know how to operate the Flash software. "Oftentimes people through out the word but they don't know how to do it."

"Here's another untold story in multimedia land. There's a lot of talk ... about the one-man band... My prediction is that as things evolve and more and more advertising money flows in, most stories will not be done as one-man bands." She says there will be teams with different skills (this is similar to what the Arizona Star did with its package on immigration and the border with Mexico).

Unfortunately, there's often an ad tie in with video - advertisers are willing to pay a lot for those ads that run before the videos. Peggy expects once they can put ads into the interactive graphics, that will be a big sell too.

On video: Talking heads don't work - they're too boring. People want to see the people in your story, in context. She notes a story in the Boston Globe, where there's a great visual lede but only a standard newspaper refer to the video of her home. More effective would be in the lede a line that says "visit her home" you can click on. Or, Nora suggests, a video that appears alongside the lede.

Peggy strongly suggests if you're considering adding multimedia, think about it from the very beginning of the story. What is the most visual thing? Get it up high in the story.

Have a reason for the multimedia. "Not every story has to have 80 million things moving around on it."

Give viewers the control. Let them press play or roll over things. "If you build it, they will click."

A great question: Where are mobile devices going to take us? Peggy says for sure it's still evolving. Podcasts are going to be ginormous. Beaming to PDAs is going to be big. People may sign up for a weekly podcast of a columnist.

On gear: Have a good snapshot camera, get a small video camera. She says Flash software is tough to master. Pitch stories with multimedia ideas, they typically have people who can edit. Nora mentions SoundSlides is another good program, it's a $35 download. (OK, really it's $40; the new plus version is $70. Still a relative bargain.)

Others want more info on the JAWS Web site. Nora will be getting us info and we'll put it on the site.

How much does a good video camera cost? Roberta has a Flip Video camera for $100 at Target (i'll be there for that in the next day or two). Peggy notes that the quality of video on the Web doesn't need to be superfantastic - there's still a role for the well-produced television documentaries and it probably isn't on the Web. You do need some training to learn the basics of shooting and editing.

Question: Are audio slideshows here to stay? Peggy says its a good question. She doesn't see still photography dropping into the great unknown. The quality of photos here is often better. Nora says a video story is markedly different than an audio slide story - the conventions aren't established yet, though. Gina notes that half to two thirds of the hits at the AJC are on photos.

Peggy says even polls and quizzes are great tools you can use. They're easy to program in Flash (and lots of programs allow you to pop them up there)

Paper Tigress

2007-09-29T12:10:00.001-07:00

Making herstory (again) even as she cleans out her apartment, Betsy Wade donated her important papers to the National Women and Media Collection at the University of Missouri.

"Three linear feet!" Betsy declared as she signed the papers that gave the papers to the Collections. "That's what you've got in your attics, ladies!"

The donation was accepted by Jenny Lukomski, the assistant director for collections at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, which will house Betsy's papers along with those of other important women in journalism, including Tad Bartimus, Sylvia Porter and Suzanne Levine.

Jenny has a display set up near the registration desk, and you can learn more about why you should follow Betsy's lead (again!) at a session Saturday afternoon.

Thoughts on the Coverage of Women from the Wilting Flowers

2007-09-29T12:01:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share some of our group's questions/concerns during last night's discussion:

1. How do you get top women, once in power, to approach coverage decisions differently?

There seems to be a critical mass of women in some pretty powerful traditions in the industry, but once they get there, they tend to "play along" instead of demanding better coverage of women and more sourcing from female experts.

2. Will/Is the new media provide an important outlet for women?

There was some talk about the lack of women in mainstream op-ed pages in contrast to the wealth of women blogging. How do we bridge this gap? How do we convince women to see themselves as experts and produce when they get the call?

3. How can we move beyond "women in peril" stories?

It's either Paris or the breast cancer survivor with ten kids or the missing white girl...how can we move beyond this kind of coverage?

We also had a fascinating conversation about mentoring and the intergenerational dynamic among women in the media. Clearly there is more need for older women in power to work with a generation just coming in, who may appear a bit "entitled," but who is really hungry for some wisdom.

In short: Reach out! Stick to your values once you're in power! Utilize the JAWS listserve!

Live blog! Breaking Into Major Magazines

2007-09-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

This promises to be an informative, not to mention popular, workshop. As it's my first attempt at a live blog, I will do my best to hit the highlights! Panelists are Mary Kay Blakely, associate professor for magazine journalism, University of Missouri; Barbara Jones, deputy editor, More magazine; and Julia Kagan, health director, Ladies Home Journal. Alicia Shepard, ombudsman, National Public Radio, and author of "Woodward & Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate," is moderating. Be back in 5!

Something new! If you meet someone at a cocktail party three times, it's called a New York Friendship.

So we're starting off with a little role-playing, a fun way to communicate a key message: work your connections!!!

Make sure you read at least three past issues, know the voice of the magazine, and look at the different departments of the publication (this is courtesy of an in-the-know audience member...this place is crawling with in-the-knows!)

Barbara says look at the sections of the magazine to see if they take freelancers, especially those looking for "real" folks.

(The aforementioned in-the-know is Katherine Lanpher, New York-based writer/broadcaster/author. Met her last night. One word: dynamo.)

Some magazines pay a research fee when they ask for more information. How much, asks Jennifer L. Pozner (WIMN). Barbara says it's what they have available.

How passionate are you about a story? Are you willing to take a risk to get it published (i.e., going to a lower-paying publication). That will tell the magazine that they should take a risk on it.

Julia says often they want proposals, even from frequent contributors, because of all the eyes it has to go through on the masthead.

Alicia asks about waiting to hear back after presenting a story. Barbara notes we're in a changing landscape. The editor-in-chief is trying to make decisions, and they're fluid, plus it has to go through a train of editors. "We don't know if your proposal is going to survive the storm."

Barbara: An editor-in-chief of a magazine is no longer the EIC of a magazine; she's the EIC of a brand. That means less time for the publication. And when she has to read 100 pages a night, that adds up. IMPORTANT: If you become a pest, asking about your proposal over and over, the editor will get tired of you.

Question: What is the definition of a pest? Julia says if you haven't heard in a month, it's OK to send an e-mail. A nice, friendly, short e-mail. Do not harrass the nice editors. They feel guilty about not having more time!

Mary Kay: Don't think of yourself as a pest. Think of yourself as a person giving this editor an opportunity at compassion. Guilt is a powerful tool for a writer to use (just like motherhood).

Did you know? Do not make telephone pitches, so sayeth Julia. Alicia: Be warmly aggressive and professionally persistent.

Question: How do you protect yourself from having your ideas stolen? (And yes, it does happen, Barbara says). The more detailed the pitch, the more protected you are. There also could be multiple pitches on the same idea, so it may not be thievery.

(What do Ludacris and Kanye West have in common? Very accomplished moms who manage their careers. Who knew?)

Part II: Alicia's fake scenario proposal is accepted. What next? Julia says you get a contract. Look at if they pay on acceptance or publication...if it's the latter, it could take years (ew). Question: can you negotiate the payment? Julia says you can ask, but sometimes it's a policy written in blood.

Barbara: Be as clean as you can with contracts. You make the decisions about what you risk, and don't. If you have never written for the publication before, be safe for yourself but don't be a pain in the butt. Be reasonable about your demands, whether it's money or copyrights. Consider asking for 50 percent if you're waiting a long time for acceptance.

Mary Kay: Kill fees are unfortunately still with us in the freelance business. She asks if they're still doing North American rights? Contracts today want you to sign away rights to all publications, those existing and possibly in the future, in the universe! Don't be afraid to tweak contracts to protect your work (because who wants to see their byline in Alien Monthly in 2087? Not me.)

Alicia's fake story is accepted. Now it's fact-checking time. Julia wants all your notes, tapes, etc. Every fact has to have a source, preferably more than one, and those sources should be prepared to get a call from a fact checker. Question: Do the notes, etc., get returned. Julia says yes, but check with magazine. Katherine says some recent contracts wanted complete transcripts of tapes (double ew).

Barbara has regular writers who do their own transcription. That's gold, baby! Gold! She also has arranged for writers to have their tapes transcribed by someone else, but these are veteran contributors.

Question: Do magazines expect interviews to be recorded? Julia says it depends. If it's a prominent source, like Nancy Pelosi, tape it. She might be tough for a fact checker to track down.

Alicia asks what should be in the e-mail subject line? Julia gets 500 e-mails a week, and spends hours cleaning it out. Make sure your pitch does not get mistaken for a PR pitch. "Pitch from writer/and a strong interesting line here" (And yes, having JAWS in the subject line gets her attention!!)

Or "Katherine Lanpher send me" (but only if she did). Avoid Read Me, etc. You'll get pitched.

Wanna know how far ahead these women work? Julia is planned through March, so looking for stuff for next April. Same with Barbara. They're working on early next year editions now. (Wow.) But they do accommodate timely stories.

What do you do if you don't have an in-the-know to get you in the door at a magazine? Julia says look at the news holes in the magazine, and those features done regularly by outside contributors. Barbara says offering up an area of expertise and good writing can invite attention. Find a niche and master it. And good writing doesn't hurt. Mary Kay says offering a new view on an old subject (like diets) are great. Holiday stories are always good hooks, but get your pitch out early. Sell yourself. Funny, moving personal stories are enticing.

Key tip: Write a compelling first paragraph in your pitch. Having a niche or beat is also good, because they know you'll be an expert and can flesh out a story.

Q&A begins! Q: What are you looking for in a pitch? Julia: Strong voice. Barbara: If it's an essay, the essay.

Q: Can you pitch multiple stories along the same subject for different publications? Barbara: This happened recently (More published the same story, by the same writer, as a major weekly magazine), and now that writer is mud. Probably a good idea to stay with publication until the piece is done. But she doesn't think anything is wrong with pitching to multiple publications (and don't say that in your pitch!) Julia says most publishers would disagree with that. But if you get a positive response to a query, take it, and be honest with the other publications you've pitched. Bottom line: Get your foot in the door, however you can. (And you heard it from Barbara...white lies are occasionally OK).

www.fij.org help fund freelance journalists. Book proposals, stories, etc. Check them out!

Q: What stories are you missing, and what stories are you tired of? Barbara is good with Uganda for a while. Steer clear. Julia is done with hormones, but can handle lots of stress. Barbara is looking for a memoir, but your competition is stiff. And check out the small bits (opinions, rants, personal essay, etc.) at the front of her magazine. "We welcome voice. We want women's voices." Oh, and if you're younger than 40, you'll only have a shot at features where there's no photo. Sorry 20- and 30-somethings!

Responds Katherine: "More isn't for women 40 and under, but ha ha, everything else is!!"

Barbara adds that in the book world, youth is king. (And there's less fact-checking, says Katherine.)

Q: If a version of a story that has apperaed in a local paper or magazine, can it be resold? Julia would prefer it to be new, but a national version isn't out of the question.

Q: A freelancer asks about marketing yourself and managing your business? Mary Kay says freelancers spend about half their time marketing. Try and turn a few successful stories into a regular feature with that publication. Also pitch ideas that can be piggybacked into a book or screenplay or regular stories.

Q: What does it take to become a contributing editor? And when you pitch to two different places, how bad do you look if you have to back out of one agreement? Barbara says if two editors are fighting over your piece, that's good. Take the action and see what happens. In women's magazines, most contributing editors aren't getting any money for it. You'll get some assignments, though that may not be a contracted thing. And it's a way to keep a writer from going elsewhere, in some cases.

Talking Sourcing at JAWS - and and invitation to JAWS members

2007-09-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

This is cross-posted from WIMN's Voices, the media analysis group blog of Women In Media & News, a national women's media analysis, media education and media advocacy group. -- Jennifer L. Pozner, Executive Director, WIMN

Quick note -- there's a powerful set of women in journalism gathered in Door County, Wisconsin this weekend for the annual Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) conference. Last night, I led one of twelve discussion groups about what bothers female journalists about representations of women in news media -- and what we as journalists can do to improve these content problems both in our individual reporting/editing/producing, and what we can do to affect institutional change.

Our group focused on the sourcing problem (it turned out numerous others did, too) -- the underepresentation and marginalization of women and people of color as sources, experts, pundits, commetators and the like -- and the way this flattens out stories, makes each story seem to similar to every previous story, and makes it harder for readers and viewers to see themselves reflected in our coverage... which of course loses audiences. We talked about many of the causes of the underrepresentation, and many individual as well as institutional factors that play in... as well as individual and institutional solutions we could employ to attempt to improve the situation.

We also talked about how JAWS members and JAWS colleagues could make better use of WomenIn Media & News's POWER (Perspectives Of Women Expand Reporting) Sources Project -- the first project of its kind, founded in 2001, the POWER Sources Project is anational network of ethnically, geographically and professionally diverse women experts who are ready to serve as sources for journalists. We've helped print, broadcast and online journalists connect with articulate, informative, media savvy, qualified sources on hundreds of topics. These are not people journalists can call only when looking for "women sources" -- they're go-to resources for journalists looking for great sources, period.

Anyway, there's much more to say about this session, but it's 8am and I'm already missing breakfast. I will likely be posting guest posts from JAWS members throughout the day or the following week. JAWS members are learning to liveblog - some for the first time - so their posts will most likely happen at http://jaws07.blogspot.com/ -- check it out. But, we will likely bring you JAWS' members reflections on the content and representation discussion, as we feel this is an important set of reflections from women in the trenches, and it's crucial that the larger public understands that women (and especially women of color) working in journalism at every level -- from interns and new beat reporters to high-level execs, news managers and news division heads share some of the same frustrations WIMN's Voices readers do... the structural critique we have of media content linked to media consolidation is real, and very relevant to the ability of journalists being able to do their jobs most effetively, inclusively and to most authenticaly cover our communities.

NOTE TO JAWS ATTENDEES: I'd like to repeat the invitation I made last night at the post-dinner session, to write up your reflections on the discussions we had last night about representations of women in news media (sourcing, content areas, solutions, whatever you discussed), so that our readership -- 90,000 unique visits per month on a good month -- who are extremely interested in issues related to women and the media will be able to hear some of the frustrations, challenges, solutions and strategies from women in the media biz. If you would like to post, email info[at]wimnonline[dot]org

Breakfast Blog

2007-09-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

Am I ever glad I dragged myself out of bed at the crack of dawn (well, 7:30 a.m.) to get to the breakfast chat with Gail Ross and Jane Isay, who gave us a lively primer on the elements of conceptualizing, writing, selling and publishing a book. I know they've been speakers before, but these two could be a standing panel, as far as I'm concerned.

Learning new skills?!?!?

2007-09-29T06:07:00.001-07:00

Yes, folks, that's Jean Gaddy Wilson in her first-ever bartending experience. She knows that JAWdesses are thirsty women!! Thanks, Jean!!!

What did we look like on day 1?

2007-09-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

The pre-event for JAWS was a multimedia bootcamp led by Janice Castro professor in new media, photojournalism, magazine development and media management at Northwestern
University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Unfortunately, after promising camp organizers that there would be enough bandwidth for a conference of journalists, the Stone Harbor Resort had to send in technical help. This guy wasn't much help, he mostly stood around.

Not being able to get on line changed the program a bit but everyone was given an assignment and asked to cover the rest of camp with video cameras, digital recorders and running commentary.

Everyone was anxious to eat dinner, but patiently stood in line for the grub.

Okay, so I have gotten this far and it is taking forever. This blogging software is not as intuitive and I would like. Each time I try to insert a photo at the bottom, it pops up at the top. I have finally had to resort to editing the html code. So I guess I need some consultation with Fish.

Here are a few more photos from the evening events.

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What would introductions be without Lynn Sweet as timekeeper?

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Nobody dares go over the time limit. "Introduce myself in 10 seconds? Ouch! Even incoming President Dawn Garcia doesn't escape Lynn's watch!

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Where are the sources?

2007-09-28T21:39:00.001-07:00

"We've Come a Long Way - Maybe" was the topic of Friday night's roundtable discussions.

"Sexism is a daily battle," was the conclusion of one group. Getting women in the news as sources, portraying women fairly and taking action were among the topics of discussion.

Here are some of the links we liked from the session:

Celina Ottaway suggests this article (it's a PDF) about The Sourcing Project.

SheSource is an online resource for journalists.

Women in Media and News is another resource.

And here are just a few of the great ideas for JAWS to consider:

Consider an annual "gems and jabs" list on gender coverage.
Consider an annual report card for coverage of issues important to women.
Consider publishing a collection of great journalism by women.

There's more, but it's late... feel free to add if you were there, to comment if you weren't!!

Welcome to the JAWS Blog 2007!

2007-09-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

We'll be posting here during camp, hopefully live-blogging some meetings, adding photos and video, etc. as part of the JAWS multimedia bootcamp experience.