ONA Weekly #60

Guidance, ONA15 spotlight, networking: Become a Fellow

We’re now accepting applications for the 2015 MJ Bear Fellowship, which identifies and supports promising digital journalists under 30. Fellows receive virtual group coaching by a personal advisory board, a three-year paid ONA membership, the opportunity to present at this year’s Online News Association Conference and Awards in Los Angeles, feedback on projects and connections to ONA’s robust network. See our current MJ Bear Fellows’ blogs.

A Fellow speaks: How to make the most of digital teamwork

Digital newsrooms are facing new challenges when it comes to organizing teams. Our 2014 MJ Bear Fellow Aaron Williams, data visualization editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, shares three profiles that the best digital teams often have: research and development (R&D), news apps and tech. 

ONA supports SPEAK FREE Act to extend protections

ONA joined a coalition of media organizations in strong support of the SPEAK FREE Act of 2015 (H.R. 2304), introduced by Rep. Blake Farenthold and Rep. Anna Eshoo, which extends First Amendment protections to every citizen on the internet while bolstering the information economy that thrives on open public discourse and civic participation. The legislation will allow federal courts to determine whether a lawsuit targeting speech is a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and dismiss any bogus claims if the defendant can show that the suit would not succeed on its merits.

Upcoming Events

• ONACamp Indianapolis, June 12
• ONA Toronto: Inside The Globe and Mail’s new mobile app, June 15
• ONA DC: The Coral Project, June 23
• ONA Singapore: July Social, July 7
• ONA Rocky Mountains: Show Us Your Apps, July 10

New jobs for journalists

ONA’s Career Center has hundreds of opportunities for journalists, editors and digital-minded professionals. It’s free to browse and job-seekers can upload their resumes for free. Recent postings include:

• Digital News Editor, The Gazette Company
• Online Technical Producer, The Gainesville Sun and The Ocala Star-Banner
• Database Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Honoring journalists killed on assignment

On June 8, the Newseum launched #WithoutNews, a campaign to honor journalists who lost their lives reporting in 2014. Check out the campaign and the Journalists Memorial, a searchable database of all journalists memorialized at the Newseum.

What We’re Reading

Some recent posts we’ve highlighted on the ONA Issues Tumblr:

• On repeat: How to use loops to explain anything, ProPublica
• Developers and reporters have more in common than they think, Poynter
• For The NYT, digitizing 16,000 recipes from its past is part of securing its future, AdWeek

Have an outstanding article on digital journalism issues to share with us? Tweet it with #ONAissues.