The Online News Association (ONA) is on a mission to inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism. The 2022 retrospective tells the story of the work and impact we accomplished this past year.
The pandemic continues to affect how we convene, work, learn and rest, but we were thrilled to be able to safely and effectively gather again. The team at ONA spent the year delivering programs that responded to the needs of our community during a time of continued uncertainty and change. Amazing partners collaborated on virtual and in-person offerings and trusted us with new ways of doing things. And throughout the year, ONA members stepped up to support our mission.
In 2022, we saw more than 5,200 people engage in programs beyond the annual membership, including cohorts, volunteer opportunities and fellowships and events. The Online News Association Conference (ONA22) returned as an in-person event and was held in Los Angeles in September.
Our activities focused on:
• Offering innovation training in ONA’s signature way
• Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the digital journalism industry
• Presenting meaningful networking opportunities and connections
• Building skills to forecast and navigate industry trends
• Expanding career development resources
We were also pleased to honor finalists and winners in the 2022 Online Journalism Awards each day of ONA22, including a ceremony closing out the convening. From facilitating workshops on newsletter innovation and fighting online harassment to swapping ideas around emerging social media platforms and volunteering to make our largest hybrid event in three years a success — thank you for supporting us in 2022. We look forward to seeing how you get involved in 2023.
What’s next
The staff cannot wait to welcome our new CEO and Executive Director, LaSharah S. Bunting. LaSharah is an incredible journalist and has long been a part of the ONA community, ranging from providing financial support during her tenure as Director of Journalism at the Knight Foundation to advising ONA on numerous programmatic initiatives. She joins the organization on March 13, and we’re excited for her to shape the association and its service to journalists.
The association will host its second-annual Career Day in March, with programming focused on how to navigate career development in a recession and getting your resume ready for an uncertain future. The seventh Women’s Leadership Accelerator cohort will gather starting in March, and ONA will also launch additional virtual and in-person gatherings centering women’s leadership. We will continue our popular series of meetups — both in person and virtually — with a focus on newsletters and audience engagement. We’ll host the annual conference and Online Journalism Awards in Philadelphia for the first time in the organization’s history, from Aug. 23-26.
To stay updated about the latest opportunities and resources from ONA, subscribe to the ONA Weekly newsletter. If you are interested in exploring partnerships and other ways to invest in ONA’s programs and events, contact Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer Jessica Strelitz at jessica@journalists.org.
The Online News Association was founded in 1999 as a forum for digital news pioneers to collaborate on common challenges and encourage the highest journalistic standards. Become an ONA member or make a donation to sustain our mission to inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism.
To learn about the latest training opportunities and resources from ONA, follow us on Twitter @ONA.