ONA Weekly #456: Our New CEO’s Vision For ONA

By on April 12, 2023

New CEO LaSharah S. Bunting on ONA’s future

ONA’s new CEO and Executive Director, LaSharah S. Bunting, is sharing her thoughts on how to grow ONA.

In a new letter, LaSharah talks about her history with ONA and the importance of serving our communities and rebuilding local news ecosystems. She also discusses the significance of ONA’s role as the catalyst for experimentation around emerging technology, storytelling and revenue models.

Read LaSharah’s letter to the ONA community, reach out to her with your ideas and feedback, and watch for upcoming opportunities to ask her your questions.

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Don’t miss the HBCU Digital Media Fellowship application deadline

The application deadline for the HBCU Digital Media Fellowship is fast approaching! 

Students chosen for the Fellowship will receive hands-on experience during the 2023 Online News Association Conference (#ONA23), Aug. 23-26 in Philadelphia. Schedules will be tailored to students’ individual career interests and time will be allotted for attending conference sessions and networking events where they will connect with professional digital journalism innovators.

Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 13.

What to watch for
  • We’re working hard to get Early Bird registration for ONA23 open. Members of ONA will receive early access and reduced rates— watch your inboxes for the promo code soon. If you’re not an ONA member, join or renew your membership today!  
  • Submissions for the Online Journalism Awards, honoring the best of digital journalism, are opening on April 20. Keep an eye out for the official announcement!

On the calendar

Career opportunities 

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:

On our radar

P.S. from the ONA team

  • Reminder: ONA CEO and Executive Director LaSharah S. Bunting will be moderating a panel at this year’s International Symposium on Online Journalism. Join her in Austin or virtually this Saturday, April 15 at 3:30 p.m. CDT for the session “How to respond to news avoidance and reconnect with audiences through new approaches.”

Directory spotlight

CNN Newsource

CNN Newsource helps local news providers tell their stories and offers breaking, trending and topical content from CNN and a network of 1,000+ news affiliates. 

Dozens of technology companies, foundations, consultants and journalism organizations contribute to ONA’s mission throughout the year. Explore our Industry Directory to discover new tools and potential partners, or learn how to get listed.

Support ONA

There are many ways to help sustain ONA’s mission to inspire and support innovation in digital journalism.