Resources from ONA23

By on October 11, 2023

The 2023 Online News Association Conference gathered over 1,800 digital journalists, technologists, entrepreneurs, journalism funders, educators and other changemakers in digital media from over 32 countries.

Based on community feedback, we experimented with presenting this year’s conference in two parts: ONA23: Philadelphia as an energetic four days in person, followed by ONA23: Onward, a virtual mini-conference held one month later. Featured speakers included Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the 1619 project; Versha Sharma, Editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue; Hillary Frey, Editor-in-chief of Slate; and Katie Drummond, WIRED’s new Global Editorial Director.

Take a look back at the resources and highlights from ONA23.

Philadelphia in photos

From plenaries to parties, Philadelphia was good to us! View galleries of photo highlights from ONA23: Philadelphia and the 2023 Online Journalism Awards Ceremony to relive some of the best moments from the in-person gathering. All official ONA23 photos were captured by Joe Mac Creative.

Featured sessions in Philadelphia

We gathered experts from a range of disciplines to the main stage to offer insights on navigating the shared challenges and key trends impacting newsrooms now. Watch the video recordings.

Highlights from the ONA23 Midway

At each ONA conference, The Midway is the destination to discover tools, products and services that can measurably improve how newsrooms deliver on their mission. We complement this playground for exploration with curated educational programming. Check out some of the groups who participated in this year’s Midway, and learn new ways to approach your work from these session highlights:

We’re actively shaping what the Midway space will look like at the ONA24 conference (Sept. 18-21, 2024, in Atlanta). If your organization is interested in ways to join, now is a great time to contact Jessica Strelitz, ONA Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer, at jessica@journalists.org.

Resources from ONA23: Onward

Catch up on the conversations from ONA23: Onward, the virtual component of this year’s conference. All attendees who registered for a pass to ONA23: Philadelphia or Onward have access to the Onward session archive.

Access the event platform using the unique login credentials we shared in the “Know Before You Login” email, sent Sept. 22 from registration@journalists.org. Plus, view this step-by-step guide to displaying the interactive transcripts for each video recording.

Coverage from the Student Newsroom

Each year ONA selects a group of students and journalism mentors for an immersive digital training experience as they cover the annual conference. Peg Achterman, Associate Professor of Communication & Journalism at Seattle Pacific University, and Jaya Franklin, Interim Director of Communications at Georgia State University College of Law, led the 20 members and 10 mentors in the ONA23 Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab.

Many thanks to Microsoft Start and Democracy Forward, the TEGNA Foundation and Canva for supporting this year’s program.

Here are some of the student stories:

Special thanks to ONA members

ONA members help sustain our programs throughout the year, including the annual conference. Thank you for your part in bringing ONA23 to life!

Save the dates: ONA24 is Sept. 18-21, 2024

We are excited to the host the 2024 Online News Association Conference (ONA24) next September at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Subscribe to the ONA Weekly newsletter for updates in early 2024 about community input to the programming, volunteer roles and other opportunities.

We also created a dedicated channel in the ONA Slack Community to connect Atlanta locals leading up to and during the conference; start a conversation on #local-atlanta once you join the Slack.