Reminder: Upcoming SPJ Conference

This just in from Dallas Morning News regional Todd Gillman...

Looking for some primo professional development without leaving town or going broke?
The Society of Professional Journalists annual conference is here in Washington, Oct. 4-7, at the Hyatt on New Jersey.

The complete schedule and registration info are available at www.spj.org/convention.asp.

The program is crammed with useful and edifying sessions – on multimedia skills; writing; primers on immigration, disaster planning, climate change and demographics; computer-assisted reporting; a five-session track on planning and executing smarter campaign coverage, featuring top pollsters and pundits and first-rate journalists from The New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall St. Journal and more. Woodward and Bernstein will talk about their impact on American journalism 35 years after Watergate. Sen. John Cornyn will talk about FOIA reform. Comptroller General of the United States David Walker will debunk myths about the national debt. We’ve got war correspondents fresh from Baghdad. Pulitzer winners from Copley will get under the hood of their Duke Cunningham coverage. Journalists from the Idaho Statesman and Roll Call will explore the downfall of Sen. Larry Craig. NBC News president Steve Capus and others will discuss the Virginia Tech massacre. We’ve got five White House correspondents and three former White House press secretaries. Len Downie, Washington Post executive editor, will share his vision of the future of journalism. And… see for yourself.

To sweeten the pot, SPJ is extending the “early bird” deadline for Regional Reporters Association members.
You didn’t register by Aug. 27? No problem, if you register by Monday. The form is available on the website but you must FAX your registration (no special secret discount available if you register online) and jot “Regional Reporters Association” on the form.

Note the huge discount for SPJ members, so it makes sense to join if you’re going to attend the conference.
Early bird member registration rate is $175. Without this offer, the current fee is $225, and it jumps to $275 after Monday Sept. 24.