HomeAbout/Meet the Staff
SPJ 23 Website




  • RSS SPJ News

  • November 21st, 2023 • 2023 Region 11 Conference: Honolulu
    Reporter Endures Trauma After Wildfires Destroy Her Home 

    “It is so important to talk about the effects of trauma in our industry, because that is an integral part of what we do every single day. As reporters, you're going to be exposed to it.”


    November 21st, 2023 • 2023 Region 11 Conference: Honolulu
    Google Training for Journalists held during SPJ Hawaii conference

    “If your momma says she loves you, check it out.”


    November 21st, 2023 • 2023 Region 11 Conference: Honolulu
    Trials, Tribulations and Lessons of the Lahaina Fire Coverage

    "The hellscape that was created in Hawaii [from Lahaina], it’s still there. It's even worse than 9/11."


    November 20th, 2023 • 2023 Region 11 Conference: Honolulu
    Role of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism highlighted at SPJ Hawaii conference

    “A lot of people think Chat GPT is as smart as people, but that’s not true...”


    November 20th, 2023 • 2023 Region 11 Conference: Honolulu
    Future and Challenges of Journalism Discussed at the SPJ Hawaii Conference 

    HONOLULU—With news moving in digital spaces, people are getting their daily updates faster than ever. The onus of providing verifiable, well-researched and truthful news to the public lies with journalists. This can be difficult to achieve as fake news is a growing roadblock but journalists must find a way around it.


    October 10th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Are Walter Payton Award Winners Breaking the Law?

    Looking at the IRS and public records of the foundation, he noticed the incredibly low amount of money going to charity, with the rest going to operating costs. 


    October 3rd, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    ‘Giving people a live mic is not a requirement’ – 2023 SPJ Fellow of the Society Soledad O’Brien

    “Sometimes, I think people make honest mistakes but more often today, there's lots of very intentional inaccuracies. I think there's misinformation. I think there's disinformation.”


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Mom’s advice to Lesley Visser: “Sometimes you have to cross when it says don’t walk”

    Lesley Visser, a celebrated sports reporter with more than 40 years in the game, has been involved in historic moments. She was the first woman to present the Lombardi Trophy and the first woman to raise the torch in the Olympics.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Making the switch: Journalists weigh in on changing news platforms

    No matter the platform, a journalist is a journalist. Reporters don’t have to feel defined by the label of print or broadcast, and openness to learning new skills can lead to an unexpected and fulfilling career path. On Saturday, Rebecca Aguilar, founder of the #CallingAllJournalists Initiative, Mary Chao, Scripps news specialty reporter, Bryan Horwath, KTNV-TV reporter and Nicolle Praino, Nashville Post reporter, hosted the “Switching News Platforms to Expand Your Opportunities” panel at the Society of Professional Journalists conference at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Journalists Discuss How to Bridge the Political Divide

    Distrust of the media has been increasing for the last 50 years.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Creating that change: Student journalists and faculty debate diversity on college campuses

    Lively discussions focused on diversity in campus media organizations — specifically at predominately white institutions —filled the room at the “Campus Media Diversity: How to Make Coverage and Staffing More Inclusive” panel Saturday at the Society of Professional Journalists conference. Panel moderators Gary Westick, the business, race and culture editor at The Tennessean, Sandra Jones, WTOP-FM news anchor and reporter, and University of Utah professor Marcie Young Cancio, encouraged students and professors from universities across the country to share their thoughts about how to foster diversity in their campus newsrooms.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Stopping imposter syndrome in its tracks

    Many professionals have encountered imposter syndrome, whether in school or the workplace. As defined by the University Of Nevada, Las Vegas professor Richard Gardner, imposter syndrome is comparing oneself to others and submitting to self-deprecation and self-doubt, resulting in feeling like an outsider.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    The art of storytelling: Tangible tips for narrative nonfiction

    Listening to a zoning meeting on mailbox size restrictions, she found an elderly man disappointed that he could not use the oversized owl mailbox his grandson made for him. A seemingly drab zoning story shimmered after inserting the human element about a grandfather’s love for his family.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Journalists Learn How to Handle Ethical Dilemmas

    Disclosing a reporter’s passions, motives and inspirations for writing can increase transparency with the public and prevent consumers from thinking a reporter is “trying to cover it up.”


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    ‘At an inflection point’: Editors weigh in on the future of freelancing

    In the 90-minute “Freelancer-Editor Meet & Greet” session at the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) conference on Friday, five editors from different news outlets answered questions about what kinds of stories they’d like to see from freelancers, and what made stories stand out.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Suspect arrested 27 years after killing of Tupac Shakur

    Police arrested Duane “Keefe D” Davis for the murder of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas the morning of Sept. 29. His arrest comes after nearly three decades of investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the district attorney’s office.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Chapter Leaders Face Down Challenges

    A common challenge for both the national organization and its chapters is the decline in membership recruitment and retention.


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Panelists share advice on beginning a journalism career

    Three panelists shared tips Friday on the early stages of a successful journalism career through the “Jumpstarting Your Journalism Career” panel. The panelists were Kevin Olivas, the news recruiting manager for Sinclair Broadcast Group, Carolyn Burt, an audience engagement producer for the Southern Carolina News Group, and Grace Da Rocha, a general assignment reporter for the Las Vegas Sun. 


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Young journalists meet peers at speed networking event

    “We’re all developing in our careers at different rates. You never know when someone you meet here might progress to someplace you want to be."


    September 30th, 2023 • 2023: Las Vegas
    Personalized interactives: connecting newsrooms with their audiences

    Personalized interactives are interactive articles that give the reader perspective or help them make a decision on a given topic. Jere Hester spoke about them at the Society of Professional Journalists convention.