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NABJ Interim Executive Director Drew Berry released a statement Friday evening saying the Founders Task Force supports a resolution to “explore changes in NABJ’s governing structure.”

Eleven NABJ founders met Friday to discuss the resolution. Founders present included Les Payne, Norma Wade, John White, Paul Brock, Allison Davis, Joe Davidson, Joe Dreyfuss, Sandra Long, Francis Ward, Ray Taliaferro and Maureen Bunyan (via telephone).

Berry says the founders’ goal is to preserve and sustain the organization.

“We’re trying to satisfy the need of the organization to evolve into a business model that would help improve our financial condition,” he said.

The statement also said findings may be presented to the NABJ membership for a vote next year at the convention in Philadelphia. Berry said while several specific suggestions were presented in the Founders Task Force meeting, no details will be released for weeks to come.

Philadelphia will be the host city of the 2011 NABJ Convention and Career Fair.

The last time Philadelphia hosted the NABJ convention was in 1995, and a convention hasn’t been held in a Northeast city since.

The host hotel and convention will be at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Philadelphia, which is attached to the convention center. Unlike this year in San Diego, the convention itself will take place in the convention center, not in the hotel.

“It’s fabulous,” said Sarah Glover, president of the Philadelphia chapter. “Philly folks are excited.”

Glover said Philly is a hip city with a broad mix of people that is easily accessible by train, plane, or car. “It’s not lacking in culture,” Glover said. “It’s an affordable city to travel to, and in terms of food, it’s very affordable.”

Johann Calhoun, the chapter’s Vice President-Print, said the chapter is planning a reception on Friday to introduce the city and chapter.

Calhoun said the city is rich in black history.

“Philly is also a strong news town with strong suburban newspapers in Bucks County and Montgomery County,” said Calhoun. “You have options with the newspapers, but also a way to stay (in Philadelphia).”

Glover expects attendance at next year’s convention in Philadelphia to double or even triple. About 1,500 people attended this year’s convention, officials said.

“Many of our members are from the Northeast, and Philly is very drivable,” she said. “We have sponsors and organizations that are ecstatic, and a significant number of corporate clients. People at this year’s convention are already asking me when they can book rooms.”

The 2011 convention will be held from August 3-7.

An innovative idea backed by a $100,000 grant has given four NABJ members a chance to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams to create a business.

As part of an educational effort known as New U — the members have received boot-camp-style training in business development during this week’s NABJ Career Fair and Convention in San Diego.

Later this week, the 30-second sales pitches of New U participants will be placed on the NABJ website. NABJ members who view the pitches will have a chance to select the best pitch and which individual deserves a $5,000 prize — money intended to seed their businesses.

The effort, funded by a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation and with the support the four organizations of UNITY — National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), was devised to give journalists of color an opportunity to break into online journalism, an area woefully devoid of African-Americans. is aimed at boosting business skills among journalists of color. [Editor's note: Clarification published on 8/2/10]

“This professional development opportunity will teach journalists the business side of the industry to help journalists of color not only survive but thrive in a changing economy,” said NABJ member Doug Mitchell, formerly of NPR, who was one of the key figures in the development of New U.

“One of the best and most effective ways for journalists to evolve in the 21st century is to own their work product,” said Unity President and past NABJ President Barbara Ciara in a press release about the program.

Mitchell, the past director of NABJ’s Student Multimedia Project, met a representative of the Ford Foundation at the Unity ‘08 conference in Chicago, and ran into him again at the 2009 NABJ Convention and Career Fair in Tampa. The two kept in touch, and later realized they shared the same concerns over the lack of diversity within online journalism. “We felt we needed to do something about it.  That’s what New U is. Doing something about it,” Mitchell said.

As a means of addressing this void, Mitchell and other collaborators launched a plan to train selected journalists on the intricacies of business development at the UNITY member conferences this summer. NABJ represents the third site for the New U training, where mentors assist participants in the development of their business plans. The participants are Ciara Calbert, Cassie Chew, Yanick Rice Lamb and Jountel White. They are being mentored by Doug Jackson, co-founder of the Shared Vision marketing collective, Shaun Williams, editor and president of the South Dallas News; online journalist Mike Green and photojournalist Gina Gayle.

The New U participants have similar goals, Mitchell said. Each seeks to fill a news void within their respective communities. In this sense, the participants of the New U boot camps are following a tradition associated with the ethnic advocacy press.
Editorial director and associate publisher of Heart & Soul Magazine, Lamb entered the competition to help develop her website idea. Because she found stories on black immigrant issues lacking in the mainstream press, Lamb intends to develop a site called Fullyconnected.com to deal with that void. In addition to writing stories, Lamb’s site would also help connect blacks of different cultural backgrounds via social networking. She said the workshop — which includes harsh criticism from mentors — has helped her organize her business plan and, hopefully, develop the winning pitch.

“We could really use that $5,000,” Lamb said. “But hopefully this will open the door for some other things too. Because we will need a lot more than $5,000.”

“The types of people we are finding are deep in community engagement. They live in a particular place, and for years have seen that (their communities) stories are not being told in the mainstream media.  Services are not being met. They want to be the person that provides this service in their communities,” Mitchell said.

Good intentions, however, have little chance of success without money. For this reason, each boot camp focuses on building a business plan and raising money — not the technical aspects of  producing quality journalism.

“This is not a ‘here-is-how-you-hold-a-microphone’(training).’ They know all of that. What they don’t know is ‘how do I walk up to someone and convince them I am interesting in 30 seconds,’” said Mitchell. “What are the financials of my business? What is my business plan? All of these are key questions you have to answer efficiently to keep someone interested in what you are doing.”

New U’s next workshop will be held at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) conference in Los Angeles, Aug. 4-7, rounding out sessions held at the UNITY member organization’s conventions which include NABJ, AAJA, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and the Native American Journalists Association.

Mark Gail of the Washington Post took first place in the Visual Task Force’s annual competition for his photos of immigration and state worker furlough protests. Willie J. Allen, Jr. from the St. Petersburg Times won second place for photos focused on immigration. Rochelle Riley of the Detroit Free Press also won an honorable mention for her photo on race relations.

The competition challenged photojournalists to capture the essence of San Diego, the host city of this year’s convention. It is designed to inspire the competitive and creative spirit of visual journalists. While the competition among contestants is an important part of the contest, coordinator Atoyia Deans said the main goal is to continue to offer growth opportunities for visionaries of all levels.

This year’s judges were Peggie Peattie, a photographer for the San Diego Union-Tribune; Karen Mitchell, assistant professor of convergence journalism at the University of Missouri; and Harry Walker, Photo Director at McClatchy/Tribune.

“We applaud photographers for finding not only one but two very important national new stories,” judges said of Gail’s winning photo. “We liked how he got in tight with the faces.”

(Willie J. Allen Jr.)

(Rochelle Reilly)

Not being able to conduct business frustrated Cheryl Smith, the president of NABJ’s Dallas chapter, so she made a motion to prevent future board meetings from being held at the same time as other NABJ events. The motion passed, although it received some opposition.

Friday’s conflict was the NABJ National Golf Tournament — a fundraiser for NABJ Scholarships.
The tournament, held at the popular San Diego golf course known for hosting PGA events, kept NABJ Secretary Roland Martin; Region II Director Charles Robinson; and Region III Director Ken Knight away from the board meeting.

Reached after the golf tournament, Martin said he thought it was a “silly motion.” Martin says that the commitment to Robinson has been in place long before the meeting was scheduled. “The real question is why did our planners schedule the business meeting at that time?” Board members thought it was a serious issue, however.

“There is no reason in the world, not even fundraising, that this board meeting should conflict with anything else,” Cindy George, the Region V Director, said after the motion was approved.
George, who was late to Friday’s meeting because she was speaking on a panel, said she thinks scheduling conflicts have been a big problem at this year’s convention.

George said she remembers a time when board meetings did not conflict with other events. It should be that way, she said, because it will allow more NABJ members to attend board meetings, giving them “every opportunity in the world to ask all board members questions.”

Janet Johnson, an NABJ member who attended the meeting, said she was opposed to the change and thinks that if members want to attend board meetings they should have that option.
“I understand the spirit behind (the motion), but I think this morning’s vote was emotional, and possibly short-sighted,” Johnson said. “I don’t think you can legislate participation. The country doesn’t shut down on election day.”

Interim Executive Director Drew Berry shared those sentiments.

“If people want to make the session, they should make the commitment to be there,” Berry said.
Martin said they have tried every possible way of holding a business meeting.

“I don’t know of a single thing we haven’t done to spur interest,” he said. “If folks choose not to attend, they don’t attend. I’ve been coming 19 out of 21 years and this has been an issue all of these years.”

“Yes and no,” Washington Post Senior Editor Milton Coleman said in response to the question that was on the lips of NABJ job fair attendees: “Are you hiring?”

Coleman said that the Washington Post is practicing selective hiring. “It’s different than what we’ve been doing in past years.”

Some booths spanning the floor of the job fair had long lines of people waiting to talk to recruiters. Others, such as the FBI, had no lines. However, attendees should have given that table more than just a brisk walk past. The investigative qualities necessary in the journalism profession make for good qualities in FBI special agents.

“Most journalists are comfortable talking to people,” said Yolanda Loya, FBI special agent recruiter. “That is the No. 1 skill in being an FBI agent. The more info people tell you, the quicker the case is solved.”

This quality is also an important one to have while attending job fairs, said Katina Revels, picture editor at The Associated Press. “Don’t take no for an answer. Be ambitious. If they say they aren’t hiring, ask if they know of someone who is. Be yourself.”

Richard White, an intern with The Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington, advises jobseekers to have a plan “and Plan B and C.” White was at the fair to look for graduate schools and jobs because his internship has been extended twice. “In due time it will get better,” he said.

And for those who want to take a different path, Loya said that the FBI’s media representatives also serve as special agents. Journalists are needed to write press releases and more for the bureau. Loya herself says that she would prefer to stare a gun barrel down before having to appear on camera. The journalists who take advantage of the bureau’s offer could possibly work on Loya’s camera shyness.

But those who prefer to pierce with words and not with bullets — should not lose hope. Instead, prepare for flexibility, said Kimberley N. Cornwell, associate director of Career Services at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

“Good journalism doesn’t just happen in great markets like the top three cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Be willing to go where the job opportunity is,” Cornwell advised. “Get a job first and then work toward your dream job.”

Hundreds of NABJers swarmed the job fair Friday looking and sounding their best. However, a handful of them missed the mark.

Leggings with a tank top. Ripped jeans. Old Navy flip flops. A T-shirt with not-so-inspiring words.

I saw it all.

While at the job fair I noticed a few people not quite dressing or pitching for the job they want, but the one they have (or don’t have, in many cases). It was a bit surprising, especially since the job fair is one of the biggest highlights of the convention. I know of fellow journalists who have been preparing for the fair and networking for the past two weeks. Everything from creating their “elevator pitch” to designing the perfect resume and business card was determined well in advance.

I spoke to a few people on the job fair floor about the dos and don’ts of working a fair and they said they witnessed some of the same things. One in particular, Leinz Vales of CNN New York says for him, attire can be a turn off.

“I saw someone with jeans on and another with flip flops. You definitely want a suit or even a blazer, just look presentable,” said Vales.

Vales also said some people focused so much on their presentation that they forgot to prepare for the fair itself.

“We have a lot of people only here for the camera. Have a talking point, people say ‘I love CNN’ or ‘You guys are neutral,’ but what about the show? Saying ‘I enjoyed this piece on immigration or something like that makes you stand out,” he said.

Exhibitor Allison Wright from New York talked about the importance of making a good first impression as well.

“One woman has a very short skirt; it’s definitely not something I would have worn if I’m trying to impress somebody,” she said.

It’s reactions like these that should inspire job fair goers to double-check and check again to be sure they represent the kind employee someone would want to hire.

Both interviewees also agreed that overall, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on making yourself marketable. If you’re talented, it will shine through anyway.

NABJ President Kathy Times has Nigerian roots according to a DNA test.

Today at the “DNA: The 21st Century Tool for Retracing Your Roots to the Motherland” session, NABJers learned actor Isaiah Washington is dedicated to more than just acting.

Washington, in conjunction with The Africa Channel, collaborated to create the documentary, “Isaiah Washington’s Passport to Sierra Leone.” The documentary follows Washington as he discovers his Sierra Leonean heritage through special testing that determines if the person is related to a particular ethnic group in Africa. Since the test, Washington has become the first person to be granted dual citizenship from DNA results. He is also a humanitarian and ambassador for the country.

“I believe that where you’re most comfortable in the world is where you’re from,” said Washington. He also says he feels a connection and responsibility to the people.

Washington said while obtaining citizenship was exciting and he embraced his ancestry, being African American was a difficult road even before the results. He recalled being turned down for a fraternity via the “paper bag test” while in college. His skin color was darker than a paper bag, and he was referred to another fraternity. While his citizenship was pending, he said the Sierra Leonean president’s decision to grant citizenship was negated by Sierra Leoneans who saw him as no more than an African American.

Even so, Washington believes getting past the superficial and helping his people is his prime goal.

“We need to remove ourselves from various nomenclatures,” he said, adding that African Americans have gone through many titles throughout history.

As part of the session, NABJ President Kathy Times, television and radio personality Jacque Reid, and NABJ founding member Les Payne were among those who discovered their African origins.

Times discovered she is Igbo Nigerian and Reid has origins in northern Cameroon as well as Payne, making the two “genetic cousins.”

“I feel honored to know we’re Nigerian,” said Times’ mother, who was also in attendance.

Genetic tests were raffled off to session attendees as well. Leslie Adkins of NBC Universal in New York City was one of the winners.

“I honestly have no idea where my African ancestry is,” she said, “through research I found out I have a lot of Native American, so I look forward to knowing.”