Latest Conference Updates

ASNE's annual convention is the largest annual gathering of newsroom leaders from daily newspapers and other news organizations.

At ASNE 2012, editors and leaders in the field of journalism education will gather to refresh their spirits and create a roadmap to transform their newsrooms and shape the future of professional journalism.

Convention program, speakers announced

Innovation. Leadership. Digital subscription plans. The mobile newsroom. J-school collaborations. Watergate 40 years later. A tribute to war correspondents. Presidential politics. Newseum reception.

Jill Abramson. Carl Bernstein. Arianna Huffington. Gwen Ifill. Lara Logan. Bob Woodward.

All this and more will be on tap when ASNE convenes its annual convention on April 2-4 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington. Register now to qualify for early-bird rates of $450 for ASNE members and $700 for non-members. (Please read the instructions on the page above before proceeding to the online registration system. It will save you a lot of time and heartache.)

The speakers and panelists include some of the top names in the news business:

• Jill Abramson, executive editor, The New York Times

• Nancy Barnes, editor, The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

• Joshua Benton, director, Nieman Journalism Lab

• Carl Bernstein, author

• Donna Byrd, publisher, TheRoot.com

• Kathleen Carroll, executive editor, The Associated Press

• Roger Fidler, program dir., Reynolds Journalism Institute

• Chrystia Freeland, editor, Thomson Reuters Digital

• John Geddes, managing editor, The New York Times

• Susan Goldberg, executive editor, Bloomberg News

• Val Hoeppner, director of education, Freedom Forum Diversity Institute

• Arianna Huffington, president and editor in chief, Huffington Post Media Group

• Walter E. Hussman Jr., CEO of WEHCO and publisher, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

• Gwen Ifill, managing editor, “Washington Week” and senior correspondent, "PBS NewsHour"

• Larry Kramer, founder, CBS MarketWatch

• Robert Levine, author, "Free Ride"

• Lara Logan, chief foreign affairs correspondent, CBS News

• Aminda "Mindy" Marques, executive editor, The Miami Herald

• James M. Moroney III, publisher and CEO, The Dallas Morning News

• Eric Newton, senior adviser, James L. Knight Foundation

• Mi-Ai Parrish, publisher, Kansas City Star

• Karen Peterson, executive editor, Tacoma News Tribune

• Rem Rieder, editor, American Journalism Review

• Michael Smith, executive director, Northwestern University Management Center

• Paul Smurl, VP for paid products, The New York Times

• Bob Woodward, associate editor, The Washington Post

ASNE 2012 begins on Monday afternoon, April 2, with a focus on mobile technology and how it is reshaping the newsroom. On Tuesday morning, some of the most innovative minds in journalism will discuss the leadership and management skills needed to run a modern newsroom. On Tuesday afternoon, our programming will address digital subscription plans and how the rules of the reporting game have changed in the 40 years since Watergate ended.

On Wednesday morning, we'll pivot back to innovation and leadership, with speakers from both inside and outside of the news industry, including a panel of U.S. Olympians and their coaches talking about the leadership traits of winners. Among the other topics scheduled on Wednesday are news collaborations with j-schools and generating content in small newsrooms.

At the lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll join our convention partners, the Newspaper Association of America, for programs focused on presidential politics.

We'll also join NAA members for receptions on Monday and Tuesday evening. Monday's reception will be held at the hotel, and on Tuesday we'll head over to the Newseum for an evening program and reception -- and an exclusive peek at the Newseum's newest attraction, the HP New Media Gallery.

Mobile Monday: What editors need to know

This year's ASNE convention kicks off April 2 with Mobile Monday, an afternoon designed to keep you and your newsroom ahead of the curve in the use of newsgathering technology. Val Hoeppner, director of education at the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, will lead a dynamic two-hour session focusing on the use of mobile technology to report faster and on multimedia-on-the-go as an essential skill for today's journalist. This workshop will teach you to extend the capabilities of your staff's smart phones through the use of multimedia, editing, note taking, utility, location and live streaming apps. It also will examine the impact of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices on news reporting and publishing.

This session will open with a report on the latest research on the public's use of online digital media presented by Roger Fidler, director, Digital Publishing Alliance at the University of Missouri. Register by March 15 to receive a $50 registration discount.

Newsroom leadership, presidential politics headline 2012 ASNE Convention

ASNE will be back in Washington, D.C., in 2012, for its quadrennial election-year convention, this time at the beautiful but affordable Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. The convention is April 2-4, and will be held concurrently in the same hotel with the Newspaper Association of America’s annual MediaXChange. The two groups will come together for some joint programs, including two lunches and receptions, one of which will be a fun-filled, inspiring evening at the Newseum.

Already confirmed: Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who will participate in a panel discussion asking the question: What if Watergate happened today? Would a modern news organization be able to withstand the potential loss of broadcast licenses and other threats to do what it takes to hold a corrupt administration accountable? Or do new digital tools and platforms make it harder to hide executive crimes? A stellar cast will join Woodward and Bernstein to examine these questions.

At the 2008 ASNE election-year convention, all of the major presidential candidates spoke, including Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton. We hope to repeat that success in 2012.

This year’s convention theme is “What it Takes.” Programming will focus on what it takes to lead the digital and mobile transformation of a modern newsroom, as well as the leadership skills necessary to run a news organization in the digital age.

"Everyone who attends this convention will leave with useful knowledge that they can immediately put to practical use to strengthen their operations," said George Stanley, managing editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and convention co-chair.

“Attendees will find a convention focused on what it takes to deal with challenges that previous generations of editors didn’t have to face in covering the news,” added senior vice president of the First Amendment Center and convention co-chair Gene Policinski.

Registration for the convention opened today. Register now to qualify for early-bird rates of $400 for ASNE members and $650 for non-members. Those rates expire on Jan. 15. You can also book rooms now at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, which is offering a special room rate of $219.