Register for the Community Journalism Workshop! Virginia’s E-Press for May 23

COMMUNITY JOURNALISM WORKSHOP

Invest in your career: Register for this year's Community Journalism Workshop by June 1
"One of the best things about VPA's Community Journalism Workshop," said veteran CJW instructor Jeff Lester of The Coalfield Progress, "is meeting new journalists at the start of their careers -- and meeting them again a few years later as they collect awards and rise to leadership positions."

One such journalist will be this year's keynote speaker: Mike Jones, Washington Redskins beat writer for The Washington Post, attended the first-ever CJW.

This intensive two-day program is designed for both beginning journalists and those who want to refresh their skills. Interns and copy editors also benefit from the workshop. The emphasis is on the fundamentals of reporting and writing, with special attention to ethics. Participants also receive a take-home "tool box" of resources to use in their daily reporting.

"This workshop should be a mandatory 'boot camp' for new reporters joining the staffs at dailies or weeklies," said Randy Arrington, editor/general manager of Page-Shenandoah Newspaper Corp., who has sent a number of staffers to the CJW over the years.

The cost: $99 for VPA members, $250 for non-members. Overnight accommodations are available at the Comfort Suites Innsbrook for $74 per night, including breakfast.

"This is a bargain: Two days, one night, intense instruction from some of the best in the business, for just $99," said Lester.

NOTE: The registration deadline is June 1.

Read more at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/23202/
Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/2012CJWregis.pdf

VPA HITS THE ROAD

Publishers share thoughts at regional roadshows

The Virginia Press Association held the first of its five planned roadshows last Thursday in Williamsburg and will be in Lexington tomorrow to gather member publishers for discussion and idea-sharing. There is no cost to participate in these small, informal gatherings, although pre-registration is requested. All ideas and projects are encouraged.

Meetings are scheduled for the following dates, times and locations:

Thursday, May 24, Lexington (Dairy Queen, 874 N. Lee Highway), 10 a.m.-noon

Thursday, May 31, Warrenton (Fauquier Times-Democrat, 39 Culpeper St.), 10 a.m.-noon (REGISTER BY MAY 24)

Thursday, June 7, Chatham (Economic Development Office, 34 N. Main St.), noon-2 p.m. (register by May 31)

Friday, June 8, Bristol (Bristol Herald-Courier, 320 Morrison Blvd.), 10 a.m.-noon (register by June 1)

Registration Form: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/VPARoadshow.pdf

A report from these meetings will be produced and given to the VPA Board of Directors at its next meeting in July.

Publishers may RSVP to Kim Woodward at VPA, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), phone (804) 521-7574. fax (804) 521-7590.

WEBINARS AVAILABLE!

VPA partnership offers online learning opportunities
Interested in polishing your skills and increasing your knowledge via the Internet? VPA partners with Online Media Campus, a clearinghouse for affordable and accessible professional development webinars, to offer learning opportunities to our members. Each program allows participation by an unlimited number of people at your site, using one Internet connection and one phone.

Upcoming webinars in June:

Thursday, June 21, 2012, 2-3 p.m., "Tricks for Faster Photo Processing" with Russell Viers, Adobe Certified Trainer
Registration fee: $35; registration after Monday, June 18: $45
Information - http://www.onlinemediacampus.com/2012/05/tricks-faster-photo-processing/
Registration - http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1099930

Friday, June 22, 2012, 2-3 p.m., "Covering the Presidential Election: Why and How" with Al Cross, Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues
Registration fee: $35; registration after Tuesday, June 19: $45
Information - http://www.onlinemediacampus.com/2012/05/political-reporting/
Flyer - http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/CoveringPresidentialElection.pdf
Registration - http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1098246

View upcoming webinars and webinar archives: http://www.onlinemediacampus.com/index.html

INDUSTRY NEWS

NNA opposes proposed USPS deal for Valassis
The National Newspaper Association (NNA) announced May 21 that it opposes a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to give advertising aggregator Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., postage discounts that are not available to newspapers' Standard Mail shoppers in competition for advertising supplements. The proposed deal adds to an earlier program called Every Door Direct Mail, which calls for postmasters to solicit newspaper advertisers to send out ad mail directly from the post office rather than advertising in news media, which weakens local news organizations' ability to serve readers. Read more:

SPJ VIRGINIA PRO CHAPTER NEWS

George Mason Ceremony and Celebration set for June 12 at University of Richmond
Join the Society of Professional Journalists, Virginia Pro Chapter, at this year's George Mason Ceremony and Celebration: Tuesday, June 12, starting at 6 p.m., in the Alice Haynes Room of the Tyler Haynes Commons at the University of Richmond.

At the celebration, the chapter will present the George Mason Award, honor its 20-year members, elect officers and board members for the 2012-13 year, announce the winners of two journalism scholarships and host a silent auction to benefit the Virginia SPJ,SDX Educational Foundation.

Tickets are $50 per person. Program sponsor tickets are $90 each. To purchase tickets, click here: http://georgemason2012.eventbrite.com/

Executive Management Retreat registration information is now available online!
July 13-14
The Cavalier
Virginia Beach
Click here: http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/EMRagenda12.pdf

2011 VPA Contest Gallery now online!
Click here to access the gallery: http://omnicontests4.com/gallery-search.aspx?gallery_id=11

Online VPA membership now available
VPA members approved bylaws changes that open membership to online members at the annual breakfast business meeting in Roanoke on April 21.

The membership requirements for the newly created online membership category are available at http://www.vpa.net.

Visit the Public Notice Resources page for VPA members on http://www.vpa.net to access online and print ads, our general information page, and more!

Ad networks pay off: join one or both today!
The Statewide Classified Ad (SCAN) and 2x2 Networks recently welcomed the following new members:
SCAN: The Lebanon News, Martinsville Bulletin, The Richmond Voice
2x2: The Lebanon News, Page News & Courier, The Richmond Voice, Shenandoah Valley-Herald, The Smithfield Times, The Valley Banner, Suffolk News Herald
If you are not participating in the network reward programs and would like to begin, or if you are only participating in one of the networks and would like to participate in both, please contact Adriane Long, Statewide Classified/2x2 Coordinator, at 804-521-7585 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Job hunting starts with VPA Classifieds!
If you're job hunting, VPA's online classifieds at http://www.vpa.net/index.php/classifieds/ are a great place to start. Listings are added each week; check back often to see the latest opportunities. And if you have a position to fill, remember that VPA members can post classifieds for free.

Know a student who's just starting out? VPA also lists daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/daily_internships/) and non-daily (http://www.vpa.net/index.php/services/article/non_daily_internships/).

Expert Advice: Ask the Columnists
Newspaper Technology: Kevin Slimp
Common Sense Journalism: Doug Fisher
Writing Matters: Jim Stasiowski
Design for Readers: Ed Henninger
Ad-libs: John Foust
Visit http://www.vpa.net/index.php/education/article/expert_advice_ask_the_columnists1/ for contact information!