Scholarships, Roadshows and More: Virginia’s E-Press for May 9

CJW SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

Get the Community Journalism Workshop for FREE with a VPA scholarship; apply by May 15
It's been described as an investment in one's career, a bargain and a steal... and now, for six lucky Virginia reporters, it'll be more affordable than ever before.

Six scholarships are available for this year's Community Journalism Workshop (CJW), June 21-22 at VPA headquarters in Glen Allen.

Scholarships are open to staff from VPA member organizations. Each scholarship includes the $99 cost of the two-day workshop and one overnight with breakfast ($74 VPA rate) at the Comfort Suites Innsbrook on Thursday, June 21.

The scholarship application, including criteria, is available online at http://www.vpa.net/images/pdf/CJWScholarshipApplication.pdf. The deadline to apply for scholarships is Tuesday, May 15. Winners will be notified by May 30.

The CJW is an intensive two-day program aimed at 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.

CJW alumnus Mike Jones, Washington Redskins beat writer for The Washington Post, will be this year's keynote speaker.

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'S COMING TO SEE YOU!

Publishers asked to share input at regional meetings
Virginia Press Association is hitting the road! Five "VPA Roadshow" meetings are planned over the next few weeks in locations across Virginia, and member publishers have been invited to join association staff for discussion and idea-sharing.

The small, informal gatherings will provide opportunities for publishers to brainstorm and exchange thoughts. There is no cost to participate, although pre-registration is requested. All ideas and projects are encouraged.

"We believe this is a good opportunity for member awareness of services currently offered by VPA and the opportunity to hear what VPA could do for members," said Ginger Stanley, VPA executive director. "Just because VPA has been doing things a certain way for years, we understand it may not be the way of the future, and a new direction could benefit everyone."

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

Thursday, May 17, Williamsburg (The Virginia Gazette, 216 Ironbound Rd.), 10 a.m.-noon (REGISTER BY MAY 10)

Thursday, May 24, Lexington (Dairy Queen, 874 N.Lee Highway -- NOTE: This is a change), 10 a.m.-noon (register by May 17)

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)

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.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Sen. Webb joins other senators in asking for extended moratorium on closing of postal facilities
Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) and other senators have asked Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to extend the moratorium on the closing of post office and mail processing facilities until Congress approves reform legislation. The current moratorium ends May 15.

"For those in rural communities in Virginia and throughout our nation, a post office is critical to economic development and the quality of life," said Sen. Webb. "I signed this letter because I want to assure that no additional offices are closed until the Congress completes action on postal reform."

In late April, the Senate passed a postal service reform bill, the 21st Century Postal Service Act (S.1789), which included language to delay closing any post offices or postal facilities until the reforms go into effect. The U.S. House of Representatives has not yet acted on this bill. Sen. Webb supported numerous amendments to S.1789 aimed at protecting rural post offices.

"Preserving and maintaining a viable Postal Service and its ability to continue to serve the entire nation is an indispensable element for the entire postal industry, its workers, and most importantly the many small businesses and communities around the country who depend on a strong and reliable USPS," the senators wrote. "We are deeply concerned that the closing of these postal facilities prior to postal reform legislation being enacted would be devastating to communities around the country. This moratorium will provide the time needed to enact the reforms in the 21st Century Postal Service Act." Read the senators' letter: http://www.scribd.com/doc/92724310/Webb-Lawmakers-Letter-to-USPS-on-Facility-Closure-Moratorium

SPJ VIRGINIA PRO CHAPTER NEWS

Virginian wins first place in SPJ HS essay contest
Hwasung (Daniel) Yoo, a student at the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies in Richmond, has won the nationwide 2012 Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) High School Essay Contest. His first-place award includes a $1,000 scholarship.

He was one of nearly 1,000 public, private and home-schooled students in grades 9-12 who submitted essays on the topic "Why is it important that we have news media that are independent of the government?"

Yoo was selected as the local round winner by SPJ's Virginia Pro Chapter and advanced to the national round of judging, which took place in April. The national judges were from SPJ's chapter at Ithaca College.

Save the date for the George Mason Banquet
SPJ Virginia Pro Chapter has set a date and location for this year's George Mason Banquet: Tuesday, June 12, in the Alice Haynes Room of the Tyler Haynes Commons at the University of Richmond. Watch for more details to come in future editions of E-Press.

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

VPA approves online memberships
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
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!