Dealing with change in media at #CAJ15

OTTAWA, April 28, 2015 /CNW/ - Journalists have always dealt with one constant in their industry – change. That theme will underpin a series of workshops and sessions at the Canadian Association of Journalists' 2015 conference scheduled for June 5-6 at the Hotel Atlantica in Halifax.

Be it technology, changes in how media raises the money needed to pay journalists for their work or brand-new ways of doing our business, change has been constant.

A key element of that digitally driven change will underpin the opening plenary for the conference on June 5 – understanding media audiences. New York Times' director of analytics James Robinson, CBC News and Centres head of strategy Andrew Cochran and the Center for Investigative Reporting's director of digital media Susanne Reber will start the conversation with knowing who's out there in our audiences, taking it to the main question of how journalists can turn audience numbers into a two-way relationship.

Immediately after the plenary, Reber will lead a session on why partnerships matter. The U.S.-based centre has used innovative partnerships with non-profits and established media organizations to source funding and publication platforms for groundbreaking investigative journalism. Reber will walk through some of those projects, explaining how the partnerships were key to making them reality.

The following day, June 6, one session picks up the theme and adds to it. The Tyee's Jane Armstrong, Rustik Magazine's Zahra Sethna and Canadaland's Jesse Brown will share their experiences on raising enough money from their audiences to fund their work. From crowdsourcing, to donor appeals and more traditional fundraising campaigns, each can share how they were able to make it work.

"Our conference committee has been hard at work assembling top-notch content that any journalist working in Canada would be able to take and use to improve their craft," CAJ president Hugo Rodrigues said. "These three sessions are a perfect example, discussing and getting some of the interesting ways our industry is adapting to change."

Rates for the conference — unchanged since 2012 — start at $239 plus HST for CAJ members for the full weekend, including a ticket to the awards gala. Student member rates start at $75, with single-day registration starting at $100. These rates will go up on May 22.

All this information along with a link to our online registration site is posted on the main #CAJ15 page of our website. The conference program – as it comes together – and information on our presenters, panelists and workshop leaders are also available through our website.

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing over 600 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide public-interest advocacy and high-quality professional development for its members.

www.caj.ca/caj15 | www.facebook.com/CdnAssocJournalists | www.twitter.com/CAJ

SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

Hugo Rodrigues, CAJ president, 613-330-8396 cell, [email protected]; Conference co-chair Nick Taylor-Vaisey, [email protected]; Conference co-chair Paul Schneidereit, [email protected]; Registration questions can be sent to: [email protected]