Picking up new skills at #CAJ16

OTTAWA, April 15, 2016 /CNW/ - The 2016 Canadian Association of Journalists' conference continues our longstanding tradition of being a fantastic venue for professional development.

At this year's conference, scheduled from May 27-28 at the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel, one of the four content tracks will be skills-based, offering delegates the chance to refine their existing skills and pick up new ones.

Want tips on the tough interview? The Globe and Mail's Kathy Tomlinson will lead a session on that. A how-to on filing freedom of information / access to information requests? CBC Edmonton's Charles Rusnell will walk you through it. Handling the multiplatform demands of our industry? A panel comprised of Paula Simons, Elise Stolte and Jason Markusoff will offer tips.

The skills track also includes sessions for reporters who might be facing an assignment in certain topic areas for the first time. How do we write health stories where everything doesn't give us cancer? The Globe and Mail's Andre Picard will help set delegates off on the right foot. Haven't covered business and industry beyond the latest ribbon cutting at the box mall? The Edmonton Journal's Gary Lamphiers will offer his suggestions on how to cut deeper than the ribbon.

"Employer-funded professional development for journalists is increasingly a rarity, which makes professional development opportunities at #CAJ16 even more valuable," CAJ president Nick Taylor-Vaisey said. "Each year we survey journalists to see what skills-based sessions we should be offering and this year's lineup comes out of those questions."

In addition to the skills track, the CAJ welcomes back CBC's David McKie, University of King's College's Fred Vallance-Jones and Agence QMI's Andrew McIntosh to lead a 1.5-day series of data-journalism sessions. More details will be released on that track in the weeks to come.

Fees for #CAJ16 start at $249 plus HST for CAJ members for the full weekend, including a ticket to the conference banquet and gala. Rates for unemployed journalists and CAJ student member start at $75. Discounts are available for CAJ Award finalists as well those registering in a group. These rates will rise on May 20.

Registration is currently open for this two-day conference. The hotel is also offering a conference rate, starting at $110 a night plus taxes and fees.

Additional pieces of the #CAJ conference program are still being finalized and will be posted as they are confirmed.

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.

Registration questions can be sent to: [email protected] 

www.caj.ca/caj16 | www.facebook.com/CdnAssocJournalists | www.twitter.com/CAJ

SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

Nick Taylor-Vaisey, CAJ president, 647-968-2393, [email protected]; Hugo Rodrigues, #CAJ16 conference chair, [email protected]; Dale Bass, CAJ events committee chair, [email protected]