Olmeda to head NAHJ

Rafael Olmeda took the top post in an uncontested election as president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Official results were announced at the organization’s annual convention gala in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday night.

Olmeda, 36, is an assistant city editor for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He ran on a platform stressing advocacy, increased membership for young Hispanic journalists and strengthened fundraising.

Cindy Rodriguez, a columnist for the Denver Post, will assume Olmeda’s previous post as Vice President of Print. She was also unopposed. Manuel De La Rosa, reporter, KRGV-TV, Brownsville, Texas, will take over as Vice President Broadcast.

Elizabeth Zavala, assistant metro editor, Dallas Morning News is the organization’s new secretary. Gary Pina, of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, was elected general at-large officer and Claudio Alvaerz-Dunn, managing editor, Primera Hora, took the at-large post for Spanish Language media. He was previously Region I Director. Christine Show is the new student representative.

Sam Diaz, assistant technology editor, Washington Post will serve as financial officer of the organization and Lavonne Luquis, web editor for the National Education Association is at-large member for online.

For the first time ever, NAHJ members voted completely online. The online polling closed at noon on Saturday.

Session: Three Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographers

By Julio Cortez
Latino Reporter Digital

When Barry Gutierrez, a prize-winning photojournalist for the Rocky Mountain News, was a boy, he told his mother he would take her places one day.

“I told her that someday I’d take her to the Entire State Building — not the Empire State Building, the Entire State Building,” Gutierrez said Friday at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Gutierrez, 35, has lived up to that promise. A seven-year veteran of the News, Gutierrez was one of several photographers who won the Pulitzer in 2003 for coverage of wildfires in Colorado at the Denver-based newspaper. Of the 20 images in the winning package, six were by Gutierrez.

“I am living my dream,” Gutierrez said during an afternoon convention session called "Three Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographers."

Pablo Martinez Monsivais, an Associated Press photographer based in Washington, D.C., shared his award-winning image. The crowd, however, was more interested in his most recent exploit – a secret trip Monday with President Bush to the Middle East.

“Only two people knew I was going on the trip — my boss and my fiancé, and that’s because she was in the car when I got the call,” Monsivais said.

Heis one of four photographers called by president’s press office when something important is about to happen.

Alan Diaz of The Associated Press' Miami bureau had been scheduled to attend, but was absent from the panel.

Workshop: We Media - Mainstream Media Meets Participatory Journalism

By Gloria Romano
Latino Reporter Digital Staff

“Any journalist who expects to have a long career needs to understand the web and be confident in producing content for online,” said Rick Hirsch, Managing Editor, Multimedia & New Projects for The Miami Herald.

The workshop presented a broad overview of the ways mainstream media and alternative media work, from creating opportunities for ordinary people to participate in the news to helping understand citizens there are new forms of storytelling.

According to Hirsch, it is important to explore the citizen media and various media organizations “from big metros to some small foundations and engaging the public in producing journalism concrete.”

Ricardo Pimentel, editorial page editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said there were some promising some promising ideas that could be applicable to other markets.

“I still wonder about the evolving audience and the business model that will be required to sustain a newsroom capable of doing real public watch dog journalism,” he said. “It was very helpful, and I think it was very well done.

Workshop: Threats, jail, death and silence

Gloria Romano
Latino Reporter Digital Staff

“Today’s session was to bring the spotlight to the issue of journalism in the Americas and the risk that journalist take to do their job,” said Nancy San Martin, a 2006 Nieman Fellow and reporter at The Miami Herald.

San Martin advised journalists “to never say no to assignments when they’re starting out.”

In addition, “it is very important to focus on a story that you have a real interest in and develop a niche for your style so you can become an expert on a particular subject,” she said.

According to Julie Lopez, journalism professor at Florida International University, “Today’s session was to give reporters who came here an opportunity to meet reporters from Latin America who have the experience on working in Latin America, of the challenges and the self-censorship at different sectors.”

“Some people think that if you are going to go for journalism you can hardly do other things like have a personal life or other things to do, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be one or the other,” Lopez said. “Although it is very demanding, and very challenging, it’s very rewarding.”

Chantal de la Rionda, assistant to the ombudsman at National Public Radio, found the workshop inspirational.

“I like to go to sessions where journalists are speaking of their experiences abroad,” she said. “When they are putting themselves in the line on fire, and risking their livelihood to bring news to other people, convinces me more and more that news organizations need to do a better job in protecting their journalists.”

Irma M. Trevino, a spokesperson for the Internal Revenue Service, found the workshop interesting.

“They really gave a good message to young reporters because the panelists are experienced reporters that have suffered and gone through a lot, especially in countries mentioned, like Colombia and Guatemala,” Trevino said.

“It is important that journalists learn about freedom of speech,” Trevino said. “We in the United States enjoy the freedom of speech, but in other countries they have to be very careful no matter how much you love your career, you have to think twice.”

Workshop: Survival Guide for Latin American Journalists

By Kara Andrade
Latino Reporter Digital Staff

These days, everywhere I go, I am reminded that I, with all my wares, have to see myself as a product: something to be packaged, sold, distributed, promoted and strategically placed somewhere at a great price.

Bueno, bonito y barato; good, pretty and cheap. Something’s lost in the translation. But nonetheless, the image that comes to mind is of the manically rotating belts in the movie “Soylent Green” as Charlton Heston races against the machine to communicate the message to the masses in the hopes that something will be done once it’s in their hands. I want to shout out, “Tell them journalism is made of people!” But this marketing trend is against me as our business (And make no mistake: It is a business, as Mr. Ridder can attest to.) is an exercise in appearances.

This workshop was no different.

“It’s not good enough to just be,” said moderator Gabriela Natale, news anchor for KUPB Univision 18. “You have to also appear,” Natale said.

Is that really true? Should I make my own multimedia packet about myself in the hopes that, by putting humility aside and having a flash presentation about my awards and prizes, I can, like gum placed on the way out, hope that someone will pick me up, and I can get the dream job I’ve always wanted? Would I be an Eclipse, or am I just yesterday’s Chiclets? Could I get money for writing that?

There are 30,000 new journalists every year, Enrique Teutelo, news anchor for WLTV-TV Univision in Miami, told a rather somber crowd of mostly women journalists munching on ham and chicken sandwiches.

The list began rather quickly. Do you have your own lawyer, your own Web site, a hot business card. Do you know the difference between an agent and manager? Do you know about commercial contracts, digitizing your portfolio, apply for everything that comes up in the Google digests, plus volunteer with a nonprofit both to get stories and to look benevolent?

Humility is your worst enemy here. Sell, sell, sell.

And by the way, remember journalism is still a social responsibility. It’s the cash cow every employer longs for.

On tap tonight at NAHJ 2006: An address by Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba's National Assembly. Protesters are expected to picket the event, being broadcast via satellite at the Broward Center the Performing Arts.

Following that, the covention's opening reception takes place at the same venue.

Check back for coverage of both events and tomorrow's full day of workshops and speakers.

Session focuses on stress, success

JULIO CORTEZ/LATINO REPORTER DIGITAL
Bernadette Gonzales Garcia, an editor for
the Santa Fe New Mexican, laughs at a
session on leadership with less stress.

By Gloria Romano
Latino Reporter Digital Staff

“Don’t assume that what motivates you motivates everyone,” advised Jill Geisler, leadership and management group leader at The Poynter Institute earlier today at the Leadership: Less Stress, More Success workshop.

“Our purpose is to help leaders in organizations support journalists in doing their work and to recognize that each one of us is different in our needs for motivation,” she said. Poynter, a school for journalists, is located in St. Petersburg, Fla.

According to Geisler there are two types of motivation. One type is extrinsic motivation, which consists of fame, promotion and awards. “It is the absence of getting yelled at,” she said.

The second type is the intrinsic motivation, which is identified by four key elements.

• Confidence: I am good at what I do, and want to do it.
• Choice: I want to do this for a project, and I will do it.
• Meaningfulness of the work itself.
• Progress

“There are some things that motivate us all, and there are some things that are unique to each and one of us,” Geisler said. “The best thing you can do is to ask questions, and find out about them.”

Bernadette Gonzales Garcia, a Neighbors/Teen Section editor at The Santa Fe New Mexican said the day-long workshop was very informative.

“I am trying to figure out many ways to communicate to people that I supervise in a way that I am talking to them and not at them,” Garcia said. “Hopefully I can also learn to earn the respect of my peers as a leader.”

Mariel Fiori, Managing Editor at La Voz also considered the workshop very helpful. “I never thought of motivation and now I will start using these tips at work,” she said.

It's workshop day

Today is workshop day at NAHJ 2006. Convention-goers are taking part in day-long workshops learning everything from how to improve their writing to producing multimedia.

Latino Reporter Digital staffers on are on scene covering the day's events. Check back for continuing converge throughout the day.

Journalists learn how to dig deep

GLORIA ROMANO/LATINO REPORTER DIGITAL STAFF
David Donald, IRE's traning director, offers tips
on how to do better investigative reporting

By Gloria Romano
Latino Reporter Digital Staff

“Call it investigative reporting, watchdog journalism or enterprise reporting, it’s not about what we call it, but about what you do,” said David Donald, training director for the Investigative Reporters and Editors this morning at the Better Watchdog Journalism workshop.

According to Donald, the goal of IRE is to help reporters become better at investigating and interviewing their subjects. “The idea behind this is that all reporters should go deeper with their stories,” said Donald. “All reporters can do this work, but the watchdog function is to be the eyes and ears for people.”

Donald says the web is a basic reporter’s tool today. “Journalists should use the online world to find tips, to see what is going on out there, and use it effectively,” he said. Another tip he offered is to keep up on what is happening on journalism. “Have books from the professionals that you cover,” he said. “You need to know their specialty and keep up with what they are covering.”

Donald also advised journalists to learn how to use spreadsheets. “The good stories are deeper in the numbers,’’ he said.

Josh Frank, a Sun-Sentinal intern and an attendee at the workshop said he was looking forward to picking up a lot of good information.

“It will help me to better myself as a journalist.” Frank said. “I will be getting interesting links and information that will save me time when I do my stories.”