Journalism & Women Symposium

JAWS supports the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism and works toward a more accurate portrayal of the whole society.

JAWS 25th Anniversary in Snowbird, Utah.

JAWS celebrated our 25th Anniversary with a great conference Oct. 2-4 at Snowbird, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City. Check out the conference blog.

25th Anniversary Camp Roundup

By Katy June-Friesen

From Mexico, the Philippines, sub-Saharan Africa and all corners of the United States, 135 women trekked to Utah’s Wasatch Mountains and the Snowbird Ski Resort for the JAWS 25th Anniversary Camp. By the weekend’s end, some attendees were nearly stranded in the snow, and the altitude—more than 8,000 feet—defeated a few. Yet most drove back down the mountain replete with what Camp has reliably provided for a quarter-century—relaxation, rejuvenation and inspiration for various media pursuits.

At panel sessions and workshops, we heard about women’s experiences reporting from danger zones, took in advice from veterans about how to get published, honed our multimedia skills and discussed how to use our journalistic talents in new ways. You’ll find stories, written by our talented fellows, about these sessions and our speakers elsewhere in the newsletter (PDF coming to the members' section soon). Read more...

News & Events

  • Peggy Collins, JAWS vice president and multimedia workshop coordintor, formerly of MSN Money, won a 2009 Gerald Loeb Award in the online category. The team put together "Middle Class Crunch," a multimedia package on economics in the 2008 election year. Congratuations Peggy!
  • JAWS members gathered in Washington recently for the annual Gridiron dinner. Check out a photo and info.
  • Roberta Baskin, correspondent for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., and JAWS board member, won a duPont-Columbia Journalism Award for an investigation of dental clinics that profited by providing Medicare services to children, harming those children in the process. She and her team will receive the award later this month. Congratuations Roberta!
  • Caryl Rivers, a Boston University professor, recently won the Helen Thomas Award for Lifetime Achievement award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
  • Nancy Hicks Maynard, the first black woman on the New York Times metropolitan staff and co-founder of the Maynard Institute, died Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008.
  • JAWS member Margie Freivogel tells about the launch of a new online publication in St. Louis, the Saint Louis Beacon, one of the ventures exploring the future of journalism today.
  • Edie Lederer wins lifetime achievement award from the International Women's Media Foundation. As the news release says, "In her more than four decades with the AP, she has worked on every continent except Antarctica covering wars, famines, nuclear issues and political upheavals." Congratulations, Edie!
  • Jaws member Lisa Chung writes about her "Whoohoo Wednesdays!" and meeting the challenges of being laid off after a long career in newspapers. (Of course, does this offer Lisa more time to scout sites for future JAWS conferences, a job she's done so well for years?)
  • Our Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times multimedia D.C. bureau extraodinaire was recently profiled in the New York Observer for her excellent coverage of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
  • JAWS Founder Tad Bartimus wins lifetime achievement award
    The Washington Press Club honors Bartimus, former Vietnam war correspondent and the first female bureau chief at The Associated Press, at its Feb. 13 Congressional Dinner.
  • Introducing the JAWS Blogroll
    Links to JAWS Members' blogs about topics ranging from coverage of politics and pop culture to food, feminism and the front page. Want to start blogging? Find tips here.

From the President

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