The schedule is now being updated during the live event for attendees through Accelevents. Check your email for an invitation. CAMP schedule, information and connections are on the JAWS CAMP Accelevents website as well as the app – download via Apple app store or Google Play.

Tentative Program Schedule

*All times central

Thursday, Sept. 8

6 p.m. – 9 p.m.     Board Meeting  

Friday, Sept. 9

Noon – 7 p.m.      Registration and Info Desk Open

Noon                   In-Person Auction Opens (Bid often!)

1- 2:30 p.m.         Pre-Conference Workshop

Google Fundamentals: Advanced Search, Trends and Pinpoint 

Our Fundamentals session will equip you with practical reporting tips with examples. In Advanced Search, we’ll share how using search modifiers and specialized search engines can unearth story ideas and sources. We’ll look at how Google Trends can lead to insights on local audiences and complement your storytelling. And we’ll showcase Pinpoint, built specifically for journalists, including a live demo and examples of how newsrooms have used it to comb through documents and transcribe audio.

Instructor: Mary Nahorniak, Google News Lab teaching fellow

Sponsored by: Google News Initiative

3 – 4:30 p.m.         Pre-Conference Workshop

Prying Loose Public Records 

Exercising the public’s right to know is a fundamental responsibility of journalists, but that part of the job has become tougher in recent years. This is a broad look at open records laws at federal and state levels and what you need to know before requesting documents and data to help ensure the best chance of success. We’ll talk about how to overcome obstacles and push back against common denials. And we will have a Q-and-A session, too! Bring specific FOI questions you may have for stories you’re working on for discussion with the group. Expect to leave this session with a list of records to request now and new story ideas.

Instructors: Diana Fuentes, Executive director, Investigative Reporters & Editors 

Kym Fox,Texas State University

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.     Networking Reception

6:30 – 8:45 p.m.     Dinner/“A JAWS Reset” with Commonwealth Fund sponsored Keynote Speaker Naseem Miller (she/her).

9 – 11 p.m.              Dance Party 

Saturday, Sept. 10

6:30 – 7:30 a.m.       Yoga with certified yoga instructor Kyle Foster, who also is the communications and community manager for JAWS.

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.        Registration and Info Desk Open

8 – 8:45 a.m.            Breakfast

8:45 – 9 a.m.            Welcome/Announcements

9:30 a.m.                 Plenary Session:

Charting New Paths for Local Journalism and Leadership

In the first year after the Chicago Sun-Times joined the Chicago Public Media family, Sun-Times CEO Nykia Wright and Executive Editor Jennifer Kho join Chief Content Officer Tracy Brown to talk about what this historic nonprofit merger has been like in the first seven months. The three women leaders will discuss their short- and long-term goals, biggest challenges and day-to-day experiences, including how they tackle work-life balance. They will also share the non-traditional career paths that led them to their current positions – and the lessons they learned along the way. As part of this interactive session, they’ll answer career and leadership questions from CAMP attendees – and invite discussion and brainstorming from the group to help attendees with their own career challenges, ambitions and next steps.

Nykia Wright, Chicago Sun-Times

Tracy Brown, Chicago Public Media

Jenn Kho, moderator

Sponsored by: Northwestern University Medill School

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.   Breakout Sessions (3)

  1. Health Reporting 101:

    Panel: Tara Haelle, Freelance journalist, Association of Health Care Journalist (AHCJ)

    Naseem Miller, Senior health editor, The Journalist’s Resource

    Sponsored by: Commonwealth Fund

  2. DEI: On the Frontlines: News Leaders Talk Frankly About What Has and Hasn’t Worked When Diversifying Their Newsrooms

    Three experienced newsroom leaders share tips and strategies on how they are working to embed DEI values and practices into their news organizations. Some areas of discussion include developing effective hiring practices; ensuring overall news coverage reflects the wide-ranging voices and concerns of local communities; creating an authentic culture of equity and inclusion throughout the news organization; and how to learn from our mistakes while recognizing our successes. 

    Panel: Andy Alford, Director of Editorial Recruitment, Training and Career Development, 

    Texas Tribune

    Nora Lopez, Executive Editor, San Antonio Express News, NAHJ president 

    Susan Smith Richardson, managing editor, Guardian US

    Moderator: Tatiana Flowers, Colorado Sun

    Sponsored by:
    Stanford University John S. Knight (JSK) Journalism Fellowships

  3. Accessing Pro Bono Legal Assistance for Newsgathering Rights and Understanding Prepublication Review

    This first part of this workshop will raise awareness of legal support as an integral component of journalists’ everyday work. Presenters will share the pro bono legal resources available to journalists and we will walk through the process for submitting a request to ProJourn. ProJourn offers legal assistance in the two key newsgathering areas: pre-publication review and access to public records, including free litigation services to help reporters fight stonewalling and hold government accountable.

    The second portion of this workshop will provide an accessible overview of how prepublication review works including practical tips for journalists to apply to their own work

    Presenter: Christina Piaia, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP)

    Sponsored by: Marquette

11:45 – 1:30 p.m.     Lunch and Fran Lewine Memorial Interview with Gayle Reaves conducted by Edie Lederer.

1:45 – 2:45 p.m.       Breakout Sessions (3)

  1. Reporting Fairly and Accurately on Trans Youth

    Across the country, state lawmakers have filed 76 different bills restricting the lives of trans youth – either to restrict best-practice medical care, or to ban them from competing in gender-appropriate sports. Here in Texas, the governor ordered state welfare agencies to launch child abuse investigations for families that seek gender-affirming care for their transgender kids.

    How can journalists cover these complex issues fairly and sensitively – acknowledging controversy without spreading misinformation, while skillfully interviewing young people and families? Hear from experts, journos who’ve been reporting on the fray, and get resources for your reporting.  

    Panel: Kate Sosin, The 19th,

    Eli Clark is a nonbinary/ trans-masculine Texan youth who uses they/them pronouns. They have advocated for protections on the basis of sexuality, gender, and disability to be kept in the Social Worker Code of Conduct, served as president of their high school’s pride alliance, and spoken at the Disability Rights Texas conference in May 2022 on being transgender/nonbinary, queer, and disabled. Eli, who has been out since the fall of 2018, will be an entering college freshman. 
     
  2. How Journalists Can Protect Democracy in These Times

    American democracy is facing considerable threats that include an ever-growing plague of misinformation and societal divides that sow mistrust and polarization. While taking on these issues is a daunting task, newsrooms play a critical role in the process.  

    This discussion will focus on research findings and strategies newsrooms can use to combat misinformation and to understand and help bridge divides.

    Panel: Talia Stroud, E. M. “Ted” Dealey professor in the business of journalism, University of 

    Texas 

    Madlin Mekelburg, state politics reporter, Austin American-Statesman

  3. Let’s Talk About … Personal Finance: Dollars and Sense

    Women need to understand how to manage their money because we tend to make less of it than men and we also live longer than men. And it’s not something we instinctively know or learn, like editing or building a digital story. Bring your questions about saving, investing, 401ks, Roth IRAs, retiring, and more and help us all get a little more savvy. 

    Discussion Leader: Julia Kagan, Investopedia (Megan managing)

    Jill Cornfield, deputy editor, Money

    Moderators: Megan Kamerick, news director, KUNM Public Radio

    Sponsored by: Northwestern Mutual

3 – 4 p.m.                  Breakout Sessions (3)

  1. Reproductive Health/Abortion/Maternal Mortality

    Panel: Tara Haelle, freelance AHCJ

  2. Newsletters – When, Why and How to do them

    Panel: Astrid Galván, Editor, Axios Latino

    Sponsored by: AARP

  3. Let’s Talk About…Academia: Teaching our trade and Best Practices

    One Weird Trick! Show and tell one thing you’ve done that has improved your journalism teaching. Could be a syllabus, activity, assignment, bit of technology, grading strategies, anything. Bring it and be prepared to share briefly. 

    Discussion Leaders: 

    Gwyneth Doland, Faculty, University of New Mexico

    NAR, director and faculty, Mesa Community College Journalism and New Media Studies, Mesa, AZ

4:30 p.m.                Group Picture. Location TBA

5 – 6:30 p.m.           Books & Browse Panel – “Writing a Book? 2 Authors Share their Publishing Journeys.”

Authors Jody Beck and Michele Weldon discuss their latest books and the process of publishing, answering your questions about research and writing, road to acceptance, publication, publicity and more for their distinctly different non-fiction books.

Jody Beck, author of Your Loving Son Ty: A World War II Story of Hope and Horror in the Pacific

Michele Weldon, author of seven nonfiction books including the forthcoming, The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living   

 6:30 – 9 p.m.           Dinner & Keynote Speaker Lulu Garcia-Navarro

                               Moderator: Callie Crossley

Sunday, Sept 11

6:30 – 7:30 a.m.      Yoga with Kyle Foster

8 .m. – 2 p.m.          Registration and Info Desk Open

8 – 8:45 a.m.            Breakfast

8:45 – 10:15 a.m.     Membership Meeting  

10:30 – 11:30 a.m.    Breakout Sessions (2)

  1. Lessons from Uvalde and Beyond: Rethinking Mass Shooting Coverage

    When the unthinkable becomes numbingly familiar, how do we tell the necessary stories in a way that is culturally sensitive and respectful of victims’ families? Our central questions: What conversations have Texas newsrooms been having in the wake of the horror of Uvalde? It’s clear that any local newsroom in the U.S. might have to cover a massacre. What ideas could journalists have in the backs of their minds that would help when that day comes?

    Panel: Josie Norris, Visual journalist, San Antonio Express-News

    Jala Washington, Reporter, KXAN (NBC) in Austin

    Briana Sanchez, Photo editor/photojournalist, Austin American-Statesman

    Moderator: Amanda Crawford

  2. Let’s Talk About…DEI: How Can Women Navigate the Power Structure in Newsrooms

    A wide-ranging, no holds barred discussion of the challenges women face as they strive to cultivate enduring DEI practices throughout their news organizations.

    This facilitated group conversation is an opportunity for everyone who’s trying to bring meaningful change to their newsrooms to weigh in on the issues they’ve encountered along the way. How much power do women really have to make change no matter how high up the professional ladder we go? What can we do to acquire more genuine power to advance solutions? Bring examples of what’s worked and hasn’t worked in your newsrooms.

    Discussion Leaders: Susan Smith Richardson, managing editor, Guardian US

    Zita Arocha, Writer, Journalist, Educator


11:45 a.m. In-Person Auction Ends (payments must be made by 12:45)

11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch & Keynote Speaker Karen Attiah

1:30 – 2:00 p.m.             Closing Comments 

2:30 p.m.                        Online Auction Closes

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.             Board Meeting