By Mira Lowe The past few months have been challenging for all of us. COVID-19 has been particularly dangerous for women and women who identify as journalists, the UN reports, as incidences of violence have increased and more reporters experience online bullying and threats. In the face of these difficult times, the JAWS Board of […]
Category Archives: President’s Letters
The President of the Journalism and Women Symposium, according to the organization bylaws, serves as the chief executive officer of the organization. She directs staff and board members, presides at meetings, appoints committees, signs all written contracts and obligations of the organization, and speaks on behalf of JAWS. The president, most importantly, sets the tone and direction for JAWS.
04
May
May
Dear JAWS members, I hope you and everyone you care for are staying strong and safe. As we all navigate our new normals during this COVID-19 pandemic, I want you to know that the Board of Directors is thinking of you, and we and staff are working hard to move the organization forward. Before I […]
18
Mar
Mar
By Mira Lowe As concerns about the coronavirus (Covid-19) mount, we at Journalism & Women Symposium want you to know that we are taking steps to protect your safety while still offering you the benefits of membership. First, we encourage all regional groups to cancel any programming until your community’s public health authorities have given the all-clear. Gather […]
08
Mar
Mar
By Mira Lowe #EachforEqual. That’s the theme and hashtag for this year’s International Women’s Day, March 8, a global day for celebrating women’s achievements and advocating for gender equality. “Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions — all day, every day,” the IWD 2020 campaign says. “We can actively choose to challenge […]
03
Mar
Mar
Welcome. Today we announce a new jaws.org. This site is redesigned with you in mind. We want to create a place of belonging for women in journalism. A haven – and a hub for information. You’ll immediately notice warmer colors, more photos, better navigation and a cleaner design for an inviting user experience. Our mission […]
03
Mar
Mar
Trailblazing journalist and author Dorothy Butler Gilliam had a memorable and tweetable quote during the Fran Lewine Memorial Interview at this year’s CAMP in Williamsburg, Va.: “Let your phone be smart, you be wise.” As I begin my term as president of JAWS, I’m seeking to draw on wisdom — mine and yours, too […]
03
May
May
More than three years ago, I was asked by the Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) leadership to run for president-elect. And I’m not going to lie – I was nervous. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure I was up for the task. After all, JAWS has 600+ members who are strong, outspoken and very […]
Dear members,
I’m proud to report that JAWS has taken several major steps to address racist and offensive statements made during last year’s Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP) in Oregon.
In 1985, a group of women who had led the fight to achieve equity in newsrooms formed the Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS).
This group’s hope? Create a network of women who support one another, learn new skills and ultimately thrive in the industry.
“It’s never too late to drop your beliefs and let your wounds heal. Instead of wounding others as well.” ― Adam Scythe, Immortals, Vol. II
JAWS is an organization I have been honored to be a part of for many years, not just because it is led by women who broke down newsroom barriers for women but because it has provided me a safe space to vent about being a woman of color in mostly all-white and all-male workplaces for most of my career.
Unfortunately, CAMP was not a safe space for many of us this year.
I truly believe our members share a common vision of promoting equity within the news media and society. Our membership includes many women – of diverse backgrounds – who broke major barriers at the biggest news organizations in the country, fighting for a common good that has benefitted many of us, including me.
Traveling by plane, trains and automobiles to conferences across the country can be exhausting. I know. As I write this column, I am in the midst of my second conference in Austin, Texas. And while I am tired, I’m also exhilarated. I’m exhilarated not just because Austin is a cool place (and the destination for Journalism and Women Symposium’s conference in 2020!), but because I was allowed to reconnect with my inner journalist.
March has been an exciting month for JAWS, starting with our spring board retreat in Oakland, California. We tackled some big issues, including whether to seek funding for an executive director, streamline the site selection process and increase the size of our year-round membership.
As 2017 comes to a close, I want to thank our members and staff for all their hard work.
Your grit and dedication paid off with a successful CAMP, where women of all ages and backgrounds came together in Hot Springs, Ark. to recognize, inspire and grow as women in journalism.
My first time at JAWS camp transformed me.
It was 1993, and I had recently arrived at the San Francisco Chronicle from the Associated Press, where I was lucky enough to learn from Linda Deutsch and other great journalists in Los Angeles.
It’s truly been an honor to serve as president of Journalism and Women Symposium these past two years.
2017 is the year of journalism conferences for me. So far, I’ve been to NICAR, the Collaborative Journalism Summit, INN Days, IRE and SRCCON. Next, I’ll head to ONA, JAWS CAMP (still the best!) and the Agora Engaged Journalism Summit. I’m going to so many conferences because I’m taking a new risk, trying to start […]
The protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, Va., highlighted, once again, the challenges we face as journalists, particularly when it comes to false equivalency.
As many have noted, there are no two sides to racism.
Racism is wrong.
It was heartening to see SPJ’s ethics chairman write about the false equivalence.
I recently attended the Investigative Reports and Editor (IRE) conference in Phoenix, Ariz., and hosted a JAWS meetup. Among the group were at least two students, current and former board members, past fellows and one future fellow, Chandra Bozelko. There were even two Brennas from Arizona sitting next to each other – Brenna Goth, a fellow at last year’s Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP), and Brenna Bailey, a University of Arizona student member.
We shared stories about work, IRE and, of course, our excitement about attending CAMP.
When it comes to our fellows, a JAWS tradition is raising money to help these young women come to CAMP.
Our annual CAMP is the highlight of the year for Journalism and Women Symposium, and this fall will be no exception.
We have two dynamite keynote speakers, a terrific Fran Lewine interview, a fantastic Sunday morning plenary on implicit bias and plenty more super programming.