NBNF Grant Applications Available

The Northwest Broadcast
News Foundation is seeking applicants to receive a $500 grant to be used for professional journalism training.

The winning applicant may use the grant to pay for training-related expenses, such as registration fees, travel expenses and/or tuition.

Possible uses include graduate-level coursework in journalism, training programs offered by specialized providers such as the Poynter Institute or seminars produced by journalism associations (RTNDA, IRE, SPJ, etc.) and should be used within one calendar year of receiving the grant.

If entries merit, up to two $500 grants will be awarded. Winner(s) will be announced during the NBNA Banquet at the Midwest Journalism Conference on March 28th in Bloomington, MN.

Application Deadline: March 25, 2009.

For a complete grant application, contact NBNA Executive Secretary Christine Paige Diers at cpaigediers@gmail.com

Welcome! From the President

If I were a bettor, I would wager that most of us are tired. Tired, that is, of the campaign season, which some have said may be the longest in history. But it’s a “good tired” – because we know we’ve done our jobs in keeping everyone informed on the candidates and the issues.

It’s time to relax and recharge. And it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming Midwest Journalism Conference – and the awards competition. We do good work all year long – and winning a Sevareid is a wonderful recognition of that hard work.

And it leads to the Conference itself, to be held March 27-28, at the Holiday Inn Select in Bloomington, MN. It’s another good time to recharge the batteries and get fired up about what we do.

We have sessions on the expanding use of the Web and other tools to not only tell our stories, but to research them as well. We have “how-to” sessions, relating to the current economic situation and what to look for when we report on it, as well as turning your daily 1:30 piece into an award-winner. We’ll also have sessions on writing, on finding your first job, on finding your NEXT job, and newsroom relationships. And, of course, there will be critiques.

I’ve been coming to the Conference for many years, and have been honored to be NBNA’s president twice. I always learn a lot. And it’s always good to get together with my colleagues – whether at the sessions or in the bar. Please join us for the Midwest
Journalism Conference March 27-28. Hope to see you there!

Dave Thompson
News Director
Prairie Public
Bismarck, ND

To download the NBNA 2008 Award Newsletter, rules and entry forms click the pdf download link below.

NBNA 2008 Awards Newsletter

The Eric Sevareid Awards Entry deadline is January 16, 2009.