Vote for AAJA National Vice President of Print

Photo credit: AAJA National

Voting has started in a special election for National Vice President of Print. The Vice President for Print represents the interests of members employed in the newspaper, magazine and general print journalism industry.

Running for the position is Neal Justin of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and Ken Moritsugu, the Bangkok, Thailand-based Asia Enterprise Editor for The Associated Press. Both have served AAJA in a variety of different roles at the chapter and national levels. Complete candidate statements can be found here.

The position has been vacant since mid-January when Tom Lee resigned for the position for personal reasons. The winner of this special election will finish out Lee’s term, which expires at the end of this year.

AAJA members should receive a electronic ballot by email from National Secretary Theodore Kim. Ballots must be submitted by 5 p.m. Pacific Time Feb. 18. For additional questions email Kim at theekim1@gmail.com.

Every vote counts, so I encourage all AAJA Seattle members to fill out a ballot!

JOB POSTING: Blogger/editor post for the Common Language Project

This is a pretty sweet job posting from AAJA Seattle friends the Common Language Project.

Check out the details below!
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Paid Blogger/Editor at the Common Language Project

Who We Are:
The Common Language Project is an award-winning multimedia journalism nonprofit based at the University of Washington. We’re looking to expand our site and sharpen our brand by starting a blog to complement the long form, multimedia journalism that we currently specialize in.

Seattle is a small city with a big worldview and tons of diversity. We want to develop a blog that provides a fun, interesting and unexpected take on travel, international development, Seattle’s global/local connection and our region’s diverse communities. 

We’re thinking travel writing from a Northwest perspective, restaurant reviews, event calendars, photo slideshows of happenings in the international community, international nonprofit news, interviews with globe-trotting Seattleites and any other awesome story you can think of.

Who We’re Looking For:
The ideal candidate is independent, entrepreneurial, funny, creative, globally aware and connected to diverse communities here in the Puget Sound region. You need to be interested in marketing, design, multimedia (especially photography) and web publishing (as well as a little social networking and event planning). But above all we want a curious reporter and a strong writer (comfortable with a quick turnaround) willing to put their energy behind an ambitious startup.

The Position:
$750 per month (negotiable) for 3-5 blog posts a week plus some graphic design, web maintenance and editing guest posts; you will also be responsible for developing the blog’s launch plan and marketing strategy. Recruiting sponsors/ad sales will be expected as well, but will include opportunities for greater compensation on a commission basis. This is a nine-month contract position with the possibility of extension.

If interested, send a cover letter, resume and writing sample to jessica@clpmag.org above by September 30th, 2011 at 5PM. More info: www.clpmag.org/submissions.php .

EARLY CAREER JOB OPENING: 3-year reporting residency at The Seattle Times

Just in time for graduation, a prime job opportunity has come up.

The Seattle Times is now accepting applications for a 3-year reporting residency position:

The Seattle Times has an opening for a three-year reporting resident designed for beginning journalists with some professional experience. The program gives journalists a range of newsroom experiences, plus on-the-job training and development. We’re looking for someone who’s shown an ability to find and break news, write engaging feature and enterprise stories, and shown a passion for watchdog journalism. Strong digital and multimedia skills are a plus.

Residents will receive a development plan and regular feedback, and be assigned a mentor.

Applicants must have graduated by the time the residency begins. Applicants must have had some successful internships at news organizations and/or a year or two professional experience at daily newspapers or other media organizations. Applicants must have a car.

If  you’re interested, please submit a cover letter, resume, the names of three references familiar with your work and 5 – 10 samples of your reporting work  Applicants must have a car. Please post your application materials to the following site:  https://www.smartrecruiters.com/seattletimescompany

The Seattle Times is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, recognized as one of the best in the country. At The Seattle Times, your work matters. We are a family-owned-and-operated company, dedicated to the community we serve. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. The Times is a drug-free workplace and equal opportunity employer.  Learn more about our company at seattletimescompany.com.

This position, which is aimed at those with less than 2 years of experience, has been a career jumping-off point for several  AAJA Seattle members including past AAJA National President Sharon Chan. She is a good source for any questions and  can be reached at schan@seattletimes.com.

Chan recommends applying for the position by May 6.

Job opening: Microsoft beat reporter for The Seattle Times

Former AAJA National president Sharon Chan will be moving on to the new digital frontier as producer of mobile platforms and user analytics for The Seattle Times.(Congrats, Sharon!)

With Sharon’s new career move comes a great opportunity for someone — you, perhaps? —  to cover Microsoft for The Seattle Times.

Here’s the job posting:

The Seattle Times Business staff is seeking a hard-driving, enterprising reporter to cover one of the most influential corporations in the world: Microsoft. This reporter should have considerable experience covering business and/or technology and should take pride at being ahead of not only local competitors, but the national media as well. He or she must be skilled at working with financial documents, understanding technology, building sources and breaking through a PR machine second to none. This person needs to be skilled at anticipating events, putting together stories that connect the dots and explain to our readers why these events are important. Writing abilities must be sharp and wide-ranging enough to appear regularly on A1, the Business section cover and above the fold online. This candidate should also be comfortable using a variety of tools, from capturing Web video to leveraging social media to engage readers and sources. Availability to travel is also a must.

This reporter, part of The Times’ technology team, must be able to work cooperatively with other team members, as well as peers throughout the newsroom, including photo, graphics and online. He or she will be principally responsible for daily and enterprise coverage of Microsoft’s corporate affairs, strategies, core products, personnel and workplace issues, and software industry trends. Other members of the team will contribute to coverage of the company, especially in the areas of digital media, gaming and wireless technologies. Contributions to the larger Business section staff is expected, including story ideas and suggestions for the betterment of business coverage.

If you think you are up to the challenge of covering one of our premier beats, contact Technology Editor Mark Watanabe at mwatanabe@seattletimes.com or at The Seattle Times, P.O. Box, 70, Seattle WA 98111.

AAJA Seattle VP featured in Seattleite

[photo by Erik Simkins]

All of us here at AAJA Seattle know how awesome Caroline Li, AAJA Seattle’s vice president of events, is, but it looks like the secret is out.

Seattleite, a lifestyle website looking to highlight the area’s offerings, profiled Caroline for its “The Ultimate Catch: Intriguing Seattleites” series:

Caroline is a local journalist with global ambitions. She is the founder of Earthwalkers Magazine & Social Network, a media platform that promotes local city bloggers and travel writers from around the world, while connecting like-minded individuals so that they can share and inspire each other to experience the world for themselves.

It’s great to see others acknowledge Caroline’s great work with Earthwalkers as well as her work for nonprofits such as AAJA Seattle. Recently, she was the lead organizer for our successful Lunar New Year Banquet and Silent Auction. (Highlights on the event are coming!)

Congrats, Caroline!