AAJA should be proud of this little website. It’s an important community resource in the online landscape of Pacific Northwest journalism sites. Don’t believe me? I too was shocked when a research study that came out at the 2010 Journalism That Matters conference put aajaseattle.org on the map – literally. Use the Zoom (+) button below and look at the center of the map.
Over the years, as the site’s founding editor, I’ve watched it grow and become a part of our chapter’s strategy for building community online and reaching out to members hungry for training, mentoring and jobs.
My vision for AAJASeattle.org was and still is a place for our members – especially students and freelancers – to post their profiles, share links to their stories and offer emerging, diverse journalists a platform to display their storytelling in new media (and maybe get constructive comments). I think it could realize that vision with a staff of three to five dedicated volunteers.
The chapter’s costs to keep the site up are minimal – a server hosting account and domain name – but the content our authors contribute is priceless.
The blog post items, which chronicle chapter news and turbulent times of our profession, come from members willing to donate their time. And sometimes we get photos and videos posted of chapter events.
With no advertising, no dedicated staff and sporadic blog posts, the site has attracted nearly 7,000 visits over the past year (yes, we track it using Google Analytics). We set up the site so that @aajaseattle sends out a tweet for every new post.
Now it’s time for a new editor with fresh ideas and energy to assume the duties and nurture the site’s evolution.
This is a great VOLUNTEER opportunity for anyone who hopes to be a web producer, blogger or site manager some day.
Skills you will develop as site editor:
Blogging about a community.
Recruiting and managing contributing writers.
Tracking and interpreting site analytics.
Managing the WordPress platform.
Skills we’d hope you have or are willing to learn if you want this gig:
Knowledge of basic HTML tags and how to tag content to improve search.
Knowledge of any blogging platform, i.e. WordPress, TypePad, Tumblr, Blogger.
Proficiency in editing copy.
Editorial judgment and basic understanding of libel, privacy and copyright.
The time commitment is minimal – an hour a week, perhaps – but you could spend more time if you want to create something cool. Definitely something to list on your resume when you apply for jobs at news websites.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please email Sanjay Bhatt, chapter president/aajaseattle.org editor, at sbhatt@seattletimes.com. Please write “AAJASeattle.org – Editor” in the subject line. Thanks!
The European Union Center of Excellence is accepting applications from journalists in the Pacific Northwest for a week-long fellowship to Brussels through the EU-Northwest Journalist Fellowship
Launched in 2009, the fellowship provides recipients the opportunity to spend a week in Brussels, the European Union’s capital, to learn about the EU and pressing issues affecting European integration and transatlantic relations. The program also affords journalists the chance for research and interviews for later print or broadcast.
Professional journalists from the Pacific Northwest and Northern California are eligible to apply. Applicants should have at least three years’ experience in media, and must demonstrate how their reporting would benefit from exposure to the European Union. In addition to the above criteria, the selection committee will give preference to applicants who propose projects that highlights links between Europe and the Pacific Northwest, and who can demonstrate a greater likelihood of having their resulting reporting published or broadcast.
Those selected for the fellowship will receive round-trip economy class airfare to Brussels, plus a living allowance of $2,000. Travel will be arranged by the EU Center of Excellence and the stay in Brussels must be completed by December 31. The staff of the EU Center will provide the award recipient with travel and logistical advice for Brussels, while the EU Delegation in Washington can help arrange meetings with EU officials as requested.
Upon their return, fellows will be invited to give an informal talk to students at the University of Washington about their time in Brussels, what they learned, and how the experience has influenced their perspective on Europe and European integration.
Applicants for the fellowship should submit a CV and cover letter/project proposal to the EU Center of Excellence no later than May 14, 2010. Applicants should also submit two examples of their work published or broadcast in the last two years. Application materials should be sent to the EU Center of Excellence at:
EU Center of Excellence
Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
Box 353650
Seattle, WA 98195
Questions regarding the program can be directed to Phil Shekleton or Eva Dunn at euc@u.washington.edu
We know you’re hungry for training, but you may not have enough funds.
AAJA Seattle is here for you.
This year the chapter will offer three AAJA Seattle / 911 Media Arts fellowships for professional members and two fellowships for student members in good standing. Details below!
The professional fellowships, a new member benefit this year, offer up to $250 in reimbursement to professionals who are AAJA MEMBERS for covering half the cost of classes, equipment rental, or lab time at 911 Media Arts in Seattle’s U District.
The student fellowships cover the entire cost – up to $500 – of taking classes, renting equipment and using the editing suite at 911 Media’s office.
If you’ve let your membership lapse or aren’t a member, join AAJA today.
Professional members who want to apply should email a resume and a statement of up to 500 words to aajaseattle@gmail.com by 5 p.m., May 1, with “911 Media Arts fellowship” in the subject line. Applicants should state how the fellowship will help them move towards their career goals and a specific project they plan to undertake for their newsroom, a news publication/website, or the AAJA Seattle website, using the skills they learn in 911 Media classes.
Students have the same deadline but should use the one-stop student scholarships application form. Download it here.
Because this is the first year of the fellowships, the chapter board will determine how many fellowships to award in this application round. The board may elect to hold another fellowship application cycle after June.
Questions? Email Sanjay at sbhatt@seattletimes.com
We know you’re hungry for training, but you may not have enough funds.
AAJA Seattle is here for you.
This year the chapter will fund three AAJA Seattle / 911 Media Arts fellowships for professional members in good standing. Details below!
The fellowships, a new member benefit this year, offer up to $250 in reimbursement to professionals who are AAJA MEMBERS for covering half the cost of classes, equipment rental, or lab time at 911 Media Arts in Seattle’s U District.
If you’ve let your membership lapse or aren’t a member, join AAJA today.
To apply, email a resume and a statement of up to 1,000 words to aajaseattle@gmail.com by 5 p.m., March 24, with “911 Media Arts fellowship” in the subject line. Applicants should state how the fellowship will help them move towards their career goals and a specific project they plan to undertake for their newsroom, a news publication/website, or the AAJA Seattle website, using the skills they learn in 911 Media classes.
Because this is the first year of the fellowships, the chapter board will determine how many fellowships to award in the first six months of this year. The board may elect to hold another fellowship application cycle after June.
Questions? Email Sanjay at sbhatt@seattletimes.com
The Seattle University Center for Strategic Communications is offering four fellowships to support original journalism on family homelessness in the state of Washington to encourage more and better reporting about family homelessness to foster greater public understand of its causes and cures.
Each of the four fellowships, which are made possible by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provides $15,000 to support in-depth reporting during the spring of 2010 on any aspect of family homelessness in Washington. Projects may be in any medium. Fellows will also attend seminars on family homelessness.
Independent and freelance journalists are eligible to apply as well as those employed full-time. Deadline for applications is March 5. For more information, go to the fellowship’s Web site.
Since 1985, Seattle’s AAJA chapter has provided scholarships for students, professional development for journalists and service to the community in the Pacific Northwest. Learn More
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