2008

May

16 - Minnesota Newspaper Foundatioin, “An Election Webinar: Ready or not, they’re coming”:  Preparing editors and reporters to lay groundwork for interviewing and introducing candidates to readers; for information and to register, send e-mail to mnf@mna.org.

8 - Inland Press Association Small Newspaper Workshop, Schaumburg, Ill., “News & Editorial Decision-Making: How to Apply Good Judgment to Bad News"

19 – Montana Newspaper Association, Helena, “Elements of Outstanding Election Coverage,” full-day workshop

February

22-23 – Inland Newspaper Association Weekly Newspaper Conference, Fort Myers, Fla., “News & Editorial Decision-Making: How to Apply Good Judgment to Bad News, Serving Your Readers with Integrity” and “Votes & Quotes: Practical Steps for Covering Elections”

January

25 – Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention, Minneapolis, “Nuts and Bolts: Political and Election Coverage”

2007

September

7 - Minnesota Newspaper Foundation, "Vigorous Editorial Page: A Community's Conscience"

June

23 - Arkansas Press Association Convention, Fort Smith, "Vigorous Editorials: A Community's Conscience"

March

31 - New York Press Association Spring Convention & Trade Show,Saratoga Springs, "Bad News/Good Judgment," "Elements of OutstandingElection Coverage" and "Vigorous Editorials: A Community's Conscience"

February

6 - University of Minnesota community journalism class, Minneapolis, "Ethics of business news"

18 - Associate Collegiate Press Best of the Midwest Convention, Minneapolis, "Editorial Page Leadership"

January

25 - Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention, Minneapolis, moderator for session addressing "newsrooms and ethical challenges"

2006

December

4 - Workshop and critique for Sauk Valley Newspapers, Sterling, Ill., "Bad News/Good Judgment"

October

21 - Communicators' Days, University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) School of Communication

August

26 - Society of Professional Journalists Convention, Chicago, "Bad News/Good Judgment"

June

2 - Minnesota Newspaper Foundation, Maple Grove, "Outstanding Election Coverage"

22 - International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors Convention, Norman, Okla., "Bad News/Good Judgment"

May

5 - North Dakota Press Association Convention, Bismarck, "Bad News/Good Judgment" and "Outstanding Election Coverage"

18 - Editors' Academy, Iowa Newspaper Foundation, Des Moines, "Bad News/Good Judgment"

20 -South Dakota Newspaper Association, Vermillion, "Bad News/Good Judgment"

April

22 - Kansas Press Association Convention, Wichita, "Bad News/Good Judgment" and "Outstanding Election Coverage"

26 - Huckle Newspapers Inc., Owatonna, Minn., "Outstanding Election Coverage"

March

24-25 - Western Illinois University Journalism Students Day (Friday), community newspaper workshop (Saturday), Macomb, Ill., "Bad News/GoodJudgment"

February

2 - American Press Institute, "Editing the Weekly and Community Newspaper," Reston, Va., "Bad News/Good Judgment"

January

13 - Bethel University journalism class, St. Paul, Minn., "Community Journalism"

20 -Kentucky Press Association Convention, Lexington, "Bad News/Good Judgment"

27 - Minnesota Newspaper Association Convention, Minneapolis, "Outstanding Election Coverage"

2005

September

National Newspaper Association Convention, Milwaukee, Wis., "Bad News/Good Judgment"

August

ECM Publishers Inc., Coon Rapids, Minn., "Bad News/Good Judgment"

June

Arkansas Press Association Convention, Little Rock, "Bad News/Good Judgment: Aggressive Reporting of Local News"

Other clients

University of Wisconsin-River Falls Department of Journalism

University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication

2004

February

New York Press Association Convention, Saratoga Springs, "Bad News/Good Judgment"

Identifying suicide victims and reporting names of suspended high school athletes are among the many challenging news decisions facing community newspapers. This session will teach participants how to handle these stories ethically and professionally. It will emphasize why it's important to print all the news - the good and bad - and will help participants understand the three-part process to effectively handling sensitive stories: Developing the policies, uncovering the facts, and explaining newspaper policies to readers.

"Elements of Outstanding Election Coverage"

Election coverage is one of the most demanding and scrutinized tasks that faces newspapers, especially if readers perceive a newspaper to have a political "bias" on its editorial pages. This seminar helps participants formulate a plan for covering elections - before, during and after - and to think through the impact of their decisions on readers. How do you handle letters to the editor? Why is it a newspaper's responsibility to offer editorial endorsements? What are some tips for election night and post-election coverage? These and other aspects of election coverage are explored.

"Vigorous Editorials: A Community's Conscience"

This workshop focuses on the importance of a strong editorial page and its role in community leadership. Vigorous editorial pages are the conscience of vibrant communities. The seminar identifies the principles integral to effective editorials and editorial pages. It identifies and explores avenues for reader participation on the editorial page. Participants also will learn the importance of using the editorial page to regularly communicate newspaper policies and procedures to readers.

"ABCs of Editorial Writing"

 Locally produced editorials are becoming increasingly scarce among community newspapers for a variety of reasons. Editors are challenged enough with everyday responsibilities. Publishers are afraid of offending someone, especially a major advertiser. The task doesn't have to be so foreboding, and editorials don't always have to be structured as "us" vs. "them". But editorials must offer an opinion. This session offers basic and practical steps to gain the confidence to write editorials about the important issues facing your community.

"Developing Sources and Beats"

 Confrontations are unavoidable if newspapers are doing their jobs reporting both good and bad news. Relationships don't always have to be rocky; however, connecting with sources is a two-way street. This session offers practical tips on how to develop community beats, and how to foster an understanding so traditional and nontraditional sources will be equally forthcoming with good and bad news.

"Covering Business News, the Good and Bad"

Business news - stories about employers and employees - has a big impact on communities. What happens at the workplace might even overshadow a decision of the local city council. Yet many newspapers struggle for consistent coverage of local business. This session offers practical steps to start on a path of substantive coverage, including helping businesspeople understand the importance of reporting the good news as well as the bad news. Developing business news is an important step toward increased advertising revenue as well.