|
MRE: The Windy City ConferenceThe 5th annual Military Reporters & Editors conference is just around the corner.
"Covering the Long War At Home and Abroad," will run Oct. 26-28, 2006, in Evanston, Ill., at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Chicago is the perfect place to meet for three reasons: First, by coming to America's heartland, we hope to make it easier for reporters, photographers and editors from across the nation to attend. Second, Northwestern's Medill school is one of the premier journalism schools in the world and, MRE's alliance with Medill will make for an excellent convention. Third, but not last, Chicago is a great town. Another twist to this year's conference will be the "Reporting Expedition" - a chance to write or photograph a story while attending the conference. The "expedition" will be an optional trip to the Navy's recruit training facility at Great Lakes Naval Station, north of Evanston. Participants will cover the climax of a Navy recruit's boot camp, "Battle Stations," and interview local sailors after they complete their basic training. In a few short hours, each "expedition" participant can have story for their newspaper or TV station. We think the "expedition" will be an eye-opener for folks, and hope it will convince smaller-market newspapers and TV stations to send journalists to the MRE conference. Smaller market journalists are an integral part of our organization and we want to reach out to them in this new way. We also wanted this year's gathering to focus on education. New and experienced military reporters and editors should learn a lot from our panelists, who are high-profile journalists, war correspondents and experts. For the newbie, the conference will have sessions aimed at print and TV reporters covering the military, including local National Guard and Reservists, for the first time. Everything from how to deal with public affairs officers, learning the rank insignia, understanding military culture, knowing the difference between special operations and Special Forces, and all the stuff in between. For the seasoned veteran, there will be sessions on covering military justice, using computers to dig up defense stories and do better writing - plus plenty of discussion about the latest events in Baghdad and Kabul from reporters who've been there. MRE is not ignoring television coverage of the war and the military. Two sessions will help local broadcast journalists cover the military, as well as the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Convergence also will be highlighted showing how to link TV, print and the Internet to tell stories. Photographers are getting a special deal. On Friday, shooters from around the nation will spend time with some of the best photojournalists in the business. They'll gather for a series of special sessions focusing on the military and photojournalism. We'll put spin control, crisis coverage and the state of media-military relations under the microscope. And, as always, we'll swap tall tales and catch up with old friends. Of course, one thing is still missing - our keynote speaker. In the past we've had Bob Woodward, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, Sy Hersh and David Halberstam. This year we're still searching for the right speaker. If you have ideas or tips, let us know. The same thing goes for panelists. Share them with us on the MRE listserv and log onto the Web site occasionally. We appreciate your thoughts and support. Schedule Thursday:
Reporting Expedition (optional)
Keynote Address and Reception Friday 9 a.m. -- Welcome
9:15 a.m. -- Morning Session 10:45 a.m. -- Morning Breakout Sessions A. Covering the Home Front - Putting on the full-court press in Peoria. B. JAG & the journalist -- Reporting on military justice C. Pictures of War I 12:30 p.m. -- Luncheon Address - Annual awards and speaker to be announced. 2 p.m. -- Afternoon Session Crisis in Your Backyard - Fighting through the homefront fog. 3:45 p.m. -- Afternoon Breakout Sessions A. Getting the Package - Beyond the VO and sound bite at 6 & 11. B. Crisis Over There - Pounding out the story after dodging the bullets. C. Pictures of War II. Dinner - on your own. SATURDAY - Training Day 9 a.m. - Breakfast meeting, election of officers and board 10 a.m. - Morning Breakout Sessions A. Military 101 - The ABCs of reporting on America's armed forces. B. Defense download - Computer-assisted reporting and the military. 11:30 a.m. - Lunch - Box lunch and checkout time 12:30 p.m. - Afternoon Breakout Sessions A. Military 102 - Niche reporting and playing with the big boys. B. Synergizing the Military Story - Melding words, TV and the Internet. 2 p.m. - Conference closes.
Copyright © 2007 - Military Reporters and Editors
|
