Press Release

Largest Gathering of Hispanic Journalists to Convene in Fort Worth, June 15-18

WASHINGTON -- The largest annual gathering of Hispanic journalists in the nation will take place June 15-18 in Fort Worth, Texas, as the National Association of Hispanic Journalists hosts its 23rd Annual Convention.

More than 2,000 journalists and media executives are expected to attend this four-day event that examines the latest issues affecting the media industry and provides opportunities for professional advancement through a series of seminars and workshops. The convention hosts the largest career and media expos for Hispanic journalists in the country with more than 130 media companies in attendance including Knight Ridder, Gannet, ABC, CBS, Tribune Company and Univision.

The pre-registration deadline to receive a discount of up to $100 off the registration fee is May 9. Members and non-members are invited to register for the convention on NAHJ’s Website at www.nahj.org.

One of the highlights of this year’s convention is an ESPN-sponsored sports breakfast panel featuring Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Olympic speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez that will examine coverage and issues affecting Latino athletes. Boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya has also been invited.

A plenary session examining the First Amendment rights of journalists will include reporters Judith Miller of The New York Times and James Taricani, a reporter with WFAR-TV, who will discuss their recent experiences. In another plenary session, Knight Ridder CEO Tony Ridder will discuss the state of the media industry.

More than 60 career-building workshops will be offered throughout the convention in the categories of print, broadcast, photojournalism, interactive/new media, newsroom leadership, Spanish-language media, hot topics and young journalists. In addition, a full day of intensive all-day seminars will be offered on Wednesday, June 15 on enterprise beat reporting, reporting on immigration issues, reporting for television and the proper use of Spanish in news reporting. Several sessions will be offered with translations in both English and Spanish.

With this convention, NAHJ is increasing its focus on issues concerning journalists in Latin America. Adela Navarro Bello, Editor of the ZETA weekly in Tijuana, Mexico and Marielos Monzón, a radio journalist and commentator in Guatemala round out a panel of colleagues from Cuba and Colombia who will speak out about surviving assassination attempts and the growing number of attacks against journalists in the hemisphere. Daniel Santoro, the award-winning political editor of El Clarín in Argentina and Jaime López, director of Journalists Against Corruption in El Salvador will be part of a dialogue with journalists from Brazil and Mexico on the growth of investigative journalism in Latin America and the successes and obstacles faced by those who pursue that role in a repressive environment.

A number of workshops will also examine issues affecting Spanish-language journalists and the Latino community. Topics will include:

For more information about the convention and to register online, please visit the association’s Web site at www.nahj.org or call 202-662-7145. The Web site also contains information on sponsorship and advertising opportunities.