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This is a final version of the Miami conference schedule! Click
here for a printable version of the schedule in grid form with room
assignments. We are planning several specialty tracks of sessions with a common theme or target audience. The online editing track will run all three days; management sessions will be Friday and Saturday; sessions relating to small staffs will be Thursday; and sessions geared toward students will be Saturday. Anyone may attend any session, whether part of a track or not, and no pre-conference signup for sessions is required. However, three sessions – Jimmy’s World and Writing Better Headlines on Friday, and Cleaning Up Muddled Writing on Saturday – have limited attendance and require signup at the registration desk. Questions? Contact ACES
VP/conferences Deirdre Edgar (Updated 4/4/07) |
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THURSDAY, April 19 |
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8 a.m. Registration
opens 9-10:30 a.m.
Opening general session 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Intro to Online Editing (Online
track) Leslie-Jean Thornton, Arizona State UniversityA primer on the basics: Decode the Web and see what exists behind and beyond the page. What are html, xtml, Flash, wysiwyg, RSS, SMS and Web 2.0, and how do they apply to me? Training on the Fly (Small staffs track)
Courtney Semple, Florida TodayBarbara Tarshes, The Press-Enterprise (Riverside,
Calif.) How to train your staff through oral and written
communication using easily available (free) resources. The emphasis is on
fast, efficient and effective techniques – and did we mention free? Afraid
of Math? Take a Number Richard Holden, Dow Jones Newspaper FundThis session uses examples
taken from newspapers that illustrate the most common problems editors face
in dealing with numbers. Some are wrong, others ambiguous and vague. It's up
to participants to find the problems and then correct them. If I Knew Only Merrill Perlman, The New York TimesLanguage is fluid,
and sometimes we drown in it. Here’s a life raft for some of the basics that
may be washed away in the flood of deadline – who and whom, which and that,
danglers and such – as well as a discussion of words that you may THINK you
use correctly, and that maybe you do. Or don’t. Embracing InnovationDoug Ward, University of KansasThe world of journalism is changing quickly, and copy
editors must either join the conversation about innovation or accept changes
imposed on them. In this seminar, we will talk about what innovation is, how
media organizations past and present have used innovation and how we, as
editors, can push our ideas forward. E-mail presenter Doug Ward
with questions and issues you’d like him to address. Editing With
Cultural Sensitivity Jacqueline
Charles, Miami Herald Myriam Marquez,
Miami Herald Immigration has become a hot-button issue across the country, but immigrants and their unique cultures have been a part of life in South Florida for decades. Editing stories about cultures other than your own can be challenging; for instance, did you know there are two ways to spell “voodoo” depending on the meaning? Editors from South Florida share what they’ve learned about covering an immigrant community. 12:15-2:15 p.m. Lunch on your own 2:15-3:45 p.m. Blogging for Editors (Online track) Doug
Fisher, University of South Carolina
Nicole Stockdale, Dallas Morning NewsYou've started a blog,
your employer runs five of them, and even readers are posting their stories
online. The writing is a snap, but what about the rules? We'll navigate the
plusses and perils of personal blogging, the pros and cons for newspapers,
and the ethics of editing it all. Still looking to get started? This session
is for you, too. We’ll also look at what has been learned from Hartsville
Today and other newsroom citizen-journalism efforts – a perfect introduction
to the “Going Hyper-Local” session coming up. We want you to come and tell us
about what your newsroom is doing, too, so we can discuss problems and
solutions. Doing It All (Small staffs track) Victoria
Ballard, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Gerri Berendzen,
Quincy (Ill.) Herald-Whig Heather Bremer,
Florida Today Many copy desks are truly universal, with staffs doing both editing and
design. We discuss that balancing act as well as tips for cross-training. Introduction to Alternative Story Forms Andy Bechtel, University of North CarolinaTired of editing stories
written in inverted pyramid? Looking for a different way to write, edit and
design that annual story about holiday travel or Nobel winners? This session
will look at new ways of presenting news and information to attract readers
and liven up a page. Copy editors can play a central role in new story forms,
which include checklists, timelines and question-and-answer stories. The
session will include tips on how to add these forms to accompany traditional
stories and how to make them work on their own. Survey Says: What Editors Need to Know About PollsKathy Schenck, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel With the presidential election cycle ever expanding, journalists are being bombarded with more and different kinds of polls. Find out what you need to know to separate the valid surveys from the schlock. All That and
Ethics, Too?: What Copy Editors Ought to Know About the Moral Imperative of
Their Work Rick Kenney, University of Central FloridaCopy editors know they need to be the guardians of the language, but do they also understand their role as the guardians of the newsroom: the last line in defense of ethical journalism? Copy editors are often overlooked and undervalued when it comes to newsroom discussions of ethics, as surveys have shown. This session will address both common and lesser-known ethical quandaries and will suggest steps copy editors can take to ensure their involvement in newsroom policy-making and decision-making. Feedback: How to Give It, How to Get
It Arlene Schneider, New York Times So you want
feedback? Here’s how to ask for it, and what to do with it when you get it.
And supervisors, there are some tips for you, too. 4-5:30 p.m. Leaving Print for
Online (Online track) Jim Kavanagh, CNN.com Jay Wang, ESPN.com Copy editors who have made the move
from a print publication to the Web share their experiences. Keeping It Local (Small staffs track) Jim Thomsen, Kitsap Sun (Bremerton,
Wash.) Brian Throckmorton, Lexington (Ky.)
Herald-Leader In this time of shrinking newsrooms,
it can be up to the copy desk to maintain a local focus. That may mean adding
or moving up local information in a wire story or pointing out what this
means to readers in the display type. But to do this, staffs have to know
their community, too. Diagramming: Putting Sentences in
Their Place Chris Wienandt, Dallas Morning News Any editor of a certain age can
remember back in English class, taking sentences and drawing lines to
indicate parts of speech. Why go back to diagramming? Because understanding
diagramming means you understand the parts of speech and where phrases should
be placed in a sentence. Being able to diagram a sentence can help you
untangle those problematic parts of a story. A Keen Eye for Graphics Bill Cloud, University of North CarolinaA lot of otherwise great graphics
lose some of their informative punch because they still contain mistakes when
they are published. Here’s a session
aimed at sharpening your skills in detecting those errors before it's too
late. It features a competition followed by a short PowerPoint presentation.
Then, the participants will work together to develop a list of tips for
checking graphics. Creating an In-House Stylebook
Sue Blair, Time (retired) William G. Connolly, New York
Times (retired) Sara Hendricks, Victoria
(Texas) Advocate Doug Kouma, Meredith Special
Interest Media The AP Stylebook is
great – until you need to know the street that divides your city’s northern addresses
from the southern or whether the mayor uses the initial before his name.
Also, magazines almost never use AP and have different kinds of style
criteria from those of newspapers. This is where an in-house stylebook comes
in. We talk about how to get started and keep it going. 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Welcome reception, Coastal Terrace |
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FRIDAY, April 20 |
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8:30 a.m. Registration
opens 9-10:30 a.m. Managing vs. Leading (Management track)
Teresa Schmedding,
Daily Herald (suburban Chicago) How to be a true leader inspiring
your staff rather than a manager of copy desk processes. Editing in a Multimedia World (Online track) Suzanne Levinson,
miamiherald.com John Russial,
University of Oregon What does the future of news look
like, and how do copy editors fit in? What are the job skills needed to edit
in this new world order? And what is search engine optimization, and how can
copy editors do their part? J School vs. Reality John Boogert, Rocky Mountain News Deborah Gump, Committee of Concerned
Journalists (formerly Ohio University) Katie Schwing, Colorado Springs
Gazette How can journalism schools better
prepare students for the real world? One school of thought argues that
journalism programs should teach nothing but online. But print is still here,
and will be at least for the short-term. So where’s the happy medium? A news
editor, a professor and a recent graduate hash it out. Skeptical
Editing Kathy Schenck, Milwaukee Journal SentinelForget about formatting as we reaffirm why it’s
essential for copy editors to take time to ask tough content questions. We'll
go over stories with problems of libel, privacy, taste, sensitivity and
fairness, using different examples from last year's session. You'll also get
tips to help set off the little warning bells in your head as you edit. Working
With Alternative Story Forms
Andy Bechtel, University of North Carolina Sara Hendricks, Victoria (Texas) Advocate Chris Wienandt, Dallas Morning News A panel discussion for those already working with alternative story
forms. Cleaning Up After Your
Peers Kay
Jarvis, Denver Post
A discussion of
vulgarities and profanities that continue to move into the mainstream. How do
we keep them out of our publications? Do we keep them out of our
publications. Please e-mail Kay
Jarvis with personal anecdotes or questions you’d like answered, and
we’ll discuss them during the session. 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Managing Through Change (Management
track) Paula Devlin, Times-Picayune
Your copy
desk might not face losing six editors in the wake of a Category 5 hurricane,
watching colleagues try to pull and keep their lives together in a devastated
city – not to mention their sanity – or dealing with deadlines that shift
with city curfews. You might not sit at your desk trying to focus on editing
a story while you wait for the insurance adjuster to call back to tell you if
you're going to get a check for the damage to your house, or call a reporter
to ask a question and hear her voice break because the propane tank on her
FEMA trailer blew for the fourth time this week. And still, the paper must
come out. Any major event brings change, and change can be managed. Here’s
some guidance for managing a desk through a life-altering and economically
challenging event, New Orleans-style.
Intro to Online Editing (Online track) Leslie-Jean
Thornton, Arizona State University A primer on the basics: Decode the Web and see what
exists behind and beyond the page. What are html, xtml, Flash, wysiwyg, RSS,
SMS and Web 2.0, and how do they apply to me? (Repeated from Thursday.) Poynter EyeTrack07 Study for Print and Online News Sara Quinn, Poynter Institute Learn about the key findings of this major study of 600 news readers. The project reveals similarities and differences between reading news in print and online. Subjects were recorded using eye track equipment as they read real newspapers and news websites. The eye tracking equipment captured precisely the actual eye movement, including point of entry, elements looked at, and length of text. The study took place at six major news organizations in the U.S. More than 150 coding variables were used to determine behavior similarities and differences between readers in print (both broadsheet and tabloid) and online. No Calculators Required Bill Cloud, University of North Carolina Common, and not so common, mathematical misstatements
that make it into print. Jimmy’s
World: How a Copy Editor Could Have Averted Disaster William G. Connolly, New York Times (retired) A demonstration of the
importance of detailed, careful copy editing. Note: This session
requires sign-up at the conference registration desk. You’ll receive a packet
to read before the session. Copy Editors: A Front Line Against Libel Charles Delafuente, New York
Times
Doing what comes naturally is also a good defense against letting
libelous statements creep into print. Being careful about attributing
statements, and about precisely where the attribution is placed, making sure
that the newspaper is not stating something as fact when it doesn't intend
to, and ensuring that headlines don’t go beyond what the story says are all
part of not only good journalism, but of good libel prevention. We'll quickly
review the basics of libel law, then look at examples of copy in which
potential libel lurks or has been weeded out. We’ll also look at crime
reporting, to focus on how to avoid stating part of an accusation as fact. 12:15-2:15 p.m. Lunch on your own 2:15-3:45 p.m. Do You Really Want to Be the Boss? (Management track) Douglas Backstrom, Chicago Sun-Times Alex Cruden, Detroit Free Press Scott Toole, The Express-Times
(Easton, Pa.) A session for copy
editors who may have little idea what's involved in managing other people but
who’ve always assumed that being the boss is better. Maybe it is, maybe it
isn't. Going “Hyper-Local” (Online track) Mackenzie
Warren, Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press
Proms and Little League games may not seem like big news to you – but they are to readers. Your Web site might be just the place for this kind of thing. The News-Press is doing this in a big way, with a team of “mojos,” or mobile journalists. User-generated content is another important part of the hyper-local strategy, even for watchdog/investigative journalism. In the session, we’ll explore how “crowdsourcing” can complement the mojo-style neighborhood journalism so your newspaper can still have a heavy-hitting local report. Rules That Aren't Bill Walsh, Washington PostAn interactive
discussion of some of the biggest myths in English usage and copy editing. People Editing Doug Ward, University of KansasEditing is about more
than just words. It's about building relationships, finessing personalities
and finding ways around human obstacles. This session will offer strategies
for dealing with people in the newsroom. It will also give participants an
opportunity to bring up difficult issues they face and receive advice from
colleagues on how to handle them. E-mail presenter Doug Ward with questions and issues you’d
like him to address. The Kindest Cut: Trimming Stories Andy Bechtel, University of North
Carolina Lisa McLendon, Wichita Eagle Remember inverted
pyramid, where you could just lop the bottom off a story and it still – at least
theoretically – made sense? Well, that doesn’t always work today – and it
shouldn’t. But there are artful ways of trimming some of the extra fat from a
story while maintaining its flavor. Writing Better
Headlines (Part 1 of double
session) Kenn Finkel,
M&K Consulting
This
session will deal with the three assets of a good headline: (1) Tell a bit
about the story; (2) Make the reader want to read the story; (3) Match the
tone of the story. A session for copy editors with some experience who want
to refresh headline-writing techniques by fine-tuning skills that help
readers. If you want to learn how to win the managing editor’s $50 prize for
cute headline of the month, this session is not for you. Note: This
session is limited to 25 participants and requires sign-up at the conference
registration desk. 4-5:30 p.m. Strategies for Survival in Changing Times (Management track)
Kenn Altine, Hearst
Newspapers Leslie Guevarra, San
Francisco Chronicle Jennifer McNally,
SmartBrief David Sullivan, Philadelphia
Inquirer What are the most important facts for desk chiefs, managers and department heads to have at their fingertips while responding to new priorities and dwindling resources? How do you measure workflow and calculate how much copy your staffs edit? Panelists share their how-tos on measuring workload and calculating other key figures related to budgets and staffing. Editing Obituaries
Alana Baranick, Cleveland Plain DealerFrank
Christlieb, Dallas Morning News Anika Palm,
Orlando Sentinel Kay Powell,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Jade Walker,
Associated Press The chief author of
“Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers” leads a panel
discussion about the peculiarities of editing obituaries. Sports in the News Rick
Kenney, University of Central Florida
Sports teams moving cities. Coaches leaving the pros for college.
Shootings and arrests. Many sports stories read more like traditional news
coverage. Some of those stories make it to the news pages; others challenge
sports journalists who never thought they’d edit stories about rape or grand
jury investigations. This session addresses the basics of precision editing
of sports copy and sports news. Editing When You Don’t Have Enough Time
Carl
Sessions Stepp, University of Maryland
In this time of
shorter staffing and tighter deadlines, how can a copy editor still do his or
her job? Getting It Right
Merrill
Perlman, New York Times
It’s often said
that every error that makes it into a publication is a copy editor’s error.
While that’s not exactly fair, it’s true that we can – and do – catch a lot
of errors. It’s the ones that get away that cause us anguish. The causes of
factual errors fall into some broad categories, and knowing them can make us
more aware, and able to stop errors before they reach readers. We’ll include
some resources and Internet searching tips – bring your own and share! Writing Better Headlines (Part 2 of double session) Kenn Finkel,
M&K Consulting 7:30-10 p.m. Banquet Keynote
speaker: Dave Barry, Miami Herald |
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SATURDAY, April 21 |
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7:30 a.m. Yoga class, pool deck 8:30 a.m. Registration
opens 9-10:30 a.m. How to Hire Editors (Management
track) William G. Connolly,
New York Times (retired) Joe Grimm, Detroit
Free-Press Liza Gross, Miami
Herald A workshop for desk chiefs and news editors on finding
and hiring good editors. Online pros and
professors (Online track) Moderator:
Deborah Gump, Committee of Concerned Journalists It’s
round 2 of the Editing Breakfast, except without the breakfast. Professors,
join a panel of online professionals to discuss changes in the industry. Career Skills for Copy Editors (Student track) Carla Correa, Baltimore Sun Mary Ellen Slayter, Washington Post Walter Middlebrook, Detroit News A focus on career planning and job search skills for new (and prospective!) copy editors. Topics will include: crafting a resume that will catch a copy chief's eye; acing the tests, including take-home and in-house versions; surviving tryouts; internships vs. staff jobs; and convincing your boss you're ready to slot. Zing on
Demand: Creativity in Headlines Brian Throckmorton, Lexington Herald-Leader Some headlines need extra spin, personality and zing. This session will illustrate many of the principles that make creative headlines succeed, and will include an interactive demonstration of Brian’s technique for identifying a perfect headline. Taking It Back John
Boogert, Rocky Mountain News
Zoe Cabaniss Friloux,
Rocky Mountain News You’ve learned so much
at the conference. Now, how can you share it with your colleagues? We'll
help. Send your ideas or questions about how to share the great things you
learn at conferences to Zoe
Friloux. You’ll get credit in the handout. Cleaning Up
Muddled Writing (Part 1 of
double session) Kenn Finkel,
M&K Consulting This session deals
with making stories better, by challenging holes in reporting, by reducing
clutter, by using modifiers correctly, by improving structure and by
eliminating false synonyms that debase the language. Note: This
session is limited to 25 participants and requires sign-up at the conference
registration desk. You’ll receive some material to read before the session. 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Women in Management (Management
track) Anne Ferguson-Rohrer, The Washington Post Kay Jarvis, Denver Post Melissa McCoy, Los
Angeles Times Are you a
career-confident or career-conflicted woman? Nearly half of female editors are
expected to leave the newspaper industry, while one in five wants to move up
in the industry. This discussion-based session will focus on the unique
challenges facing women in management. Reorganizing the
Newsroom for Online (Online
track) Mike Castelvecchi, Los
Angeles Times Chris Wienandt, Dallas
Morning News With an increased
focus on the Web, many newsrooms are examining their structures, in some
cases blowing them up and rethinking the whole thing. Some editors who are
going through, or have been through, this process share their experiences.
The Changing Industry (Student track) Doug Fisher,
University of South Carolina Courtney Semple,
Florida Today Diego Sorbara,
Rocky Mountain News David Sullivan,
Philadelphia Inquirer Entering the job market
can be scary in these times of change in the industry. What skills do you
need, and what types of experience? We offer some guidance. Finance in the A Section Neil Holdway, Daily
Herald (suburban Chicago) The Dow breaks
12,000. Why should your readers care? ACES’ treasurer will tell you why those
basic business and finance benchmarks make news – and whether they should –
and how to make them relevant. Magazine Editors
Forum Sue Blair, TIME
(retired) An open discussion
where editors from magazines, newsletters, trade journals and other
publications can raise issues and share solutions. Inside Readers’ Heads Alex Cruden, Detroit
Free Press, moderator Holly Franko, The
Oregonian, moderator with a panel of Miami-area residents Spontaneous and unrehearsed. Panel members will be shown a variety of headlines and newspaper pages. The moderators and audience will ask for panelists’ reactions. We’ll see what works for them, what doesn’t work, and why. Cleaning Up
Muddled Writing (Part 2 of
double session) Kenn Finkel, M&K Consulting
12:15-2:15 p.m. Lunch on
your own 2:15-3:45 p.m. Managing a Diverse Staff (Management track)
Jeanne Jordan, South Florida
Sun-Sentinel Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald One size does not always fit all. When
making assignments or coaching, managers must keep in mind age, ethnicity,
gender and other differences. Treating all people the same is a lofty goal
but often doesn’t work on a person-to-person level. It’s Great in Print, But Does it Work on
the Web? (Online track) Teresa Schmedding,
Daily Herald (suburban Chicago) How readers see a headline online is different than how they scan headlines in print. How they read stories is different. This session will focus on what copy editors need to know when handling material for both mediums. Making the Most of Internships (Student track) Richard Holden,
Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Caroline Hauser,
Washington Post Javier Ruiz,
South Florida Sun-Sentinel In this session,
managers will learn how to develop their interns into more than warm bodies
who cover for vacationing staff, and students will learn what they should
realistically expect from an internship – and it may be more than they think. That or Which, and Why Evan Jenkins, Columbia Journalism Review The author of CJR’s Language Corner discusses issues of grammar and language. So You Want to Teach Rick Brunson, University of Central Florida Deborah Gump, Committee of Concerned Journalists
(formerly Ohio University) Doug Ward, University of Kansas For those who love
their craft, teaching can seem like an attractive option. Maybe it’s
something you’d like to do on the side, or maybe it’s part of a retirement
plan. Or maybe turmoil in the industry has you checking out your options.
Three professors who made the move to teaching after years in the news
industry share their experiences. Outsourcing: Don’t Let it Happen to You
Joe Grimm, Detroit Free PressThe technology is
there, so why shouldn’t newspapers, magazines or Web sites send their copy editing
work overseas? The Free Press’ recruiter and author of a provocative column
for Poynter about “offshoring” the copy desk tells you why this is a bad idea
– and how copy editors can make themselves invaluable to ensure it doesn’t
happen. 4-5:30 p.m. General session: Where Do We Go From Here? Moderator:
Hank Glamann, Glamann Consulting Ownership changes. Buyouts. Layoffs. Rewritten job descriptions.
Merging media platforms. In such an industry environment, how can we best
ensure that the importance of copy editing will continue to be recognized,
and that high professional standards – along with staff morale – will be
maintained? What strategies should we adopt, as individual editors, on our
desks and for our entire organizations? How should ACES respond? Share your
thoughts in this open forum on the future of our profession, moderated by one
of ACES’ founders. 5:30-6 p.m. Closing general session 7-9:30 p.m. Post-conference party, Miami
Herald bayfront terrace. Tickets $20. |
