I know I’m one of the faithful members who would go to an AAJA convention even if it was in Detroit. (I did, and had a ball.) But I don’t represent all of you who are choosy about how to spend your hard-earned money and time. So here are five reasons why you should register for the AAJA Convention in New York, Aug. 21-24, before early-bird rates end tomorrow/Tuesday. Rates are $225 for pro members, and $100 for students until end of Tuesday.

Top Five Reasons to Register Now for the AAJA Convention

1. It’s in New York, the media capital of the world. That means you’re going to meet editors and hiring managers you will not meet at another AAJA convention because it’s in their backyard. By the way, did you know you  can upload a resume to AAJA’s online database and schedule meetings with three news companies of your choice before you even get to NY? It’s a great way to network even if you aren’t actively job searching.
2. Programming is getting a makeover. I’ve seen a dramatic transformation in AAJA’s convention sessions over the past five years. It’s more relevant, it reflects a digital-first multiplatform mindset and it re-ignites the journalism flame within. This year that transformation is getting even more dramatic. There will be 5-minute Lightning Sessions. Attendees will vote, American Idol-style, on who will present some of the lineup. The pre-convention workshop lineup features an all-day Learn to Code workshop. Check out a sneak preview of workshop lineup: http://www.aaja.org/convention-workshop/
3. It’s going to be big. AAJA expects 850 attendees!
4. You know you’re going to regret not going when you see the tweets, Instagram photos and Facebook updates from New York. 
5. Did you know that the chapter that registers the largest percentage of its members will get 10 percent off convention registration for the 2014 AAJA convention? 

Register now at http://www.aaja.org/nyc2013/

AAJA Seattle is also taking applications for the Founders Scholarship, which helps a student  member go to the convention! Deadline is April 30. Apply here: http://www.aajaseattle.org/scholarships/

Rates will rise by $50 to $75 after Tuesday. Take the money you’ll save and come to dinner and karaoke with former AAJA VP George Kiriyama this Saturday, April 20. (Email me at schan47@yahoo.com if you want to join us for either or both events.)

KUOW radio is making its youth internship program, RadioActive, permanent and hiring two full-time producers to run it. Here is the job posting:

KUOW Public Radio seeks two full-time producers for its youth internship program, RadioActive. Experience working with youth highly desirable. Background in radio production required. Competitive salary plus excellent UW benefits offered. For a complete job description and application procedures go to http://www.washington.edu/jobs, click on “Staff Jobs”, and search for Req # 94317. Do not apply to KUOW directly. AA/EO

I <3 The Seattle Times business section so much that I worked there twice.  

JOB DESCRIPTION The Seattle Times is looking for an experienced, high-end reporter with proven business reporting and writing skills who can help our newsroom demonstrate to readers why our journalism is indispensable.

QUALIFICATIONS Candidates should have a minimum of 5 years Business reporting experience in a major news organization and a proven track record of developing enterprise and watchdog stories that break news and make a significant difference in their communities. We want reporters who know how to dig deep but who also know how to write the results into compelling human stories for A1. Reporting openings here are rare, so we are only looking for the best and the brightest. Candidates should be passionate about storytelling, generating their own ideas to take readers where they have not been before through exclusive reporting and imaginative writing. Must be able to dig through SEC documents, be a wiz at the Bloomberg terminal and a master of Excel. Multimedia skills are a plus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION To apply, submit the following materials via this website no later than April 8.

• Cover letter
• Resume
• No more than 10 stories or packages. Please submit either PDFs of the content or a Word document with a list of URLs (If any content is behind a paywall, please save a PDF version instead and upload to this site as an attachment).

nprfreshair:

I wish modern day rejection letters were more like this. My favorite is #14. Improbable. 

— Heidi

via Retronaut:

The rejection slip the motion picture studio Essanay Film Manufacturing Company (1907-1925) sent screenwriters whose submissions were found wanting. Essanay is best remembered today for its series of Charlie Chaplin films.

(via Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture)

Hmmm… Tempting to repurpose for op-Ed rejections

I spoke to a group of women political leaders from South and Central Asia in Seattle this morning about women and the 2012 U.S. elections.

It was a room of gunners: a mayor from India, a member of Parliament from Bhutan, commissioner from Afghanistan and leaders from Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Nepal. 

What I heard may surprise you. There are regions of India with a higher percentage of women legislators than Washington state. Raipur has a woman mayor, and it’s been 85 years since we’ve had one in Seattle. 

Some women have benefited from elected offices that have been set aside for women to hold, and the group had wide ranging ideas about whether that was an effective way to improve the lives for women in their countries.  

Here is the presentation I put together on women in U.S. 2012 elections. It highlights the events that shaped the narrative of the national election, and highlights where we are in Washington state and Seattle.

Thank you to the World Affairs Council for the invitation.