Sharon Pian Chan

Why yes, I am at Rock Box w @angryasianman & @originalspin

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:15:07 -0700

Why yes, I am at Rock Box w @angryasianman & @originalspin

Top 5 Reasons to Register for AAJA NY convention before Tuesday

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:59:00 -0700

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

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.
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/
It’s going to be big. AAJA expects 850 attendees!
You know you’re going to regret not going when you see the tweets, Instagram photos and Facebook updates from New York.
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?

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 is hiring for radio producers for RadioActive youth program

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:00:23 -0700

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

Seattle Times hiring for a business reporter

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:00:28 -0700

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....

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:11:16 -0700

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

Slideshow: How do we get more women in politics?

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:10:37 -0700

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.

Want to bid on a Rock Box karaoke party hosted by Seattle Times...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:33:59 -0800

Want to bid on a Rock Box karaoke party hosted by Seattle Times executive editor David Boardman? You’ll want to come to the AAJA Seattle Lunar Banquet on Saturday, Feb. 9, at Acquabar in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Boardman’s karaoke party will be featured in our silent auction. Ticket pre-sales end Wednesday night. Buy your tickets here.

Seattle Times hiring for an investigative/enterprise reporter

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:18:00 -0800

Enterprise/Investigative Reporter

Job Description

The Seattle Times is looking for an experienced, high-end reporter with proven investigative 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 experience in a major news organization and a proven track record of writing stories that have made a significant difference in their communities. 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. Multimedia skills are a plus.

How to apply

To apply, submit the following materials via this website no later than February 8.

Cover letter
Resume
Links to no more than 10 stories or packages (If content is behind a paywall, please save a PDF version and upload to this site as an attachment.)

Company Description

The Seattle Times is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, recognized as one of the best in the country. At The Seattle Times, your work matters. We are a family-owned-and-operated company, dedicated to the community we serve. The Times is a drug-free workplace and equal opportunity employer. Learn more about our company at seattletimescompany.com.

It’s Sunday morning and it’s time for some football...

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 07:54:32 -0800

It’s Sunday morning and it’s time for some football #seahawks #atl

At Sea-Tac en route to ATL. Think these guys are headed there...

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:13:33 -0800

At Sea-Tac en route to ATL. Think these guys are headed there too #feedthebeast #seahawks

"Bruce: Hey that license plate says “U-235.” Sharon: Is that a U-boat number? Bruce:..."

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:29:37 -0800

“Bruce: Hey that license plate says “U-235.”
Sharon: Is that a U-boat number?
Bruce: That’s uranium in the periodic table and the number of electrons.
Lance: 235 is the atomic weight.
Bruce: That or the other weight is the kind of uranium used in the bomb.
Sharon: NERDS!
Lance: I heard a couple bought that car and split it.
Sharon: That’s terrible.
Bruce: That joke is a bomb.
Sharon: That’s terrible too.”

- Conversation excerpt from 2-hour drive back from Olympia with The Seattle Times editorial board

AAJA President Paul Cheung: How you can support the future of journalism

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:37:50 -0800

Paul Cheung, global interactive editor for the AP, took office as AAJA’s 2013-14 President on Jan. 1! Here is a message from him on how you can support the future of journalism.

pcheung630:

Friends

Thank you for making my 2012 special. I wishes everyone a new year of infinite possibilities in 2013. “It’s never too late to be who you might have been” - George Eliott

As I looked back at all those who has inspire me to be a better person and a journalist. Today, I’m asking for you to help me inspire the next generations of journalists.

For $1 or 2 a week ($50 to $100 a year), you could help inspire a young person of color to fulfill the dream of becoming a journalist?

What if, for that same $1 or $2 a week, you could help to ensure fair and accurate news coverage of minorities in America?

I’ll be stepping up as Asian American Journalists Association’s next national president. Over the past decade, AAJA has helped me grow tremendously as a media professional as well as a person. My career wouldn’t be where it is now had I not taken an AAJA training program. I am just one of the many journalists of color who have benefited from AAJA.

Since 1981, AAJA has awarded over $2 million to aspiring young journalists in national and local scholarships and internships, and AAJA has laid the foundation for many who are working in the news industry. AAJA also provides media training for non-for-profit groups on how to deal with unfair news coverage and to learn how to get their message to the media.

In addition to our community outreach and education programs, we also address issues of unfair and inaccurate media coverage about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. For example, the coverage of Jeremy Lin would have been very different had it not been for AAJA offering our “Handbook to Covering Asian America.”

These are some of the highlights of what AAJA does. Today, you can help to secure the future of journalism.

Support AAJA and me by making an individual contribution. Your contribution is tax-deductible. Support me today by pledging here.

Incoming AAJA President Paul Cheung: My choice for the Unity name is...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:03:26 -0800

Thoughts from AAJA President-elect Paul Cheung on the UNITY name. Friday, Dec. 14, is the last day for AAJA, NAJA, NLGJA and NAHJ to weigh in on a poll regarding UNITY’s name.

He’s right. To be truly diverse, we must create a culture of inclusion.

pcheung630:

As a leader who advocates for diverse newsrooms, we must speak up for those who lack a voice, regardless of their gender, race, socio-economic background, ethnicity or sexual identity.

To be truly diverse, we must create a culture of inclusion.

“Unity: Journalists for Diversity” is the most inclusive name.

My passion for diversity is strong.

My commitment to ensure that our industry delivers a complete, fair and representative picture of our communities will not waver.

This is the time for us to listen with an open mind and an open heart.

This is the time for us to embrace our common goals and not be divided by our differences.

This is the time for us to honor our history and build a better tomorrow.

We still have a long road ahead of us, and we must work together. We have a new addition to our family, and, as in any relationship, it needs time to grow.

This is the time for us to stop perpetuating the misconceptions of what broke us up and what will keep us apart.

This is the time for us to show the journalism industry that we are united in the cause of diversifying newsrooms and our news coverage.

I’m not an UNITY board member yet so I don’t have an official vote in this matter. As the incoming AAJA President, it’s important I share with all of you my thoughts.

So, please remember to cast your ballot today and let the UNITY board know what name best represents us!

Our neighbors got married today, the first day same-sex couples...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 21:01:15 -0800

Our neighbors got married today, the first day same-sex couples could wed in WA #ido74!

I missed you almost as much as I missed @dannyoneil #piano

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:44:03 -0800

I missed you almost as much as I missed @dannyoneil #piano

Sunrise from the balcony of @angietvlau apt. So high that my...

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 10:08:20 -0800

Sunrise from the balcony of @angietvlau apt. So high that my ears popped twice in the elevator #hongkong

Dim sum with my grams, who is rocking her 84th year #hongkong

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 06:18:44 -0800

Dim sum with my grams, who is rocking her 84th year #hongkong

Seattle-looking clouds over a #hongkong skyline

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 01:13:09 -0800

Seattle-looking clouds over a #hongkong skyline

@ryutaromakino @pcheung630 kicking it in #tokyo #shinjuku

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:25:40 -0800

@ryutaromakino @pcheung630 kicking it in #tokyo #shinjuku

Kamakura shrine at night @pcheung630

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 02:18:24 -0800

Kamakura shrine at night @pcheung630