NABJ 2010 Ends in Grand Style as Speakers Urge Journalists to Embrace New Media

Even though the 2010 convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has come and gone, the memory still lingers. The five-day meeting which took place at the prestigious Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, California, was an exciting experience for the African Journalists who were at the meeting for the first time as recipients of the Belz International Media Fellowship of the World Journalism Institute, New York.

Founded in December, 1975, NABJ has become the largest gathering of African and Afro-American journalists and has remained a formidable platform for exchange of ideas, confidence building, networking and career development.

This year's convention which had in attendance over 1,500 journalists and professionals, featured various panel discussions and plenary sessions on topical issues, a career fair and exhibition and was also used to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the association.

The theme of the convention, "The Power of Change" is very apt in view of the big challenge the new media has thrown up for the media industry, as it has become pertinent for journalists to embrace new technology in order to remain relevant in an ever shrinking labour market.

Though the challenge brought by the new media is a global phenomenon, it is worse for Africa which is lagging behind in terms of technological development.

Speaking at one of the sessions on multimedia, Senior Vice President of the New York Times Yasmin Namini urged journalists to adopt the use of new technology and equip themselves with new skills that would enable them to produce stories in various digital platforms.

He stressed the need for media organizations to create products that cater to new digital e-readers and viewers who use devices such as iPads and smart phones, among others as such devices helps consumers retrieve news more conveniently.

The New York Times and NBC News demonstrated how the applications could be used, and the vice president of NBC News said that it has become very pertinent for media organizations to digitize as people want to be connected to their communities.

Another session which attracted huge attention of journalists was "Opportunities through Fellowships," where journalists were told to explore the abundant fellowship opportunities that exist to advance their careers.

Discussing the topic, Birgit Rieck of Knight-Wallace Fellows said that fellowships help to deepen knowledge and equip journalist with a new expertise. At the Douglas Pavilion of Manchester Grand Hyatt, different authors showcased their books, attracting visitors to their stands with different souvenirs.

Earlier at an opening plenary entitled, "Power of Change: How telling our story can save black America," the panelists Dr. Mehmet Oz and Rene Syler had both emphasized the need for journalists to explore and report health stories of black men, women and children as well as ensure that the health care reform programme of President Barack Obama is implemented.

At another plenary, Senior Vice President of Google David Drummond, who spoke on freedom of expression and censorship, enjoined participants to expand their horizons and make their voices to be heard by being innovative and creative, adding that Google is committed to ensuring that information is made accessible to people.

Noting that Google has been much involved in protecting freedom of speech as well as facilitating the global exchange of information, Drummond lamented that state-sponsored Internet censorship is still prevalent in some countries, as so many online reporters are currently imprisoned.

The convention was not without fun and entertainment and some other side attractions as participants were thrilled with live performances by Kimberley Locke and N'dambi.

Just as the convention was going on, a group of women from the Red Hat Society painted the city red. The women, mostly age 50 years and above, who came out in their hundreds for their international convention at same hotel where the NABJ convention took place, told anybody who cared to know that they are fun seekers. One of the red hatters told some female journalists, "Oh, you can as well join us, but since you are not up to 50 years, you can join the Pink Hatters. This category is for younger women. My advice is that you try as much as you can to make yourself happy--that's what we are doing. We have worked, we are retired and now we are having fun."

At a gala night to mark the end of the power-packed convention, journalists from the print, electronic and new media outlets were honored with the NABJ Salute to Excellence Award which recognized journalists in more than 70 categories for outstanding works as it relates to African and African-American subjects.

In a usual adventurous manner of journalists, the Belz fellows took time off to visit few interesting places like the Coronado Beach, Hotel de Coronado and La Jolla Beach.

Next year's convention and career fair is billed to be held August 3-7, 2011, at the Marriot Hotel, downtown Philadelphia. Philadelphia was also a host city for the convention in 1995.

The challenge before NABJ members from Africa is for them to form a regional chapter to enable them coordinate their activities and have a voice at the centre.

Nkechi Onyedika

Nkechi Onyedika, a journalist from Nigeria, was chosen by the World Journalism Institute to attend the convention as a recipient of the Belz International Media Fellowship. She was one of six journalists from Africa who received a fellowship stipend of $2,500 to attend the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (July 28 - August 1, San Diego, California) and one from Latin America who attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in 2010.

Onyedika is a correspondent with Guardian Newspapers in Abuja, Nigeria.