Blogger Conferences: Virtual Events for Journalists and Bloggers in September

Welcome to Blogger Events, a monthly column of what’s happening in the blog world. If you have an event you’d like featured, reach out to the Beyond Bylines team via Twitter at @BeyondBylines.

I hope you have some free time on your calendar because there are various virtual events for journalists and bloggers in September that you need to check out.

Whether you’re looking for training on pitching, investigative journalism, education writing, or food blogging, there’s an event in the coming weeks for you.

Have another event that isn’t on the list or that you’d like to include in a future round-up? Let us know in the comments.

Multiple Dates: Freelancing with Tim

The September Zoom panels with Tim Herrera, Smart Living editor at The New York Times, and his panel of experts will cover a range of topics to help freelancers navigate the industry and create stronger work. With two sessions almost every Sunday, there are plenty of learning opportunities for attendees. Topics this month include “The business of freelancing: Contracts, rates, platforms and more,” “What it’s like to be an investigative journalist,” “How to cover culture during a pandemic,” and “Pitch perfect: Everything to know about pitching stories.”

Anytime: Verification Handbook for Disinformation and Media Manipulation

This may not be a virtual event to add to your calendar, but it’s something to consider blocking out some time for, as it’s a critical topic. Published by the European Journalism Centre and supported by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the downloadable PDF “equips journalists with the knowledge to investigate social media accounts, bots, private messaging apps, information operations, deep fakes, as well as other forms of disinformation and media manipulation.”

Sept. 8: Digging Into Disappearances: Organized Crime and Missing People

Hosted by the Global Investigative Journalism Network, this webinar will feature two senior investigative journalists: Marcela Turati, a freelance investigative journalist covering the Mexican drug war and founder of Periodistas de a Pie (Journalists on Foot), a training program for local journalists; and Glenda Gloria, managing editor of Rappler, the Philippines’ leading online news site, and an experienced investigative reporter in disappearances. According to the event description, “Journalists play a key role in combating the role of organized crime, acting as both a deterrent and as public-minded investigators…In order to investigate disappearances connected to criminal gangs, journalists must first understand how to look for a missing person and then how organized crime affects the investigation.”

Sept. 9: Redefining the Local News Crisis: Deconstructing the News Desert

This will be the first of three “Redefining the Local News Crisis” panels hosted by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. It will feature panelists from several journalism schools, including Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and the Center for Cooperative Media, Montclair State University. This discussion will “serve to more precisely frame, define and scale the local news crisis before discussing new emerging models in the subsequent sessions.”

Sept. 15-16: The New Journalism

Hosted by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, this two-day symposium will look at “opportunities to think fresh and rebuild the news industry from scratch” as the industry copes with the fallout of the pandemic and a fight against systemic racism. The lineup of speakers includes Susan Chira, editor-in-chief of The Marshall Project; Ben Smith, media columnist at The New York Times; and Emily Bell, founding director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism.

Sept. 15-16: EWA Higher Education Seminar

The Education Writers Association will host this two-day virtual event for registered EWA members (registration is free for journalists). Speakers from the Washington Post, Inside Higher Ed, and more will present sessions under this year’s theme, “Racial Reckonings Amid COVID, Recession and Political Conflict.” Attendees will leave with story ideas, reporting tips, and access to leading experts.

Sept. 15-17: Mom 2.0

Mom 2.0 is “a gathering of influencers and leaders who create content online and on air in parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business, marketing, technology, social change, travel and design.” Originally scheduled for May, the event was rescheduled for September and will now be a virtual conference. It will feature an interactive marketplace for sponsors, virtual networking and happy hours, morning yoga, and more.

Sept. 18-20: Bloggy Conference

Content creators, influencers, and bloggers of any experience level can attend Bloggy Conference. The 2020 agenda is TBD, but 2019 sessions included “Using Facebook Groups to Amplify Your Brand” and “Protecting Your Blog So You Can Live Your Life,” as well as smaller Bloggy Squad meetings for niches like DIY, parenting, and personal finance. “Bloggy Con” will be at the beachfront Hotel Breakers in Sandusky, Ohio.

Sept. 21-23: Skift Global Forum

The Skift Global Forum, known as the “TED Talks of Travel,” offers marketers, strategists, and technologists three days of travel inspiration. Attendees will learn about the latest travel industry insights and trends. The 2020 conference, online for the first time ever, will feature talks with 40+ travel leaders spread over three days, accessible from anywhere in the world, any time you want. This year’s theme is “The Decade Ahead: Safeguarding Travel’s Future,” and will focus on what the travel industry looks like down the road (what aspects of travel are gone forever, can hotels re-open, etc.).

Sept. 21-25: 2020 IRE Conference

This year’s event from Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) has, like many others, transitioned to a virtual conference. The huge selection of session topics will cover everything from reporting on COVID-19 to law enforcement, systemic inequities, FOIA, the election, and more. And if sessions like “Recognizing your implicit biases,” “Tools a reporter can’t live without,” and “How to unearth the secrets of candidates & public officials” aren’t enough to hook you, Ronan Farrow is delivering the keynote address.

Sept. 24-25: Tastemaker Conference

Food bloggers, foodies, and vendors gather at the annual Tastemaker Conference and “don’t just meet, they make.” This year’s event has transitioned to an online-only conference and, according to the site, “will focus on current and relevant business-building strategies and tactics to help you recover and pivot in a changing economy.” Classes will cover SEO, content creation, diversity training, and more.

Oct. 1-16: ONA20 Everywhere

Registration is now open for ONA20. The Online News Association’s (ONA) annual conference has been moved to a virtual format this year. The digital journalism conference will cover the latest trends and best practices in digital media and will offer opportunities to network and test out new tools. “Engaging with Reddit’s Endless Content,” “Making Analytics Useful to Journalists,” and “Fundraising for Journalism 101” are just a few of the topics that will be covered.

Fridays in Oct.: #BlogHer Biz

Next up in the year’s free digital #BlogHer events is one focusing on the blogging business. Weekly virtual workshops in October will “introduce you to best-in-class tools and platforms, provide insight from industry experts, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded creators and entrepreneurs.” Each week has a different theme: How to Start a Business; The Power of the Pitch; Is This Thing On-LINE? (standing out among digital competitors); and Mind Your Biz (how to scale, grow, and diversify revenue).

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Rocky Parker works in Audience Relations at PR Newswire. Check out her previous posts for Beyond Bylines and connect on LinkedIn. When she’s not working, Rocky typically can be found cooking, binge-watching a new show, or playing with her puppy, Hudson.