August 2021 Events for Journalists, Bloggers

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.

COVID-19 cases have been rising again across the country, so we’ve seen some events get pushed back to 2022. But that doesn’t mean there are no learning opportunities in August. The events below cover a range of topics for content creators.

Anytime: How to Spot Misinformation Online

This is a free course from MediaWise for Seniors. The course will provide examples of political, health, travel, and climate misinformation and teach viewers techniques for identifying false information and seeking out trustworthy sources. The course is designed for people 50 years and older, but these skills can be critical for anyone who consumes news online.

Aug. 3-6: Podcast Movement

The Podcast Movement conference brings together podcasters and industry professionals “to learn, grow professionally, and most importantly evolve and improve the podcast community.” You have the option of heading to Nashville for the in-person event or attending virtually. Podcast Movement will include sessions, workshops, panels, and networking events, in addition to an expo where attendees can check out the latest podcasting equipment and services.

Aug. 5: Solutions Journalism 101

This webinar “will explore the ins and outs of solutions journalism, talk about why it’s important, explain key steps in reporting a solutions story, and share tips and resources for journalists interested in investigating how people are responding to social problems.” The Solutions Journalism Network will also discuss its Solutions Story Tracker, a database of stories covering what’s working around the world.

Aug. 5-7: Wine Media Conference

The 13th annual Wine Media Conference will take place in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Organizers say that attendees “are not only passionate about wine – they are energized by communicating to their audiences about wine, wineries, and the people that make up the wine industry. This communication via blogs, industry magazines, social media, apps, and industry websites produces an ever-growing spiral of viral conversations.”

Aug. 11: Census Stories Beyond the Numbers

2020 Census numbers will be released by Aug. 16. Journalists should sign up for this one-hour webinar to prepare for covering the changing demographics in their communities. The free webinar will be presented by Poynter and will feature experienced data journalists.

Aug. 18: Design Systems and Local Publications

This is the latest of the Creative Conference Calls from the Society for News Design (SND). This call will feature the team at American City Business Journals. The team will discuss how it transformed its 40 weekly publications to ensure each designer’s voice is heard, while still maintaining a design framework.

Aug. 18-21: Women Photograph Virtual Workshop 2021

Registration for this online workshop will be open to all women and nonbinary photographers, anywhere! The event will feature artist talks, discussions on how to stay safe in the field, live demonstrations on post-processing and color correction, and more. Women Photograph is requesting a donation of $25 to attend, but it’s not required.

Aug. 18-21: NABJ 2021

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention & Career Fair will be virtual again this year. This year’s event will feature more than 90 exhibitors and recruiters, and more than 140 workshops and training sessions. Attendees can pre-schedule a meeting with a recruiter and upload their resumes before kick-off day. NABJ2021 is described as the “premier multi-day conference for journalism and media education, career development and advancement, and networking and industry innovation.”

Aug. 23-Sept. 19: Product Strategies for Journalism

The News Product Alliance and the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas are teaming up to offer this free online course. Over the course of four weeks, attendees will learn tools and concepts to create and maintain sustainable information products. It’s designed for for journalists, digital content creators, social media managers, comms professionals and entrepreneurs, product managers, and UX/UI professionals interested in media.

Sept. 2-4: SPJ 2021 Journalism Conference

Registration is open for the annual Society of Professional Journalists conference. Whether you attend virtually or in-person in New Orleans, there will be plenty of workshops, panels, and networking opportunities. Some of the breakout sessions on the tentative schedule include:

• Freelancing 101: Establishing Yourself as a Freelance Journalist
• Prioritizing Your Mental Health: Invest in Your Own Mental Health
• Trauma Exposure to Local Broadcast Journalists
• Empowering all Students in College Newsrooms

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Rocky Parker is the Digital Content Lead at Cision PR Newswire. She works with journalists, bloggers, and content creators to create their targeted newsfeeds from PR Newswire for Journalists. Rocky has also counseled on content writing best practices. Check out her previous posts for Beyond Bylines. In her free time, Rocky can usually be found cooking, binge-watching a new show, or playing with her puppy, Hudson.