VOICES Publishing from the AAJA National Convention
With so much journalism going digital, the technological and startup hub that is the Bay Area might seem to be a fitting place for next year’s AAJA convention.
AAJA’s executive staff announced in July that San Francisco, home to the organization’s national headquarters, will be the host city of the 2015 convention, set for Aug. 12-15 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco. Planning is underway and started even before the D.C. convention kicked off this week.
2015 is the first time San Francisco will host the convention in more than a decade. It will also be the first time in years the event will be on the West Coast, said Donna Tam, president of the San Francisco chapter and co-chair of next year’s convention. The last time that the convention was on the West Coast was in 2010 in Los Angeles.
AAJA national leaders chose San Francisco because of its ties to technology and startups, a diverse population and its vibrant activity, said Kevin Lee, AAJA national board representative for the San Francisco chapter and the other 2015 convention co-chair.
“We really wanted to have it here … because San Francisco is a tech hub,” Tam said. “There’s a lot of things happening right now in tech and media that’s changing the way journalists report … [and] we have a lot of resources here that other places might not have.”
Lee added that having Silicon Valley next door is a draw for journalists, especially as news becomes increasingly digital. Silicon Valley is home to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google. He said he hopes there will be more opportunities at next year’s convention for journalists to learn from experts at those companies.
Tam and Lee said they hope to forge partnerships with media startups and established tech firms in northern California for the convention on sponsorships, potential workshops or other opportunities. Tam added she hopes to possibly involve Stanford University, which offers the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships.
Both co-chairs are attending this year’s convention and plan to share notes afterward and dive into planning.
“I’m really looking forward to having a San Francisco convention,” Lee said. “I really want to make sure that connections across chapters are fostered and continue to build this year.”
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