NABJ Convention Online Staff (from left) Robert
Anthony, Stacy Anderson, Craig Young, Glenecia
Green, Mark Luckie, Michelle Johnson, Darren
Sands, Veronica Miller.
This year’s NABJ student online project has come to a close. We’re packing up our newsroom and looking forward to experiencing what’s left of the convention.

Many thanks to the mentors and students who made this site a success, and to you, our readers who have sent us tips, criticism and words of praise. We hope that you enjoyed our coverage of NABJ 2006.

Craig Young/NABJ Convention Online
Dallas Mavericks basketball player Doug Christie and his wife Jackie made an appearance at Friday night’s BET reception to support their new BETJ reality series “Committed: The Christies.”

Craig Young/NABJ Convention Online
New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin speaks at NABJ
Plenary session.

By Necie Green
NABJ Online Convention Staff

C. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans, is adamant that he will rebuild his city.

And that, he said, is the story that now needs to be told nearly one year after Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast.

Nagin faced tough questions from journalists at a plenary session today at NABJ’s national convention regarding his decision-making both before and after the storm hit. He was also questioned about the slow process of rebuilding in New Orleans, compared with other hurricane-stricken cities.

The journalists on the panel, which was moderated by Michele Norris of National Pubic Radio, had covered the Gulf Coast disaster and its aftermath.

Although he accepted responsibility for giving the order to evacuate later than he should have, Nagin defended his decision by saying that Hurricane Katrina sparked the city’s first evacuation in history and that there were no real plans in place. He said there should not be any problems with future storms.

“History is being written as we speak,” said Nagin.

He blamed bureaucracy in Louisiana for the inability to restore the city as quickly as he envisioned. According to Nagin, billions of dollars have been allocated for the rebuilding effort but the city has yet to receive the designated funds.

Nagin estimated that it will be five to seven years before New Orleans returns to its pre-hurricane condition. He stressed that there are no longer any low-wage jobs in the city, with jobs at Burger King averaging $10 per hour.

However, he suggested that former residents who are doing well in a new city remain there for at least several more months until there is more housing available to accommodate them in New Orleans.

Nagin said schools, hospitals and housing are steadily becoming available, but he said reconstruction will not be a quick process.

Editor’s Note: Following the publication of a story about the death of Indianapolis Star Photographer Mpozi Tolbert in Friday’s edition of the Monitor, Star Editor Dennis Ryerson sent the following letter to Linda Williams, editor of the Monitor. Williams’ response appears below.

Text of letter from Dennis Ryerson, Editor, The Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis Star is pleased to have provided computer equipment and arrange for the printing, on our presses, of the NABJ Monitor. I remember my days as a student journalist and the invaluable experience I gained as a reporter and editor at my university newspaper, learning and putting into practice the basic principles of journalism.

Among those principles are balance, perspective and accuracy. With those things in mind, I am compelled to respond to the Monitor’s Friday morning story about the death of a wonderful Star employee, photographer Mpozi Mschale Tolbert.

The story strongly implies that authorities are investigating the fact that defibrillators were not available the evening Mpozi died in the middle of our newsroom. It suggests that our newsroom staff could not call emergency services because our phones are “not configured to dial the emergency number.”

I made clear to the reporter the truth in each of these situations, and now must set the record straight for Monitor readers.

No law in Indiana requires that defibrillators be present in the workforce. That is not an issue of any investigation. Many businesses, and I suspect many newspapers represented at NABJ, do not have defibrillators. Even if that were a matter of law, and I emphasize again that it is not, it may have not been a factor in Mpozi’s death. Did he have a heart attack? We do not know. We do know that it is very unusual for a 34-year-old person to die of a heart attack.

The telephone matter is no issue. The facts are that Star staff did use company phones to reach 911 services. It’s easy. You press 9 for an outside call, then dial 911. There may have been confusion in that some people may have forgotten to dial 9 for an outside line first, but the fact remains that some staffers did reach 911 quickly.

The story quoted “news” reports. There have been no such reports. The reports came from a blog by a former columnist who so far as I know did not talk to the staff members who were directly involved in trying to save a beloved colleague.

Nor did she talk to me. I was there that night. I was the first one to reach Mpozi after he was stricken. I followed the ambulance to the hospital. I was on the phone with Mpozi’s father minutes after a doctor and chaplain told me and three other of my colleagues gathered in a small room, that Mpozi had died.

If newspapers are to have a future, it will be in providing fair and accurate reporting, with appropriate perspective. We will not succeed by spreading rumors and innuendoes, many of them posted anonymously on the blogosphere.

We can benefit from blogs – members of my staff do their own blogs. Readers observing the news and having information that we may not know, can contribute greatly to our news report. As we all know, they can spot inappropriately doctored photographs and other journalism misdeeds. But all the same, we must apply standards to our use of blogs, just as we apply high standards to our overall news report.

I hope that is a lesson student journalists learn this week, in the newsroom of NABJ.

Text of Monitor Editor Linda Willams’ response to the Star

The Monitor editors will review your response for inclusion in a story we plan to run in the Saturday edition.

I, the professional staff members who are mostly financially sponsoring themselves in order to travel to Indy to volunteer on this project, and the students, thank the Indianapolis Star for its donation of computer equipment and for printing the paper.

But, let me tell you the same thing that I have told members of the NABJ board and the students each year that I have directed this project. This project is designed to give students a real life experience in putting out a daily newspaper.

We strive for the students to uphold the standards of the industry, and, as editor I take full responsibility when those standards are not met. However, I also tell board members that the Monitor will not make in the news pages special concessions to NABJ sponsors, NABJ board members or NABJ staff members.

I also tell students that independent journalism is not exactly a free ride. Sometimes you will feel squeezed by your publishers and your advertisers. This morning’s episode over the Tolbert story is certainly a great example of what they will face in the real world.

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, and while I take exception to the tone of your letter, and some of your specific comments, I understand as a human being how upsetting the death of Mr. Tolbert was for you personally and for the members of your staff.

I do agree that there are some things in the story that the students could have done better. But, some of the charges in your letter, and some I have heard made by members of the Indy staff today are unfair to the students.

You and your staff members may not consider the OSHA inquiry to be serious, but it is, in fact, an investigation. You are angry that the story quoted from the blog of a former employee, but you seem to be overlooking the fact that we included your statements that the report was false.

By Adena Andrews
Monitor Staff Writer

With the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said black media is not doing enough to cover the emotional and financial struggles of his city’s residents.

Nagin said there should be more stories about miscommunication between FEMA and city officials and residents’ inability to receive help from the federal government. The city’s residents are being “jerked around,” he said in an interview with the Monitor prior to appearing on a panel at noon titled “Covering Katrina: Truth and Consequences” at the Indiana Convention Center.

“The city of New Orleans has been forced to operate on a $120 million dollars in loan money when normally the federal government would give people grants,” he said.

The mayor also said there isn’t enough original reporting on African Americans in New Orleans by black media. “I see a lot of mimicking,” Nagin said. “The black media is influenced significantly by what the white media discuses.”

Necie Green/NABJ Convention Online
Nekesa Moody, left, Jerry McCormick, a copy
editor for the San Diego Union-Tribune and
Ikimulisa Livingston chat at the Lesbian and
Gay Taskforce reception Thursday night.

By Necie Green
NABJ Online Convention Staff

Perhaps the best way to mix and mingle during the NABJ annual convention is making the rounds of receptions. Thursday night was no exception, as universities, media companies and organizations wined and dined convention attendees.

Kia Goosby, a sophomore at North Carolina A&T University said she has thoroughly enjoyed her first NABJ convention.

“It’s been quite satisfying and a great way to end my summer,” said Goosby. “I’ll definitely be back next year and years to come as well.”

Mike Williams of State Farm Insurance attended the receptions as a sponsor and workshop facilitator. He frequents NABJ conventions to build a relationship with the organization and said he hopes that his seminar on Friday on building black wealth will be beneficial to NABJ members.

Dawnie Walton of EntertainmentWeekly.com said that her involvement in NABJ as a student helped her get to where she is today. “It’s been 10 years since I attended an NABJ convention,” Walton said. “It feels good to come back on the other side of things.”

Walton said attending the convention means making an investment in your career because of the opportunity to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet.

Robert Anthony/NABJ Convention Online
James Brady of WashingtonPost.com.

By Necie Green
NABJ Online Convention Staff

As online journalism grows in importance, more print journalists are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory filled with terms such as podcasts and blogs. A workshop yesterday aimed to ease concern and fear among some print journalists seeking to learn more about using new technologies.

James Brady of WashingtonPost.com said, “Don’t let [barriers] to learn these things scare you.” He suggested that journalists acquire new media skills on their own by, for example, taking a course at a community college, rather than waiting on company training.

New tools have opened up ways for print journalists to expand storytelling online by producing features such as audio slideshows, video and interactive maps.

The panelists also noted that print journalists can bring credibility to online journalism. “The only way for online journalism to continue to prosper is by holding to the standards that made print successful,” said David Plotz of Slate.com.

When it comes to jobs, Retha Hill of BET.com said that there are many online opportunities for graphic designers, illustrators and photographers.

When interviewing for online positions, Brady suggested pointing out problems with the employer’s Web site and suggesting ways to improve them.

The panelists agreed that the Internet’s true potential has yet to be discovered.

“I think we’re still trying to figure it out,” said Marcus Mabry of Newsweek.

Craig Young/NABJ Convention Online
Rev. Al Sharpton is broadcasting live from
the NABJ convention today. The fiery
orator has set up shop in a hallway at
the Indianapolis Convention Center after
speaking on a panel on the future
of African American leadership

If you need your 1979 pimped-out MTV style, or just want an autograph on that old copy of 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, then you’re in luck.

Sources tell the online staff that rapper X-to-the-Z Xzibit will make an appearance Saturday at the advance screening of his new movie Gridiron Gang.

Despite a career in music that dates back to the mid-nineties, the
Detroit native is probably most well known for his role as host on MTV’s Pimp My Ride.

Craig Young/NABJ Convention Online
Mike Wilbon, Washington Post columnist
and co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption,
makes a point at NABJ’s Sports Task Force
Mentor Breakfast.

By Darren Sands
NABJ Convention Online Staff

In the opening event in of a full slate of programming by the NABJ Sports Task Force, Washington Post sports columnist and ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” co-host Michael Wilbon offered advice to younger journalists looking to break into sports.

Wilbon, who spoke about his own career path at this morning’s mentor breakfast, said that young journalists must have a command of the language. He added that many too many that he comes into contact with don’t have the writing skills to be successful.

“Any time you get to sit in a room and listen to a guy like Wilbon, nothing but good things can come from it,” said Sirage Yassin, a 21-year-old senior from Penn State.

Wilbon also encouraged young journalists to have a contextual knowledge of stories in the current sports news cycle.

Several sports writers made themselves available after the breakfast, including the Denver Post’s Marc Spears, who looked over clips and exchanged business cards with students.

This afternoon the Sports Taskforce will run a workshop titled “Closing the Head-Coaching Gap in College Football and Women’s Basketball.” Panelists will examine ways to increase the numbers of African Americans head coaches in collegiate sports.

Tomorrow’s workshop will focus on the decline in popularity of baseball in the black community.