Monday, December 17, 2007

Native American Journalism Career Conference to be held at Crazy Horse Memorial

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The ninth annual Native American Journalism Career Conference, the largest Native student journalism program of its kind in the country, will be held April 22-24, 2008, at Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The past eight conferences have attracted nearly 900 Native students from high schools and colleges in the upper Midwest and the western United States.

Experienced journalists — many of them Native American — mentor the students on the basic skills and practices of journalism, including writing and photography. South Dakota native Al Neuharth, founder of USA TODAY and the Freedom Forum, will be the opening speaker the evening of April 22 in the visitor center at Crazy Horse, where all activities are held.

Teachers and advisers who are interested in organizing student groups to attend the conference must register in advance. Contact Janine Harris, manager of the Al Neuharth Media Center, 605-677-5424 or jharris@freedomforum.org. The registration deadline is March 31, 2008.

Lodging, meals and conference participation are free to students and their teachers. Some travel assistance is available.

"This conference introduces and promotes journalism as a career path for Native youth who otherwise might not consider it," said Jack Marsh, Freedom Forum vice president and one of the conference founders. "Natives are the most underrepresented group in America’s newsrooms. Quality news organizations that value a diverse workforce are eager to hire Native journalists and improve the coverage of Indian Country, Native people and Native issues. When the diversity of a newsroom reflects the diversity of the community it serves, the news coverage is fairer and richer."

The conference is funded by the Freedom Forum and co-sponsored by the South Dakota Newspaper Association, the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, and the journalism programs at South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota.