ONA receives $20,000 grant
from Harnisch Foundation
for journalism training WASHINGTON, D.C., May 18, 2010 — The Online News Association, the world’s largest membership organization of digital journalists, today announced a $20,000 grant from the The Harnisch Foundation to increase professional development opportunities for its members.  The funding enables ONA to enhance and expand its portfolio of training workshops and events for its members and other digital journalists, both nationally and globally. Currently, ONA offers recurring workshops and meetups in cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London and Toronto.
“With tumultuous changes in the business models that have supported journalism for decades, we recognize that ONA is uniquely positioned to help journalists continue to produce high-quality, ethically gathered information of importance to us all,” said Ruth Ann Harnisch, President of the Harnisch Foundation, who practiced journalism for more than three decades. ONA also orchestrates and hosts training sessions tailored to the needs of corporate, independent, community and non-profit media organizations, as well as bloggers and entrepreneurs. Trainers are leaders in their fields and cover the latest developments in digital journalism, including multimedia storytelling, mobile technology, social media, and legal and business issues. Recent examples include Smart Phones for Smart Journalists (video), a daylong workshop on using mobile devices for content gathering and distribution at the Freedom Forum in Nashville, Tenn., and a session on Social Media Editing (video) at the 2010 International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, moderated by ONA International Committee co-chair Mario Tedeschini-Lalli. “One of our most important goals is to make sure journalists have the tools and training they need to do their jobs,” said ONA Board President Christine Montgomery. “This generous funding will help us organize and focus our professional development planning to bring more resources directly to journalists around the world.”
The Online News Association is the world’s largest membership association of digital journalists. Its mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. Membership is open to individuals who produce news and information for digital distribution, those indirectly associated with the process, academics and students. ONA also hosts an annual conference, held Oct. 28-30 in Washington, D.C., and administers the Online Journalism Awards, the only all-digital journalism competition. Since 1998, The Harnisch Foundation has been a catalyst for sustainable social change, funding and implementing innovation in the fields of philanthropy, coaching and journalism. For more information, contact:
Jane McDonnell
Executive Director
Online News Association
director@journalists.org
646-290-7900 |
