Dennis DeRossett named new IPA Executive Director

Starting February 8, Dennis DeRossett will leave his post as publisher of the Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale, Ill. and become the Executive Director of the Illinois Press Association. DeRossett has been an IPA board member for six years and brings a wealth of journalism and publishing experience to the largest state newspaper association in the U.S. The McCormick Foundation congratulates him as he heads one of our grantee programs.

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Thought leaders reflect on the state of journalism

Sixteen pioneers, pacesetters and Pulitzer Prize winners reflected on their personal missions in journalism during times of upheavals in the world, the media and their personal lives during the International Dialogues for Thought Leaders in Media. The event was sponsored by Images & Voices of Hope and the Fetzer Institute in June 2008 in Kalamazoo, Mich. San Francisco State University J-School Professor Jon Funabiki reflects on that gathering in his newly-issued report, “What am I for?” He writes: “In the U.S., even the nation’s premier newspapers are struggling for economic survival, and journalists are losing their jobs in droves. The upheavals stir many thoughts. The obvious question spilling from the lips of many: Will journalism survive? But for those who practice journalism—not only as a career, but as a life’s calling—a second, deeply personal question boils up from within: What am I for?” Funabiki breaks his research findings into three areas: volatility in history, volatility in journalism and volatility in the personal lives of participants. Don’t miss some of the inspiring comments from participants at the end of his report.

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Change At The Top of Nation's Leading Papers

The New York Times has a piece on turnover at the top spot in the nation's largest newspapers. All have had new editors, and most new publishers too, in the past few years. Whether the departure is friendly or forced, the leading newsroom position is more and more about finances, and all too often about cutting positions and doing more with less. Read at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/19/business/media/19paper.html?_r=1&8dpc

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Looking for a Few Rising Stars

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) is looking for a the next talented crop of women managers who want to increase their leadership skills to build their careers. The IWMF will be hosting its annual Leadership Institute for Women Journalists this summer from July 21-25 in Chicago. This hands-on week-long session, funded by MTF, features sessions on:

· Managing relationships with colleagues, staff and supervisors
· Managing change
· Navigating newsroom politics
· Having critical conversations and difficult discussions
· Negotiating salaries, contracts and benefits
· Advocating for yourself
· Encouraging diversity
· Work/life balance

The application deadline is APRIL 16. Some scholarships are available. To apply online, visit: www.iwmf.org/programs/leadership.

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