apply.

Radiolab will be sending out a couple story calls for pitches over the next short while…I thought I'd start small by requesting pitches for our next show: Maps.

A quick note about process: If you have ideas, please send them to radiolab@wnyc.org with STORY PITCH in the subject line. We're a small team and read every one. If we like the idea, we'll contact you within a week. If the idea isn't quite right for us, we'll try our best to let you know that quickly. If you don't hear from us within a week, assume that we're going another direction.

So, maps. Here's a quick summary of the show and what we're after.

MAPS: We're interested in the objects themselves but also how people navigate through space. We'll be looking at people who have terrible sense of direction (not just just terrible like me, but folks who can't find their way from their bathroom to their living room). We have a story of a lady who falls into the latter category. And we're looking into a frothy debate on homing pigeons. We're also pursuing a story about a guy who ended up getting his house demolished because the demo crew plugged the wrong coordinates into their GPS units.

But what we're still missing is something experiential… a discovery of the heart…perhaps a story where a person emotionally gets very lost and then charts their path to being found. Perhaps a story of a person seeing their town on the map for the first time and forever being changed as a result. Who knows.

If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them. And thanks everyone in advance!

Jad Abumrad
Host/Producer
WNYC's Radiolab
http://radiolab.org

Who Should Apply
NPR is looking for a diverse pool of applicants who aspire to work in public radio. Candidates must be just completing college or graduate school, or be out of school for one year or less as of December 31, 2010. They do not need journalism or radio experience, but must demonstrate exceptional potential and drive. PLEASE CLICK ON THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING ELIGIBILITY.

Fellowship In Brief
Three Kroc Fellows will be accepted into the program this year. The Fellowship begins in August 2011 and lasts one year. It includes a stipend of more than $40,000, plus benefits, which include paid vacation. Fellows will get rigorous, hands-on training in every aspect of public radio journalism — writing, reporting, producing and editing, for both radio and the Web. Kroc Fellows will work primarily at NPR headquarters in Washington D.C., though each Fellowship will include an assignment to an NPR member station.

Application Process
Download Application at http://www.npr.org/about/careers/fellowships/kroc.html
Applications will be accepted beginning November 1, 2010 but must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2010.

Candidates should submit:
   * Resume
   * Three references, at least two of which are from professional or academic contacts. (Forms will be provided.)
   * Academic transcript(s)
   * A cover letter explaining why the candidate should be selected by the Kroc Fellowship Committee
   * A sample of work reflecting remarkable initiative or accomplishment. This might include a writing sample (of 1000 words or less, please), an excerpt (five minutes or so) from a video production or a musical composition, etc.

Finalists will be brought to Washington, D.C. to take part in an interview in April or May. The three Kroc Fellows will be notified shortly thereafter.

Rotations At NPR
NPR Kroc Fellows will work alongside some of the nation's most respected reporters, producers and editors. The program will ensure the Fellows develop:
   * Production and editorial skills, by working on an NPR show. Past fellows have worked at All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition Saturday
   * Reporting and on-air experience, by working under the guidance of NPR editors
   * Web writing and multi-media production skills, by working with NPR Digital Media producers and editors
   * First-hand broadcast journalism experience, by working at an NPR member station

NPR will provide Kroc Fellows with professional guidance and assist in job placement toward the close of the one-year Fellowship.

Would you like to learn more?
Please view our frequently asked questions at:
http://www.npr.org/about/careers/fellowships/kroc_faq.html

Please direct questions to kroc@npr.org

By now it is relatively common knowledge that America’s news industry is undergoing profound and frequently tumultuous change. Every news organization is affected by the development of the Internet and the resulting changes in revenue streams, audience habits and community needs. Traditional media companies have been particularly distressed by shifts in the markets and business models that historically supported them—and the conversation about how to “save” or “reinvent” journalism has been largely focused on their concerns.

To a growing group of practitioners, funders and observers, however, the challenge is not saving traditional news organizations or traditional forms of journalism. The challenge is creating, strengthening and protecting informed communities and local information ecosystems, of which journalism is a necessary component.

Thus enters the nonprofit model, which allows organizations to pursue a journalistic mission without the competing demands of operating a for-profit business. Nonprofit news startups have been created in communities across the country, most with funding from major donors or foundations. The Knight Foundation alone has funded more than 200 experiments with what it calls a “build to learn” approach.

Read more:

http://www.knightfoundation.org/research_publications/detail.dot?id=364196

Back by popular demand, veteran CPA Jason Stallcup will answer any and
all questions about filing for 2010 in a lunchtime Q&A Friday, Dec.
17.

Should you incorporate? Should you go LLC? What about quarterly tax
payments? What’s deductible and what’s not?

Our unit meeting begins at 12 noon. Jason will begin promptly at 12:30
p.m.

The event is free for members. We request a donation of $10 for
nonmembers to help cover the cost of food. Please email your RSVP to
freelance@mediaworkers.org. If you haven't yet joined, visit
GuildFreelancers.org and click on "Join Us."

Over the years, Jason has worked for a high-tech company and as part
of a large CPA firm. Today, he is an entrepreneur focusing largely on
the self-employed.

Northern California Media Workers Guild
433 Natoma Street, Third Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103

Between Fifth and Sixth streets in San Francisco, the Guild office is
adjacent to the Chronicle building. Take BART to Powell St or park in
the Fifth and Mission garage.

Questions? Give me a ring at 510-472-3024.

Warm regards,
Rebecca Rosen Lum
Unit Chair, Guild Freelancers

The Public Radio Energy Project is an integrated, cross-platform journalism
initiative that will use community projects, concept art and other public
engagement means to extend informal education about the science, technology,
engineering, and social context of energy and to tap community knowledge for
innovation. The Public Radio Energy Project is funded by the National
Science Foundation.

This is a unique opportunity for the right person who lives for the Internet
yet needs the flexibility of a part-time position.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SoundVision Productions Managing Editor/Senior Producer

SoundVision Productions® is looking for a managing editor/senior producer for The Public Radio Energy Project (working title), an integrated, cross-platform journalism initiative that will use community projects, concept art and other public engagement means to extend informal education about the science, technology, engineering, and social context of energy and to tap community knowledge for innovation. This is a two-year position, based in Berkeley, California.  The Public Radio Energy Project is funded by the National Science Foundation.

The managing editor/senior producer will be responsible for leading a small editorial staff as well as freelance writers, reporters, editors and producers. The ME/SP will work in conjunction with other team leaders overseeing the technical, digital, outreach, community engagement, research, evaluation, development & marketing areas. 

Looking to fill as soon as possible. 

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have experience in:

• Shaping and developing an hour of public broadcast programming such as documentaries, news magazines, or series;
• Covering or managing coverage of energy/environmental science; 
• Producing, editing or reporting broadcast features;
• Managing a diverse group of media professionals, including independents and freelancers;
• Digital technologies including social networking.

The characteristics of the ideal candidate are:

• Ability to generate benchmarks and deadlines and motivate team members to meet them;
• Ability to transform the mission of the project into a process that keeps everyone moving forward;
• Detail-oriented yet flexible;
• Leadership, collegiality, calm under pressure, and a sense of humor.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.

Duties include

• Maintain and communicate SoundVision's editorial vision of sound journalism values, quality production and accuracy in science;
• Coordinate hiring of freelance and independent writers, editors, producers and reporters in consultation with senior leadership team;
• Make assignments and manage freelance and independent writers, reporters, producers and editors;
• Lead team meetings using appropriate brainstorming, problem-solving, decision-making, and project planning techniques;
• Delegate team tasks as needed;
• Coordinate editorial review process, from treatment to final;
• Edit program components as needed;
• Lead ongoing self-evaluation of the team’s effectiveness;
• Coordinate with other team leaders and the executive producer to assure timeliness and coherence across project elements such as digital, outreach, evaluation, etc;
• Collaborate with partners in the ethnic media, local radio stations and universities.

Salary negotiable and commensurate with experience.  Some benefits offered.

Please submit cover letter and resume/cv with links to three examples of your work, with a description of your specific role in each, to jobs@svproductions.org.  Write editor/producer in the subject line.  No phone calls, faxes or snail mail.  Candidates invited to the next round will be contacted.

SoundVision has more than a decade of experience in producing exceptionally substantive, impact-oriented science journalism.  Its NPR-distributed series The DNA Files won numerous awards and aired internationally.  SoundVision produces The Really Big Questions with NPR’s Lynn Neary, which explores the dynamic boundary between science and the humanities and achieved wide carriage. SoundVision also conducts the annual Science Literacy Workshop, a weeklong science and production training for public radio producers, reporters and editors.

+++++++++++++++++++++

SoundVision Productions Digital Media Producer/Social Media Coordinator

SoundVision Productions® is looking for a Digital Media Producer/Social Media Coordinator for The Public Radio Energy Project (working title). This part-time, two year position is located in the San Francisco Bay area.  Start date is as soon as possible.

The Public Radio Energy Project is an integrated, cross-platform journalism initiative that will use community projects, concept art and other public engagement means to extend informal education about the science, technology, engineering, and social context of energy and to tap community knowledge for innovation. The Public Radio Energy Project is funded by the National Science Foundation.

This is a unique opportunity for the right person who lives for the Internet yet needs the flexibility of a part-time position.

Qualifications

• Degree in journalism with an online or multimedia emphasis or equivalent experience;
• Social media aficionado who lives and breathes all things digital and loves learning new technologies;
• Extreme familiarity with multiple blogging programs;
• Ability to adapt to changes in equipment, software and workflow;
• Willing to explore or develop new methods for creating and distributing digital content;
• Excellent storyteller and writer experienced with video and audio recording, editing and production;
• Basic skills with Photoshop, iMovie, Final Cut, Pro Tools, Flash and other similar or complementary software;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint);
• Interest in science in general and energy science in particular;
• Able to work independently and as part of a team;
• Cool and efficient under deadline pressure;
• A sense of humor.

The successful candidate for this hybrid position will be responsible for:

• Updates to website and social media communities including, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare etc;
• Conceiving and quickly producing compelling digital features and multimedia packages such as slide shows, galleries, audio presentations and/or videos;
• Reporting and writing original story elements;
• Editing topic pages, writing and editing headlines for blog posts and other display copy;
• Providing suggestions for home page treatment of material;
• Maintaining online content across multiple platforms, including websites, newsletters, social media and mobile;
• Support social media presence by integrating tools, apps and widgets from different networks;
• Integrate Energy Project-branded content into social media sites including Facebook, YouTube, Flicker, Tumbler, Twitter and wikis, etc;
• Promoting Energy Project-branded content on blogs and aggregator sites;
• Updating digital databases;
• Conduct ongoing evaluation of keywords, content and meta data, campaign performance tracking and link building.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Please submit cover letter and resume/cv to jobs@svproductions.org.  Write digital in the subject line.  No phone calls, faxes or snail mail for this digital position.  Candidates invited to the next round will be contacted.

SoundVision has more than a decade of experience in producing exceptionally substantive, impact-oriented science journalism.  Its NPR-distributed series The DNA Files won numerous awards and aired internationally.  SoundVision produces The Really Big Questions with NPR’s Lynn Neary, which explores the dynamic boundary between science and the humanities and achieved wide carriage. SoundVision also conducts the annual Science Literacy Workshop, a weeklong science and production training for public radio producers, reporters and editors.

SoundVision is an equal opportunity employer.

Thought you and your NYC-area friends might like to know about three free all-star events we are having over the next few days at Columbia Journalism School – just three of many listed at http://bit.ly/columbialectures

* Thursday, Nov. 4, 4:30-6 pm: Knight News Challenge info session, with
  Jennifer 8. Lee Details below and at http://twtup.com/8knc

* Tuesday, Nov. 9, 6:15-9 pm: Our annual Changing Media Landscape panel &
  receptions (and live webcast), presented with the Hearst Foundation.
  Panel features the global managing editor of Reuters; the founder of
  Tumblr; the national innovations editor of the Washington Post; the
  editor in chief of Mashable; the editor of El Diario La Prensa. Learn
  about the names behind the titles and other details below and at
  http://bit.ly/columbiajh10

* Thursday, Nov. 11, 6:30-8 pm: "The Science of Storytelling” – Dean
  Nicholas Lemann in conversation with Professor and Pulitzer Prize winner
  Jonathan Weiner for a discussion of the practices and pitfalls,
  techniques and triumphs of long-form science writing focusing on
  Professor Weiner’s critically acclaimed new book, "Long for This World."
  Details below.

NON-COLUMBIA-J-SCHOOLERS! Signup to get alerts about future Columbia Journalism School events and webcasts: http://bit.ly/columbiajsignup * We list the school's in-person events at http://bit.ly/columbialectures (lots of spring events coming). Our events as a Google Calendar: http://bit.ly/columbiajcal

[ A quick note to remind any experienced journalists looking to earn a Master's degree that Columbia J-school's new nine-month M.A. program (which allows you to specialize in business, arts, politics or science/health/environment reporting) is a great option. Along with in-depth specialization, you can also learn the digital skills that are in such demand in newsrooms today. We also have launched a new joint Master's degree in journalism and computer science with with the Columbia Computer Science Department. These programs program are in addition to our more traditional M.S. and Ph.D. programs. Details at http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/admissions …. Questions to admissions@jrn.columbia.edu ]

o o o o o

Knight News Challenge info session, with Jennifer 8. Lee Thursday, 11/4, 4:30-6 pm in Stabile Student Center
Columbia Journalism School, 116th St & Broadway (#1 train to 116th St)

Optional RSVP via Twitter: http://twtup.com/8knc
hashtag: #cjknc

JENNIFER 8. LEE, a reviewer and consultant with the Knight News Challenge [ http://newschallenge.org ], will discuss and answer questions about the competition, which launched Oct. 25 with a deadline of December 1. In last year's awards, the News Challenge received more than 2,300 applications and gave out 12 grants totaling $2.74 million. In a previous year, alum David Cohn, received a $300,000 grant for his http://spot.us crowdfunding project. Lee will discuss the technicalities of the contest — including the categories, the open-source requirements, and different funding mechanisms. Lee, a journalist focused on investments in the frontiers of news and information in communities, worked for nine years as a reporter for the New York Times and is author of "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles," a book on Chinese food in America. She helps organize Hacks/Hackers NYC and spearheaded the crowdsourced journo-tech glossary, which has been translated into Arabic and French.

o o o o o

All are invited to this in-person event (with two free receptions) or video webcast (you provide your own snacks)…

{SAMPLE TWEET: All-star @ColumbiaJourn media panel+webcast, Nov. 9:
http://twtup.com/columbiajh10 #cjhearst }

"Changing Media Landscape, 2010" Columbia J-school & Hearst Foundation's annual look at the journalism revolution, with several fascinating influencers. This is a different kind of panel, with a real conversation among the participants and audience – and no Powerpoint in sight. FREE IN-PERSON EVENT + WEBCAST

The Hearst Foundation & Columbia Journalism Digital Media Program present…

Columbia-Hearst Journalism Dialogues

Tuesday, November 9, 20010
6:15-9 pm (live webcast at 7 pm on http://livestream.com/columbiajournalism –
see local time around the world here: http://timeanddate.com/s/1v9h )

SPEAKERS:

HILDA GARCIA, VP, multiplatform news and information of Impremedia, the largest
Hispanic news and information company & editor of El Diario La Prensa, the
oldest Spanish-language daily in the United States. FOLLOW ON TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/garsiknews

DAVID KARP, founder, Tumblr, a leading microblogging site, with more than two billion pageviews a month, eight million publishers and 7.4 million posts a day. FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/davidkarp

MARK LUCKIE, national innovations editor, Washington Post; founder of 10,000
Words blog (which was just bought by Mediabistro); author of "The Digital
Journalist's Handbook." FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/marksluckie

ADAM OSTROW, editor-in-chief, Mashable, a leading news and information site
about social media; and a new media consultant and entrepreneur. FOLLOW ON
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/adamostrow

BETTY WONG, global managing editor, Reuters, one of the world's most
influential media companies. FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/DestinationRTRS

MODERATOR: Prof. Sree Sreenivasan, Columbia J-school's Dean of Student Affairs
FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/sreenet

HASHTAG FOR THE EVENT: #cjhearst
OPTIONAL: RSVP via Twitter – http://twtup.com/columbiajh10

Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010
6:15 – doors open
6:15-7:00 pm – networking reception – drinks & light food
7-8:30 pm – discussion
8:30-9 pm – reception and networking  continue

No RSVP required. No charge. Open to the public. Add yourself to this form to
be kept posted about future events like these: http://bit.ly/columbiasignup

Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Lecture Hall, 3rd Floor – 116th St &
Broadway [ #1 train to 116th St or get directions:
http://www.hopstop.com/route?city=New+York&county2=Manhattan&address2=2950+broadway&mod

e=s
]

LIVE & ARCHIVED WEBCAST OF THE EVENT WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA LIVESTREAM AT
http://livestream.com/columbiajournalism

NOTE: Free, open wi-fi available in the lecture hall for blogging, tweeting, etc. Please use the #cjhearst hashtag.

This program is dedicated to Hossein "Hoder" Derakhshan, Iranian-born blogger/Internet activist, who spoke at this panel in 2007; he was arrested in Iran in 2008 and has been sentenced to 19.5 years in prison. More info: http://www.freetheblogfather.org/

FUTURE DATES:
Thursday, April 7, 2011, 6:30-9 pm: The annual Hearst New Media Lecture will be
delivered by Krishna Bharat (@KrishnaBharat), founder of Google News & Hearst
New Media Professional-in-Residence at the J-school: http://bit.ly/b7UGuv

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011, 630-9 pm: Hearst "Changing Media Landscape, 2011" Panel

MANY THANKS TO THE HEARST FOUNDATION FOR ITS CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE
COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL'S DIGITAL MEDIA EFFORTS. Some video and links from this series at http://bit.ly/hearstprograms

o o o o o

The Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
invites you to an evening event: 

“The Science of Storytelling”

Dean Nicholas Lemann
in conversation with
Professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Weiner

for a discussion of
the practices and pitfalls, techniques and triumphs
of long-form science writing

focusing on Professor Weiner’s critically acclaimed new book

Long for This World  

Thursday, November 11, 2010
6:30 p.m.
World Room, 3rd floor
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
116th and Broadway
New York City

Register here: http://bit.ly/aY04i9

o o o o o

NEW-ISH WAYS CONNECT WITH COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL:

Facebook: friend "Columbia J-school" –
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=611726581

Twitter: http://twitter.com/columbiajourn

Audio webcasts with faculty, alumni and more:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/columbiajournalism (set automatic e-mail
reminders there for yourself)

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/columbiajournalism

Blip.tv: http://cujs.blip.tv/ (five- and 12-minute mini-documentaries about the school + events at the school)

MAIN WEBSITE: http://www.journalism.columbia.edu