My platform

I’m running for Vice President of Broadcast. Here is what I would like to accomplish in that role.

AN NAHJ ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

TRAININGS CLOSER TO HOME

  • I think NAHJ is too focused on the national convention now and we should focus more on having regional trainings available that are organized locally and broadcast nationally to make sure that every NAHJ member has the chance to learn and grow as a reporter even if they can’t afford to fly to Miami, New York, or Los Angeles every year. For five years I was a reporter in El Paso making $25,000. I did not have the time off or the money to make it to any of the national NAHJ conventions. It’s not just about the convention fee, you also have to pay for the hotel, food, and flights for that whole trip. The best way to fix this is to bring resources directly to the members.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE FROM ANYWHERE

  • How many of you were able to attend this year’s conference for the first time because you didn’t have to fly to D.C.? All future conferences should be available via Zoom or digital recording. Even if in-person conventions (hopefully) come back next year the events should all be recorded so they are accessible for those reporters who were not able to make it in person. The in-person conference will still have great benefits to members who physically attend, like networking opportunities and visiting booths, but the panels and trainings should be available for other members as well.

BROADCASTING MEANS RADIO TOO

  • A whole lot of NAHJ members work in TV, but as Vice President of Broadcasting that means I will represent radio reporters as well. We need to host more audio reporting workshops at the same level we do on-camera workshops. The future of news lies in non-profit and radio reporters make up the biggest chunk of those newsrooms. Podcasters? You’re also broadcasters, and I’ll work to represent the newest medium.

EQUALITY FOR SPANISH-LANGUAGE REPORTERS

  • NAHJ needs to provide more Spanish-language trainings as well, including how to make the jump from one language to another. People are regularly dismissed from either language newsroom when there’s the perception that they may not be good enough in English or Spanish because of their previous working experience. We need to show that bilingualism is a benefit for everyone.

MEMBERS HELPING EACH OTHER

A DIGITAL INTERACTIVE SPACE FOR EVERYONE

  • I think NAHJ’s most underused strength is the sheer number and reach of members. I would like to provide an interactive space for members to freely and openly connect with each other, building up the next generation to benefit from collective experience. This means reinstating the Facebook group for members to have open access to everyone else and be able to ask for advice. We also need to reach out to members and ask what they think is the best way to provide an interactive space.

PAY STUDY TO HELP JOURNALISTS NEGOTIATE BETTER SALARIES

  • Let’s do a pay study. One of the biggest tools available to starting reporters is knowing what a station pays before they interview. I have helped KVIA colleagues get better pay just by telling them beforehand what other reporters at the station made (anonymized information). They were then able to know when they were being lowballed with a job offer and negotiated higher salaries. I think we should take part in a nationwide pay study and publish the results so that people interviewing for new jobs can be better equipped to negotiate and not be underpaid.

ACCESS TO INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS

  • We should be the main resource for finding freelancers across the country. We can publish a map, showing where all the freelance NAHJ members live around the country and offer it freely to any news agencies. If they need to find a stringer or shooter all they need is find the location and reach out to the nearest reporter.

BOARD TRANSPARENCY

MEETINGS VIA ZOOM

  • All board meetings should be held via Zoom, with the link sent to every member each time a meeting is planned. There is no reason for the meetings to not be public. On my first day as an elected board member I will put forth a motion make all meetings open to members. If city councils can do it during the COVID era then so can we.

REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO ME

  • My email is public and accessible through this campaign website. If elected that won’t stop. I guarantee I will listen to every NAHJ member who reaches out to me and pass on concerns to the board as a whole. Once in office I would host weekly office hours to speak to members directly.

A HARD-TO-REACH GOAL

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING

Linda Tirado lost her eye. Molly Hennessy Fiske was pepper sprayed when she was compliant. I know first hand how dangerous rubber bullets can be. We’ve all seen headlines come out after the George Floyd protests and these risks are not going away.

As a Reuters freelancer and now employee I have been given incredible hostile environment training. Even when I was a stringer I was flown to DC for a two day training course on how to handle anything from protests to shootings, hurricanes and medical emergencies. I know it’s a lot, but I would want to hire the same company that trains Reuters employees to handle hostile environments and train every single NAHJ member. We cannot continue to send reporters to the front lines of dangerous stories without giving them the tools to protect themselves and each other. If newsrooms can’t or won’t provide the training we should step up.

I will work to make sure we start offering these trainings so people are prepared ahead of Election Day.

These are the changes I would like to implement as Vice President of Broadcast. If they sound good you should vote for me in the September 28 election.

If you have any feedback please let me know.