Schedule at a glance

Fees  Register Online
Fee includes Friday night reception and continental breakfast & lunch on Saturday.

Detailed Saturday Schedule

8:00 a.m. | Check-in and Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. | Region 5 Business Meeting
Meet Regional Director Liz Hansen and discuss Society business taking place in Region 5, made up of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

9-10:15 a.m. | Sessions
RedEye: RedEye Editor Tran Ha will host a Q&A session about RedEye’s non-traditional news philosophy and approach, what she’s learned about its readers and why the paper continues to grow during a time when newspapers are seemingly on the decline.

Freelance: This session will be presented by Rebecca Lindell, managing editor, Kellogg World; Jill Chanen, assistant managing editor, ABA Journal and Ed Finkel, freelance writer.

10:30-11:45 a.m. | Sessions
News Applications 101: Hilary Fosdal, SPJ's Digital Media Committee chairwoman, will interview Brian Boyer, news applications editor for the Chicago Tribune, on the relationship between computer programmers and journalists in the newsroom, how interactive applications are transforming classic long-form journalism online and what is required for journalists to thrive in the age of digital reporting.

Student Press Rights Session: Description coming soon. Speakers in this session will include Beth Konrad, professor, Loyola University Chicago and Jeremy S. Rogers, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.

Noon-2 p.m. | Mark of Excellence Awards Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Benjamin A. Bradley, general assignment reporter, WLS-TV ABC 7 News

2:15-3:30 p.m. | Sessions
Is Radio Dead: Since the dawn of TV, people have been predicting radio's demise. Now digital tech, corporate struggles and sliding radio listenership have prompted some to believe it's finally happening. Others see the dawn of a new era in which radio-type programming flourishes through Internet streams, mobile devices, HD technology, and low-power FM. What does the changing media landscape mean for the future of audio journalism? Bring your questions and great ideas as we explore the impact of the digital revolution on radio newsrooms in a lively conversation with two award-winning Chicago journalists. This session will be presented by Steve Edwards, Acting Content Manager, Chicago Public Radio and Charlie Meyerson, News Director, WGN-Radio.

Diversity: Learn how working with, and seeing, ethnic media as a valuable resource can help journalists working for traditional media. Speakers will share examples of mainstream/ethnic media alliances and how they benefit the Chicago community; discuss a Web site being launched by the Chicago Association of Hispanic Journalists that will rely on local ethic media and highlight the work of Café Media LLC, which speaks to the acculturated Latino. This session will be presented by Fabiola Pomareda, reporter, La Raza Newspaper; Antonio Olivo, Chicago Tribune and Marilia Gutierrez, managing editor, Cafe Media LLC.

3:45-5:00 p.m. | Session
Ethics During Tragedy: How do journalists maintain their independence when reporting on a tragedy? Speakers in this session will include Hagit Limor, investigative reporter, WCPO-TV; Jon Seidel, feature writer, Post-Tribune (NW Indiana) and Gina Barton, investigative reporter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

About the Speakers

Ben Bradley  Mark of Excellence Luncheon | Keynote Speaker
Ben Bradley is a general assignment reporter for ABC 7 News. He joined ABC 7 News in October 2002. Previously, Bradley worked as a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for CLTV, Chicago's 24-hour news channel (1998-2002). While at CLTV, he wrote, produced and hosted several political specials, and also created a documentary on the closing of Chicago's Cook County Hospital. Before that, he was a news reporter and morning weather anchor at WCBD-TV in Charleston, S.C. (1997). Click to expand bio


Bradley began his broadcasting career in Columbia, Mo., where he worked from 1994-97. He gained television experience at Columbia's KOMU-TV, where he served as a newscast producer, weather anchor, photographer, and reporter. At the same time, he worked as a program host, reporter and news anchor for KFRU-AM, Columbia's news/talk radio station.

Since joining ABC 7, Bradley has received two Emmy awards for his work. The first came in 2003 for breaking news coverage of a water main break on Lake Shore Drive. He won a second Emmy for coverage of tornado damage in Utica, Illinois in 2004.

Bradley is the immediate past president of the Chicago Headline Club, which is one of the nation's largest chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists. He also serves on the Auxiliary Board of the John G. Shedd Aquarium.

Bradley is a Chicago native and attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School. He earned his Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

When not working, Bradley enjoys doing just about anything in the great outdoors... from skiing in the winter to hiking and biking in the summer. He's also been fortunate enough to visit six of the seven continents of the world. Travels have taken Ben to Alaska, Europe, South Africa, Beijing, Hong Kong, Australia and Chile to name a few. Bradley resides in Chicago. Compact Bio

Gina Barton
Gina Barton is an investigative reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her narrative series, Fatal Identity, was followed by charges against a longtime murder suspect. Her book on the case was published in September 2008 and featured on MSNBC. Barton holds a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a master's degree from Indiana University. In 2000, Barton spent five weeks reporting in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia as a Dart Center Ochberg Fellow. She has worked at the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune and the Huntington (WV) Herald Dispatch.

Brian Boyer
Brian Boyer leads the news applications team at the Chicago Tribune. Prior to studying journalism at Northwestern University, he advised startups on development methodologies and ran software teams in Chicago. Between j-school and the Trib, he made some fun stuff whilst interning at ProPublica.

Steve Edwards
Steve Edwards is currently the Acting Program Director of Chicago Public Radio. From 1999-2007, he served as Host of Eight Forty-Eight, Chicago Public Radio's award-winning weekday morning newsmagazine, where he covered everything from public policy to pop culture. During his tenure, Eight-Forty-Eight was named “Best Public Affairs Program” by Chicago Magazine, “Best Morning Radio Program” by Newcity Chicago, and “Best Weekly Program” by the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. Click to expand bio


Edwards’ reports and interviews have been honored by the Chicago Headline Club/SPJ, the RTNDA, the Associated Press, UPI, and the Public Radio News Directors, Inc (PRNDI). His coverage of Indiana death row inmate Darnell Williams also earned a Herman Kogan Award for Meritorious Journalism from the Chicago Bar Association.

Edwards is also the recipient of the Grand Award from the National Headliner Club and a 2007-2008 Knight-Wallace fellowship for mid-career journalists at the University of Michigan.

Prior to arriving at Chicago Public Radio, Edwards was the Assistant News Director and host of the nightly news magazine Final Edition at the suburban public radio station WDCB-FM. Under Steve’s direction, Final Edition received the 1998 PRNDI. award for the Best Daily News Magazine Program in the nation. He also has been a reporter and producer for Bloomberg News in New York, a news anchor at WTTT in Amherst, MA, and a summer intern for NPR’s All Things Considered.

Steve has a B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College and resides in Chicago with his wife and their two sons.
Compact Bio

Ed Finkel
Ed Finkel is a writer, editor and Web content manager with 20 years of professional experience. His topic focus ranges from business to healthcare to public policy, with a particular emphasis on community development, education and youth. Click to expand bio


Since his 1989 graduation from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, he has worked full-time as a staff writer for Chicago Lawyer magazine, assistant editor for The Public Innovator newsletter, managing editor for The Neighborhood Works magazine, and in-house editor at his alma mater, Medill.

Since leaving Medill for the second time to become a full-time free-lancer in 2002, Ed has written and edited content for independent publications as well as those based at universities and other non-profits. Ed has worked as a Web site manager both at Medill and more recently for LISC/Chicago. Compact Bio

Hilary Fosdal
Hilary Fosdal is Barrington Broadcasting Group's interactive content manager. She manages the day-to-day online news operations of the company's 21 television stations that are based in 15 markets throughout the nation, from Columbia, South Carolina to the far reaches of Marquette, MI. Click to expand bio


Prior to joining Barrington Broadcasting she worked for Quincy Newspapers Inc., as an assignment editor at WKOW in Madison, Wisconsin and at WXOW in La Crosse, Wisconsin as an internet director and assignment editor. Beijing, China was called home for several years while she consulted for the People's Daily & Market Daily newspapers.

She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She also currently serves as the Society of Professional Journalists’ Chicago Headline Club secretary and webmaster. Compact Bio

Marilia Gutierrez
Marilia Gutierrez has been involved in journalism since 1988 when, as an aspiring news translator, she stepped into the busy newsroom of El Nuevo Dia, the largest newspaper in her native Puerto Rico. It was love at first sight. Having spent half her career her native country and the other half in the U.S., half in Spanish and half in English, half in print and half online, Marilia fully embraces the duality of the Latino cultural experience in the U.S. She has also worked for the Chicago Tribune Internet edition, Reflejos Bilingual Newspaper and Hoy.

Tran Ha
Tran Ha is the editor of RedEye, a daily for young urban commuters. She also oversees Metromix, the Trib’s online destination for music, dining, bars & clubs. She joined RedEye shortly after the launch of the newspaper. She later moved on to editing roles in the Chicago Tribune's features department before returning to RedEye to launch and edit the home-delivered weekend edition. Before joining the Tribune, Tran worked as a Web editor at the Detroit Free Press and was a Naughton Fellow at the Poynter Institute.

Beth Konrad
Beth Konrad's career in communication spans more than two decades covering a wide variety of positions in media, corporate, academic and civic affairs. She has been a reporter, anchor, news director, editorialist, business owner, corporate executive and an advocate for social causes and community development. She was the founder and president of Konrad & Moore, Inc., a communications consulting firm in Chicago and Detroit from 1995 to 2006. Konrad was also a senior vice president and director of public affairs for Bank One (now Chase Bank) from 1988 to 1995. Her broadcasting and reporting experiences include positions with ABC (Chicago and Detroit), NBC (San Francisco), PBS and Post Newsweek (Detroit). She served as news director of an all-news radio station in Detroit in the late 1970s and vice president of PBS in Detroit in the 1980s. Click to expand bio


Konrad is the recipient of three Emmys, the National Headliner Award, the Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Service Award, numerous AP and UPI awards and several community leadership citations. She has a M.A. from Wayne State University and B.S from Indiana State University. In October 2005, Konrad was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana State University for her notable achievements in communication and journalism.

Konrad became a full-time faculty member at Loyola University Chicago in 2003 and is part of a leadership team developing and launching Loyola's new School of Communication. She is the faculty advisor for Loyola's SPJ campus chapter and a trained volunteer counselor for SPJ's national Ethics AdviceLine. She is vice president/president-elect of the Chicago Headline Club and chair of the organization's programs and journalism ethics committees. Konrad is also a member of the Broadcast Education Association and the Radio TV News Directors Association. Compact Bio

Hagit Limor
SPJ President-elect Hagit Limor’s other experience with SPJ includes stints as Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter President and membership chairman; National Membership Committee; National Finance Committee Chair; and board member of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. Click to expand bio


Outside of SPJ, she serves as WCPO-TV's Emmy and national award-winning investigative reporter, but her journey began half a world away. She was born in Israel and moved to the United States when she was eight years old. At WCPO, Hagit is regarded as a "do-it-all" journalist. She's served as an anchor, general assignment reporter, and now helms the award-winning I-Team. Her abilities as a writer and reporter have garnered Hagit dozens of national, state and local awards.

She and videographer Anthony Mirones won First Place in the 2008 National Headliner Awards for "Resurrection", a four-year investigation into pollution from the local international airport. Hagit and Anthony also won a 2008 Emmy Award for "Solid Gold Weddings", a consumer investigation into a wedding video company that brides across the nation claimed did not deliver the videos it promised. Hagit and producer/videographer Phil Drechsler won second place in the 2008 National Association of Health Care Journalists competition, for "Care-less Denials", about lack of access to mental health care by a national insurance company.

Hagit has previously won three separate national Sigma Delta Chi Awards from SPJ, was a national finalist with the Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, and has won other national awards from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Society of Environmental Journalists and the National Headliner Awards.

She also has won nine Emmy Awards while at WCPO, more than a dozen state Associated Press and SPJ awards, and local SPJ awards.

Hagit received bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University.

At home, she shares life with her husband Jeff, her son Jake, two dogs and two cats. Compact Bio

Rebecca Lindell
Rebecca Lindell is a writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience in magazine, newspaper and book publishing. She has won awards for news, feature and editorial writing and has worked with writers at all levels to develop their skills as storytellers and strengthen their narrative voice. Now the managing editor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Rebecca oversees news coverage for the school’s Web site, newsletter and alumni magazine.

Charlie Meyerson
Charlie Meyerson has delivered the news to the Chicago area for a long time — including more than 10 years at the city's legendary progressive rock station, WXRT-FM 93.1; almost nine years at pioneering "smooth jazz" station WNUA-FM 95.5; almost 11 years as chicagotribune.com's senior producer, Daywatch columnist and WGN-AM 720 correspondent. Since August, he's been WGN's news director. He's the winner of dozens of journalism awards, including a national UPI award for investigative reporting. He's also a member of the Illini Media Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois.

Fabiola Pomareda
Fabiola Pomareda has been a reporter for La Raza Newspaper since 2005. She writes about local health, education, immigration, labor, and politics issues. She was born in Washington DC but grew up in Costa Rica, where she started working as a journalist in 1999 at Semanario, reporting on environmental and social issues. Click to expand bio


While in Costa Rica she was a reporter at Estrategia & Negocios magazine, covering finance, economy and agriculture; and editor for an international trade and sustainable development magazine. She studied journalism in Costa Rica and holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Universitat de Barcelona/Columbia University New York (BCNY) in Spain. There she interned at the EFE News Agency, in Barcelona. She has contributed to numerous magazines and news agencies throughout the years and her stories have been translated for New America Media. Compact Bio

Jeremy S. Rogers
Jeremy S. Rogers is an attorney in the Louisville, Kentucky office of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP. He has extensive experience representing news media outlets in defamation, privacy, and other First Amendment-related cases, and in access-to-information cases. He also regularly advises news media clients regarding employment, intellectual property, and advertising. His practice is primarily in the state and federal courts of Kentucky and Indiana, and he has also represented clients before the Ohio Court of Appeals, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Jeremy studied print journalism at the University of Kentucky and attended Boston College Law School. He served as a law clerk for United States District Judge George A. O'Toole in Massachusetts.