ONA Reno: Digital Storytelling Workshop

Join the Online News Association and ONA Reno for a free, day-long workshop highlighting the people, topics and tools that are driving journalism innovation in Nevada and the western U.S. Meet other local storytellers and innovators and build your network and reporting toolkit. We'll cover audience engagement, revenue, cutting-edge digital tools, live video and more. This digital journalism training is open to all members of the journalism community who RSVP here on Eventbrite. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided, and we'll gather for happy hour after the event to give you extra time to discuss the themes of the day with speakers and attendees.

Expect to walk away with plenty of plenty of new connections doing great digital work in Nevada and beyond, inspirational examples, strategies and best practices on emerging platforms, as well as hands-on skills you can take back to your newsroom.

The schedule below is subject to change, and will be updated as speakers are confirmed.

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Workshop Schedule

8:30-9 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast Open

9-9:15 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Meghan Murphy, Online News Association

9:15-10:15 a.m.
Making Digital Tools Great Again
Kim Bui, NowThis/ONA LA, Robert Hernandez, USC Annenberg/ONA LA, and Victor Hernandez, Banjo/ONA Las Vegas
Digital journalism engages and empowers more consumers every day thanks to ever-evolving types of technology and the public's growing addiction to social media and multimedia content. These key influencers and longtime ONA contributors will help you stay connected with current tech trends, separate the facts from the internet's false information with the latest verification tools, and introduce emerging techniques for leveraging innovation to reach wider audiences.​ From the hottest mobile apps to productivity hacks, AR/VR breakthroughs to digital publishing trends — scoop up the latest and greatest to take back to your local ONA communities for even wider sharing and experimentation.

10:15-10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30-11:45 a.m.
Breakout One: Reaching New Audiences in the Age of the “Filter Bubble”
Jessica Estepa, Writer and Editor, USA TODAY OnPolitics/ONA DC, Vincent Chang, SmartNews, and Julia Ritchey, Salt Lake City Public Radio; moderated by Ernie Ting, CivImpact Labs/ONA SF
As journalists, how can we reach both “red” and “blue” audiences that don’t talk to each other or understand each other’s perspective on vital public issues? The November election raised serious questions, not only about the extent to which Americans are segregated into parallel universes of incompatible facts and beliefs, but about how successfully most news organizations have covered and informed all segments of the population across the political spectrum. In this session three storytellers with a knowledge of communities across the nation will share their insights into how you can best connect with increasingly insulated and polarized audiences.

Breakout Two: Instagram Strategies
Caren Roblin, Sierra Nevada Media Group/ONA Reno
Do you have an InstaStrategy? Too many newsrooms lack direction when it comes to what and when to post to Instagram. More than any other platform, your Instagram audience will unfollow you for inconsistency. So, what angle can and should you take? This session is lead by Caren Roblin from ONA Reno, who has extensive Instagram experience, launching #Reno365 for @renogazettejournal in 2016, #ReinventingReno for @nnbw.bizweekly, #MeetYourNeighbor for @nevadaappeal, and more. Get the tips you need to effectively pivot your brand’s Instagram account for consistency and growth

11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lunch

1-4 p.m.
Podcast Star 101: Building blocks of audio storytelling
Cole Goins and Katherine Mieszkowski, Reveal
Want to turn your stories into driveway moments and compelling audio narratives? In this intensive workshop, award-winning journalists from Reveal, the investigative radio show and podcast from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, will explore best practices for compelling audio storytelling. You'll learn how to gather great sound in the field, get the most from your interviews, craft a rich narrative and build scenes and emotion into your writing. If you've never touched a mic or have even produced a few segments, this hands-on session will equip you with a solid how-to for maximizing your reporting with radio and podcasting in mind.
Please note: This is a hands-on workshop that will run concurrently to the two afternoon breakout sessions. The room is limited to 25 people, so pre-registration is required for this session. If you would like to attend, please plan to attend the whole session and select the ticket type "Attendee + Special Podcasting Workshop with Reveal" at registration. You only need to select one ticket type per person; the "Attendee + Special Podcasting Workshop with Reveal" ticket type will sign you up for the whole day.

1:15-2:30 p.m.
Breakout Three: F*** it, We’ll Do It Live!
Victor Hernandez, Banjo/ONA Las Vegas, and Greg Retsinas, KGW Media Group/ONA Portland
At the core of a good journalist is the ability to storytell, usually via the written word or a video package, but the emergence of live streaming has helped transform how stories are told. Further, everyday citizens are now going live to share their perspective and help journalists discover untold stories.​ ​This session brings together Victor Hernandez from ONA Las Vegas and Greg Retsinas from ONA Portland to discuss the state of the live streaming union, how it has influenced their perspective of covering stories, what it has done collectively for journalism and where trends may go next. This dynamic duo will also provide best practices for “going Live” and answer your questions.

Breakout Four: Working Remotely: How to Connect (and Disconnect!) from Your Newsroom
Kim Bui, NowThis/ONA LA, Kelly Jones, Storyful/ONA Rocky Mountains
Do you work remotely? Do you want to? Virtual workers face a common struggle: how to connect with your colleagues and feel part of the team, while still being able to unplug when needed. You can't join coworkers for weekly happy hour, or, technically, leave your office. NowThis Editor-At-Large Kim Bui and Storyful journalist Kelly Jones — who works from a camper! — chat about how they make it work.

2:30-2:45 p.m.
Break

2:45-4 p.m.
Recipes for Revenue: Cooking up products to feed your news organization
Celeste LeCompte, ProPublica

4-4:30 p.m.
Closing remarks

4:30-6 p.m.
Optional: Networking Happy Hour
Join us at The Depot, 325 E 4th St., for an optional post-workshop happy hour with attendees and speakers. This happy hour is generously sponsored by the Reynolds School of Journalism.

Thanks to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its support of ONA Local programs, and to the Reynolds School of Journalism for hosting this event.