Here’s some interesting tidbits from the Online News Association, one of the biggest groups for journalists and freelance writers who work online.
* The finalists for this year’s Online Journalism Awards will be announced at the ONA’s annual conference on Sept. 13 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. Here is the complete list of this year’s nominees.
* In conjunction with its annual meeting, ONA will hold a job fair on Thursday, Sept. 11, at the Capital Hilton. According to the group, several large media organizations have already signed up to participate. Writers who are attending the conference can get into the job fair for free; other writers pay $50, and students are $25. Anyone who wants to attend has to register here.
* ONA received a $60,000 grant from the Challenge Fund for Journalism, a joint initiative of The Ford Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, McCormick Foundation and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. The grant will help the association update its Website and sponsor regional events. But there’s a hitch: in order to get the funds, ONA has to raise at least $90,000 in additional donations by August 2009 and will be tapping members for help.
* Thanks to work by the Associated Press Sports Editors committee, of which ONA is a member, print and online reporters will have better access to National Football League players and longer online audio/video feeds for the 2008 season. Online news organizations will be able to run up to 90 seconds of audio/video instead of 45 seconds, although reporters are still barred from getting audio and video from anywhere other than team facilities.