Helping women and minorities into newsrooms since 1993
Helping women and minorities into newsrooms since 1993
In 1974, the Associated Press Sports Editors organization emerged, and 50 years later their impact on journalism from coast to coast is as essential as ever.
This year’s APSE summer conference will be held at the Marriott SouthPark in Charlotte, N.C., on June 20-22.
As the world advances, journalism has to follow suit, which explains why the theme for the conference is “Sports Journalism at a Crossroads.” A few changes are coming this year including a reduction from a four-day conference to three, with no keynote speaker.
APSE president, Naila-Jean Meyers said after surveying members it was found that education, development for careers and education is what most members want out of
the convention. And having a keynote speaker was not a high demand, making it one of the first things to go with the schedule change.
“In going from four days to three, the goal was to cut costs,” Meyers said. “For the people attending the conference and also for the organization…it was a financial
decision in one way, but it was one that reflected what our members find the most interesting about our gatherings.”
Nowadays, members are finding it more difficult to afford to attend the conference, so having a more flexible and cost efficient schedule was important to Meyers.
Meyers said that the conference being three days rather than four seems to be a permanent change - next summer is planned to be three days as well.
The appeal of hosting the conference in N.C. reflects another economic decision. With many members living in the Southeast, airfare would not be as big of an issue for most editors.
A few notable general sessions to expect at the conference include conversations about college sports coverage, sports betting, 2024 summer Olympics coverage, diversity and inclusion, career development and the rise of AI technology.
There will be workshops following new and improved ways to cover live events, audience development, management tactics for remote work and newsletter strategies.
“There are, I think, two main tenets of this organization,” Meyers said. “One is helping each other develop our careers, get the training education we need, help each other problem solve and the challenges in the industry. And producing great journalism, and talking about how we’re doing it and helping each other out.”
The Red Smith Award luncheon will celebrate Red Smith Award winner Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.
Other events include a Charlotte FC vs. Orlando City MLS game, a reception at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and an awards banquet honoring exceptional journalism work
from 2023.
The sponsors of the conference include the Associated Press, The Athletic, ESPN, NHL, MLS, Professional Bull Riders, MLB, Sporting News, NASCAR, Perfect Game, the APSE Foundation and the Los Angeles Times.
Glen Crevier, the APSE convention coordinator said that they are hoping for an attendance of 90-100.
Early registration rates are valid until June 14 and increase June 15.
Meyers said they would prefer people to register by June 14, as they have deadlines for events and banquets. But those wanting to attend workshops or general sessions at the last minute won’t be turned away at the door.
“This organization was founded in a lot of ways to help us sports editors work together,” Meyers said. “When it came to access, credentialing, our relationships with leagues and sports entities that we cover. And that is still true, that is still happening.
“But I think more and more we’re about career development and helping our members on their journalism journeys and where they need to go and helping them through
problems [and] struggles.”
A look at the APSE summer conference schedule:
https://apsportseditors.com/presidents-report-a-preview-of-apses-summer-conference/
Sabrina McClain will intern this summer at ESPN.