One week left for #CAJ2013 early bird rates

OTTAWA, April 12, 2013 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists reminds all those planning to attend the 2013 national conference May 3-5 at the Westin Hotel in downtown Ottawa that a week remains to take advantage of early bird pricing.

Registration for the conference is open, with early bird rates ending April 19. Our rates heavily favour CAJ members, who can attend the conference and get a ticket to the conference banquet and CAJ Awards gala for $239 plus taxes. That rate and all others increase moderately as of April 20. Full details on registration, including all rates, are available on the CAJ website.

For the second year, the CAJ has joined with Newspapers Canada's Ink&Beyond, which runs May 1-3.  A Friday highlight is both a panel and keynote luncheon by the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom. It coincides with the annual release of the Review of Free Expression in Canada by the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. Its 2010-11 report is available on its website.

Saturday keynote is Hadeel Al-Shalchi, a Middle East correspondent who was on the ground to cover the Arab Spring, including spending time in Tahrir Square in Egypt. She will speak about her experiences and be available to speak with delegates on the middle day of #CAJ2013.

The premiere event Saturday is the CAJ conference banquet and CAJ Awards gala, MC'd this year by Evan Solomon, of CBC News Network's Power and Politics and CBC Radio One's The House. A ticket to the banquet is included with most full-conference registrations. Standalone tickets are available at $85 each. A full list of finalists was released on April 8.

Other workshops and sessions on-hand for the weekend include how to write a book as a working journalist, how journalists can fight for greater access to information, how to tell a great story with video and how to transition from reporting to managing. Bookmark the conference program available on the CAJ website as new content will be added as it's confirmed in the coming weeks.

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing over 500 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide public-interest advocacy and high-quality professional development for its members.

SOURCE: Canadian Association of Journalists

For further information:

Hugo Rodrigues, CAJ president, 519-756-2020 ext. 2226, [e-mail]
Micah Luxen, CAJ conference co-chair, [e-mail]
Nick Taylor-Vaisey, CAJ conference co-chair, [e-mail]
Registration questions can be sent to: [e-mail]

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