Visionary insight on Apple iPad at INNOVATE NEWS Jan. 30

OTTAWA , Jan. 28 /CNW/ - Media, technology and design leaders will discuss the implications of Apple's new iPad device and what it means for journalism at the trailblazing Innovate News conference in Toronto on Saturday. Today is the deadline to register in advance online at www.caj.ca.

Design and technology visionary Bill Buxton , principal researcher at Microsoft Research, will outline the opportunities and challenges to news media that devices like the iPad represent in his closing keynote at the Canadian Association of Journalists' and CAJ Education Foundation's groundbreaking conference at the MaRS Centre Jan. 30 .

"Bill Buxton's work and teaching have helped to shape our experience of the world," conference and CAJ chairman Saleem Khan said. "His insights on technology's influence on news, the critical decisions journalism professionals face and the impact on our liberal democracy will resonate long after the event."

Toronto Star publisher John Cruickshank ; Jim Brady , president of digital strategy at Allbritton Communications and former executive editor of WashingtonPost.com; and Rogers chief strategy officer Michael Lee will discuss the emerging media landscape on their midday keynote executive panel, offering a high-level perspective on how they see the media changing.

"The ideas and knowledge revealed on Saturday will transform the way we work on Monday," CAJEF president and panel moderator Robert Cribb said.

CBC News director of digital media Rachel Nixon , Canadian Press director of news Angela Pacienza and GlobeandMail.com editor Kenny Yum - leaders shaping the way we experience news - will host a unique series of intimate discussions with conference-goers to offer practical insights on the shifts now occurring.

Alan McLean of the New York Times Interactive News Technology group will explain how they approach and do their work, and how others can get started building interactive features. McLean will also be able to field general questions about the New York Times' Apple iPad application, developed by colleagues from another unit.

"We have no doubt that anyone who attends this conference will leave with new skills and ideas, a brighter perspective on journalism and a positive outlook on the opportunities available to us today and tomorrow," CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch said.

Other digital news pioneers and media thinkers speaking at Innovate News include:

    
    -  Alfred Hermida, professor of integrated journalism at the University
       of British Columbia, a founding journalist and former technology
       editor at BBCNews.com
    -  Mathew Ingram, senior writer at GigaOm and former communities editor
       at the Globe and Mail
    -  Jon Lax, partner and digital strategist at interactive design firm
       Teehan + Lax.
    

Discussions at Innovate News will extend far beyond the iPad, with a strong practical focus on techniques, technologies and tools that media and content creators can start using immediately to enable a dramatically fresh approach to their work amid major shifts occurring today.

The conference is structured in four tracks: Two craft and practice focused tracks for varying levels of skill and experience, an executive and management track to help decision makers explore and understand strategic issues, news and business models; and an "unconference" style track to enable attendees to self-organize, discover and engage in deep-knowledge grassroots sessions.

Keynotes by leaders and visionaries include:

    
    -  Opening keynote by Jim Brady, former executive editor of the
       WashingtonPost.com, on "The Power of Local: The next frontier in
       news."
    -  Toronto Star publisher John Cruickshank, Rogers chief strategy officer
       Michael Lee and Jim Brady on the current media landscape and what is
       next, in the executive panel "The View from the Top."
    -  Design and technology visionary Bill Buxton's closing keynote on the
       critical choices facing the news industry that will shape the role of
       journalists, journalism and the fate of our liberal democracy for
       generations, "The Fourth Estate in the Digital Age."

    SPEAKERS include:
    Chris Boutet, senior editor, digital, National Post
    Jim Brady, president, digital strategy, Allbritton Communications; former
    executive editor, WashingtonPost.com
    Shirley Brady, journalist and media strategist; former communities
    editor, BusinessWeek
    Bill Buxton, principal researcher, Microsoft Research
    Ryan Coleman, founding member and chief community evangelist, VizThink
    Robert Cribb, deputy investigations editor, Toronto Star
    John Cruickshank, publisher, Toronto Star
    Kim Fox, senior producer, social media, CBC News
    Brady Gilchrist, president, Admodo
    Patrick Glinksi, senior strategist, Idea Couture
    Alfred Hermida, professor of integrated journalism, UBC; founding
    journalist, BBCNews.com
    Mathew Ingram, senior writer, GigaOm; former communities editor, Globe
    and Mail
    Anne-Marie Jackson, visual journalist, Globe and Mail
    Alan McLean, interface engineer, Interactive News Technology, New York
    Times
    Jon Lax, partner, Teehan + Lax
    Michael Lee, chief strategy officer, Rogers
    Patrick Lor, president, Fotolia North America; co-founder, iStockPhoto
    Rachel Nixon, director of digital media, CBC News
    Angela Pacienza, director of online news, Canadian Press
    Roy Pereira, president, Shiny
    Susanne Reber, deputy managing editor, investigations, NPR
    Ivor Shapiro, professor, Ryerson University; CAJ ethics chair; ethics
    editor, J-Source.ca
    Mike Sukmanowsky, manager, digital analytics, Rogers Digital Media
    Kenny Yum, editor, GlobeandMail.com
    Tory Zimmerman, visual journalist, Globe and Mail

    SESSIONS include:
    Social media principles and practice
    Entrepreneurial news
    Video and photojournalism for writers
    Facebook beyond friend, poke and status: Mine, market and match
    Hacking the news: How journalist-developers create engaging interactive
    stories
    20 minutes into the future: Insights into what's next by the people
    shaping change
    Understanding Web analytics and how to take advantage of it
    New ethics of the new news
    Creating and managing co-productions for depth and impact
    Design thinking the media: A new approach to news
    Changing and managing organizational culture
    Business model innovation: Who will pay for news
    Visual thinking and the story process
    ... and more!
    

Registration is online at www.caj.ca until the afternoon of Thurs., Jan. 28 . Afterward, registration will be on-site at Mars on Jan. 30 . Registration opens at 8 a.m.

    
    Registration fees:
    $119 - Member
    $159 - Associate member
    $50 - Student member
    $50 - Unemployed member
    $299 - Non-member
    

Memberships are available at www.caj.ca/membership.

The Canadian Association of Journalists is Canada's largest professional organization for journalists from all media, with about 1,100 members across the country. The CAJ's main roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.

The CAJ Education Foundation is a federally registered charitable foundation whose purpose is to improve understanding of Canada and its place in the world.

For further information: Chairman, Saleem Khan - [phone] or [email protected]; Mary Agnes Welch, CAJ president, [phone] or [phone]; Executive director, John Dickins, [phone]; To join the CAJ, please visit: http://www.caj.ca/membership