If you’re a new editor-in-chief, managing editor or section editor — or an aspiring leader who’s ready to learn — the organizational leadership track is for you. Prepare for your new job by delving into leadership topics, including organizational tactics and policies, staff motivation, conflict resolution and media law and ethics.

How we report and tell stories continues to transform at a rapid pace, as new technologies and storytelling platforms emerge. But at the heart of journalistic excellence are foundational reporting skills. This session is designed to build new reporting muscles to help you better identify great stories and then how to report on them. This track will help writers of all experiences boost their reporting skills across all platforms, but we think it will be particularly useful for sophomores and juniors.

We’ll have break-out sessions on how to report breaking news, how to do more in-depth enterprise stories and the fundamentals of daily beat coverage and general assignment. Editors today desperately need well-rounded, scrappy and sophisticated reporters teeming with curiosity and a fire in the belly. Bring your desire to excel, and we’ll provide the map for greater reporting success. Who’s ready to be a superstar reporter?

Come prepared with:

• A laptop with charger
• A DSLR camera or cellphone that can shoot high quality photo and video
• Comfortable shoes, water to hydrate, plenty of energy and be ready to contribute with ideas and plenty of strand discussion

Designed for students with at least a year of reporting experience, the advanced reporting track, produced in partnership with Investigative Reporters & Editors, will feature panel discussions and hands-on workshops led by experts in investigative and data journalism, multimedia production and other advanced topics. Folks on this track will learn strategies for developing a “documents and data” state of mind, using FOI laws effectively, conducting solid research, working with data, using AI ethically and effectively, and managing large projects. Participants in this hands-on skills workshop will need to bring a laptop (no tablets).

Taught by: Anna Boone, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Gary Metzker, journalism professor at Long Beach State, and Sara Quinn, Sara Quinn Media

This storytelling track is built for student journalists who are ready to level up after a couple of years on staff. If you’ve got the basics down and want to push your work into something bigger, bolder, and more creative, this is for you.

You’ll spend the workshop alongside professional storytellers and other students building a story from the ground up. We will assign teams or allow you to go solo. Your story will go beyond a traditional article. Think immersive, scroll-stopping storytelling: a strong narrative paired with photos, video, audio, and interactive elements that pull your audience in and keep them there.

While you can choose the format, we recommend vertical storytelling for social media, because that’s where so many of your peers are discovering news today. Using insights from Pew Research Center, we’ll explore how to adapt your reporting for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even Snapchat if you want without losing depth, accuracy, or impact. You’ll learn how to translate a full story into engaging, mobile-first formats that meet audiences where they are.

This is a hands-on, out-in-the-field experience. You’ll be reporting in real time, capturing content, and shaping your story as you go. 

Come prepared with:

• A laptop 
• A camera (or smartphone) that can shoot high-quality photo and video 
• An external mic and tripod (or mobile equivalents) 
• A ringlight if you have one and it transports easily. (We will have one too)

• Comfortable shoes—you won’t be sitting still 

Expect to experiment, collaborate, and leave with a story that feels modern, dynamic, and truly yours, plus new skills you can immediately take back to your classes and newsroom.

For many college media advisers, you are the only person on campus who does what you do. You need both the knowledge and skills to be an adviser, but also a network of advisers you can turn to when challenges or opportunities arise. This track is designed to help you build your proficiency, confidence, and most importantly, your network. New and veteran advisers will come together to learn, share and build connections. You’ll be guided through topics including recruiting, training, managing and motivating students; updating your handbooks and understanding of technology, media law and ethics; and building (or reviving) campus relationships and budgets. Our goal is for you to leave with a toolbox of resources and a contact list of people who understand your job and are on your side.