THE ONO 2023 CONFERENCE IS ON!!!
London, May 31 to June 2
It’s been three years in the making: three years of covid restrictions, travel bans and cancellations.
But the ONO Board is delighted to announce that planning has just begun on a conference to be held in London from May 31 to June 2. Jointly hosted by the BBC and The Guardian, the conference will bring members together for the first time since 2019 in New York, to hear from a range of interesting speakers, discuss a range of significant topics and share our experiences and insights.
More detailed information will be heading your way early in the new year, including information on costs, accommodation options, etc… But for now, we encourage all members to do two things:
- Save the date in your diaries, and let us know if at this stage you are planning/hoping to attend.
- Get back to us at the ONO email address newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com with suggestions and ideas for topics you think we should cover and in particular on any issues or topics where you might like to speak or make a presentation.
As always, we will be organising plenty of ‘shop talk’ sessions where members can share their ideas and experiences, but we are also very open to proposals for sessions you might like to run or be on a panel for.
What a delight it will be for both old and new members to finally gather face to face!
MEMBERSHIP DUES
You should by now have received an email about membership dues for the coming year. If you haven’t, let us know and we will re-send the information.
Thank you to all the members who have already paid. Getting this done sooner rather than later will be very helpful as we begin planning the conference.
ONO operates largely on an unpaid, volunteer basis, but our fees are crucial in covering basic ongoing costs around our website, shop talks and basic administration. If you have any queries, questions or concerns about membership fees, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Executive Director Alan Sunderland by email to newsombudsmenorg@gmail.com
DIVERSITY SHOP TALK
For anyone who missed our excellent shop talk on newsroom diversity featuring Jessica Lopez from AFP, you can catch up with it in the members only section of our website (https://newsombuds.org/ono-virtual-shop-talks/ ) As well as the video recording of the one-hour session, you will also be able to find a transcript of the chat session and a copy of Jessica’s slides (which are for internal reference only – not to be shared beyond ONO members).
A DEPARTING MESSAGE FROM AN ONO MEMBER
As he finished up this month as Editorial Director for the Australian public broadcaster ABC, ONO member Craig McMurtrie had this message about the importance of accountability and editorial standards.
It is worth checking out.
IN OTHER NEWS…
- NPO’s Margo Smit continues to deal with persistent editorial issues involving one of her broadcasters
- NPR’s Kelly McBride on Covering contentious issues
- CBC’s Jack Nagler on heavy artillery in the Ukraine
- PBS’s Rick Sandoval-Palos on political debates
FINALLY…. IT’S NEARLY CHRISTMAS
Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it is clearly the ‘silly season’, so let’s end the year on a lighter note.
Calves Flee Live Nativity Scene, Hoof It To State Park
Holy cow: The two animals apparently didn’t appreciate being part of a Christmas event.
A pair of calves playing bit parts in a North Carolina church’s live Nativity scene escaped to a nearby state park last week.
Photos show police waist-deep in the Cape Fear River at Carolina Beach State Park as they tried pulling the swimming animals back to dry land.
“When you’re a police officer in a small island community, you may get some unusual calls,” the local department noted in a Facebook post.
Officers were dispatched to help state park rangers round up the escapees, who had been “performing in the live nativity scene” at Seaside Chapel in the community of Carolina Beach, some 140 miles southeast of Raleigh, police recounted.
They were finally brought to heel with the help of community volunteers and a “K9 with specialized herding skills,” noted the department.
Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings to all ONO Members
