Jenkins to headline Sports Journalism Summit

Courtesy Dave Kindred:

The Power of Storytelling

Dan Jenkins, one of America’s greatest living sports journalists, will be one of the headliners at the Sports Journalism Summit at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. The dates are April 16 – 18, 2008. Columnist, golf writer, and sports novelist, Jenkins will be joined by his daughter, Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins, and a team of talented speakers and teachers, for a conversation about the art and craft of storytelling.

Along with Dan and Sally, our teaching team will include:

*John Sawatsky, ESPN, one of the world’s leading experts on the craft of interviewing.
*Jemele Hill, ESPN, last year’s honoree, a dynamic young sports journalist who uses her skills across media platforms.
*Bill Plaschke, LA Times columnist and member of the Around the Horn stable.
*Jack McCallum, senior writer and author from Sports Illustrated.
*Dave Kindred, champion sports columnist and author.
*Michelle Hiskey, award-winning feature writer from Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
*Rob King, ESPN, website editor, an expert on covering diversity in sports and multi-media reporting.
*Pat Forde, ESPN, big time columnist, feature writer, and game story writer, one of America’s most versatile sports journalists.
*Garry Howard, Assistant Managing Editor/Sports, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
*Dave Morgan, Executive Editor, Yahoo Sports, the largest online sports operation.
*Dan McGrath, associate managing editor for sports at the Chicago Tribune.
*Amy Sancetta, senior photographer, The Associated Press
*Ellyn Angelotti, Poynter’s dynamic young expert on multi-media sports coverage.

Invitations are out to more than another dozen of America’s all-star sports journalists, from some of the most prestigious newspapers, magazines, and websites in the nation.

The 2008 Summit will have some special features that you will not want to miss:

*An emphasis on the enduring power of storytelling across media platforms.
*A powerful look at the most up-to-date forms of multi-media reporting, writing, photography, and presentation.
*Strong attention to career development at a time when the media landscape is being reshaped.
*A hard look at two of the issues that have dominated sports coverage in the last year: the coverage of race in sports and the cheating scandals in many sports.

There will be fewer breakout sessions this year, but that is by design. We want more of a shared experience among what we hope will be 150 participants, and we want our discussions to be more in-depth.


We will also introduce this exciting new feature, The Club House Chats:

At meals and during long breaks, the visiting journalists and teachers will make themselves available for small round table discussions of the craft and issues in sports journalism.


Because of the incredible generosity of all the speakers and news organizations they represent, we are once again able to hold the costs of the Summit down to a minimum.

TUITION INFORMATION:
Regular Tuition: $195
Tuition for the first 25 student journalists to apply and pay: $145
Tuition for the first 25 members of The Association for Women in Sports Media [AWSM] to apply and pay: $145

Check/Money Order: Payable to The Poynter Institute and mailed to 801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4920, ATTENTION: Jennette Smith.

Credit Card: Contact Chrissy Estrada in our Finance Department. Phone: 727.821.9494, x365. E-mail: cestrada@poynter.org.

SCHEDULE: The schedule will not be available for some time. However, the plan is to begin around 1:30 p.m. on April 16th and end around 1:30 p.m. on April 18th.

DEADLINES: In most cases, participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will be limited to 150 participants. The first 50 paid registrants may request a one-on-one coaching session.

HOTEL INFORMATION: Each participant will be responsible for making their own hotel reservations and will be expected to pay upon checkout. Poynter has a limited number of rooms blocked at two of the hotels shown below until March 16, when the rooms will be released back to the hotel. If you’re interested in one of these, please contact the hotel and reference the sports summit at Poynter. Of course, you are free to make your reservations elsewhere, without any input from us. Poynter will not be able to provide transportation between Poynter and the hotels, as we did the past two years.

Heritage Holiday Inn
234 Third Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: 727.822.4814
Contact: Sherry Richards, Director of Sales
E-mail: sherryr@theheritagehi.com
Rate: $129.95/night
Rooms Blocked: 65
Amenities: Internet / Lobby Bar / Pool / Restaurant next door (Hammerhead Grill)
Distance to Poynter: Approximately 1 mile

Hampton Inn & Suites
80 Beach Drive Northeast
St. Petersburg, FL 3371
Phone: 727.892.9900
Contacts: #1 - Tiffany Beauvais, Assistant General Manager
E-mail: beauvaistiffany@yahoo.com
or #2 - Karl Johansson, General Manager
Rate: $169.00/night
Rooms Blocked: 30
Amenities: Comp. breakfast and shuttle / Internet / $10 parking / Pool / Workout Room
Distance from Poynter: Approximately 1 mile

An Important Note from the Hampton Inn & Suites: “When presenting us a Debit or Check Card for payment, our computer system will automatically place a “HOLD” on the account linked to your card for an estimated amount of incidental charges ($25 per day) upon check in. When you check out, you will only be charged for the actual amount of your charges. Any additional funds that were on “HOLD” will be released in 7 to 10 business days. If this could potentially be a problem for you, please present another form of payment during the check in process.”

Alternate Hotel: Depending upon availability
Courtyard Marriott
300 4th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: 727.450.6200
Contact: Sherry Young, Sales Manager
E-mail: sherry.young@pinnaclehm.com
Rate: $89.00/night
Amenities: Shuttle / Internet / $8.95 breakfast / Indoor pool / Workout room
Distance from Poynter: Approximately 1 mile