RTNDA to make historic name change Oct. 13
A message from RTNDA/RTNDF Board of Directors and Executive Directors
Oct. 13 will be a historic day in the history of RTNDA – it will be the last day that the association is known by that name. As I'm sure you know by now, RTNDA is changing its name to RTDNA – the Radio Television Digital News Association.
What does this change mean? Well, several things, really. The digital future is really a future no longer. The change is here – change you’re all familiar with in your newsrooms. RTNDA and its foundation, RTNDF, have been leading that change in the areas of ethics, training, advocacy and more. That will not change.
What will change is how we approach news coverage and how we represent the industry. For some not familiar with RTNDA, the name, "Radio Television News Directors Association," implies that we might not have services, information or importance to anyone who wasn't a news director. As you all know, that's not the case. RTNDA is for all electronic journalists. RTDNA will also be for all electronic journalists, including the newest members of our newsrooms working on the digital platforms.
Why make this change now? It seemed a particularly appropriate time, now that our industry is going through a metamorphosis and RTNDA is as well. As times get more tumultuous within the world of journalism, so it goes for RTNDA. We've struggled, as every other journalism organization has, to define ourselves in this new media world. As the industry emerges from this period battered and bruised but certainly still intact, much to chagrin of all who pronounced it dead long ago, so will the new RTDNA. We emerge ready to lead digital journalists into the future under new leadership, a new roster of services to help all you in your newsrooms each day, and a renewed commitment to protecting the rights of all journalists.
The centerpiece of our services is our Web site. I hope all of you have made it a habit to visit RTNDA.org daily. It's a place you’ll find constantly updated content, videos and podcasts, and social media connections. It's also the most efficient way to communicate with you more often. The site has video clips and text coverage of RTDNF’s regional conferences to accommodate those who can’t travel in these belt-tightened times, blogs from the sharpest minds in our industry, and links and connections to our code of ethics, coverage guidelines, journalism news, and soon, webinars that will bring training to your desktop. No one can exist without an Internet connection these days, and no journalist should exist without a connection to the new RTDNA.org.
Now, a cutting edge Web site and a new name doesn't mean we will abandon our roots as an organization that fights for journalists and their First Amendment rights. Our press freedom efforts in Washington and in the states where you live continue unabated, even as that fight gets harder on many fronts. Not only do we work to keep broadcast journalists free from unnecessary regulation and government intrusion, but we’re now also focused on protecting our rights to publish across all platforms. Some of the biggest challenges we face come from the push to limit and regulate online and mobile journalism. But we will work just as hard as we always have to keep that form of expression as free as every other.
We’re reaching out, in this time of change, to make new partnerships where the walls of the old media used to keep us apart. Right now, our board and staff members are working hard to establish a joint convention with the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in the fall of 2011. It is our vision that this convention will be the first step in a process that will bring all journalism organizations together to train, throwing off old notions of separation, able to enjoy a convergence of great ideas that will make all journalism better, no matter on which platform you receive it.
For those who can’t make it to a national convention, we’ll come to you. In just the last month, RTNDA and RTNDF have brought together journalists in Kansas City, Baltimore and Atlanta for intimate training opportunities regarding ethics, terrorism, new technology and more. And we'll offer sessions on video standards at the Online News Association convention in San Francisco, sessions at the Broadcasting & Cable News Technology Summit in Atlanta and the Southwest Broadcast Newsroom Training Workshop in Dallas.
We know this is a particularly tough time in the world of journalism, leaving many of our colleagues out of work. So the new RTDNA will offer partnerships to offer low-cost health insurance, international travel protection insurance, short term medical insurance and dental insurance for RTDNA members. We’re also offering retail discounts and free job postings for members looking to find work and get back to the job of telling stories. You can get more information about all of these programs at RTDNA.org on Oct. 13.
There's a lot that RTNDA, soon RTDNA, members can be excited about. As we embrace our digital future and navigate this uncharted course together, you can be sure that RTDNA will still do what it does best--protect journalists and allow them to provide unencumbered coverage, offer training in the best practices for all digital journalists, and recognize excellence within the field of journalism. We'll just do it with a renewed sense of purpose, a more inclusive spirit and a new name.
Thank you for your membership in RTNDA. Together, we can ensure that the future of RTDNA, and the future of journalism, shines brightly.
Sincerely,
Jane Nassiri, executive director, RTNDA
Kathleen Graham, executive director, RTNDF
Stacey Woelfel, chairman, RTNDA
Ed Esposito, chairman, RTNDF
Mark Kraham, chairman-elect, RTNDA
Loren Tobia, treasurer, RTNDA
Mike Cavender, secretary/treasurer, RTNDF
Janice Gin, director at large
David Louie, director at large
Dan Shelley, director at large
Ed Tobias, director at large
Kathy Walker, Regions 1 and 3 director
Robert Long, Region 2 director
Kevin Benz, Region 6 director
Vincent Duffy, Region 7 director
Randy Bell, Regions 8 and 9 director
Andrew Vrees, Region 10 director
Lane Beauchamp, Region 11 director
Chris Carl, Region 12 director
Steve Schwaid, Region 13 director
Terry Scott, Region 14 director
Cissy Baker, RTNDF delegate
Bob Priddy, RTNDF delegate