Chicago Headline Club events

HEADLINE CLUB EVENTS
Upcoming speakers and topics are:


The Chicago Headline Club's burger nights are back, starting Sept. 10. Burger nights are held at the beginning of the month, usually the first Thursday of the month, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Billy Goat Tavern, 430 N. Michigan Ave., lower level. Each one will feature a member of the Headline Club Board of Directors

Nov. 5: "How to work the labor beat," speaker, Stephen Franklin, Community Media Workshop. Not since the dust bowls swept the Plains has life been so downright miserable for so many American workers. But you hardly read or hear about this in today's news media because labor reporters are a thing of the past. And if there are a few business journalists left to cover the withering economy, they are head and shoulders into telling the story about the ups and downs of a very confusing economy. So, who is telling us the story of the American worker: the ones laid off; the ones left behind to do all the work, the ones stuck on a dream that seems a fantasy today; the ones who keep plowing through, knowing that they have no choice. Franklin is a former labor writer for the Chicago Tribune and author of a book on workers and global corporations who will help explore the labor reporter in you even if you didn't know you had one. Or, help you figure out how you can latch onto a piece of the story that needs to be told.

Dec. 3: Everyone is invited for some holiday cheer and a few holiday surprises hosted by Beth Konrad, Headline Club president and journalism professor at Loyola University School of Communication. We also will launch the first Chicago Winners and Losers for the Year. No fancy nomination process or awards program, just an informal vote for the best and worst of local journalism for 2009. We'll open the floor for nominations, including from students who have had firsthand knowledge from following journalists for the semester.

January 2010: No burger night; stay warm

Feb. 4, 2010: "So you want to be a political blogger?", speaker, Kristen McQueary. You may know McQueary from her many appearances on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight" and "Week in Review." The must_read SouthtownStar columnist will give you tips and warn of pitfalls as you navigate our crazy political terrain. McQueary, who has been honored locally and nationally for her work, is a past president and current member of the Headline Club board.

March 4, 2010: "There is no dark side any more," speaker Brian Pitts. As news organizations continue to cut staff, numerous journalists have looked to the public relations field as a viable career path. Pitts, who has nearly 15 years of PR experience and currently does PR for one of the city's major law firms, will talk about his job and profession and how his experience as a journalist has played a big role on his career path.

April 8, 2010: "How do community newspapers do it?," speaker, Micah Maidenberg. Hyperlocal is the word, but anyone who has tried to do it knows how time_consuming and costly it is. Maidenberg, Headline Club vice president/membership and editor of the Chicago Journal, a publication that is part of a community newspaper company, works in the trenches often wearing more than one hat. Community journalists are invited to share war stories and tips of how to do their job better.

May 6, 2010: Meet the newly nominated CHC officers and board before the May election. This year's president_elect Susan S. Stevens, a veteran Chicago journalist, will introduce you to the nominated officers and board members who will volunteer to carry the torch for the Chicago Headline Club, the largest chapter of the national Society or Professional Journalists.