Thursday, June 19
8:30 pm - 11 pm
at Gallery Arts India @ 206 5th Ave (25th St)

Pre-convention Reception
Opening meet-n-greet, wine and cheese reception
Free with covention registration; $10 for non-attendees
Hosted by ArtsIndia.com

FRIDAY, June 20
9 am -5 pm
Columbia University Lerner Hall
115th St & Broadway (Manhattan)

Registration
Badge and bag pickup
Networking room open

10 am-12 noon
Columbia Journalism School
115th St & Broadway

Opening Session
Deepti Hajela, Convention Chair
S. Mitra Kalita, SAJA president

Opening keynote: Peter Jennings, anchor, ABC News

12:15-1:30 pm

Workshops & Panels
rn CHOOSE ONE THAT DAY

• PANEL A: Will South Asia Ever Be On A1 Again?
  Now that the aftermath of 9/11 has shifted attention to other parts of the world, is South Asia still getting covered or are events there being ignored? When the next big story there breaks, will the media be ready?
  Mansood Haider, UN correspondent, Dawn;
  Manjeet Kripalani, Mumbai bureau chief, BusinessWeek; Amol Sharma, India contributor, Christian Science Monitor & CNN;
  Vikram Raghavan, counsel, Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, World Bank; Arnold Zeitlin, former Pakistan bureau chief, Associated Press
  MODERATOR: S. Mitra Kalita, reporter, Washington Post & SAJA President
  [manager: Aseem Chhabra]
  
• PANEL B: Freelancing: A Viable Career Choice?
  In this economy, is freelancing still doable? What contract rights to freelancers have? How do you deal with visa and other issues if you want to cover an international story as a freelancer?
  Dian Killian, senior organizer, National Writers Union
  Arthur Pais, editor and writer, India Abroad
  Sanjay Singh, freelance broadcast producer
  Steve Raymer, freelance photojournalist and professor at Indiana University School of Journalism
  [manager: Seshu Badrinath]
  
• WORKSHOP 1: Resume & Resume Tape Critiques
  Get your resume (and resume tapes) critiqued from professionals.
  Gitika Ahuja, recruiter, ABC; Peter Bhatia, executive editor, The Oregonian; Dianne Doctor, news director, WCBS; Melanie Huff, director of careers services, Columbia Journalism School Miles Merwin, recruiter, G&J magazines; Arlene Morgan, director of professional development, Columbia Journalism School
  registration required - when you buy your tix
• WORKSHOP 2: Internet for Business Journalists
  Learn how to use the Web and other resources in a fast-paced session that has been taught to dozens of top business journalists around the country by one of the top instructors in the field.
  Instructor: Jeremy Caplan, Internet trainer
  [manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix

2-3:30 pm

Workshops & Panels
CHOOSE ONE THAT DAY

• PANEL C: The Business of Business Reporting
  What are the challenges facing business reporters these days?  With corporate scandals aplenty, have business reporters become the Woodward and Bernsteins of their day? Also, how is business news reported abroad versus in the U.S.?
  Nikhil Deogun, media and marketing editor, Wall Street Journal; Joya Dass, reporter, CNNfn; Sharon Epperson, CNBC News; Sandeep Junnarkar, NY bureau chief, CNET News.com; Moderator: Milanee Shah, reporter, Bloomberg TV
  [manager: Asha Beh]
  
• PANEL D: Breaking In: The State of the Journalism Job Market
  Are there media jobs to be had these days? Who's hiring? And how do you get a job?
  Shalini Sharma, senior production associate, ABC 20/20
  Laurel Touby, founder, mediabistro.com
  Bryan Virasami, reporter, Newsday
  Eric Wee, founder, JournalismNext.com
  Aamer Madhani, reporter, Chicago Tribune
  MODERATOR: Sona Charaipotra, reporter, People magazine
  
• WORKSHOP 3: Broadcast News Writing
  90 minutes guaranteed to improve your TV and radio writing skills, taught by the newswriting guru who has worked with some of the biggest names in broadcasting.
  Instructor: Mervin Block, America's leading broadcast writing coach
  [manager: Hari Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix
• WORKSHOP 4: NYT Writing Workshop
  Struggling to push your writing beyond dull, predictable prose? Have a conversation with NYT reporters about making a story -- and the people in it -- come alive through the use of voice, detail, color and imagery.
  [manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix

3:45-5:15 pm

Workshops & Panels
CHOOSE ONE THAT DAY

• PANEL E: Articles of Faith: Reporting on Religion
  How has 9/11 and its aftermath changed how we cover religion? How are the religions of South Asians covered?
  Deborah Caldwell, senior religion producer, Beliefnet, and Beliefnet liaison with ABCNews;
  David Gibson, former religion reporter, NJ Star-Ledger, and author of The Coming Catholic Church (forthcoming); Mark Silk, director, Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life, Trinity College, and author of Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America;
  Preetmohan Singh, Washington, DC director, Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force;
  Niraj Warikoo, staff writer, Detroit Free Press
  Moderator: Nina Mehta, freelance journalist and SAJA Board member
  PANEL SPONSOR: ReligionSource
  
• Panel F: Apart or A Part: South Asians and Asian America
  Is there such a thing as a Pan-Asian identity? Are South Asians part of it?
  Mae Cheng, national president of AAJA and reporter, Newsday
  Anita Gundanna, Child
  Welfare Policy and program coordinator Coalition for Asian American Children
  and Families
  Parag Khandhar, assistant director,
  Programs & Planning of the Asian American Federation
  Neal Justin, AAJA board rep and TV critic, Minneapolis Star Tribune
  Dr. Ajay Nair, director, Pan-Asian American Community House/Assistant Director, Asian American Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania
  MODERATOR: Murali Balaji, reporter, Wilmington News Journal & SAJA Board member
• WORKSHOP 5: Book Writing with Samuel G. Freedman & S. Mitra Kalita
  Tips from the country's leading writer of book writing, Prof. Freedman of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism and one of his star students, SAJA president, Mitra Kalita.
  Instructors: Samuel G. Freedman, author and teacher
  S. Mitra Kalita, Washington Post reporter and author of the forthcoming Suburban Sahibs
  [manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix
• WORKSHOP 6: New Media Journalism
  Tips on producing better online journalism
  Instructor: Sandeep Junnarkar, NY bureau chief, CNET News.com
  [manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix

5:15-6:30 pm

6:30 pm-midnight

SATURDAY, June 21
8 am - 4 pm

8-8:45 am

9 am-10:15 am

PLENARY PANEL: Foreign & War Reporting: Can We Do It Better?
Veteran foreign correspondents and editors discuss the current state of international reporting, the war on Iraq and more
Hannah Bloch, Time's first full-time Pakistan bureau chief (former CNN Islamabad bureau chief)
Reginald Chua, editor, Asian Wall Street Journal
Jonathan Foreman, recently returned embedded reporter for the New York Post
Vijay Vaitheeswaran, global environment correspondent and former Latin America bureau chief, The Economist
MODERATOR: Jyoti Thottam, reporter, Time & president emerita, SAJA
[manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan]

10:15 am -10:30 am

10:30 am-Noon

Workshops & Panels
CHOOSE ONE THAT DAY

• PANEL G: Bias in the Media: Is There One?
  Which way does the media lean? How do you create filters to manage information from all sides in order to get the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
  Tahira Faune Alford, NYC Indymedia Web Radio; Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor, National Review; Danny Shechter, founder, MediaChannel.org;
  MODERATOR: Hari Sreenivasan, founder, OMpower Media
  
• PANEL H: Ethnic vs. Mainstream
  What can mainstream reporters learn from the ethnic media? What do they cover well?
  Prem Panicker, managing editor, India Abroad, a Rediff publication
  Lisa Tsering, reporter, India West
  Abby Scher, director, Independent Press Association
  [manager: Suleman Din]
  
• WORKSHOP 7: Long-form Writing
  Tips that will help you work on your long-form newspaper and magazine projects by dissecting a major story from The Washington Post.
  Instructor: Paula Span, staff writer, Washington Post Style section
  [manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix
• WORKSHOP 8: Radio Workshop: "Radio: As a Creative Art Form"
  Tips on improving your radio journalism - no matter what your experience level.
  Instructor: Julian Crandall Hollick, independent senior radio producer, NPR's "Living Islam" and "Passages to India."
  [manager: Deepa Donde] registration required - when you buy your tix

Lunch on your own / Networking

You are invited to taste what The New York Times called "the best street foodin NY"... By special arrangement, "Trinidad-Pakistan United Nation Food," a cart serving South Asian food in midtown will be available outside the convention building. You are in for a real treat.

o o o o o

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS
Students and beginning journalists are welcome to discuss job-hunting and career matters over lunch with Asha Beh, SAJA students coordinator & others; meet in registration area at noon; she will lead you to a nearby restaurant, The West End, 2911 Broadway, across the street from the Convention.
Working journalists who you will meet: Sona Charaipotra, reporter, People Magazine & SAJA Board member; Jyoti Thottam, reporter, Time Magazine & former SAJA President; Joya Dass, reporter, CNNfn; Rose Walia, reporter, WCBS-NY

1:30-3 pm

Workshops & Panels
CHOOSE ONE THAT DAY

• PANEL I: South Asians in Entertainment
  A panel talking to South Asians in entertainment writing and/or the entertainment fields, discussing how they broke in, what issues they face as South Asians breaking new ground.
  Vijay Chattha, director of the Ahimsa Project, a non-profit creating awareness of South Asians in media and entertainment
  Archana Elwell, VP, Business Development/Marketing Sony Corp.
  Sonia Nikore, VP of casting, NBC Primetime
  Gitesh Pandya, editor, BoxOfficeGuru.com; Babu Subramaniam, director, "ER" and other shows
  
• PANEL J: Making the Move: From Reporter to Manager
  Senior SAJAers and other veteran journalists talk about making the transition from writing and editing to broader responsibilities.
  Achal Mehra, editor and publisher, Little India magazine; Jai Singh, editor-in-chief, CNET News.com; Cyndi Stivers, editor, Time Out New York
  [manager: Mukul Pandya]
• WORKSHOP 9: Investigative Reporting
  Get the specific tools and techniques to go about reporting investigative stories.
  Diana B. Henriques, investigative financial reporter, The New York Times
  [manager: Mukul Pandya] registration required - when you buy your tix
• WORKSHOP 10: Screenplay Writing
  Tips on writing your own screenplay from journalists who made the transition.
  INSTRUCTORS: Sabrina Dhawan, screenwriter, "Monsoon Wedding"; Kamran Pasha, screenwriter, "Twilight Zone"
  MODERATOR: Alexandra Viets, screenwriter, "Cotton Mary"
  registration required - when you buy your tix

3 pm-3:30 pm

3:30-5 pm

Workshops & Panels
CHOOSE ONE THAT DAY

• PANEL K: Civil Liberties after 9/11 What are the civil liberties issues facing South Asians in the wake of the 9/11 attacks? Are reporters doing enough to cover this issue? What do we need to do better? How do we write stories when so much of the government actions are shrouded in secrecy?
  Amy Goodman, host and executive producer, Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now; Jason Halperin, eyewitness to a Dept of Homeland security raid on an Indian restaurant in NY (his LAT article); Parastou Hassouri, American Civil Liberties Union-NJ (worked with detainees); Bobby Khan, leading Pakistani activist, Coney Island Avenue Project (his family has fled to Canada); Michael Powell, New York Bureau Chief of the Washington Post
  MODERATOR: Shankar Vedantam, national correspondent, The Washington Post
  
• PANEL L: Books, Books, Books
  Are South Asian authors still popular for publishers? Or have they moved on to another ethnic group? What about South Asian American writers?
  Anna Ghosh, literary agent
  Shoba Narayan, author, Monsoon Diary
  Asra Nomani, WSJ reporter and author, Tantrika: The Road of Divine Love
  Geeta Sharma-Jensen, books editor, Milwaukee Sentinel Journal
  [manager: Monica Mehta]
  
• WORKSHOP 11: Opinion Writing
  Tips on writing better op-ed, commentaries and essays.
  Rekha Basu, columnist, Des Moines Register
  Jonathan Foreman, senior film critic and editorial writer, NY Post
  Neal Justin, TV critic and nightlife columnist, Minnesota Star Tribune
  [manager: Sreenath Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix
• WORKSHOP 12: TV Production
  Top pros provide perspective on the various responsibilities and roles of producers.
  Subrata De, producer, Dateline, NBC
  Sandra Lee, production associate, Today Show, NBC
  David Bohrman, senior executive producer, NewsNight with Aaron Brown, CNN
  [manager: Hari Sreenivasan] registration required - when you buy your tix

5 pm-6 pm

SATURDAY, 6-10 pm
Location: Columbia University Lerner Hall, Ferris Booth Commons

Reception
Drinks, light food, networking; cash bar

SUNDAY, June 22
11 am-2 pm
Location: Maharaja Restaurant
230 E. 44th St (btw 2nd & 3rd Aves)

Networking Brunch
Informal networking -- no speeches! Closing festivities, come meet others in a very casual atmosphere.
Delicious South Indian food & cash bar.
Pay at the door: $15 for convention attendees; $10 for SAJA student members attending the convention; (if you are not attending the Convention: $20). RSVP: sajarsvp@yahoo.com (subject line = "Brunch") -- you will pay at the door.
[manager: Aseem Chhabra]