Welcome to SABEW19, hosted by the Walter
Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass
Communication at ASU in sunny Phoenix, where
SABEW’s headquarters is located.
SABEW’s 56th annual spring conference will explore
the many challenges — and opportunities — our
industry faces today. The theme of this year’s
conference is journalism in a time of disruption.
Through skills session, keynotes and networking,
we’ll help you do your job better and make sense of
what’s happening in our industry.
Hats off to SABEW19 conference chairs Bryan
Borzykowski and Caleb Silver and the entire
committee who worked hard to create relevant
programming and networking opportunities.
First Amendment Committee
SABEW’s First Amendment Committee was created
to lead members in efforts to band together to fight
fake news, support the credibility of journalism and
protect access to data.
Over the past year, the committee released a
number of public statements supporting press
freedom, protecting the quality of government data
and advocating for the safety of journalists.
SABEW was among the first to speak out against the
sentencing of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw
Soe Oo by Myanmar authorities and the subsequent
rejection of their appeal. We highlighted their
continued false imprisonment during World Press
Freedom Day, and last week we were relieved to
welcome their release.
Many thanks to committee chairs Henry Dubroff
and James Madore for leading this initiative.
Membership
We have just under 3,000 members, trending
similar to last year. SABEW welcomes new
institutional member Bloomberg BNA.
Kathleen Graham
SABEW
Executive Director
kgraham@sabew.org
@KgrahamDC
Attend the membership
meeting in room 256 on
Saturday, 1:05-1:35 p.m.
Award Highlights
2018 Best in Business Awards: We look forward to
celebrating the 2018 BIB Award honorees at a
ceremony Friday night. The 122 winners and
honorable mentions come from all corners of the
business journalism world. Nine hundred and forty
six entries were submitted. Attend the “BIB
Winners: How They Did It” session Friday to hear
from this year’s winners. The 2019 BIB contest
opens Dec. 1.
SABEW Distinguished Achievement Award:
Congratulations to Michelle Singletary, nationally
syndicated personal finance columnist at The
Washington Post, who will receive the Distinguished
Achievement Award at the SABEW19 Saturday
luncheon.
The award is given to an individual who has made a
significant impact on the field of business
journalism and who has served as a nurturing
influence on others in the profession. Singletary will
share insights, career highlights and thoughts on
journalism during a special Q&A session led by
SABEW President Mark Hamrick.
Larry Birger Young Business Journalist Award: Alex
Heath, 25, a senior reporter for Cheddar, won the
2018 Larry Birger Award. Heath received the award
and a $1,500 honorarium at the 2018 SABEW New
York fall conference. Thanks to rbb Communications
for funding this award, now in its sixth year, and to
Josh Merkin for his help shepherding the grant. The
deadline for this year’s applications is July 31.
Training Highlights
Virtual Training: This free member benefit
continues to be extremely popular. Since the 2018
conference, SABEW has hosted nine training
sessions attracting 244 participants.
Topics included understanding economic indicators,
using metrics to magnify your journalism, covering
government contracting, using social media to build
a beat and break news, shooting video for business
stories, reporting on the economics of natural
disasters, reaching a millennial audience, offering
tips to freelancers and understanding copyright and
fair use in a digital age. The topic of next month’s
training is covering the business of cannabis. Many
thanks to Kim Quillen for her efforts.
Data-immersion Workshop: Our sixth annual
Goldschmidt fellowship week in Washington, D.C.,
was a huge success. Twenty-three business
journalists participated in the seminar, which
focused on data and accounting skills. Jerome
Powell, chair of the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System, addressed the group in the
historic Fed boardroom. Journalists also heard from
experts at the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis,
U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Congressional Budget Office, Investment Company
Institute and USDA.
Participants received special briefings from the
Council of Economic Advisers and the Federal
Reserve. Many thanks for the continued work of
SABEW leaders Marty Steffens and Kevin Hall and
donor Jim Goldschmidt of the Walter and Karla
Goldschmidt Foundation for supporting this
initiative. The application process for the winter
2020 workshop begins in November.
SABEWNYC18 Fall Conference: The October 2018
fall conference in New York was hosted by Reuters
in partnership with NEFE and attended by just
under 200 people. Participants appreciated the
change in venue, which offered stunning views of
Times Square, as well as solid programming and a
fun networking reception.
College Connect: Check out SABEW.org for student
personal finance blogs. Topics range from family
financial crises to how much outside employment a
student should undertake during the academic year.
The ongoing program is funded by NEFE. Students
from the University of Missouri, Arizona State
University and the University of Georgia blog.
Annual Business of Health Care Summit in
Washington, D.C.: The 2018 summit was a success,
helping 15 journalists better cover the complexities
of health care. SABEW is seeking applications for
the seventh annual summit, June 27-29, focusing on
health care economics and offering an update on
the Affordable Care Act. Attendees will be able to
share and test out story ideas. Space is limited to 15
journalists. Selected participants will receive a
stipend to offset travel-related expenses. Go to
SABEW.org to apply by May 21. Made possible by a
grant from The Commonwealth Fund.
SABEW NABE Event: For the third year we will
partner with the National Association for Business
Economics (NABE) on a program and mixer in July
during NABE’s 16th annual Economic Measurement
Seminar in Washington, D.C. The session will focus
on protecting the quality and integrity of U.S.
government data. The 2018 session, moderated by
CNN’s Lydia DePillis, included representatives from
BEA, BLS and the Census Bureau.
SABEW Canada: SABEW Canada continues to
expand and thrive with new members, social
events, programs and BIB awards! The fifth annual
SABEW Canada Best in Business Awards celebrated
Canadian journalism in 15 categories. The judges
chose to award 13 gold and 13 silver winners. There
was also the first-time recognition of a best young
Canadian journalist. Honorees were celebrated
during a reception and ceremony on April 17 in
Toronto.
Finance
In keeping with best practices for nonprofits,
SABEW conducted an independent audit of our
2017 financials, and we will do so again for the 2018
financials. Once again, SABEW received a clean
audit. These results will help set the table for future
financial growth, since audits are a requirement of
many grant-giving organizations.
SABEW will end 2018 with $428,403 in net assets.
Two-Term SABEW President
My sincere appreciation goes out to SABEW
President Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst
and Washington bureau chief at Bankrate.com, for
his steady leadership, friendship and support over
the past two years. Thank you for your service!