Leslie Miller Returns, if only momentarily

[jon]

From Graham Hicks' blog at http://blog.canoe.ca/hicksonsix

LESLIE MILLER HERE FOR THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS (CAJ) CONFERENCE IN EDMONTON - PEOPLE AND TOPICS

Returning to town for the Canadian Association of Journalists' (CAJ) national conference at the Westin May 23 to 25 is former CTV Edmonton (then CFRN-TV) anchor and Emmy-award winning TV journalist Leslie Miller.

Leslie is now a senior reporter with Los Angeles' ABC7 Eyewitness News.

The CAJ conference has an impressive line-up of speakers and topics - a great place for any aspiring journalist to spend a weekend. The conference chair is our own Kerry Diotte.

Details on the conference:

The 2008 Canadian Association of Journalists national conference will be
held in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday, May 23 to Sunday, May 25 at the
downtown Westin Hotel.

It is aimed at both print and broadcast journalists as well as online
writers and students.

HIGHLIGHTS

Keynote speaker - Kathy Gannon. Between 1986 and 2005, she was a
correspondent for the Associated Press in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The
Timmins, Ont.-born journalist is currently the Iran Bureau Chief-designate.
Her work has been published in Foreign Affairs and The New Yorker. Her first
book was "I is for Infidel" — on the history and politics of Afghanistan
during her years working in the region. (She's one of three planned
keynotes).

SEMINARS/PANELS

New Directions - This important panel is on the changing face of journalism.
Print reporters are now having to shoot video, contribute to blogs, do
television work etc. The demand to multi-task is increasing even as
newspapers continue to pare back the number of staffers.

Meantime, there are fewer journalists to provide what has long been the lifeblood of newspapers – great, extensive, local news coverage. Panelists include Edmonton Journal
editor-in-chief Allan Mayer and Edmonton Sun photo editor Tom Braid.

Cult of Celebrity - L.A.-based ABC7 Eyewitness News reporter/anchor Leslie
Miller talks about how the serious world of journalism has turned into a
fixation on the lives of celebrities.

The Emmy-winning TV journalist has done extensive celebrity reporting including covering the Michael Jackson trial. She began her career in Hamilton, Ont. and has worked in Peterborough, Calgary, Edmonton and for six years as the main anchor for
KCPQ, FOX in Seattle.

- Investigative Reporting Seminar - This seminar will be presented by
award-winning Toronto Star reporter Robert Cribb.

- Talk Radio Panel - Is talk radio entertainment or journalism? John
Gormley, a popular Saskatchewan-wide news talk radio host and former member
of Parliament will join Corus radio's Dave Rutherford on a panel of three
broadcasters.

- Death of Editorial Cartooning - Ex-Toronto Star cartoonist Victor
Roschkov, who also worked for the Edmonton Sun, has agreed to be one of
three people who will spark a lively panel discussion on this topic. He'll
be joined by award-winning Calgary Herald cartoonist Vance Rodewalt and a
third artist.

- Blogging - David Newland, Assistant Managing Editor of Canoe.ca, will
present a seminar on the key ways to create a wildly successful blog.

- A Dream Job? - How to be a successful travel writer. Seminar put on by Sun
Media travel columnist Doug English, the former travel editor of the London
Free Press.

- Investigative Reporting Too - A pair of sessions (beginner and advanced)
by computer-assisted-reporting (CAR) expert Fred Vallance-Jones and CBC News
Investigative Unit's David McKie.

- Effective Story Telling - A session by CBC's David McKie.

- Get Your Book Published - Seminar with Kelley Keehn (www.kelleykeehn.com),
a columnist, speaker, coach and best-selling Edmonton author of four books
including The Woman's Guide to Money.

- Time Go Pro? - A panel discussion of the pros and cons of pushing to see
journalism become a profession in the same way as accounting or law. It will
feature author and journalist Nick Russell and journalism professor Alan
Bass.

- Solid TV - Emmy-winning TV reporter/photographer Scott Rensberger from
Washington, D.C., gives a fresh, new seminar on how to produce solid
television reports.


Other possible panels, speeches or seminars: Citizen Journalism,
Photography for Dummies (Teaching print writers and others how to be a better photographers and videographers.
Be a Better Writer - a session from a top-notch writing coach.

More information and registration at www.caj.ca