NASHVILLE, Tenn. – From Nov. 13-16, The Griffin Gazette traveled to Nashville for the JEA/NSPA National Journalism Conference. It was hosted at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, and held various journalism writing-focused workshops. These workshops covered various topics within journalism such as photography, photo editing, writing workshops, leadership presentations and marketing strategies. With each day broken into seven time slots, students were able to tailor their schedules to attend the sessions that interested them the most.

“I learned a lot about copywriting and a lot about the deadly sins of journalism, which we can apply to our journalism class,” Brooklynn De Shazer, an editor for the Griffin Gazette, said.

The conference hosted over 5,000 student journalists from 42 states and eight countries, along with many well-known speakers. This included Pulitzer on the Road, where Pulitzer-prize winning speakers talked about their renowned articles and their prolific journalism experiences. Outside the main convention ballroom, there was also a publication exchange where different schools showcased their print newspapers and trade with students from other states.

“I thought the convention was really great because we really got to connect with a lot of different newsrooms across the nation,” Alizabeth Martin, the Deputy Editor for the Griffin Gazette, said.

Some fun activities journalists did at the conference included getting food at various restaurants, going line dancing, playing games and attending various fun conferences. 

“My favorite part of the trip was the Taylor Swift session,” said LAHS deputy editor Alizabeth Martin. 

Overall, the Gazette learned a lot about journalism, and we plan to implement new changes in the Gazette newsroom. We hope to create new multimedia pieces, establish stronger leadership and build our class. Since our return, we’ve hosted multiple discussions focusing on our strengths and weaknesses as we plan to push our publication forward.

“I think this will definitely be a starting turning point for us and to grow ourselves better,” said LAHS co-editor-in-chief Katie Arnoult.