It was a pleasure to represent NMPW at the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Conference held in St. Louis on September 20-22, 2024. At the members meeting on Thursday I participated in a candle ceremony for members who have passed away in the last year. We honored Colleen Keene and Valorie “Vicky” Ramakka two members of NMPW. That evening we went to the St. Louis Artist Guild for the opening reception, which was a beautiful space where local artists were featured. We were treated to local wines, beers, and food from the area. It was delightful to meet again with the eclectic group of members from various states.
Friday’s keynote was “History in the Headlines” featuring Lynne M. Jackson and Dr. Jody Sowell. Lynne M. Jackson, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott and founder and president of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation, talked about the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sanford decision. A precursor to the American Civil War, the decision is largely considered to be one of the worst ruling ever by the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Jody Sowell, president of the Missouri Historical Society, gave a very visual presentation on little-known fun and important facts about St. Louis.
A panel called “AI: Partner and Pestilence” discussed the role of AI and its possible repercussions. There were several interesting workshops in the afternoon and Friday culminated in the Communicator of Achievement (COA) Award Banquet. The 2024 NFPW Communicator of Achievement Award winner was Gwen White from North Carolina and the runner up was Sharon Almirall from Colorado. Gwen’s speech was funny and folksy, she has many years in the NFPW including being past president.
Saturday morning NFPW president (and NMPW member) Julie Campbell moderated a panel on “The Challenges of Local Journalism” followed by Organizational Psychologist Rita Ernst demonstrating techniques to break out of negativity spirals and encourage more positive outcomes in work and life. Student awards were held during lunch and the students were all very talented and it was a tough choice for the judges. In the afternoon, a panel on “Trends in Journalism Education” followed by panels and workshops that provided choices for participants.
The conference culminated with the Communications Award Banquet on Saturday evening where two NMPW contestants received their awards. Susan Dunlap from Hillsboro, NM was presented a Second Place Award for Feature Story for Online Publication. Christian Valle from Las Cruces, NM was presented a Third Place Award for Special Programming, Television. We congratulate all our NMPW contest winners that also won awards at National!