AAJA Media Access Workshop Washington DC

and community organizations to learn about the most effective ways to build partnerships with local media organizations and get coverage.
Media Access is free and open to nonprofits and community-based organizations. The sessions cover media literacy, media access and op-ed writing featuring a moderator and a panel of local journalists.

Moderator
 

Toan Lam is the host of the TruthDare podcast, a motivational speaker, multimedia consultant, university professor and founder of GoInspireGo.com, a nonprofit multimedia platform that uses storytelling and social networking for social change. After eight years as a television news reporter, Toan left his job to start GoInspireGo, a nonprofit organization that scours the globe for "street corner"-style heroes to produce authentic and touching stories, all while leveraging social media to raise visibility and support for those featured. His work has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America, CNN, Disney and Hallmark channels. Toan's blogs have also been shared on The Huffington Post and Deepak and Mallika Chopra's Intent.com. Follow Toan on Twitter at @ToanLamTV.

Panelists

Rachel Kurzius is a senior editor at WAMU’s DCist. Her coverage of D.C. politics and culture has been published in Washington Post Magazine, Washingtonian, and more. When she’s not sniffing out the news, she loves to wander around D.C. on foot in search of the best breakfast sandwiches.

Marissa J. Lang is a local reporter at The Washington Post covering breaking news, features and hard-to-find stories in the D.C. metro area that reflect the personality and people of the region. She came to the The Post in 2018 from the San Francisco Chronicle, where she covered the impact of technology and tech companies on the Bay Area — its people, communities and culture. Marissa was among the first reporters to write about Twitter’s suspension of questionable user accounts, Russian bots and their role in the 2016 presidential election, the rise of fake news and discrimination at some of Silicon Valley’s most recognizable companies. She played an integral role in the Chronicle's coverage of the 2016 Wine Country wildfires, which won the Scripps-Howard award for breaking news that year. In 2016, she won a first-place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for her six-month investigation into the plight of homeless farm workers. 

Melinda Woolbright is currently the News Planning Editor at NBC 4 / WRC in Washington, D. C. She is responsible for planning day to day news coverage and logistics, futures, special projects and events. Planning projects including the 2015 Papal visit, the 2016 opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and planning/stories for the 2017 Presidential Inauguration, the 2018 Capitals championship parade and George HW Bush's funeral at the National Cathedral. Melinda also serves as co-lead for the DC Hub Black Employee Network, working with NBC Universal’s Diversity and Inclusion team on key initiatives including community, career, culture and commerce. Melinda is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists. She enjoys volunteering in her community, spending time with family and friends, an avid sports fan and loves all things Seminoles.

Op-Ed Presenter

David Swerdlick is an Assistant Editor, Post Outlook and PostEverything at The Washington Post. 

AAJA is proud to partner with our local AAJA-Washington DC chapter and the American University School of Communication to host this workshop.

Schedule (subject to change)
1:30pm – Registration/Check-In
2:00pm – Welcome/Introduction 
2:15pm – Session 1: Local News Panel
3:45pm – Break
4:00pm – Session 2: Op-Ed Presentation
5:00pm – End of Day
 
 
Questions about AAJA Washington DC Media Access? Contact AAJA Program Coordinator Justin Seiter at justins@aaja.org.