Welcome

AAJA 20th Annual National Convention
BOSTON 2009: ROAD TO REINVENTION
Boston, Massachusetts
August 12-15, 2009

FROM THE CONVENTION CO-CHAIRS

Welcome back, AAJA! A dozen years have passed since Boston played host to the national convention, but it might as well have been a lifetime ago. The city, journalism, and AAJA have evolved so much since then.

You will arrive in one of America’s most historic cities which, like the media industry, is in the midst of reinventing itself. Boston today is a city in which minorities are the majority—and Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group. It is a city that now boasts its first Asian American city councilor in a state that elected its first African American governor. Women helm two of our best-known universities: Harvard and MIT.

AAJA and our industry now face fresh challenges from funding to the Internet to retention and development of talent. We as hosts recognize and embrace those challenges. We pledge to create a convention that reflects the shifting media landscape and prepares us for whatever the future holds.

But some things never change. Beantown remains a welcoming, picturesque metropolis—flush with luxury hotels, acclaimed restaurants, stunning new parks, world-renowned museums, an idyllic and busy harbor, and an always hopping nightlife that is especially vibrant in summer. It is a city that is crazy about sports, politics, science, education, and technology – and our convention will make you understand why.

Our annual gathering of hundreds of journalists will be packed with hands-on workshops to teach multimedia skills, courses on management training to diversify newsrooms, and opportunities for in-depth explorations of beats that matter most to you.

And, as always, the convention will be a chance to expand our ever-growing networks and remind us who we are, why we got into this business, and how we can make it better.

Thank you and see you in Boston!