The 25th annual Native American Journalists Association convention starts Friday in Albuquerque. It’ll be fun (golf, a poetry slam,) useful (workshops on “The Art of Storytelling, “Opinion Writing: Beyond Argument”) and deadly serious (“Selling Advertising in Tough Economic Times,” “Transitioning from Reporting to Public Relations.”)

Those last couple of topics are a nod to the fact that journalism is undergoing wrenching change, with jobs disappearing right and left. Yet journalism remains vitally important, especially in such turbulent times, as people seek fast, accurate information – beyond hearsay and opinion – on what’s happening around us.

Groups like NAJA ensure that information won’t be dominated by a particular viewpoint. We all look at the world through the lens of our personal experience, but isn’t it a much more interesting place when that view is expanded? Sort of like putting on 3-D glasses at the movies.

To find out more about this week’s convention, and about NAJA in general – and especially how you can help support the journalists it represents – go to NAJA’s Web site, here.

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, Native American Journalists Association, Native American news