A pollster from Iowa, a writer from The Politico and a senior political producer from CNN will join other top panelists and presenters at a May 17 conference highlighting online coverage of campaign ’08.
Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, The Politico’s Ben Smith, and CNN producer Scott Anderson will join others online political experts at the conference, including Democratic consultant Joe Trippi and conservative blogger Ed “CaptainQuartersblog” Morrissey.
The daylong regional conference in Wisconsin’s capital is being organized by the Online News Association and WisPolitics.com.
In addition to political insight and advice on how to use polling data, attendees will hear a panel focusing on preparing reporters and students for a changing media landscape. The moderator, UW-Madison journalism professor Kathleen Culver, will lead the discussion among these panelists:
–Scott Anderson, senior political producer, CNN.
–Liz Brixey, assistant professor, Missouri School of Journalism.
–Adrian Holovaty, editor of editorial innovations,Washingtonpost/Newsweek Interactive.
–Chris Long, president, WisconsinEye and former director of new media for C-Span.
–Mike Westling, senior, UW School of Journalism & Mass Communication.
The conference will kick off with a reception on the evening of May 16.
The event is open to the public, but registration is required.
Registration fees include access to all events plus three meals and beverages.
Click now to take advantage of discounted early-registration rates: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=xgsdx
Confirmed presenters include:
*Scott Anderson
Senior political producer, CNN.
*Tom Bevan
Co-founder & executive editor of RealClearPolitics. (RCP) has become one of America’s premier independent political web sites. Updated every morning and throughout the day, RCP culls and publishes the best commentary, news, polling data, and links to important resources from all points of the political compass and covering all the important issues of the day. RealClearPolitics has become a trusted filter for anyone interested in politics. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
*Elizabeth Brixey
City editor at the Columbia Missourian, an award-winning community daily newspaper staffed by students and overseen by professionals on the faculty at the Missouri School of Journalism. The Missourian is launching an ambitious Web site that will include several database-driven innovations and greater opportunity for citizen input. In her teaching, Brixey emphasizes collaboration among the city, copy, graphics, design, photo and convergence desks. Before joining Missouri as an assistant professor in 2003, she reported and edited for 17 years at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison.
*Kathleen Culver
Faculty member in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1999, will moderate the session on Web site innovations and helping future journalists develop skills to cross media platforms. Before joining the UW-Madison faculty, she was a reporter, writer and health care marketing manager.
*Adrian Holovaty
Editor of editorial innovations, Washingtonpost.com. The Chicago Web developer and journalist has developed innovative, award-winning Web applications for washingtonpost.com, Lawrence.com and LJWorld.com. One of his personal projects, chicagocrime.org, won the 2005 Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism.
*Chris Long, president, WisconsinEye and former director of new media for C-Span. www.wiseye.org
*Paul Maslin
A leading national Democratic pollster based in Madison, Wis. His Wisconsin clients include U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Green Bay-area Congressman Steve Kagen. He was an adviser to Howard Dean’s presidential campaign and is currently an advisor to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
*Edward Morrissey
Editor of political blog “Captain’s Quarters.” As the New Media emerged as a counterbalance to established media sources, “Captain Ed”, as his readers know him, rode his prolific essays about national politics, foreign policy, the presidential election, and the failings of the mainstream media to the vanguard of the New Media movement. Edward also writes extensively on First Amendment issues for the blogosphere and is one of the original signatories for the Online Coalition, a nonpartisan group of bloggers which demands equal treatment for New Media citizen journalists as their corporate brethren of the mainstream news outlets.
*Ann Selzer
She has run her research business, Selzer & Co., since 1989. She has edited a book on newspaper research and has gained national exposure for her work for The Des Moines Register’s the Iowa Poll, considered the “poll of record” for the Iowa caucuses. She also conducts the Michigan Poll for The Detroit Free Press, and the Indiana Issues Poll for The Indianapolis Star. In 2002, she conducted a seminal study in research methods for the Newspaper Association of America, assessing the quality of data derived from five data-collection methods. In 2004, she received the Research Award of Merit from the NAA and is youngest to win this lifetime achievement award.
*Ben Smith
He writes and blogs about the Democratic presidential nomination for The Politico. Previously, he started three of New York City’s leading political blogs: The New York Observer’s Politicker, The New York Daily News’s Daily Politics, and Room Eight (http://www.r8ny.com), an independent community blog for which he still writes. He has also written for the Wall Street Journal, the New Republic, the New York Sun, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and In These Times.
*Joe Trippi
Heralded on the cover of The New Republic as the man who “reinvented campaigning,” was born in California and began his political career working on Edward M. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1980. His work in presidential politics continued with the campaigns of Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Richard Gephardt and most recently in 2004 as National Campaign Manager for Howard Dean’s presidential campaign. Trippi pioneered the use of online technology to organize a grassroots movement for Dean in presidential politics. Through Trippi’s innovative use of the internet for small-donor fundraising, Dean for America ended up raising more money than any Democratic presidential campaign in history, all with donations averaging less than $100 each. http://www.joetrippi.com/
*Gene Ulm
Partner, Public Opinion Strategies and a leading Republican pollster based in Alexandria, Va. Public Opinion Strategies, currently working on John McCain’s campaign, remains the winning-est polling firm from either side of the aisle, according to Campaigns & Elections magazine. Among others, Ulm has polled for Assembly Republicans in Wisconsin and the independent effort to elect Annette Ziegler to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He will be polling on behalf of upcoming campaigns in Louisiana and Georgia.
*Vaughn Ververs
Senior Political Editor, CBSNews.com, is currently responsible for overseeing political coverage for CBSNews.com. Ververs has spent over 15 years working at the intersection of campaign politics and the Internet with CBS, National Journal’s The Hotline and other venues.
*Mike Westling
After graduation, the UW-Madison senior will begin work as assistant to Wis. Gov. Jim Doyle. As a communications aide for Doyle’s successful 2006 re-election campaign, he coordinated content for the campaign Web site and contributed to the campaign blog. Mike currently blogs on media, politics, and technology at TheNewVernacular.com and has just finished an analysis of the impact of the social networking site Facebook.
The conference will kick-off with a welcome reception for panelists and attendees at 6:30 PM on Wednesday May 16th in TR’s Pub at the Madison Club, sponsored by the Greater Madison Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The main program will be held in the Terrace Room at the Madison Club, Thursday May 17th at 7 AM – 4 PM.
Register for this event online at: https://www.123signup.com/event?id=xgsdx
About the ONA:
The Online News Association was founded in 1999 by several working members of the online press. ONA is open to journalists from around the world who produce news on the Internet and other digital platforms, and to others with an interest in online news.
About WisPolitics.com:
WisPolitics.com, is an independent, nonpartisan online news service, maintains a free Web site at www.wispolitics.com and a paid subscriber information service. WisPolitics.com has been providing in-depth coverage of Wisconsin politics since 2000. It also operates a sister site at www.iowapolitics.com.
TENTATIVE ONA REGIONAL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
MAY 16-17, 2007
MADISON CLUB, MADISON, WIS.
(Current as of May 1, 2007)
***Wednesday May 16, 6:30 p.m., Madison Club
–Welcome reception
Confirmed: Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson.
Sponsored by Greater Madison Convention and Visitors’ Bureau
***Thursday May 17, Madison Club
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Breakfast
9:15 a.m. Conference opening.
9:25 a.m. Moderator (TBA) introduces series of presidential operatives briefing attendees on campaigns’ online strategies.
Question-and-answer session with each operative.
11:30 a.m. Presidential operative session concludes.
11:45 a.m. Luncheon begins.
Noon: Moderator (TBA) introduces pollster panel: “Parsing polls properly.’’
Pollsters Ann Selzer, Gene Ulm, Paul Maslin offer advice on proper use of polling data.
1 p.m. luncheon concludes.
1:30 p.m. Panel: “Preparing reporters and students for a changing media landscape.’’
Moderator: UW-Madison journalism prof. Kathleen Culver.
Panelists:
–Scott Anderson, senior political producer, CNN.
–Liz Brixey, assistant professor, Missouri School of Journalism.
–Adrian Holovaty, editor of editorial innovations,Washingtonpost/Newsweek Interactive.
–Chris Long, president, WisconsinEye and former director of new media for C-Span.
–Mike Westling, senior, UW School of Journalism & Mass Communication.
2:30 p.m. first afternoon panel concludes.
2:45 p.m. Panel: “Online media coverage shapes campaign ‘08’’
Moderator: TBA
Panelists:
–Tom Bevan, Co-founder & executive editor of RealClearPolitics.
–Edward Morrissey, Editor of political blog “Captain’s Quarters.”
–Ben Smith, former New York City blogger who chronicles the Democratic presidential nomination process for The Politico.
–Joe Trippi. Democratic online consultant now with John Edwards’ campaign.
–Vaughn Ververs, Senior Political Editor, CBSNews.com.
3:45 p.m. Panel concludes.
4 p.m. Conference concludes.
