2017 conference panels and speakers

ACCESS ’17
Richmond Times-Dispatch Building
300 E. Franklin St., Richmond
November 16, 2017
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (exact schedule to be determined)

• Earlybird Registration through Oct. 27:  $30 members; $40 non-members
• $35 members; $45 non-members
• Students:  $25
• Donations, sponsorships: Any amount is welcome!!

Click here to register or donate

• From watchdog to the watched — It’s not unusual for journalists to go into government service, usually in communication departments or public information. But have you ever heard them explain what  was like to see the world through a different set of lenses?
• The Old Dominion and the Old North State — Virginia’s longest border-neighbor, North Carolina, faces many of the same access issues Virginia does, but what do we do differently?
• The Rolling Stone case — The defamation trial a UVA official against the well-known rock-n-roll magazine is broken down for us by a reporter who covered the trial and a 1st Amendment scholar who was also present.
• When the lawyers come in — Citizens and media alike attempt to resolve FOIA disputes with government through discussion, negotiation and persuasion. But when that fails to break the impasse, it might be time to call in the attorneys. A veteran media law attorney tells us more.
• Pressures on front-line FOIA workers — FOIA officers and other employees who handle FOIA requests on a daily basis often find themselves making decisions as much based on what pressures their bosses may be exerting on them as what the law says. A researcher tells us more.
• The silly season — It’s election time, and what better way to relive this year’s roller coaster ride of an election cycle than with political humorist Beau Cribbs?

And many thanks to our conference sponsors:

AARP Virginia
Lee Albright
Rosanna Bencoach
Andrew Bodoh
Becky Bowers-Lanier
Capital Results
Paul Casalaspi
Christian & Barton, LLP
Roger Christman
Lou Emerson
Maria Everett
Paul Fletcher
Bob Gibson
Gary Grant
Dick Hammerstrom
Debra Gersh Hernandez
Johnny Timbers Tree Service
Joshua Heslinga
Waldo Jaquith
The Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University
Eileen McAfee
Andria McClellan
Anne McCray
The News & Advance
Carol Noggle
Pat O’Bannon
Rebecca Quinn
Megan Rhyne
The Richard T. Robertson School of Media & Culture at Virginia Commonwealth University
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Roanoke Times
SPJ – Virginia Pro Chapter
Virginia Association of Broadcasters
Virginia Capitol Connections, Inc.
The Virginian-Pilot
Washington & Lee Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
WTVR-TV6
WWBT-TV12