Is UNITY Worth It?

By Dioni L. Wise
UNITY Online Staff

A message on the Young Black Journalists listserv led me to a thread on the TVSPY.com message board. The subject? Whether to attend UNITY.

Newspapers around the country have laid off staff by the dozens and haven’t replaced those positions, opting to institute a hiring freeze instead. So TVSPY Community Member, newzeye, wonders if any news directors will look to hire prospects at UNITY.

Jul 8, 2008 6:33 PM EST

Is anyone going to Unity? I am concerned about the job market and I don’t think I am going to spend the money to have people look at my tape who can’t offer anything.

I think there will be a lot of recruiters collecting resumes for their EEO files. Am I wrong? I know there will be panels about how we are under represented in management, etx. Heard all that before.

Ten people replied, either telling newzeye not to waste time at UNITY or take the time at UNITY to network. Read eastwest2’s comment below.

Jul 9, 2008 7:19 AM EST

Here’s a real answer.

UNITY is a good place to look for a job - not everyone there is ready to offer you a job on the spot, but where else will you have access to NDs from around the county in one location? Besides, what’s your otheroption — blindly mail resume tapes to NDs witht he hope they’ll actually look at your tape?…

As of Monday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration sets the average price of a gallon of gas at $4.11. Rising gas prices makes buying a plane ticket from (put your city here) to Chicago much more costly. But if you can afford to attend UNITY, here’s what you can expect.

  • The nightlife: If you want karaoke, you got it. If you want to dance, there are ample opportunities to get on the good foot, including NAHJ’s “Fiesta to the Chicago Beat.” a banquet hall will transform into a dance floor with decor inspired by renowned spanish palace, El Alhambra.
  • Learning something new: Attend workshops that cover everything from multimedia storytelling and video training to applying for grants and covering certain ethnic groups without bias or pity.
  • Networking: Meet colleagues and maybe your future employees at task panels, media receptions and, of course, the hundreds of booths at the Media Showcase and Career EXPO. The big kahunas will be there, such as ESPN, NBC Universal, USA Today, NAtional Public Radio and HARPO, Inc. business cards and resumes are a must.
  • Obama and McCain: The presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, have been invited to participate in a forum from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 24. During the forum, which will be aired on CNN, the presidential candidates are expected to address questions from a panel of working journalists representing all four alliance partners — AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ, and NAJA.

If all else fails, you can visit the sites as shown in the UNITY 08′ Welcome to Chicago Message at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxh3352qKYY.

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