IJEA Blog: Don’t stay on your island alone — help us get ready for JEA/NSPA Chicago ’18

Brenda Field, MJE, Illinois State Director, JEA • October 24, 2017

Hall of Famer Brenda Field is the local chair for the JEA/NSPA Fall Convention scheduled for Chicago in 2018. It's not too late to get involved, she says — and what you put in now will pay dividends throughout your career.

IJEA Blog: Three life lessons from Room 216

Lauren Lawley Head, 1994 IJEA Journalist of the Year • December 5, 2016

More than 20 years after earning IJEA's top individual honor, former Illinois Journalist of the Year Lauren Lawley Head is still putting into practice the lessons she learned as a high school reporter and editor.

IJEA Blog: In praise of journalism conferences and conventions

Brenda Field, MJE, Illinois State Director, JEA • November 21, 2016

Brenda Field attended her first JEA/NSPA convention in 1996. More than 30 conventions later, she's still attending — and still learning! Whether you go with or without students, conventions will always leave you feeling inspired, refreshed and renewed.

IJEA Blog: Use social media to maintain your extended family of students

Dr. Sally Renaud, IJEA Executive Director • November 15, 2016

One of the best parts of being a publications adviser is building a camaraderie with students that will endure long after graduation. Using social media to stay in touch is a great way to make those bonds even stronger!

IJEA Blog: High school journalism gave me my voice

Solomon Davis, 2016 IJEA All-State Journalist • November 1, 2016

Solomon Davis, a 2016 graduate of Marist High School, can say with confidence that high school journalism did indeed give him his voice. Now active as a collegiate journalist, Solomon looks back on what he learned from his days on the staff of Marist's newspaper, The Sentinel.

IJEA Blog: It’s never too early to give back

Greg Bilbrey, CJE, Managing Editor, Robinson Daily News • October 29, 2016

Newspaper editor Greg Bilbrey knows from experience that good things happen when journalism professionals mentor young people: "You CAN make a difference — starting now."

IJEA Blog: What is RIGHT in journalism? Actually, quite a lot.

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • October 17, 2016

Whenever people despair over the sensational and unethical aspects of journalism, Amanda Bright likes to point out what's working in our craft. And that's exactly what she does in the first video contribution to our blog!

IJEA Blog: Say “Yes” to scholastic journalism!

Sarah Foster, 2014 IJOY Runner-up • October 2, 2016

The responsibilities journalism students shoulder allow them to produce something far bigger than themselves, as 2014 IJOY runner-up Sarah Foster knows from experience.

2016 IJEA Fall Conference in Review: Empowered staffs, empowered advisers

By Amanda Bright, IJEA Co-Secretary and Region 5 Board Member • September 19, 2016

With more than 320 Illinois high school journalists and their advisers in attendance this year, the 2016 IJEA Fall Conference is now in the books, or yearbooks, as the case may be. Students were...

IJEA Blog: We are stronger together, so join a journalism organization today!

Brad Bennewitz, IJEA President • September 12, 2016

Whether it's students bonding at a conference or advisers talking shop over lunch, scholastic journalism associations can provide support in all kinds of ways.

‘Empower your students’ for great scholastic journalism at 2016 IJEA Fall Conference

August 15, 2016

URBANA — Now that the Speech Rights of Student Journalists Act is the law of the land in Illinois, there is no better opportunity to "Empower Your Students" than at the IJEA Fall Conference. The...

Why it matters that a journalist has won the Nobel Prize in Literature

By Dave Porreca, IJEA Website Editor • October 9, 2015

Journalism has long existed on the periphery of the Nobel Prize in Literature. With Svetlana Alexievich's 2015 award, journalism takes center stage. What can we learn from the new Nobel laureate and her victory?