Unity - Journalists of Color logoThe hardest part of becoming an entrepreneur is putting a good idea into action. The second-hardest part is money. But if you’re a member of AAJA, NABJ, NAHJ or NAJA, here’s help:

Unity: Journalists of Color has launched a new program called “The New U: News Entrepreneurs Working through Unity.” The four member organizations (that’d be those acronyms at the top) will be giving away slices of a $100,000 Ford Foundation grant to applicants who have the best-laid plans for a sustainable small business.

Applications are open now.

Winning applicants not only get money, they’ll get two days of mentoring at one of the national conventions — which one depends on which organization the applicant belongs to. I’ll be among the mentors at the AAJA and NABJ workshops, working to lay solid foundations for long-term success.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business, but need guidance and seed funding, this is your chance.

NAHJ’s convention is coming up first (June 23-26), so they’ll be fielding the first candidates. If you have questions in the meantime, ask in a comment.

For reference:
NAJA convention (July 21-24), St. Paul, Minnesota
NABJ convention (July 28- Aug. 1), San Diego
AAJA convention (Aug. 4-7), Los Angeles

Reporting has always been about digging for facts, finding people to talk with, and gathering visual and aural accounts. Now that broadband is widespread, the tools have changed.

This Saturday, I’ll be in South Florida teaching an Online News Association workshop on where to go and what to use to mine, crowdsource, and distribute stories. It’s part of ONA’s free all-day Parachute Training program. Today’s the last day to register.

As I put the finishing touches on my talk, I’d like to know:

  • Which tools and methods are most effective for you? Twitter and Facebook for querying, discussing, and linking are two. Others?
  • Are there specific tasks you want to figuring out? For example, how to filter through many streams of information to find gold?

Leave a comment, or reply to me @MacDivaONA on Twitter.