September Isn’t Short on Journalist Events: Find the Right One for You

Welcome to Blogger Events, a monthly column of upcoming blogger and journalist events that we think you should know about. Plan even further ahead and bookmark our page with upcoming events for the entire year.

This month is packed with unique learning opportunities for those working in the media. Journalist events on the calendar for the next few weeks will cover a wide range of topics, from news fatigue to investigative journalism funding, news creators, podcasting, collaborative journalism and science writing.

Dive in to find the perfect event for your needs.

Sept. 2: Bringing Readers Back: Real-World Tactics for Combating News Fatigue

During this hour-long session from the Online News Association (ONA), Angela Pacienza, Executive Editor at The Globe and Mail, and journalism consultant Jennifer Kho will dive into case studies examining the current state of news avoidance. They’ll provide “tactics and strategies to make their offerings more friendly and relatable, including creating entire new beats, broadening the scope of alerts, and re-thinking what makes an audience-first story mix.”

Sept. 2: AI Systems for Journalism: Is your newsroom ready?

Don’t miss this free one-hour webinar from the Knight Center, which will be led by newsroom AI expert Aimee Rinehart. She’ll be looking back on her 2023 course on generative AI and newsrooms to see what she got right and wrong, and what’s changed since. See practical examples from the field and learn to “think more critically about where AI fits into their work and how news organizations can approach these technologies with greater clarity and intention.”

Sept. 8: Strategies To Seek Funding For Investigative Journalism

In many parts of the world, investigative journalists are having to get creative to secure funding for their work. This session from the Global Investigative Journalism Network will “provide a kind of decision tree or logic to help journalists determine what paths may be worth exploring to find story and project funding in their region or topic.” Come away with a tip sheet with links to global organizations that can help you research grant options, examples of journalism networks and networked funders and more.

Sept. 9-11: Independent News Sustainability Summit

San Diego will welcome hundreds of local independent online news leaders and supporters for this year’s summit, hosted by LION Publishers. Expert-led presentations, interactive workshops and engaging peer-to-peer discussions will focus on LION’s three pillars of sustainability: operational resilience, financial health and journalistic impact. Hear from the community about “knowledge, hard-won lessons, and actionable advice on running a sustainable news business.”

Sept. 9-30: AP Writing Workshop: Storytelling for Any Platform

Sign up now for this four-part online course, during which AP writers and editors will “show you how effective writing – and the things that go into it – can point the way toward better outcomes in your own writing.” Come away with a better understanding of the foundations of reporting and start becoming a better communicator by developing your writing and editing skills.

Sept. 10: How to Be a Writer with ADHD

During this two-hour webinar from Writer’s Digest University, journalist Paulette Perhach will share what she learned from her ADHD diagnosis and extensive experience coaching other writers. She’ll share strategies for “starting faster, sustaining focus, and building a self-compassionate but rigorous routine that holds up when your brain doesn’t want to cooperate.”

Sept. 10: Understanding US News Creators with CNTI

About one in five U.S. adults now get news from individuals rather than organizations. During this webinar from the ONA, Jay Barchas-Lichtenstein of the Center for News, Technology & Innovation (CNTI) will share details from their report on U.S. Indie Info Providers. Learn how news creators are approaching multiplatform distribution and audience reach, and what they’re doing to build sustainable revenue.

Sept. 10-13: NLGJA 2026

The annual convention from The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists will take place in San Francisco. It’s the country’s leading event for LGBTQ+ journalists, media professionals, students and educators, spanning broadcast and print to digital, radio and beyond. In addition to breakout sessions and fireside chats, the schedule also includes a Career & Community Expo on Friday, Sept. 11.

Sept. 14-18: Podcast Movement

Podcast Movement 2026 will be taking place in New York City. The weeklong event will actually include two separate events catering to different audiences. From Sept. 14-15, the Sounds Profitable Business Summit will welcome the executives, buyers and operators shaping where podcast revenue goes next. Podcast Movement NYC itself will be Sept. 17-18 and is where the broader creator and industry community convenes. Thousands of podcasters and industry pros will attend the event, which includes educational sessions and workshops, networking events and parties, and a podcasting expo and trade show.

Sept. 17: How to come up with better story ideas

Tim Herrera, author and former editor of The New York Times’s Smarter Living, will be joined by Emily Stewart, senior correspondent at Business Insider, for this 90-minute discussion on coming up with more (and better) story ideas.

Sept. 17-18: ISOJ 2026

The International Symposium on Journalism is “a global gathering that convenes leading journalists, media executives, and scholars to explore emerging innovations and challenges shaping the field today.” This year marks the 27th ISOJ, which will take place online and in person at the University of Texas at Austin. Sessions on the schedule include “Future of public and nonprofit media,” “Rebuilding trust: Community-centered journalism in an age of misinformation, crisis and uncertainty,” “Reporting the U.S. midterms: Domestic and international eyes on democracy,” “The next disruption: How agentic AI will reshape news consumption” and more.

Sept. 17-18: NNAF Annual Convention & Trade Show

Join the National Newspaper Association Foundation for its annual event in Detroit, Michigan. Sessions will “address pressing business objectives of community newspaper owners, publishers and senior staff.” Digital advertising, newsroom workflow, libel, public notices and paywalls are just a few of the topics that will be discussed.

Sept. 18-19: Pinners Conference & Expo (Texas)

Ideal for anyone covering home decor, the latest food trends and the like, the Pinners conference in Fort Worth, Texas, will offer more than 100 creative classes. Workshops covering sourdough, cookie decorating, weaving, makeup tutorials and Mahjong are just a few of the options on the schedule.

Sept. 24: Improve Your Author Website: From Homepages to Contact Page

From Writer’s Digest University, this two-hour webinar will “address best practices for any author website—whether you’re published or unpublished—with simple tips and tricks you can put to work immediately.” Learn the key elements of any homepage, how to update your site every time you publish, how to incorporate newsletter sign-ups and much more.

Sept. 24: How Slate builds an iconic feature story

During this session from Freelancing with Tim’s Tim Herrera, Shannon Palus, features editor at Slate, will discuss her tips and best practices on pitching and crafting excellent feature stories.

Sept. 24: Collaboration That Actually Holds Together

Another unique session from ONA, this one will dive into practical strategies for building collaboration in newsrooms that are stretched thin, where staff has little to no extra capacity. Learn how to set expectations, share workflows and keep the momentum going.

Sept. 25-26: Pinners Conference & Expo (Colorado)

The second Pinners event of the month will take place in Colorado Springs. Hands-on workshops will cover fall home decor, needlepoint, homemade pizza, color analysis, tips for growing your e-commerce brand and much more.

Sept. 25-28: ScienceWriters 2026

ScienceWriters is targeted to “journalists, authors, editors, producers, institutional communicators, students, and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology.” The program is full of unique sessions, covering topics ranging from mass timber to nuclear energy, Indigenous science storytelling, wildfires, and the science behind Oregon’s wine and cheese industries. Can’t make the in-person event in Corvallis, Oregon? Bespoke virtual content will be available Oct. 14-16.

Coming in October

Oct. 2-4: JAWS CAMP

Santa Monica will host the annual Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP) from the Journalism and Women Symposium. The goal of CAMP is to “bring women* journalists together from different specialties, beats, demographics and geographies to share with, learn from and empower each other.” The site makes note that “Women” at JAWS includes anyone who self-identifies as a woman, non-binary, gender-nonconforming or as an agender person. Among the calendar of presentations, workshops and social events, the Books & Browse panel will feature seven celebrated nonfiction authors.

Oct. 7-28: AP Stylebook Workshop 201: Refine Your Content

Join the AP on Wednesdays in October from 2-3 pm EDT for discussions on “big-picture questions of how to improve your writing and editing to make your copy clear and compelling.” Attend the four live virtual sessions or watch recordings as you’re able. Sessions will cover topics like jargon, language pet peeves, the pitfalls of writing that isn’t inclusive and times when it’s OK to break the rules.

Oct. 8: Adaptive AI: Making News Selectable and Engaging

From ONA, this one hour virtual session will cover the ins and outs of “adaptive AI that restructures original news into a new interactive format for diverse audiences without generating new information.” Ronald Yaros, director of the Digital Engagement Lab and an associate professor in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, will dive into the Digital Engagement Model, a new framework for structuring digital information that adapts to audiences’ demographics, interests and more.

Did we miss an event? Email the team and let us know so we can add it to our full list of upcoming events for journalists and bloggers.

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