During the opening meeting of the 2011 NFPW conference, the Council Bluffs Suffrage Society marched on the meeting to gain support for the women’s right to vote and own property.

Although audience members were surprised by the interruption, the presentation reminded members of the rights that women had to fight for and why NFPW came to exist.

The interruption came only moments after members recited the NFPW Code of Ethics, which reaffirms freedom of the press and our responsibilities as communicators.

The NFPW Code of Ethics:

“As a professional communicator, I recognize my responsibility to the public which has placed its trust and confidence in my work, and will endeavor to do nothing to abuse this obligation.

With truth as my ultimate goal, I will adhere to the highest standards of professional communication, never consciously misleading reader, viewer, or listener; and will avoid any compromise of my objectivity or fairness.

Because I believe that professional communicators must be obligated only to the people’s  right to know, I affirm that freedom of the press is to be guarded as an inalienable right of the citizens of a free society.

I pledge to use this freedom wisely and to uphold the right of communicators to express unpopular opinions as well as the right to agree with the majority.”

It starts with a conversation.

The “it” is growing NFPW membership and keeping members involved. NFPW is fortunate that our membership has stabilized, which was a goal of my presidency. We know that the economy and job layoffs have made membership difficult for some members. We also know the value of membership.

This year at conference we held a POWER Networking session where members could quickly get to know each other and make powerful connections throughout the country.  We’re making sure our first-timers are recognized and welcomed.

And we’re finding new ways of doing business. We’re firming plans around an online communciations contest. We won’t have it in place for the upcoming contest, but we expect that by 2013, we’ll be online, saving on postage, making it easier to enter and generally streamlining the process. A committee is reviewing proposals from two firms and working out the details. We’ll communicate often and will provide training.

We also identified conference locations for the next few years. For 2012 we are in Arizona (note that the Sept. 20-22 date is later to avoid the heat). In 2013 we’ll be in Utah, where we’ll have a strong focus on using our member expertise for presentations. We’re still securing a venue for 2014, and in 2015 we’ll be in Alaska. Keep your bags packed!

We also elected a new slate of officers. I’ll turn the gavel over Saturday night. Incoming president is Lori Potter; Teri Ehresman is first vice president; Marsha Hoffman second vice president; Ellen Crawford, treasurer; and Marianne Wolfe-Astrauskas, secretary.

Now that the business is handled, we’ll be spend the next two days engaged in professional development and networking.

SNAP!

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but for journalists it’s their lifeblood.

For those being interviewed by a journalist, it may seem like the curiosity, aka questions, never ends. Now put that person on a bus filled with journalists and imagine the learning that takes place. That’s exactly what happened throughout Labor Day weekend as a group of NFPW members toured Nebraska learning about the state’s agriculture, historical sites and other curiosities.

Did you know that farmers plant sunflowers around their fields to protect the corn from the wind?

Did you know that the Sandhill crane has a 20-year life span and mates for life (although it’s been known to stray a time or two)?

Did you know that Nebraska is faring fairly well off in these difficult economic times because there is a worldwide shortage of grain so it’s a boom time for Nebraska farmers?

Did you know that when the pioneers came west there were no trees on the prairies and that every tree seen today was planted?

Did you know that a farmer often carries a golf club? He uses it to help with irrigation by opening the gates on the irrigation pipes so he doesn’t have to keep bending over.

Although the NFPW conference is a great time for professional learning, some of the best knowledge is gained during the pre-tours and post-tours. Why? Because the people organizing the tours are from the state and know the best sources to go to.

So when we learned about the Pawnee and the efforts to bring back their native corn, we heard directly from Ronnie O’Brien, director of cultural education for the Great Platte River Road Archway.

And when we learned about the crops of Nebraska and irrigation, we heard directly from Don and Barb Batie of Lexington, NE, who not only shared their knowledge, but allowed a bunch of press women to climb around on their combines and tractors and offered them coffee in the cornfields.

Then there was Sallie and Al Atkins, who operate a ranch near Halsey, who not only gave us the scoop on cattle, but also served a delicious supper of Angus steaks and berry and peach cobblers prepared by Rustic Tavern.

Along the journey I learned about Willa Cather and how she came to appreciate the beauty of the prairie. I learned about a canteen that served six million troops during World War II. And I discovered the reasons behind the opulence of the capitol in Lincoln.

If you missed this year’s tour, it’s not too early to start thinking about next year’s conference, which will be in Arizona.

Who knows what adventure we’ll embark on, but the other good thing about journalists is they seem to have many lives!