SABEW addresses economic situation for its members

The Society of American Business Editors and Writers announced Thursday a number of initiatives to help business journalists cope with the current economic downturn.

The organization said it will offer a one-time, one-year “conversion” membership rate of $25 to anyone who was previously covered by an institutional membership but no longer is because they lost their job or their media outlet has dropped its SABEW membership.

The $25 is half the normal individual membership rate.

To make the conversion option more attractive, SABEW will look to pair up any newly jobless member who indicates interest with a mentor who can assist in leads, skill development, and contacts.

This new effort will be coordinated by Dow Jones Newswires reporter Dawn Wotapka, a SABEW board members, and be offered as a membership benefit.

“This is a critical time for business journalism and the people who practice it. We want to keep the professional ties going — and make them more personally meaningful,” says Bernie Kohn, SABEW’s president and head of the investigative team at the Baltimore Sun. “Our members need the networking and skills improvement SABEW can offer to thrive in the new media environment.”

Separately, SABEW  has agreed to drop the early-bird registration fee for its annual conference, to be held in Denver on April 26 to April 28, to $299. It is now listed at $350, and the conference cost was $375 last year.

For more information on how to get involved in these initiatives, contact SABEW at sabew@missouri.edu.