National Press Club

Join L.A. Times and N.Y Times writers for Journalism Institute Wednesday program on how to make yourself heard

Holly Butcher Grant

July 27, 2020

Everyone has an opinion, but not everyone expresses their views with power and impact. Some voices rise and echo, and others never penetrate the noise that surrounds us. Having an important platform — like The New York Times or Los Angeles Times — can amplify perspectives. In this program from the National Press Club Journalism Institute, journalists Sewell Chan, Erika Smith, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Jake Silverstein will describe: 

  • How to make yourself heard 
  • How to work with an editor or writer to hone a point of view 
  • How to pitch (& catch) a column or opinion piece 

Registration is open by clicking here for this program, which will be held Wednesday, July 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EDT. The first part will be a conversation among the panelists, followed by a Q&A with participants.

Sewell Chan serves as the editorial page editor at the Los Angeles Times. In this role, he oversees the editorial board and the Op-Ed and Sunday Opinion pages of the paper.

Erika D. Smith is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times writing about the diversity of people and places across California. She joined the Times in 2018 as an assistant editor and helped expand coverage of the state’s housing and homelessness crisis.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is an award-winning investigative reporter who covers civil rights and racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine. She got hooked on journalism when she joined her high school newspaper and began writing about students like her, who were bused across town as part of a voluntary school desegregation program.

Jake Silverstein is the editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine and the author of "Nothing Happened and Then It Did," a novelized memoir.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute has added weekly programming, a daily newsletter, a daily writing group, and other support for journalists since March, and has waived fees for everything due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you value what you’ve been learning from the Institute during this time, please consider a donation of $5, $10, or whatever you can contribute.

This program is one of an ongoing series of free conversations. Upcoming:

Watch the video replay or read the recap:

Contact Journalism Institute Executive Director Julie Moos at [email protected] with questions.