#eij

1. You found me and made me happy. Anxious, and a bit scared, but happy. You helped me get over such a long and painful heartbreak...I don’t think you know that. But i am so thankful for your patience. 

2. I got over you. And i’m so happy about it. I still love you, i still care about you and you’re still one of the most important people in my life. But the painful feelings went away. Or at least most of them...When i love someone, it looks like i’ll love them forever, just not the same way. Let’s watch a movie together soon. 

3. You’re getting married. And i’m happy about it. I saw you two times in the past month. I missed you. And i think your fiancé doesn’t hate me as much as i thought. I think things will be alright. 

From left to right: Michelle Philo, Sonya Quick, Juilet Murphy, Alan Gibbons and Julie Geisler discuss issues in the gender and leadership gaps.

From the shifting media industry that enlists fewer people who do more for less money to implicit biases that plague workplaces across the U.S., some women in journalism are still trying to navigate disparities in the industry affected by gender.

In a panel titled Closing the Newsroom Gender Pay and Leadership Gaps, author Jill Geisler warned female journalists against taking on extra work for no additional pay, such as serving on committees for diversity.

“My mantra is don’t do invisible work,” Geisler said. “That doesn’t mean ‘don’t do it;’ it means make certain that you report back to someone.”

Geisler, along with Sonya Quick, digital editor of Orange Coast; Juliet Murphy, an author and motivational student; Michelle Philo, corporate counsel at Adtile Technologies; and Alan Gibbons, OC editor-in-chief, discussed some male managers’ predisposition to labeling women who ask for a raise as “greedy” or “selfish.”

Panelists also touched on job hunters’ uneasiness navigating price negotiation.

Murphy said by the time price negotiations begin, then the interviewee’s job has already been fulfilled, and the interviewer will try his or her best to accommodate the new hire as much as possible.

“I will try my darnedest to get that person because this is like a true love relationship,” Murphy said. “At that point, you’ve found the one and you want the person.”

Richard Chacón, executive news content director for WBUR in Boston, said he’s seen numerous job applicants underestimate their value as reporters in negotiations.

“Don’t give them the opportunity to come down from what they’re thinking of paying you for that salary,” he said.

Women are faced with issues such as navigating maternity leave, vying for promotions and scrounging for raises, sometimes coping with intimidation from older men.

Paired with that, Geisler said, the shrinking industry has weakened the possibility for journalists to remain in a steady job — a fact she described as a “double whammy. Instead, she said, management should offer opportunities for their employees to build an impressive résumé.

“A good manager who can’t give you money is going to give you feedback, training — all of those skills, and know that you may leave,” Geisler said.

The panel also touched on issues young female journalists face while searching for a newsroom job or standing up for themselves in their first job.

Geisler said young journalists are, for once, able to stand out because they are more well-versed in digital media.

“You used to be a junior version of what everybody in the newsroom knew, and that didn’t make you very valuable,” she said. “You’ll be more valuable for the gifts you bring.”

However, although the draw of a new career may be tempting, Raquel Maria Dillon, a digital producer with KALW in Oakland, Calif., said younger journalists should not be afraid to utilize company resources and ask for reimbursement on gas mileage.

“I’ve worked with young women who don’t file for mileage,” Dillon said, “and I feel that’s like leaving mileage on the floor. Unless it’s your passion project, you should be filing for that kind of small stuff.”

Dillon also urged younger journalists to avoid making their “hustle” look “effortless.”

“Make sure that people know how many hours you’re putting in,” she said.

Chacón noted that he’s noticed young print reporters sell themselves short while representing themselves.

“They don’t fully recognize what they’re bringing to the table, especially if they don’t come from diverse backgrounds,” he said. “They sort of just underestimate themselves and what they’re bringing to the newsroom and to the organization.”

At the final SPJ business meeting this week, the Resolutions Committee will present at least two issues to spark debate among delegates.

Sonny Albarado, chairman of the SPJ resolutions committee, said the committee has spent the last few weeks creating resolutions, ensuring they’re in the correct format and deciding if the issues are important enough to bring before the delegates.

The first resolution addresses the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the press.

“Basically, the resolution calls on other public officials and members of congress to remind the administration the importance of the freedom of the press,” Albarado said.

The second is a resolution about public information officers, also known as mediated access, an issue SPJ has worked on for a number of years, Albarado said. The SPJ website even includes multiple reports about PIOs.

“Years ago, it was a whole lot easier for a reporter to go and talk to the person who’s actually in charge of a particular issue in local government,” he said. “Now you cannot do that. You’ve got to go through the public information officer, and often you cannot even talk to that person. The information is just relayed to you from the public information officer.”

Albarado added that POIs lead to incomplete reporting or even hazardous situations.

“The [resolution] we’re going to present to delegates on Saturday asks reporters to make an even stronger effort to oppose having to only deal with public information officers,” he said.

The committee is asking journalists to tell their bosses, paper publishers, broadcast station owners, readers and listeners when they encounter a situation where the only source is a PIO.

“Tell them why it’s not a good idea that the only way you can get information, and therefore the only way the public can get information, is to get an official version of things from the public information officer,” Albarado said. “It’s a chilling effect on the freedom of speech.”

The business meeting is 2:30 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Platinum 9 Ballroom.