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The Radio and Television Digital News Association honored 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl and ABC News senior justice correspondent Pierre Thomas Saturday night. Prior to the awards reception, Stahl and Thomas shared highlights of their careers with conference attendees, giving them personal insight into the field of broadcast journalism.

Stahl, who has more than 40 years experience as a television journalist, talked about her role at 60 Minutes and what goes into getting a story on the air.

Thomas began his career as a newspaper reporter in 1987 and transitioned into broadcast in 2000. He talked about the difficulty of coming back from an issue of integrity.

Thomas and Stahl agreed that even though journalism is changing, the foundation is still the same.

Stahl talked about an interview with Margaret Thatcher that she’ll never forget.

Saturday night, Stahl received the Paul White Award, named for the first news director at CBS. Thomas was honored with the John F. Hogan Award, which was named for the first president of RTDNA.

Fewer than five percent of this year’s 1,500 attendees to Excellence in Journalism are members of more than one organization associated with the conference. Among those in rarified air, Sonny Albarado, an Arkansas Democratic-Gazette projects editor.“That feels pretty good and it’s actually higher than I thought it would be,” he said.

Excellence in Journalism 2015 is comprised of three organizations, but it wasn’t always that way. The Society of Professional Journalists discussed teaming up with others in 2009, and it became a reality two years later.

SPJ teamed with the Radio Television Digital News Association for EIJ 2011. Two years later, The National Association of Hispanic Journalists joined the mix.

“For me, it was a real awakening to the power of having multiple groups of journalists come together for a single convention,” Albarado said. “The energy level was just really off the charts.”

NAHJ is leaving next year and the Native American Journalists Association is scheduled for the first time. Chris Vachon, SPJ associate executive director, said the joint effort saves everyone money. Organizations save by splitting costs, which results in lower registration fees for attendees.

The combined approach also allows both exhibitors and speakers to reach large crowds without constantly traveling to smaller events, Vachon said. The name itself was designed to allow for collaborations without committing to specific groups. “We needed to find something very generic because the vision was to bring more and more groups in,” Vachon said.

Albarado joined SPJ in 1979 and NAHJ in 2012. He focused on networking as an upcoming reporter, but now it’s more about catching up with friends. “They work and live in other areas, so one of the few times I get to see them is at this convention,” he said. He enjoys “spreading the Gospel of SPJ” and fostering Hispanic representation in the media as a member of NAHJ.

“I’m just happy that we are able to join more than one organization and yet come together at the same conference to be able to meet and greet and get educated,” Albarado said.

Rebecca Landsberry, Executive Director of NAJA (Courtesy: Rebecca Landsberry)

The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) is teaming up with the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for the first time during the Excellence In Journalism conference next year.

One major factor in the decision to partner with EIJ16 came about when it was announced that UNITY: Journalists for Diversity conference would not gather next year.

“UNITY was a great teaming of all the diversity organizations,” said Rebecca Landsberry, executive director of NAJA. “This [EIJ] was kind of a natural fit for us.”

Many of NAJA’s journalists deal with a different set of challenges on the job. Most Native American publications are owned by tribes, and therefore Native American journalists may not have access to free press.

“That’s probably the main thing that distinguishes Native media as far as the challenges go,” said Landsberry. “Reporters may be controlled by their tribal governments and may not be able to report on the things that are important to the Native community because of that hold.”

Members of other groups think it’s important to learn about problems that other cultures face, and EIJ gives them a place to do that.

“As a journalist, the more you know and the more you can understand, the better off you are,” said Joe Skeel, executive director of SPJ.

Skeel said that every year when a different group is featured, there’s some fear mixed in with the excitement of learning something new.

“I think it’s going to be great for our members who work in those areas to get some exposure to things they’ve never had before,” he said.

NAJA comes with a membership of 500 people, and its’ numbers have doubled since 2013. Skeel said that bringing more people to the conference offers more opportunity for networking and support.

“Let’s be honest, it’s a pretty tough industry,” he said. “When you come to a conference like this, and you see 1,500 people who are like you, it’s almost like a support network.”

  The 2016 EIJ Conference will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans.