By Kelly Parsons
Last summer I attended the Associated Press Sports Editors convention when that group teamed up with the Association for Women in Sports Media, and it was a wonderful learning and networking experience. APSE members were helpful and had lots of good advice for a young person like myself entering the business. It didn't take me long, however, to notice the lack of up-and-comers in attendance.
Most of the attendees were middle-aged men who had been in the business for at least a decade. While I had a great experience in Chicago, I would have enjoyed being surrounded by others from my generation.
APSE president Gerry Ahern, who’s also director, news content, USA TODAY sports media group, spoke with our class Wednesday about how APSE has helped journalists find community with, and learn from, one another. But Ahern said he wishes more young people were involved in the group. Because of that, he made it a goal of his presidency to recruit more young journalists to APSE and its convention.
"It's really an organization that sometimes takes a bad rap for being stuck in the mud," Ahern said. "But really what I've found is it's a group that tries to make its members better at the craft."
Ahern wants to make sure people of all ages reap those benefits. During his presidency, he encouraged APSE members to sponsor students in the group. He also introduced a special student rate of $100 for the convention in Detroit.
Having more young journalists in the group would add a new generation of minds to discussions. It would also encourage more students to benefit from the experience of the APSE convention, as I did last summer.
"It's a great opportunity for the organization to make its future strong," Ahern said.
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