We’re thrilled to share the initial program lineup for ONA25, the Online News Association’s annual conference, happening Sept. 10–13, in New Orleans. ONA25 is an opportunity to disrupt the pattern of chasing daily deadlines and immerse in four days of energizing conversations and learning with journalism’s forward-thinkers and changemakers.
Today’s program launch is a partial schedule, representing about half the overall sessions that ONA25 will offer over the four days. We’ll announce more learning opportunities, networking events and speakers in the coming weeks as we confirm details, with the goal to have a finalized schedule by the end of July.
Program highlights
There are a few ways to explore the schedule and choose your conference adventure.
Our programming for ONA25 highlights three areas of focus or themes that we know will impact every role in journalism in the next few years:
- Artificial intelligence: How AI continues to change news production, business models and audience engagement, with a mix of practical learning sessions and larger conversations on strategies, ethics and trends.
- Climate: With climate change impacting every aspect of how we live and work, every journalist is a climate journalist. Learn from peers who are leading the field and meaningful engaging audiences in climate solutions.
- Resilience: Leadership lessons, safety workshops, innovation in revenue models and more—join discussions on cultivating resilience for career pathways in journalism, within our organizations and in the communities we serve.
We’re weaving these themes throughout the conference and across areas of practice that reflect the diverse expertise that ONA’s conference gathers each year:
- Leadership, strategy and culture
- Technology and product
- Reporting and editing
- Revenue and sustainability
- Audience development
- Entrepreneurship and creator journalism
Table Talks
We’re organizing the always-popular Table Talks sessions on Friday morning, with dozens of options across each of the themes of AI, Climate and Resilience. These casual, topic-specific conversations are a great opportunity to unpack what you’ve been learning earlier in the week and connect with other attendees exploring similar questions.
Topic-based meetups
ONA25 offers a mix of networking opportunities, including dedicated time for topic-based meetups open to everyone and some events that require RSVPs in July/August. For the meetups, think of them as open, unstructured spaces to mingle and connect. You will have nearly 20 options for topics, organized by role, interest area or affiliation, and you may encounter a small group discussion or a packed room buzzing with introductions. Stay in the same room or pop into different ones—it’s up to you!
Career Advice sessions
Each year senior leaders from the ONA community volunteer part of their conference week to facilitate career advice sessions in a small-group setting. We offer these sessions for early-career and mid-career professionals in journalism. Come with a career-related question to discuss and learn from what others are experiencing in their careers as well. Registered attendees will have the opportunity to sign up soon to claim one of the three spots in each group.
Join us in New Orleans!
Register for ONA25 now through June 20 to take advantage of the discounted Early Bird rate. The price increases on June 21.
The ONA25 conference pass includes access to four days of in-person learning and networking with the ONA community; the Midway exhibit area and career events; the opportunity to attend select RSVP-only workshops and networking; and direct connections to ONA supporters and industry recruiters.
Beyond the conference
ONA offers opportunities all year to learn with like-minded peers, collaborate on pressing questions and form deeper connections.
