The climate crisis is the defining story of our time, reshaping every aspect of our lives and our journalism work. At this year’s Online News Association annual conference—ONA25, Sept. 10-13 in New Orleans—we’re centering climate more than ever and exploring how it impacts every role in journalism through both hands-on practical sessions and engaging conversations with leaders in the field.
Today we are pleased to announce the featured session Race, Gender and Climate: Reflections on Katrina 20 Years Later, happening Friday, Sept. 12. Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath devastated New Orleans and exposed deep inequalities in how the U.S. responds to disasters. The storm’s impact also forever changed how journalists cover crisis, natural disasters and climate stories. This conversation brings together four extraordinary leaders to reflect on resilience in New Orleans and the lessons for journalists today as the impacts of climate change grow more evident and severe.
This session will feature:
- Moderator Errin Haines, Editor-at-large and co-founder of The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom covering the intersection of women, politics and policy
- Terry Baquet, Editor-in-Chief of the nonprofit newsroom Verite News and a lifelong New Orleanian
- Melissa Harris-Perry, a college professor and an award-winning writer, speaker and media host
- Halle Parker, Health Reporter for Verite News with experience covering environmental issues across the region
Meet our speakers
Errin Haines is a Founding Mother and Editor-at-large for The 19th, the first nonprofit newsroom in the U.S. created specifically to cover the intersection of gender, politics and policy. She is also a regular contributor to MSNBC. An award-winning political journalist, Errin’s reporting centers on race, gender and political power in America. Previously, Errin was the Associated Press’ National Writer on Race and Ethnicity and has held roles at The Washington Post, The Orlando Sentinel and The Los Angeles Times.
Terry Baquet is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Verite News, a Black-led nonprofit newsroom in New Orleans. During nearly three decades at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, he served as the Sunday Editor and was the Page 1 Editor during the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In 2012, he became Managing Editor, overseeing editorial decisions for the paper’s print edition as well as production for four other newspapers in the Advance Publications chain. Terry is a lifelong New Orleanian with deep roots in the city’s jazz and restaurant history. He continues to live in the 7th Ward, where he grew up.
Professor Melissa Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University and founder of the Anna Julia Cooper Center, dedicated to advancing justice through intersectional scholarship. Her research and teaching focus on American politics at the intersection of gender, race and place. She is author of the award-winning Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, and Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. Previously, she hosted the award-winning MSNBC television show Melissa Harris-Perry and later served as host and editor of The Takeaway, a nationally syndicated public radio program. She is currently a contributing editor for The Nation.
Halle Parker covers public health for Verite and previously reported on environmental issues in Louisiana for New Orleans Public Radio, the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate and the Houma Courier, among other outlets. Her work has focused on environmental justice, pollution, fossil fuel development and land loss along the Gulf Coast. She co-hosted and produced the environmental podcast Sea Change, and her reporting has been featured nationally on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Up First as well as by the Associated Press. Halle earned recognition for her journalism across print, audio and photography.
Register by Aug. 8 for a discounted pass
ONA25 conference passes are available to ONA members at a discounted rate through Friday, Aug. 8. Four-day passes for ONA members are $495; the price increases to $600 on Aug. 8. Non-member passes are $675.
The ONA25 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 special events; and direct connections to ONA supporters and industry recruiters. Explore more of the schedule and register today.
Beyond the conference
ONA offers opportunities all year to learn with like-minded peers, collaborate on pressing questions and form deeper connections.
