2019-03-26 - Guest speaker at Feature Writing class at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

I was honored to be invited by Cory Cathcart, a student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis' Department of Journalism and Public Relations in the School of Liberal Arts, to speak to her 300-level Feature Writing class from 3 to 4:14 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, 2018. The 3-credit lecture class was taught by Chris Lamb. (Previously, Cory helped me compile NUVO's Year in News 2018.)

2019-03-19 - NUVO selected to join the Membership Puzzle Project's Membership 101 series

After NUVO's transition earlier in the month from a biweekly print newspaper to an online-only membership-driven, nonprofit news organization, we were selected to join the Membership Puzzle Project's Membership 101 program. In my capacity as News Editor, I applied for this program and participated in five weekly group webinars from March 19 to April 26, 2019.

Here is way the program was described Emily Goligoski, MPP research director:

The series will go in detail on principles for launching and elevating a membership program, including: Initial membership planning and strategy; conducting user research and ensuring your membership reflects your core users’ needs; determining who in your existing newsroom could become a part of your membership efforts; and finding ways to engage members knowledge, time, and connections.

Here is the March 13, 2019 announcement by Ariel Zirulnick, MPP fund director, of the news organizations selected to participate in this project:

We invited Membership in News Fund applicants in the early stages of building a membership program to participate in this series. Our goal in building this training alongside the Membership in News Fund is to make the foundational knowledge of membership more widely available, while focusing the Membership in News Fund on experiments that push the boundaries of what audience engagement and membership in news can look like. The fund is available only to news organizations based in 17 target countries, while Membership 101 has no geographic limitations. We’ll make the materials publicly available.

The following 20 news organizations are part of this first iteration, led by our research director Emily Goligoski and researcher Gonzalo del Peon: Coopérative de journalisme indépendant/Pamplemousse.ca in Canada; Soy Arepita and ArmandoInfo in Venezuela; GK in Ecuador; Interferencia in Chile; Fumaça in Portugal; Third Ear in Denmark; Disclose and Rue89 in France; Beehype in Poland; Wausau Pilot & Review, Life and Thyme, Sludge, EdSurge, and NUVO in the U.S.; Daraj, covering the Arab world; Himal Southasian covering South Asia; Chicas Poderosas and Agencia Presentes covering Latin America; and Global Voices, working globally.

Here is the scheduled itinerary for each session:

• Week 1 (March 19): Intros, overview, and membership principles
• Week 2 (March 26): Value proposition, prototyping, and testing
• Week 3 (April 2): Participation, co-design, and IRL engagement
• Week 4 (April 9): Audience segmentation and audience funnel
• Week 5 (April 16): Further iterating on your work and other items you want to cover

2019-03-15 - CBD Expo Midwest 2019 - 'CBD vs. THC' Panel Moderator

On March 15 and 16, 2019, the CBD Expo Midwest 2019 was held at the Indianapolis Marriott East. From 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 15, 2019, I was honored to be asked to be a moderator at the “CBD vs. THC” panel. Here's the description:

“With CBD taking center stage this year, there has been increased coverage of this 'miracle' compound in the news. But it’s important to remember that THC is also a very important cannabinoid with some very powerful properties. While many enjoy the calming benefits of CBD without the psychoactive effects, dose-dependent effects of THC can be very beneficial for a variety of medical conditions. Cannabis science has rapidly advanced in the past year, with studies published in top-tier journals on CBD, THC, and CBD:THC. By comparing and contrasting the isolated effects of each of these compounds and how they interact in the brain and body, we can better understand how the endocannabinoid system works.”

Here are the self-submitted biographies of the panel:

Rob Burgess

News Editor, NUVO

Rob Burgess is a nine-time award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in print, radio, online and television. He is currently News Editor at NUVO. Before that, he was City Editor, Opinion Page Editor, and Editorial Board Member at the Kokomo Tribune; and Managing Editor of the Indiana Lawyer. He was also a reporter at WFHB, the Times-Mail, The Reporter-Times, Ukiah Daily Journal, and Ukiah Valley Television.

Bradly Slaughter

Investigative Reporter, CBD Spa

Brad has been in the Cannabis Industry for over 3 years and has been an outspoken advocate for legalization, decriminalization, and proper regulation. While he was a partner with California Weed Blog, he produced the CannaBiz Expo in Los Angeles, was the lead editor, and investigative journalist. With a focus in Cannabis Science, Business, and Politics, Brad has written and spoken on many topics that have educated thousands of people and changed the course of California Regulation.

Brad is now living in Florida and has his sights on Adult-Use in the state. He will be presenting a bill on the floor for the 2019 session to legalize and decriminalize Cannabis State-Wide with the assistance of many leaders in the industry from multiple states, which will be one of the most comprehensive, progressive, and structured bills to date.

Brandon Pitcher

Founder, MZM, Inc.

Brandon is an award winning change agent and educator, having gained an understanding of social and ecological entrepreneurship at an early age. He has led public and private workshops on design solutions for over a decade and has presented across the globe, including MIT, Yale, the United Nations University in Tokyo and many other venues on his work in Indiana, sustainability and zero emissions. He is currently working with a variety of organizations from global industries to small not-for-profits and local municipalities along with entrepreneurs, pushing the boundaries, inspired by the innovations found within nature while exposing others to the opportunities to do better with what we have. Brandon is a ZERI certified practitioner and promoter of the Blue Economy (theblueeconomy.org) and has traveled extensively to nearly 40 countries researching dozens of global projects, learning, and sharing along the way. He has appeared on numerous radio shows, TV spots, and newspaper and magazine articles in central Indiana and internationally.

Spencer Wilson

Owner, Medie Edie’s and Elite Health and Wellness stores

I was born and raised in Indiana. I became a marijuana activist in 2008. I have always been interested in the healing property of the cannabis plant. What turned my interest into a passion was our family dog’s battle with epilepsy. This became the reason I moved my family to Michigan in 2014. After extensive research, and getting certified I started an edible and extract company. Medie Edie’s has successfully been setting a standard for our industry since 2014. It has been my dream to be able to bring back to Indiana my knowledge and expertise and apply it in hemp and CBD. I am looking to vertically integrate from working with the best farmers, to processing and making available a top quality product for consumers.

Eric Miller, PhD

Director of R&D, Nemadji

Eric is the Director of Research & Development for Nemadji/ExtraktLAB where he leads the extraction, refinement, and formulation of hemp oil and isolates. Prior to Nemadji, he was Director of a Cannabis testing lab and several THC manufacturing facilities in San Diego. Eric earned his B.S. in Bioengineering from Arizona State University and his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California San Diego.

2019-03-04 - NUVO transforms from biweekly print newspaper to online-only membership-driven nonprofit

On March 4, 2019, NUVO transformed from a biweekly print newspaper to an online-only membership-driven, nonprofit news organization.

Publisher Kevin McKinney outlined these changes in a story, "Taking a New Direction in Journalism." In the article, McKinney outlined the lead role I took in this transition in my capacity as News Editor:

"Rob, grounded in reporting, has a passion for news and politics, and he has taken the lead on expanding our conversational expertise. He has been intimately involved with the listening tools we have already established, like Hearken, and has already produced several stories with your input, including the voters guide."

That day, I was also interviewed by Domenica Bongiovanni of the Indianapolis Star and Drew Daudelin of WFYI about these changes.