Extra, extra! Society for Features Journalism launches new website, Slack channel
Courtesy: Sy Agency
The Society for Features Journalism, a professional organization dedicated to promoting and celebrating the craft of features journalism, is thrilled to announce the launch of two platforms designed to bring our community closer together: a beautiful new website, and a new Slack channel just for SFJ members.
The website at featuresjournalism.org spotlights the talent and diversity of SFJ’s current members while paying homage to the organization’s rich history.
Founded in 1947 as the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, the group has grown and evolved over the years and was renamed the Society for Features Journalism in 2011. A timeline on the new website chronicles the organization’s history over nearly 80 years. After all this time, the group continues to bring journalists together as friends to discuss their changing profession and their desire to improve and celebrate the craft of storytelling.
Visitors to the new website also can learn about:
Our experienced all-volunteer board
Our esteemed Excellence-in-Features journalism contest
Our Hall of Fame honorees, including the likes of Eppie Lederer (Ann Landers), Pauline Phillips (Abigail Van Buren of “Dear Abby”), Roger Ebert, Jon Franklin, Jacqui Banaszynski and Roy Peter Clark.
The website also highlights our expansive programming offerings. SFJ is committed to helping journalists sharpen their skills with sessions showcasing the knowledge of Pulitzer Prize winners Eli Saslow, Lane DeGregory and Tom Hallman Jr.; Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Andrea Ball; ESPN’s Kelley L. Carter; The Atlantic’s Amanda Mull, and many more leaders in our field. In 2024, SFJ also resurrected its popular “Show & Steal” sessions to help journalists find story ideas and approaches that can be replicated in different media markets across North America.
Credit for our new site and logo — 😍 — goes to Sy Agency, founded by Seo Yun “Sy” Yang.
SFJ recently reached a new all-time peak of 430 members. Since the start of the pandemic, we have kept membership free of charge to allow journalists to find a sense of support and community as news organizations reduce their workforces and expenditures. Now the organization is taking that effort a step further with its new Slack channel just for SFJ members.
SFJ’s Slack includes channels about job seeking and training opportunities, a focus on freelance life, an ideas exchange, a place to discuss inclusion issues and more. Members are encouraged to tailor this space to their needs as journalists in the 21st century.
The SFJ board is thrilled to be bringing features journalists together in new ways in 2024 — and beyond. We also hope to start bringing our members together in person in the near future. Please stay tuned for more exciting updates!
Laura T. Coffey is president of the Society for Features Journalism and a longtime editor and feature writer. She’s also the author of the bestselling nonfiction book “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.” Connect with Laura here.