JAWS CAMP 2026: The Creator Journalism Movement
JAWS CAMP 2026: Join us for The Creator Journalism Movement panel at CAMP on Saturday, Oct. 3. What are creator journalists? They are independent reporters and producers who are building sustainable, audience-driven media ventures outside traditional institutions. We'll hear from two veteran LA reporters who've gone independent, Alissa Walker of Torched.LA and Liz Chou of The LA Reporter. Barbara Selvin will moderate.
JAWS’ annual Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP) will be held Oct. 2-4, 2026 at the Hyatt Centric Delfina in Santa Monica, California.
Registration for the conference is open! Reserve your spot now:
Stay at the CAMP meeting hotel and use the reservation link below for the discounted booking rate. Benefits include NO destination fees and discounted valet parking:
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
ELIZABETH CHOU
Elizabeth Chou has been covering LA City Hall since 2013, and local government within LA County for two decades, since 2006. She's worked at Eastern Group Publications, City News Service, LA Daily News and LA Public Press. She now delivers LA politics news to readers at The LA Reporter, which includes a weekday daily politics newsletter called the LA Squawk Box that gives the quick and dirty of what's about to happen that day, and what the heck just happened the day before.
ALISSA WALKER
Alissa Walker has written about Los Angeles transportation, housing, urban design, public space, and environmental policy for 20 years. She is the editor of Torched (torched.la) which reports on the civic investments and policy decisions that Los Angeles is making in preparation for its megaevent-hosting era.
MODERATOR: BARBARA SELVIN
Barbara Selvin became Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism (SUNY) first full-time professor in 2007 after helping to design what was then the first School of Journalism in the SUNY system and after seven years as an adjunct instructor in Stony Brook's former journalism minor. She previously taught journalism at Queens College and Hofstra University and directed a high school summer journalism workshop at CUNY for six years. At Stony Brook, Selvin taught a wide variety of courses, including reporting and news writing at all levels, the economics of news in the digital age, grammar, and numeracy for journalists. She led or co-led trips to Kenya, Bangalore, and Ecuador with the School's Journalism without Walls program. She served as the School's director of internships and careers and the faculty governance lead for journalism. Selvin's research interests include community journalism, particularly weekly newspapers; women in journalism; and journalism education in the digital age.
Before she became an educator, Selvin was a reporter for weekly newspapers on Long Island; for The Advocate in Stamford, Connecticut; and for Newsday and New York Newsday. At the New York paper, she covered economic development, commercial real estate and housing, and she wrote a biweekly real estate column. She spent a year writing about healthcare reform, medical research and sexuality for the paper's health and science desk on Long Island. Her freelance work has been published on poynter.org and in Newsday, the New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, Grassroots Editor and business and healthcare magazines.
Selvin graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a bachelor's in English and earned a master's degree at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where she received the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship. Selvin is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Journalism and Women's Symposium, and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors.
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FAQs
Where is Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP) 2026? CAMP 2026 will be held October 2-4 at The Hyatt Centric Delfina, located at 530 Pico Blvdin sunny Santa Monica, CA. The hotel is steps from the world-famous Santa Monica pier along with restaurants, shops and entertainment.
The CAMP Site Selection Committee chose Santa Monica based on feedback from members urging a balance between an urban setting allowing easier travel with access to a get-away-from-it-all vibe. The committee also took into account the venue’s capacity, support for conferences, cost and location. We chose this location intentionally for its walkability, safety and convenience, prioritizing an environment where attendees can focus on community, learning and connection without added logistical stress.
What happens at CAMP? This will be JAWS’ 41st CAMP. While the format and size have varied over the years, the goal has not: to bring women* journalists together from different specialties, beats, demographics and geographies to share with, learn from and empower each other. There will be structured presentations and workshops, planned social events and free time for unstructured relationship-building and city exploration. The current, rough agenda is as follows:
Oct. 1: Self-organized social activities for early arrivals
Oct. 2: Daytime workshops, evening welcome reception at Ms. Magazine offices
Oct. 3: Morning plenaries, lunch provided, afternoon sessions, Books & Browse evening reception
Oct. 4: Morning member meeting, morning sessions, lunch provided, afternoon sessions
Oct. 5: Self-organized social activities for late departures
Will meals be provided? Yes! Lunch will be provided Saturday and Sunday. Other provided meals and receptions will be announced. Meals not on the official schedule will be unstructured, allowing attendees to explore nearby eateries and spend time together away from the venue.
What is the CAMP refund policy? CAMP registration at the Early Bird rate is non-refundable and non-transferable. Regular registration can be transferred before September 1, 2026 upon written request to hello@jaws.org.
Is conference sponsorship available? Yes! CAMP sponsors support programming and other CAMP activities, making it possible to keep the conference affordable for participants. More information is available below.