Freelance journalist Jenny Chen is the new contest coordinator for the Washington, D.C. SPJ chapter’s Dateline Awards contest.
A freelance editor for Asian Fortune, she also is a contributing writer for The Glass Hammer, an e-magazine targeting women executives in the financial sector. Her journalism experience includes being a staff writer at Asian Fortune, covering local events of interest to the Asian American community in the Washington metro area. She’s also been a freelance writer for the Gazette and Washington Post. She blogs for SustainableCitiesCollective.com.
Dateline asked her a few questions about her new role with the chapter:
Why did you want to be the chapter’s contest coordinator?
I’d been a part of the SPJ for a while but haven’t really had a chance to get involved. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get involved with the DC chapter and also promote good journalism!
What from your experience as a journalist do you feel you bring to your new role?
Persistence! All journalists know that’s the most important tool in our arsenal! That, and the ability to make deadlines.
If you had a pitch to share with local journalists as to why they should enter our chapter’s contest, what would it be?
As journalists, we are often doing the backstage work — reporting and writing stories that often get laws passed or expose wrongdoing. It’s time for all that backstage work to get recognized! Our Dateline Awards contest is a celebration for all the hard work that local journalists do for their communities.