As we countdown to the UNITY 2012 Convention, which kicks off this time next week in Las Vegas, here’s a look at ideas 21-25 for keeping AAJA extraordinary for today’s journalists…as well as tomorrow’s:

If we want to raise AAJA’s profile in the media industry, we’ve got to be more proactive in publicizing our wins and telling everyone how awesome we are. Journalists who cover the media shouldn’t be hearing from us only when something unfortunate happens. Rather, we should be telling them positive stories such as: we’ve raised more than $1.25 million for scholarships, or our membership is up 19 percent compared to this time last year (both true). Read more

I believe that you should be hearing regularly from your elected officers, especially on high-priority matters that you might want to chime in on. And if it’s a decision that needs to be made immediately, I believe that you should hear from me about why I voted the way I did. Being a public servant means taking seriously the expectation that I’ll represent the people who put me in office. We might not agree 100 percent of the time, but you should always know where I stand. Read more

I encourage each of you to become a more informed voter and research the candidates before you cast your ballot. This presidential election isn’t a popularity contest or a race to see who can rack up the most facebook “likes.” It’s about the future of AAJA - and every one of you has a stake in the outcome. Read more

I think AAJA needs to applaud and amplify the great work of journalists working overseas, especially those filing stories at great personal danger or in countries that persecute journalists.

Remember when Laura Ling and Euna Lee told us at the 2010 Los Angeles Convention how their North Korean captors had heard about the AAJA members calling for their release? Talk about shining a light in dark places! To think that media coverage of the vigils that AAJA members and others had held in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Washington, D.C., had somehow reached their prison cells on the other side of the world… Read more

We need to agree that every AAJA member is responsible for recruiting new members and tracking down (no stalking) former members. Did you know that under former President Mae Cheng, AAJA membership peaked at 2,320 for UNITY 2004? Well, here’s the bad news: many of those people aren’t members anymore. The most effective way to bring back former members also happens to be the best way to recruit new members: By reminding them of what AAJA stands for, why you joined and what you get out of it. Think about that the next time you’re seated next to a stranger on a long flight. :) Read more