By GREG MITCHELL
Editor & Publisher

Story posted on Feb. 27, 2009

NEW YORK In yet another sad sign of the times, The American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) today announced it has canceled its 2009 convention. The last time it called off its popular annual assembly was during World War II.

Plans to hold the convention in Chicago, April 26-29, were well under way, but president Charlotte Hall said in a statement that ASNE's leadership had "concluded that the challenges editors face at their newspapers demand their full attention."

Hall said that it had become clear that attendance would have been sharply lower than normal because of the budgetary problems within the industry.

"Even though the learning opportunities at the convention would have been valuable, the greatest priority is leading our own newsrooms as we shape the future of the business," Hall said.

Hall said ASNE's 2010 Convention remains scheduled for April 11-14 in Washington.

"In the meantime," the ASNE release revealed, "Hall said the organization will increase reliance on the Web to help editors share what they are learning as they reinvent their news organizations for multiple platforms."

More from the release: "ASNE had planned votes at the Chicago convention on bylaws changes that would drop 'paper' from its name and expand its membership to include editors of online-only news Web sites and leading journalism educators. That, and the annual election of new board members, will now occur electronically."

"We intend to press on with our transformation of ASNE to ensure its relevance in the digital age," Hall said. "As we broaden our membership, we will aggressively advocate for innovation in journalism, access to public information, First Amendment rights, diversity and ethical standards."

ASNE was founded in 1922.

Greg Mitchell's new book, his ninth, is "Why Obama Won." It is available online, for info: here.

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