More than 500 middle and high school journalists across Oregon have an opportunity to improve their craft during Fall Press Day at the University of Oregon. 

The Northwest Scholastic Press Association and the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication invite young journalists to the daylong event, which will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Erb Memorial Union.

Fall Press Day includes instruction, practice and skill-building, with subjects ranging from conducting interviews and fact-checking to First Amendment laws, multimedia and advertising. The event also serves as an introduction for Oregon's young journalists to the UO campus, college professors and professional journalists. 

"What we want students to take away from this experience is a bit of what it's like to be a journalist, and showcase their journalism skills," said Karla Kennedy, scholastic journalism outreach coordinator for the UO's George S. Turnbull Portland Center and executive director of the Northwest Scholastic Press Association.

Keynote speaker at this year's event is Ellen Austin, master journalism educator, the Dow Jones News Fund 2012 Journalism Teacher of the Year. Austin is the director of journalism at the Harker School in San Jose, Calif.

Fall Press Day also features UO journalism professors Deborah Morrison, Dan Morrison, Ed Madison, Peter Laufer, Kyu Ho Youm and John Russial. 

For more information about 2013 Fall Press Day, contact the Northwest Scholastic Press Association at 503-412-3664 or nwscholasticpress.org.

- from the UO Office of Strategic Communications