I just signed on to become a member of the VisualEditors.com online forum. It's an oasis of information. If you are involved in anything visual for a news publication, here is where you can iron out your thoughts, vent or otherwise discuss among peers, role models and mentors the ideas behind presenting your work or the work of others in the most elegant and useful manner.

“VizEds publishes industry news, coordinates education, reporting and training resources and enables interaction with journalists from around the world.”

This is the brainchild of Robert Motgomery, the news design editor at the Chicago Sun-Times and adjunct professor at the Medill Graduate School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

NewsDesigner.com – an excellent resource for designers and all those who love visual communication. There is even a recent post on the site about how Indian newspapers have considered packaging their news.

The long list of “Today's Front Pages” is simply awesome and is my favorite feature. It gives you a snapshot of what, and more importantly how, some of the world's leading papers are designing their fronts and delivering their news.

I have bookmarked this site and urge you to visit it often as well.

SAJA‘s mission. President-elect Deepti Hajela explains what SAJA is all about:

“I think it's important for journalists to understand the differences even within South Asia, not just between South Asia and East Asia. If the reporting is going to be truly accurate, then people in media need to be aware that being Indian is NOT the same as being Pakistani, which is NOT the same as being Bangladeshi, which is NOT the same as being Sri Lankan, etc. People from different countries have different cultural backgrounds, different immigrant histories and experiences, are concerned with different aspects of public policy. Are there issues in common? Of course. But Asia is not one big monolith. It's made up of numerous cultures, and crafting the most thorough coverage requires media to recognize that.”

I coughed up enough cash to become a lifetime member. Why? Because it makes sense; SAJA is a hard-working organization interested in the things that I am interested in. Until recently I was on the board and I continue to work with them when it comes to topics directly or remotely connected to photojournalism.

If you work as a journalist, interested in South Asia, join up. Tell 'em Tiffinbox sent ya.

Via John Laxmi

Washington Post honors its own photojournalists. The gallery of their work is posted here.

Via Sree Sreenivasan

Voice Of America reported yesterday that Arko Datta won the 2004 World Press Photo Award.

“An Indian photographer has won the prestigious World Press Photo Award for his picture of an Indian woman mourning the death of a relative killed in the Asian tsunami.

The picture, taken by Reuters photographer Arko Datta, shows a woman lying on sandy ground with her hands turned toward the sky. The hand of a dead relative is visible nearby.

The photo, taken in Cuddalore in India's Tamil Nadu state two days after the December 26 tsunami, was one of nearly 70,000 pictures submitted by professional photographers from 123 countries.

One of the judges, Kathy Ryan from The New York Times called the image graphic, historic and starkly emotional.

Mr. Datta will receive the distinguished award, along with nearly $13,000, in a special ceremony in Amsterdam in April.”

Tiffinbox applauds Arko's dedication to photojournalism and congratulate him on this award. I am trying to contact him to see if his work can be exhibited here and at the SAJA Photoforum.