Ali VelshiThe UNITY convention in Las Vegas will give NLGJA members a chance to hear from some of the biggest names in print, broadcast and online journalism, as they share stories, teach skills and reflect on the issues in the media today.

CNN Chief Business Correspondent Ali Velshi will be among those participating in several panels. Velshi, who anchors CNN’s Your Money and CNN International’s World Business Today, will be talking to UNITY participants both about the global economy as well as how journalists can better handle their personal finances.

Marcus Brauchli, the executive editor of the Washington Post, will be participating on a Thursday morning panel on the 2012 Election and the effect digital journalism has had on its media coverage. He will be joined by Bryan Monroe, the editor CNNPolitics.com, Kasie Hunt of the Associated Press, Fernando Pizarro of Univision Radio and Janine Gibson, the editor of the Guardian US.

Also on Thursday, veteran war correspondents will talk about the dangers and opportunities of reporting on war zones. Miguel Marquez of CNN and Soraya Nelson of NPR will share stories from their time covering the recent protests in the Middle East.

On a much different note, Marquez will also be part of a Friday on covering entertainment news, along with Abby West, a senior reporter at Entertainment Weekly, and Jen Garcia of PEOPLE Magazine.

Jose Andtoni VargasJose Antonio Vargas, the former Washington Post reporter who made headlines last year by announcing he was employed as an undocumented immigrant, will be part of a Friday panel discussing the parallels between marginalized communities, including immigrants and the LGBT community, and the inherent conflicts for journalists in covering these groups.

A Friday panel on strengthening investigative journalism will include Sharyl Attkisson, an Emmy-award winning investigative correspondent for CBS News. She will be joined by Hollis Towns, the executive editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

There will also be several panels Friday on strengthening online reporting and writing skills, sessions on marketing stories and incorporating photos and audio into online reports.

On Saturday, there will be opportunities to learn about transitioning to management, coping with layoffs and building a freelance career. Other panels will focus on one-man-band reporting for women, protecting online reputations an navigating conflict of interests.

Sessions will continue to be updated in the weeks ahead, so keep looking at unityconvention.org for the latest information. And make sure to register for the convention at unityconvention.org today!