[See all SAJA@15 Convention & Career Expo coverage ]
EDITOR'S NOTE: In celebration of SAJA's 15th anniversary, we talked to senior journalists who have been with the organization since its early days. In these profiles, they share a bit of themselves and their association with SAJA.
Peter Bhatia, executive editor of The Oregonian, was always a journalist. As a 12-year old, he published his own neighborhood paper with stories about what kids in the neighborhood were upto. Bhatia worked at student papers while in school and college.
“The public service aspect of [journalism] really appealed to me,” he said.
And this he says doesn't change. Bhatia sees a role for newspaper even in the face of increasing pessimism about the fate of print media.
“We now have the opportunity to do different things, infinite space to display work on the Web,” he said. “It expands the portfolio of what we can offer. A well-written story on print still has currency and audience.”
Bhatia has been with SAJA since the organization's inception.
“SAJA opens up a broad world of really interesting and talented people,” he said. “It’s made it possible to have broader discussions rooted in some common heritage and allowed me to interact with some very smart people and expanded my view of what journalism can be.”
