Events

Friend or foe? SEC chair Gary Gensler's continues to send mixed signals about his stance on regulating cryptocurrencies. And, the recent spate of crypto bailouts is adding to the confusion of what's happening in the market. Dan Roberts, Editor in Chief at Decrypt Media, deconstructs these major stories in ACJR's next Off the Record, October 18 webinar at 1 p.m. ET.

In this session, Dan will provide insight into what's happening behind the scenes in these two ongoing stories and his approach to ensuring balanced and accurate news coverage. 

ACJR Off the Record webinars are for cryptocurrency journalists and researchers only. They provide information and insight to get you up to speed and improve your stories. We provide a safe space to share and ask your questions.

Moderator: Sam Reynolds, reporter, CoinDesk

https://decrypt.co/80924/gensler-coinbase-sec-securities

https://decrypt.co/108303/sheriff-gary-gensler-mark-cuban-coinbase-react

https://decrypt.co/107158/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-disappointing-no-help-on-bailouts

https://decrypt.co/104807/bitcoin-bailouts-sbf-ftx-cz-binance-blockfi-voyager

Dan Roberts of Decrypt Media Deconstructs Major Crypto Stories of 2022

There's no shortage of armchair quarterbacking about the media's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX. Join us for a frank discussion as our panelists dig dig into the media’s coverage of SBF and his once fast-growing empire. Moderated by ACJR board member David Canellis of Blockworks, with panelists Nik De and Tracky Wang of CoinDesk, Frank Chaparro of The Block and Cas Plancey of Crypto Critics Corner.

The ACJR is a professional body that recognizes the best journalism and research on cryptocurrencies and blockchains. You can apply to be a 

ACJR and the Media

The Media, SBF & the FTX/Alameda Meltdown

Everyone's contacting you to write about the latest and greatest blockchain project, right?  But trying to verify the if its legit can be a real challenge, not to mention time-consuming when you're doing OSINT research.  Want to find a better way to sift out what's real and what's not?  Then you won't want to miss this webinar as ACJR presents "Training Your Blockchain IQ Meter."

+ What tools you can use to independently verify claims, and understand where these tools may fall short.

Host Naveen Mishra, founder of SuperKey, will also answer questions about the most pressing issues identified by journalists.  Sign up today and submit your questions to Mishra for answers during this webinar!

Training Your Blockchain IQ Meter: How to verify information from credible third parties

The recent disclosure by CNET that it's using AI to write stories raised eyebrows among journalists:  what's next?  In a recent Washington Post article responding to the news: "CNET’s editor, Connie Guglielmo, called her site’s use of AI “an experiment” aimed not at replacing reporters but to assist their work. “The goal is to see if the tech can help our busy staff of reporters and editors with their job to cover topics from a 360-degree perspective,” she wrote. 

News orgs have been using AI for years to analyze data. “The difference now is that the automation is not disrupting manual work, but is instead disrupting highly creative work that was thought to be outside the reach of automation,” said Hany Farid, UC Berkeley professor and AI expert.

Join us as we dive into the topic and discuss the pros and cons of using AI in the newsroom. Will it help or hurt journalists and editors?  

@nikde, Reporter, editor covering policy/regs at CoinDesk

@SarahKopit, Editor-in-chief at The Block

About the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers (ACJR)

 is a professional non-profit body that recognizes the best journalism and research on cryptocurrencies and blockchains. Join our community of 1,000 journalists, researchers and comms professionals in crypto 

AI in the Newsroom: Friend or Foe?

Get the latest updates on what regulators are doing in the cryptocurrency space in another ACJR "Off the Record." A must for busy reporters and anyone writing about crypto and blockchains. Featuring expert panelists Peter Van Valkenburgh director of research at Coin Center, Joshua Durham, author of a recent research paper exploring the issue of digital "First Sale" of NFTs, and Matt Liu, partner and chief strategy officer for SynFutures. Moderator is Nikhilesh 

 managing editor for global policy and regulation, covering regulators, lawmakers and institutions.

Regulators in the US and abroad are stepping up efforts to bring the cryptocurrency world under more stringent guidelines. The efforts intensified in the US in February, as state and federal agencies levied fines against some of the most well known names in the industry.

One crypto expert summarized the situation in a recent New York Times article:  “I’ve been referring to it as the crypto carpet bombing,” said Kristin Smith, the executive director of the Blockchain Association, a crypto industry trade group, told the Times. “Every couple hours we hear of some new enforcement action.”

 is a professional non-profit body that recognises the best journalism and research on cryptocurrencies and blockchains. Join our community of 1,100+ journalists, researchers and comms professionals in crypto 

ACJR Off the Record: Policy & Reg Update

Join us for an informative session on Deciphering Ordinals in the upcoming ACJR Off the Record event. Gain valuable insights into the complexities of ordinals which are a major topic of debate in the crypto world. 

Are they the answer that Bitcoin needs to send the blockchain to the moon? Or are they a cumbersome burden that's mucking up the vitality of the chain? 

Our expert journalists will present the pros and cons of ordinals and how to wade through the massive amounts of coverage this topic is creating. Register now to secure your spot in this informative event!

 a co-host of The Hash and Media Director at Compass Mining. He's a former tech reporter for CoinDesk and previously worked for Messari and the American Spectator. 

 a data journalist at CoinDesk, reporting on topics such as decentralized finance, centralized cryptocurrency exchanges, altcoins and Web3. She's covered technology and business for NBC News and CBS News. 

, editor-at-large for Kraken, and a founder of ACJR.  

 is a professional non-profit body that recognizes the best journalism and research on cryptocurrencies and blockchains. Join our community of 1,200+ journalists, researchers and comms professionals in crypto 

ACJR Off the Record: Deciphering Ordinals

Learn how to get started using the most powerful tool in crypto journalism: onchain tracking!

 will show you how to use this dynamic tool to find/complement your stories.

- Why the ability to include original research increases engagement and adds credibility

- How onchain data supports dynamic stories that address live incidents e.g. hacks

- How to leverage onchain tracking to aid reader understanding

- Simple tips for finding story ideas using onchain signals

- Marketing, PR and communication pros - this is for you, too!

Matt Aaron is an entrepreneur and crypto native specializing in onchain research. After entering the industry full-time in 2017, he spent two years at 

 before co-founding Cielo in 2021. He's created one of the first Telegram bots for onchain alerts and expanded into tracking hackers, whales, VCs, and other HNW traders. Matt launched the Cielo web app in 2023 with onchain alerts for 15+ chains, tokens and integrated NFT dashboard.

Leveraging Onchain Tracking for Reporters

Looking for your next job in crypto journalism?

 Then this is a webinar you won't want to miss as ACJR presents "Get Hired in Crypto Journalism," August 23 at 2 pm ET. Experts will weigh in on the current market conditions and the impact on editorial hiring, plus offer tips on the best way to pursue your next job, whether it's full-time, freelance, or building your brand.  

Lucy is freelance journalist in London. She was previously an editor at The Block and has written for Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Independent, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider, among others. She is a founding editor of Project Glitch, a publication about the future of the internet.

 is the head of markets at Cointelegraph and the host of Market Talks, a weekly show focused on the events shaping crypto and equities markets. Ray co-hosts The Agenda podcast, NFT Steez, and regularly features as an analyst on the institutional investor-focused Alpha Bites podcast where he provides insights and analysis on crypto and macro markets. Ray is also a strategic advisor to a UAE-based Bitcoin mining company and when he’s not looking at charts, he enjoys drinking cold beers and BBQ’n in his backyard.

moderator, is a founder of the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers, is  the opinion editor at Blockworks. She previously led educational content at CoinMarketCap and ran the news desk at Cointelegraph. Molly Jane is now based in New York after almost a decade in Russia, and can talk your ear off about Russia lit and detective novels.

Get Hired in Crypto Journalism

Calling all PR, marcom, and creators: join us for an ACJR live webinar as we look under the hood into how to position crypto-related businesses for success in the communication world.

Our experts will explore the current communications environment and share best practices for all communicators no matter which audience you are trying to reach. We'll discuss how to develop messaging strategies for all stakeholder groups, while maintaining the integrity of the brand's position.  

Phil Gomes’ career in the communications field is characterized by his passionate interest in technology, media, and emerging forms of communication. His approach uniquely blends the philosophies of open-source and hacker culture with best-practices in corporate communication.

Phil leads communications and marketing at Bloq, a leader in blockchain infrastructure and applications. This includes responsibility for the corporate brand and Bloq's myriad spinoffs: Vesper, Titan, Atmos, Capsule, Metronome, Lumerin, and others. 

Prior to joining Bloq in 2018, Phil was a senior vice president at Edelman and, ultimately, the leader of its global blockchain center-of-excellence. During his thirteen-year tenure, he guided the world's largest communications firm's initial explorations across two generational technology shifts: social media and blockchain technology. Phil also developed a world-class employee development program, built a well-regarded certification system, managed numerous online crises, wrote global online behavior policies, tried his damnedest to fix the PR trade's relationship with Wikipedia, and focused on anticipating the unexpected in a trade that values predictability more than it would like to admit.

In his near-decade in Silicon Valley prior to Edelman, Phil worked with startups and enterprise companies alike. His work helped guide clients to win the Technology Pioneers Programme Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Twice.

Known for industry “firsts,” Phil is widely considered to be the first PR professional to start a blog (2001) and the first to describe and demonstrate the value of blockchain technology in communications (2015).

Sarah is a well-rounded professional with an expansive background in sales, education, networking, and cultivating exceptional experiences for clients. In her role as a Senior Associate at KCD PR, she builds meaningful relationships with clients, produces written content for blogs, social media, and contributed pieces for both the company and clients, and creates lasting connections between clients and media members. She is a people person at her core, and values her ability to bring people together in meaningful ways as one of her best professional qualities.  

Prior to joining KCD PR, Sarah managed large-scale events and outside sales for a restaurant management group and assisted in training and developing new staff at all levels, which is where her love of constructing the very best client experiences came from.  

Sarah received her B.A. in English and Comparative Literature from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Master of Arts in Teaching English and Language Arts at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 

Saad is a Director at YAP Global, overseeing the successful delivery of client communications programmes and providing strategic counsel that creates tangible business outcomes for his clients.

Before joining YAP Global, Saad spent most of his career at award-winning PR agency, Brands2Life, where he helped to run the PR strategy for a wide range of technology companies including B2B campaigns for Vodafone and B2C campaigns for Dell Technologies.

Saad has been fascinated by cryptocurrencies and blockchains since he first discovered the space in 2016 and has been hooked by the way blockchain technology is changing how value of all kinds can be moved in the digital realm.

What excites Saad most about the space is the way cutting-edge concepts like Zero Knowledge proofs will help blockchains scale and change the way we think about privacy on the internet.

Joyce@ACJR

Events