Virginia Heffernan

In her keynotes, Virginia Heffernan discusses issues related to emerging online media. She points out that many widespread notions about Internet culture, digital publishing and online life in general are lacking in perspective and focus; in doing so, she also reveals many overlooked opportunities that the Internet affords.

By trade, Heffernan is a journalist. Prior to assuming her current post as a national correspondent for Yahoo! News, she was a contributor to the New York Times, writing about digital and pop culture in the Opinion section. She was also well known as a columnist for The New York Times Magazine, writing as 'The Medium.' The Columbia Journalism Review named Heffernan among its 'Ten Editors to Watch' in 2002 -- a premonition that has since then been validated.

Aside from her journalism career, Heffernan has plied her hand at screenwriting. She won an Emmy for her screenwriting for the MTV documentary on the murder of Mathew Sheppard, titled simply 'Mathew's Murder.' In both her journalistic work and her keynotes, Virginia Heffernan articulates her perspectives with clarity and thoughtfulness.