The Journalism Salute: Recent Episodes
Mark Simon
The Journalism Salute is a journalism appreciation podcast. We interview journalists about who they are and what they do.
The goal is to show that journalism is a great profession, that journalists are not the enemy, and that there are many great careers an aspiring journalist can pursue.
Our goal is to be diverse, thoughtful, and interesting.
Find us at our website or on Twitter and e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com
On The Journalism Salute we talk to journalists about who they are and what they do with the intent of showing that journalists are not the enemy of the people.
On this episode we're joined by Babette Hogan and Julie Eisenberg. They are the filmmakers behind Running for the Mountains, a new documentary film about environmental policies and politics and the fight between activists and politicians about this issue in West Virginia. It's available on Amazon Prime and also, if you have a library card, on Kanopy.
Babette and Julie talked about the process by which they made their movie, which took 15 years to complete. They explained why they made the movie, how – as outsiders – they gained the trust of West Virginians, and shared some of the adventures they had along the way (including an arrest.
Babette and Julie's salutes: Chris Hayes of MS Now, Gasland director Josh Fox, and the movie Knock Down the House, as well as photojournalists Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, and Sebastião Salgado.
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,
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Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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On this episode we're joined by A'lauren Gilchrist. A'lauren is a senior at Norfolk State University, an HBCU in Norfolk, Virginia. She is also the student representative at the National Association of Black Journalists, NABJ.
A'lauren's experience includes an internship with WAVY 10 News and we talked about the different things she learned, including the importance of having Black voices in the newsroom and in pitch meetings. She also shared the goals she has in her position with NABJ and the work she's done as a student newspaper editor and an intern with Historically Black Since.
At the end of the episode, we'll hear an update from Urban Assembly Gateway School journalism club advisor Anita Pinto about what her students have been working on in the past month. We originally interviewed Anita in September.
A'lauren's salutes: Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals and its president Eugene Daniel, and her mentors April Woodard of WTKR, and Aesia Toliver of WAVY 10.
Article summarizing her internship:
https://www.wavy.com/blogs/intern-blog/wavys-fire-intern-from-smoke-filled-scenes-to-broadcast-success/
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social
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On this episode we're joined by Maryam Jameel. Maryam is a graduate of Northwestern and an engagement reporter for ProPublica focused on workers' rights, occupational safety, immigration, and the federal government.
Being an engagement reporter means both connecting with your audience and connecting with sources and Marayam is working on a campaign featuring ads on D.C. Metro cars encouraging federal workers to share their stories.
This follows a campaign that ProPublica did with a truck traveling around Washington D.C. also encouraging workers to call.
We talk to her about writing, innovative ways of sourcing, the challenges of ethical reporting, and her approach to stories.
Maryam's salute: Reporters covering the war and genocide in Gaza
Helpful links:
More on the way ProPublica is finding sources
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/03/propublica-wanted-to-find-more-sources-in-the-federal-government-so-it-brought-a-truck/
Our interview with her reporting colleague, Melissa Sanchez
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/melissa-sanchez-pro-publica/id1526063503?i=1000615807775
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social
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On this episode we're joined by Joe Coughlin. Joe is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Record - North Shore, a non-profit newsroom serving Chicago's North Shore suburbs.
Joe has 20 years in the journalism industry to draw upon. The Record and The Journalism Salute started at around the same time. In fact, Joe reached out to me not long after he started to tell me what he was doing. I said – I'll talk to you eventually. Eventually is now – 5 years later!
Joe talked about why he has such a passion for local news, how he started and manages a small, local, award-winning non-profit and how it has been able to survive. He also provided examples of the kind of stories that work and why he thinks sports is so important to local news coverage.
Joe's salute: Block Club Chicago
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
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On this episode we're joined by Nicole Lewis. Nicole is the engagement editor for The Marshall Project, leading the organization’s strategic efforts to deepen reporting that reaches communities most affected by the criminal legal system. She also leads certain investigative reporting projects.
The Marshall Project is a non-profit nonpartisan newsroom covering America's criminal justice system with the belief that the system is broken and needs reform.
We talked to Nicole about both her purpose as a journalist and The Marshall Project's purpose as an organization. She provided examples of stories she's worked on, everything from 'as-told-to' pieces with incarcerated people dealing with pregnancy issues to lawmakers' response to a supposed shoplifting crisis, to a massive survey of those incarcerated about the 2024 election (which featured a surprising level of support for Donald Trump).
Nicole's salutes: Outlier Media and New York Magazine
Related interviews on this podcast:
Trina Reynolds-Tyler & Sarah Conway (Invisible Institute)
Justin Baxley, More Than A Number
Erin Perry, Outlier Media
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social
Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com
On this episode we're joined by Ishan Thakore. Ishan is a climate and environmental reporter for Colorado Public Radio. He previously worked as a researcher, fact checker and field associate producer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, a show that ran on TBS that used comedy to tell and analyze news stories.
We talked to Ishan about both jobs. He discussed his responsibilities on Full Frontal, the kinds of stories he did, the process that went into producing them, and why comedy was an effective storytelling tool.
He also explained his current beat and how almost every story has a climate and environmental aspect to it, and he shared what it's like to work in public radio right now.
Ishan's website
https://www.ishanthakore.com/
Lumpkin or Leave It (Full Frontal)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL1EyLolFUk
Trump Administration Canceling Funding
https://www.cpr.org/2025/07/10/trump-cancels-millions-agriculture-funding/
Ishan's salutes: The Committee to Protect Journalists and The Society for Environmental Journalists
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social
Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com
On The Journalism Salute we talk to journalists about who they are and what they do, with the intent of showing that journalists are not the enemy of the people.
On this episode, we're joined by Rick Goldsmith. Rick is a 2-time Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker. His most recent film, Stripped For Parts, American Journalism On The Brink is streaming on PBS.com through the end of 2025 and is scheduled for airing on many local PBS stations on October 20.
We talked to Rick both about the movie and how he made it. We explored why Alden Global Capital is so dangerous and what people are doing to fight back against them. Rick also provided advice for aspiring documentary filmmakers.
And then (35:29) we checked in with Anita Pinto, speech therapist and student newspaper advisor at Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology in New York City, who shared the growing success of the school's second-year newspaper.
Here's a link to Anita's appearance on the podcast a month ago
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anita-pinto-speech-therapist-journalism-club-advisor/id1526063503?i=1000727283749
Rick's salutes: The documentaries No Other Landand Love + War
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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On this episode we're joined by Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez. He is a political science and philosophy student at the University of Texas at Dallas. He's the editor-in-chief of The Retrograde, a student newspaper that operates independent of school administration.
He previously was editor-in-chief of The Mercury, which was the campus newspaper that received funding from the school, until school administration took an extremely hostile position towards the paper and local media, leading to a series of events discussed in this episode.
Gregorio talked about his journalism interest (he took an atypical path to it) and described what he and his staff have been through.
You can learn more about Gregorio and his colleagues in these articles
https://www.keranews.org/education/2024-09-18/ut-dallas-mercury-student-newspaper-strike-eic-fired
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/ut-dallas-newspaper-ban-is-another-blow-to-freedom-on-campus-23056264
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/education/schools/ut-dallas-student-newspaper-student-groups-sue-to-block-texas-law-used-to-suppress-student-protest
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here,
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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Hi everyone - Wanted to alert you to another journalism podcast that you might enjoy listening to. This is a recent episode of Small Press, Big Ideas hosted by Paul Gewuerz, who owns and runs a company that produces podcasts for news organizations. It's a podcast about the business of local news and community journalism.
Today Paul sits down with Matthew Watkins, Editor-in-Chief of The Texas Tribune, for a conversation on nonprofit journalism, civic engagement, and navigating polarization in today’s media environment. Matthew shares his journey from local Texas reporting to leading one of the nation's premier nonprofit newsrooms, and offers candid insights into what makes The Tribune unique, from its funding model and newsroom culture to its commitment to transparency and nonpartisanship.
If you like it, be sure to follow it on Apple or at LocalPod.co - we'll be back with a new episode of The Journalism Salute next Tuesday.
On this episode, we're joined by Laura Kebede-Twumasi. Laura is a journalist and public historian based in Virginia. She has formerly been a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and an education reporter at Chalkbeat.
From 2022 to 2025 she was a journalist in residence (and professor) at the University of Memphis, where she got her masters, and the Institute for Public Service Reporting. During that time she launched Civil Wrongs, a podcast and series of articles investigating lynchings, deaths related to Civil Rights work and racially-motivated massacres. It spans 21 episodes (so far) and was a collaborative effort with students in social justice classes she taught.
She is a 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri and lists her job as Professional Listener.
She was recommended by our recent guest, another journalist-historian, Logan Jaffe.
Laura's salute: Cardinal News
You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, and you can find the one for this episode here.
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On this episode we're joined by Ana Valdez. Ana is a multimedia journalist for KWCH-12 TV in Wichita, Kansas. Ana, a native of Bolivia, describes herself as dedicated to sharing bilingual stories, believing that journalism should create impact and that language should be a bridge, not a barrier.
Ana shared her career path and gave examples of her work ranging from covering immigration and other political issues in Kansas to local news like the birth of a hippo or a local pinball league. She had advice for aspiring journalists, applicable given that she was one herself not long ago (she's a graduate of Emporia State and CUNY-Newmark).
Story example:
https://www.kwch.com/2025/07/26/wichita-schools-reassure-families-immigration-concerns-rise/
Ana's salutes: The National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Leila Medina of the New York Times, and Charlie Spicer of the Committee to Protect Journalists (who recommended Ana for this episode).
You can find our episode guides for teachers and professors here
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this special edition of The Journalism Salute, we talk to Anita Pinto, a speech therapist for Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology, a high school in Manhattan in which she started a journalism club last year.
Anita is going to check in with us once a month to let us know how her club is doing, the challenges the students face, and the things they learn. We thank the non-profit Press Pass NYC for connecting us with her. Press Pass is supporting the efforts of Anita and other journalism educators starting new programs throughout New York City.
In this episode, Anita introduced us to her school and club and explained why she started the program. She shared what Year 1 was like and what her expectations are for Year 2. Look for more updates from Anita throughout the school year.
School Newspaper: The Gateway Times
Anita's salute: Kevin Benoit, founder Parlé Magazine
You can find our episode guides for teachers and professors here
Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Cara Kuhlman. Cara is the director of digital strategy and products for KNKX Public Radio in Seattle. She is also the founder of Future Tides, which provides news for people who work, play, and live on the Pacific Northwest's waterways.
I'm interested in that in particular because Cara is doing some clever things to engage with her readership, including using her expertise to give tours to local residents.
Cara talked about how she started this project from scratch and how she's built it over the last few years. She spoke about what she's done with her tours and how she's planning to help others who want to give tours to their community. She also shared the organizations that have been helpful to her, which includes a program at CUNY-Newmark, Lion Publishers, and Tiny News Collective.
Cara's salute: Monica Nickelsburg, KUOW-FM reporter
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On this episode we're joined by Elisha Brown. Elisha is the Reproductive Rights Today Newsletter for the non-profit States Newsroom. She's based in Durham, North Carolina and is a 2017 graduate of American University in Washington D.C. She worked for some prominent newsrooms prior to her current job, including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast.
Elisha talked about those jobs and her current work. She gave examples of the type of stories she covers and explained the other things that go into producing the newsletter. She shared how the coverage of this issue goes well beyond just covering abortion.
Elisha's salute: The 19th
Examples of her writing:
Texas man sues California doctor over mailing abortion pills
Baby bonds economist says so-called Trump accounts ‘co-opted a good idea’
What top IVF advocates want from the White House fertility care plan
Momnibus Act aims to improve maternal health nationally despite budget cuts
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On this episode we're joined by a great longform feature writer, John Glionna. John is a longtime journalist – older than most of our guests (he's in his 60s). He spent 35 years in newspapers including 26 at the Los Angeles Times. He's been based in different places around the world, including Seoul, South Korea and Las Vegas.
This interview is intended to pick John's brain on what goes into writing features about some of the most interesting and unusual people you'll ever encounter. We discuss several of his past features, which are excerpted in his new book, Rebels and Outliers, Real Stories of the American West. There are a lot of good lessons for aspiring journalists on everything from writing ledes to what can be gained from reading your work aloud.
John's blog: https://www.johnglionna.com/blog
Article examples:
The Bridge Jumper –
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-may-23-me-jumper23-story.html
The Lonesome Phone Booth
https://www.mediafire.com/file/xnr8uqryadrdt3b/19960223_OC_Register_Lonesome_Phone_has_the_ring_of_a_Desert_Landmark.pdf/file
John's salute: The current staff of the Los Angeles Times
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On this episode we're joined by Laura Robertson. Laura just completed a stint as a writer for The Nome Nugget – that's Nome as in Nome, Alaska – and the Nugget is an award-winning weekly that serves a population of 3,700 in western Alaska. It is Alaska's oldest newspaper. She is a graduate of Princeton University.
As she prepares to start a new job she talked about her experience both with the Nugget and in freelance writing. She shared examples of stories she's written (including an award-winning piece before going to Nome). She described what Nome is like and what kind of stories she covered.
She also had some profound observations about what it's like to be an early-career journalist in 2025.
Article examples
New York Press Club award-winning piece
https://nysfocus.com/2024/07/18/primecare-private-medical-contractor-jail-deaths
Gold mining story
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qvSugUUYYa6gUnJ6BrexfoSpzrxt9jiW/view
Laura can sing too - jazz and opera
Laura's salutes: Laurelai Ivanoff High Country News; Anna Lionis, Diana Haecker, and Nils Hahn of The Nome Nugget
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On this episode, we're joined by Logan Jaffe. Logan is based in Chicago and is a reporter for ProPublica focusing on newsletters. She's been there for 8 years and her work often centers on using historical research to tell stories about the present. She is a 2011 grad of the University of Florida and is pursuing a masters in public/applied history from Loyola, Chicago.
Logan recently wrote about the floods in Kerr County, Texas, and how oral histories existed that refuted the idea that you couldn't have predicted such an event would happen there. Other examples of things she's written in other jobs include researching the murder of a Black baseball manager in the 1920s to provide answers to his descendants, and telling the story of her experience with racist household objects.
Logan talked about how she does her work and why history is so important to her.
Logan's salute: Laura Kebede-Twumasi, public historian
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On this episode, we're joined by Bryan Vance.
Bryan is the founder of Stumptown Savings, a newsletter and website that helps the people of Portland Oregon shop for food smarter. This is a chance for us to talk about creator-model journalism and service journalism.
Bryan talked about the motivation for starting Stumptown Savings (a combination of a Nieman Lab article and getting laid off), what he aims to offer his readers, the creator-model as a way of producing journalism, and much more.
Story examples
https://stumptownsavings.com/p/grocery-price-stress-portland-oregon-community-solutions
https://stumptownsavings.com/p/portland-oregon-grocery-deals-july-31-aug-5-hatch-chile-verde
Bryan's salute: Copper and Heat Podcast
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On this episode we're joined by Jai Smith. Jai is the founder and editor-in-chief of Lehigh Daily. Lehigh Daily is a hyperlocal newsroom covering my community- the Lehigh Valley part of Pennsylvania. It has a presence not just as a website but as an Instagram account with 24,000 followers and a TikTok with 28,000 followers. And it's just over a year old.
Jai explained why he started the newsroom, how he and a small staff pursue stories and videos, and what he hopes this project will eventually become.
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On this episode we're joined by Veda Thangudu. Veda will be a sophomore biology major at Purdue this fall.
Veda is a part of the Youth Environmental Press Team (YEPT), an organization whose goal is to elevate the voices of middle school, high school, and college journalists writing about the environment and the climate crisis. The program exists in 7 states. Students are paid to participate.
Veda has been a writer and is a director, so she helps run the program. She's been with them for 4 years under the mentorship of former journalist Jim Poyser.
Veda explained how YEPT works, shared examples of the stories she writes and described how she mentors other student writers.
Examples of Veda's stories can be found here
https://www.yept.org/latest-stories/youth-involvement-in-environmental-protection?rq=veda
https://www.yept.org/latest-stories/willow-project-approved-striking-controversies?rq=veda
For more on YEPT, visit http://www.yept.org/
Veda's salute: Covering Climate Now
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On this episode we're joined by Angilee Shah. Angilee is the CEO and editor-in-chief of Charlottesville Tomorrow, a non-profit newsroom in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A couple of years ago we interviewed someone from that newsroom, Erin O'Hare, in an interview that I've cited in every presentation I've done to students since. So I thought it would be good to talk to someone else from this organization.
Angilee is a thought leader in the industry (definitely worth a follow on LinkedIn) who has 20 years of journalism experience. She's a grad of Cal-Berkeley, class of 2004.
In our discussion, she talked about her introduction to journalism,, what it was like to work for The World, covering international news, and why she transitioned to local news. She explained how her organization covers the area and connects with the local community. And she offered advice for aspiring journalists ("embrace the struggle").
Work examples
Charlottesville's Housing Resource Guide
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/charlottesville-and-albemarle-county-housing-resources-guide/
Yogaville's Toxic Work Environment
https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/she-left-yogaville-because-of-its-toxic-environment-but-wants-to-keep-telling-the-stories-of-survivors/
What Reporters Get Wrong About Immigration
https://www.angileeshah.com/2018/10/14/covering-immigration-what-reporters-get-wrong-and-how-to-get-it-right/
Angilee's Salute: Documented (immigration news website)
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On this episode we're joined by Hanaa' Tameez. Hanaa' is a staff writer for Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard University. Hanaa' and Nieman report on the future of journalism. She previously worked for the Fort Worth Star Telegram as its diversity reporter (one example here). Hanaa is a 2016 graduate of Stony Brook University, where she was editor in chief of the school paper. She has a masters in Spanish language journalism from CUNY Newmark Graduate School. She is Pakistani-American and speaks 3 languages.
Hanaa' talked about the types of stories she covers, everything from author Q&A's to clever ways newsrooms use language to teach climate policy, to the development of a news aggregator/dating app. She shared the challenges of working in the industry and how taking a class on the business of news changed her perspective for the better.
Her biggest piece of advice to future journos: read about developments in the industry!
Hanaa's salute: Journalists everywhere who are putting the public's right to know above their own safety.
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by José Ignacio Castañeda Perez. He's a reporter for Spotlight Delaware, a local independent journalism non-profit. He's been there for the last year and a half. Previously he covered border issues for the The Arizona Republic and Underserved Communities for The Wilmington Delaware News Journal. He's specializing in reporting on immigration in Delaware. He's a graduate of Arizona State and is a recent recipient of The Chauncey Bailey Fellowship, for which he'll be doing an investigative project.
José talked about all that covering immigration entails, the kind of stories that Spotlight Delaware pursues and how those stories are presented to their audience. He also shared advice for aspiring reporters and provided insights into some of the tough realities of the job.
José's salute: Migrant Insider
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On this episode, Mark Simon speaks to Marcela García, associate editor and columnist for the op-ed page at The Boston Globe.
Marcela often writes about Latinx communities in Boston including in a newsletter she launched, ¡Mira!, that is written in English and Spanish. She also writes some of the Globe's unsigned editorials.
For that, she and two of her colleagues were finalists for this year's Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing. As the Pulitzer board noted "For their politically courageous and deeply reported editorials on how Boston can humanely and effectively close underutilized schools in ways that improve student learning."
We talked to Marcela about the series, the work that goes into reporting and writing, and her advice for students with aspirations of writing op-eds and editorials. If you like the former podcast, Longform, I think you'll enjoy this episode.
Link to the Pulitzer series: https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/22653
Marcela's salutes: New Bedford Light and Texas Tribune
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On The Journalism Salute we interview journalists about who they are and what they do with the intent of showing that journalists are not the enemy. Today we're joined by Alan Tai. Alan just won the Journalism Education Association's Student Journalist of the Year award as a senior at Monta Vista High School in California.
Alan talked about his experiences on the student newspaper, El Estoque as an editor-in-chief and also as a writer of features and op-eds. He explained what the school's journalism program is like and how it successfully deals with school administration. He also shared lessons he learned and offered tips to guide future editors-in-chief.
This is the 4th straight year we've interviewed the national winner of that award, the first of them was Anushka De, also from Monta Vista High School.
Alan's salutes: The Journalism Education Association, Student Press Law Center, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, and The News Literacy Project.
Story examples:
Feature on local residents who were military veterans
https://elestoque.org/2022/11/11/features/american-heroes/
Cheat GPT: Is It Time To Kill The Essay?
https://elestoque.org/2023/03/21/opinion/cheatgpt-is-it-time-to-kill-the-essay/
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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On this episode we're joined by Alexandra Lange. She is a journalist, design critic, author and teacher. She was recently named the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner in criticism for a series of pieces at Bloomberg CityLab about designing cities for families. The judges wrote:
For graceful and genre-expanding writing about public spaces for families, deftly using interviews, observations and analysis to consider the architectural components that allow children and communities to thrive.
Her portfolio encompassed 7 pieces in all, spaced out from March to December of 2024. You can find the stories here:
https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/22649
Alexandra shared her approach to writing these stories, providing multiple examples of the choices she made at different points along the way. She also spoke about the evolution of architectural criticism and how her writing is similar to that which you would see in op-ed pieces written at the high school, college, or professional level.
Alexandra's salutes: Critical Minded and also journalism unions
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ayaan Shah. He's the Pennsylvania Student Journalist of the Year and newly graduated from Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Ayaan and I live in the same county- Lehigh County.
Ayaan talked about his journalism interests. He shared the story of covering Joe Biden's appearance in his town and one interview from that experience that stood out. He also told the story of another highlight, covering governor Josh Shapiro's press conference at his school.
Ayaan explained the work he did as editor-in-chief of his school newspaper, The Stingerand what it was like to be a teaching assistant for a journalism class.
Ayaan's salutes: Emmaus teachers/advisors Shelby Ramirez, Denise Freeman, and Matthew Shaw, and journalist Mehdi Hasan.
Articles
Biden protest coverage
https://stingerehs.com/17358/news/biden-visits-emmaus-encounters-protestors/
Shapiro press conference
https://stingerehs.com/17650/news/pennsylvania-governor-josh-shapiro-visits-emmaus-high-school-to-promote-new-education-budget/
Pro-Palestinian Protests
https://stingerehs.com/17254/features/lehigh-valley-pro-palestinian-movement-echoes-national-trends/
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode, we're joined by Justin Baxley. Justin is a journalist based in the south who just completed 3 years working as a digital content manager for 13 WMAZ in Macon, Georgia.
He is in the process of transitioning to a new journalism job, but we wanted to talk to him now at the suggestion of Kristen Hare, our recent guest from the Poynter Institute.
Justin's father Michael was killed in 2017 in what is believed to be a robbery (multiple arrests were made just this February). Justin went through the experience of grieving his father while having to deal with probes from many different media outlets.
To give families of victims more control, Justin created the More Than A Number website, whose purpose is "To honor lives lost to violent crime, support their loved ones and promote more empathetic journalism."
The project, done as part of a Poynter fellowship, won a national journalism innovation award.
We talked to Justin about that project and other notable accomplishments from his journalism career.
Justin's salutes: Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News; Kati Kokal, WUWM-Milwaukee.
More Than A Number Website
https://www.13wmaz.com/more-than-a-number
More Than A Number YouTube link
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc8Ny6J4NZVlbJaWRYVdNiXwDmk6IC3Zc
Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Roberto Camacho. Roberto is Chicano (an American of Mexican heritage), a freelance journalist who often writes about issues impacting local immigrants, especially Chicanos but touches on other subjects too, like hip hop culture. He is based in San Diego and is a 2017 graduate of Arizona State University.
Roberto talked about life as a freelancer, connecting with communities that haven't had good relationships with American journalists in the past, and how he looks for stories about groups that are closest to the harm that's being done. He also shared examples of his writing about groups protecting undocumented people from ICE, pollution in local neighborhoods, and hip hop.
Story examples
Protecting Immigrants from Ice
https://boltsmag.org/how-volunteer-patrols-are-working-to-protect-san-diego-immigrant-communities-from-ice/
Port Communities Long Fight Against Industrial Pollution Emissions Impact
https://nextcity.org/features/san-diego-port-communities-long-fight-industrial-pollution-emissions-impact
Neighborhood Kids Bring Revolutionary Message To Hip Hop
https://www.calonews.com/featured-topics/culture/the-neighborhood-kids-bring-revolutionary-messages-back-to-hip-hop/article_39a80635-98a3-494b-987b-694e20336338.html
Group Documenting Latino People Killed By Police
https://www.palabranahj.org/archive/the-heavy-toll
Roberto's salutes: Ruben Salazar, Shaun King, Brandon Loran Maxwell, Aysha Khan, Abraham Marquez, Ben Camacho, Jeremiah Cothren and all the journalists in Gaza.
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
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On this episode we're joined by Mollie Simon. Mollie has been a research reporter for ProPublica for the last 5 years, working oftentimes behind the scenes on stories such as ones we've talked to past guests about. She's also been a newspaper reporter in South Carolina and a data researcher for LegiStorm.
She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with dual degrees in public affairs journalism and political science.
Mollie talked about the skills needed to be a researcher and work behind-the-scenes on stories and projects. She also provided examples of the types of stories she's worked on, including one about a homebuying franchise that was using inappropriate methods to take advantage of seller desperation.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
Story example
"The ugly truth behind We Buy Ugly Houses"
https://www.propublica.org/article/ugly-truth-behind-we-buy-ugly-houses
Mollie's salutes: Specialty team members, copy editors, newsroom lawyers, newspapers that invest in investigative reporting, and journalism "ex-pats."
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On this episode, we're joined by Tara García Mathewson. Tara is a bilingual reporter covering the intersection of education and technology, particularly the harms within them, both on a national and state level for The Markup and CalMatters.
The Markup is a non-profit newsroom that challenges technology to serve the public good. A motto often within its stories is 'report deeply and fix things.' Its stories combine news reporting and data analysis and 'The Markup Method' means they show their work.
CalMatters is a non-partisan and non-profit news organization covering California policies and politics to make the government more transparent and accountable.
Tara talked about her experience covering artificial intelligence, technological surveillance, and digital censorship in education and the work that went into specific stories. She also spoke about the benefit of getting a background in newspaper reporting before working for non-profit journalism outlets.
At the end of the episode, we were joined by Chris Daggett, interim executive director of the New Jersey Information Consortium, which provides funding to online news outlets and students interested in studying journalism. Chris talked about potential budget cuts that would jeopardize what the organization is able to do. You can learn more about it and what you can do to help here.
https://njcivicinfo.org/
Work examples:
Digital Book Banning
https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites
Technological surveillance
https://themarkup.org/machine-learning/2023/11/30/he-wanted-privacy-his-college-gave-him-none
Artificial intelligence
https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2025/03/school-counselors-ai-chatbots/
Tara's salutes: The 74, Caitlin Dickerson (The Atlantic), Hannah Dreier (New York Times)
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Daniel Newman. Daniel is a digital content producer for Cleveland Jewish News in Cleveland Ohio. He's an early-career journalist who also spent a year as a news reporter for the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, Ohio. He's a native of Youngstown, Ohio and a 2023 graduate of Cleveland State University, where he spent a year as news editor of the student newspaper.
Daniel discussed his upbringing and multi-layered racial religious background and what he's enjoying about working for a Jewish media outlet. He walked us through the different elements of his job, gave examples of what he's covered, and shared several other interests he has.
Work example: Cleveland Museum of Natural History Transformation
Daniel's salute: Chris McBride, Tribune-Chronicle
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Miranda Green. Miranda is a freelance investigative reporter based in Los Angeles. She was the director of investigations at Floodlight news covering corporations and political interests stalling climate action.
She's also previously worked for Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Decode DC, CNN, the Hill, and Huffington Post. She's a graduate of George Washington University.
I became interested in talking to Miranda after I found stories she wrote about a specific way in which misinformation about climate science is spreading.
We spent much of the episode discussing how she reported on those stories, how those are both individual stories and also a problem for the journalism industry, and advice she has on covering one story that may lead to many more stories.
Examples of coverage:
Chevron owns a newspaper
https://mirandacgreen.com/chevron-owns-this-citys-news-site-many-stories-arent-told-2/
The North Dakota "newspaper" and a Greenpeace lawsuit
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/03/a-pipeline-company-is-suing-greenpeace-for-300-million-a-pay-to-play-newspaper-is-accused-of-tainting-the-jury-pool/
How an Alabama utility wields influence by financing news
https://mirandacgreen.com/control-the-narrative-how-an-alabama-utility-wields-influence-by-financing-news/
Miranda's salute: Byron Tau, investigative reporter, AP
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On our 221st episode, we're joined by Kristen Hare. Kristen is Poynter Institute's director of craft and local news. She teaches local journalists the skills they need to serve and cover their communities. Previously she covered the people of business and local news for Poynter. She's based near Tampa, Florida.
We covered a wide range of topics with Kristen, including what local news looks like in 2025, tips she has for maximizing local news coverage, and how she views the work of college students helping local news thrive and the role of newsletters in covering local news.
And she talked about one of her passions- obituary writing (our first obituaries discussion!).
Kristen's salute: Justin Baxley, WMAZ
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Evan Urquhart. Evan covers anti-transgender propaganda and transgender news issues for Assigned Media (AssignedMedia.org), an organization he founded. He is also the community manager for Slate's comments section and is a freelance writer with many prominent bylines. And he's currently doing a Knight science writing fellowship at MIT.
We interviewed Evan, who is transgender, on Trans Day of Visibility (March 31)
Evan talked about why he started Assigned Media and the kind of stories it covers. He discussed covering news and writing personal essays. He also explained the kinds of things that mainstream media, like the New York Times, gets wrong when covering transgender issues and the kind of stories that are currently getting overlooked, with all the attention given to whether transgender women should play high school and college sports.
Evan's salute: The Trans Journalist Association
Coverage examples:
Stories about the New York Times and its mistakes
https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/you-betrayed-us-azeen-parents-of-trans-youth-reeling-after-speaking-to-the-nyt
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Lizzy Lawrence. Lizzy covers the Food and Drug Administration for STAT News, a subscription-based part of Boston Globe's media newsroom owned by the Boston Globe that covers the frontiers of health and medicine.
As they say- "We take you inside the science labs and hospitals, biotech boardrooms, and political backrooms. We dissect crucial discoveries. We examine controversies and puncture hype. We hold individuals and institutions accountable. We introduce you to the power brokers and personalities who are driving a revolution in human health."
Lizzy has been with them for 2 1/2 years and she's been part of stories that have won prominent awards. She's previously covered technology and was editor-in-chief of the University of Michigan's student newspaper. And she's a graduate of my alma mater, Stuyvesant High School in New York City.
Lizzy talked about what it's like to cover both breaking news, like the mass firing of thousands of people at the FDA and bigger enterprise stories, like the team coverage on United Healthcare that won a Polk Award for investigative journalism. She shared the biggest lessons she learned and what she feels she's taken from being a journalist.
Lizzy's salute: The Association of Health Care Journalists
A detailed interview explaining STAT's coverage of United Healthcare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0VJGEv5IGw
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode we're joined by Lola Claire. Lola is a student at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas and the editor in chief of Hilltop Views, the student newspaper there. Lola is also the chair of the Title IX Student Advisory Board at the school.
Lola is from southern Louisiana. She caught my attention because of something she's working on. Hilltop Views has a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network for its mental health reporting and she spoke about that at the College Media Association national convention.
Lola talked about how her love of writing led her to journalism, how her small student staff is able to accomplish a lot, what it's like to be an editor-in-chief, what the newspaper is doing with their solutions journalism initiative, and what it's like to do theatre reviews.
Work examples
Review of Macbeth
https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/29916/life-and-arts-art/review-mary-moody-northen-theatres-production-of-macbeth-takes-the-crown/
Op-ed about Elon Musk
https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/26293/viewpoints/opinion-elon-musks-vision-for-uncensored-speech-invites-bigotry-contention/
Example of solutions journalism
https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/30961/viewpoints/solutions-opinion-new-yorks-solution-to-traffic-deserves-consideration-in-texas/
Lola's salutes: The Austin Chronicle and Hilltop Views adviser Curt Yowell.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode, we're joined by Denise Watson. Denise is an editor at WHRO Public Media in Norfolk, Virginia. For more than 30 years she was an award-winning writer and features and education editor for the Virginian-Pilot. She often writes about race and history.
Additionally, she is a journalist in residence at William & Mary, teaching a masterclass there. And she is a fellow at the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.
Denise shared many lessons that she applied to her work, including what it means to "vacuum a scene," how to interview people about their past, and how to do research for a story about a prominent historical event, local or otherwise. She also shared what her classes are like at William & Mary and explained why history is so important to her.
Story Links
Story about a woman's search for her Japanese grandfather who never returned from an internment camp during World War II
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r14mRphohLD9AIClzEqy4niITfD-txL43i563D3OYIE/edit?usp=sharing
17 Students Break Through Color Barrier (50th anniversary in Norfolk)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IPT1xhekYGl2SqV5Dm9kSoceCeOjsobGFdBNCPQTtgU/edit?usp=sharing
Denise's salutes: The Maynard Institute, Maria Carrillo, Kris Worrell
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode, we're joined by Leanne Yoon. Leanne is the co-editor in chief of the Jets Flyover, the student news website of Daegu International School in South Korea, where she's in her junior year.
Leanne also just started writing a column for Nutgraf News, a student journalism newsletter, and she founded High School Press Central, whose goal is to make student journalism accessible to all by connecting high school journalists across the world to share ideas, resources, and practices.
Leanne discussed her diverse living experiences and interests (which include music and public speaking), how she handles her leadership role, challenges related to press freedom limitations, and why she considers it important to leave a legacy.
Interested students can e-mail Leanne at hspresscentral@gmail.com
Notable Links
Jets Flyover
http://jetsflyover.com
High School Press Central
https://www.hspresscentral.com/
Her story about a notable fencer
https://jetsflyover.com/15488/features/under-the-mask-of-azul-rivera-a-young-fencers-leap-of-faith/
Her story about high school dropouts
https://jetsflyover.com/16503/features/high-school-dropouts-find-detours-in-purported-dead-ends/
Her co-authored story about deepfakes
https://jetsflyover.com/14471/opinions/unmasking-the-truths-of-stolen-faces/
Leanne's salutes: The staff at Jets Flyover, advisor Jefferson Lipsky, the American School in London, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode, we're joined by eight students who attended the College Media Association convention a series of mini-interviews that ran 2 to 3 minutes each. The students come from schools in Boston, Virginia, Ohio, and California
In these interviews we talked about some of their early-career highlights, important lessons they learned, and how being a journalist impacted them as a person.
Students interviewed and their salutes:
Maeve Bauer (VCU) – Virginia Walker, Woodgrove High School
Maren Halpin (Suffolk University) – practitioner in residence Charles St. Amand
Ranjini Shank (Ohio University) – Andrea Lewis, director of student media
Ava Jelepis (Ohio) – The staff of The New Political
Joseph Dimino (Suffolk) – Charles St. Ahmand
Michael Najarian (Suffolk) – former Suffolk Journal editors J.D. Conte and Jamie Taris
Brooklyn Leighton (Suffolk) – Shealagh Sullivan and Sally Rooney
Nikki Yunker (El Camino College) – Gary Kohatsu, Kate McLaughlin, Stephanie Frith
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On this episode we're joined by Nada Hassanein. Nada is a staff writer and health care reporter for Stateline, covering state policy decisions with a focus on inequities. She's been with them for a year and a half. She has previously covered social issues for the Tallahassee Democrat and was also USA Today's national environmental and health inequities reporter. She is a 2015 graduate of the University of Central Florida.
Stateline provides free coverage of health care, education, the environment, and other issues that shape lives. It was formerly part of The Pew Charitable Trusts and is now part of States Newsroom.
Nada shared how her background as a Middle Eastern North African immigrant influenced her path into journalism and her interest in representing diverse communities. She shared impactful stories such as interviewing Syrian refugee families and a comprehensive series on health deserts affecting minority mothers. She also talked about her writing process, how she gets impactful quotes, and her commitment to holding power accountable.
Nada's salute: Her colleagues at Stateline and also CPJ (The Committee to Protect Journalists)
Work examples
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/03/09/grateful-but-grieving-syrian-refugee-family-grapples-uprooting/99227598/
https://mainemorningstar.com/2024/04/22/census-change-will-lead-to-more-data-on-health-of-middle-eastern-north-african-people-in-us/
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/08/11/maternal-health-care-disparities-people-of-color-rural-america/10086706002/
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/08/11/rural-native-americans-suffer-lack-maternal-health-care-access/10084897002/
Our Interview with Sarah Spicer, CPJ
https://open.spotify.com/episode/50jyuAPi3oIUhpkQ4NyzQh?autoplay=true
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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It's Scholastic Journalism Week - On this episode we're joined by Del Ellerton. Del is a journalism teacher at Midtown High School, formerly Grady High School, in Atlanta, where he's also the school's track and field coach (he previously coached football too) for a school that has won a bunch of city and region championships.
Del is a Mississippi native whose experience includes 10 years as a journalist at places including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Bloomberg News and 22 years as a teacher. He's advised student media since 2008. Del is a grad of Grady himself as well as the University of Georgia College of Business with a masters in journalism from Columbia.
Del talked about becoming a teacher, how he teaches his classes, balancing teaching and coaching, and the stories his students report on.
Read the work of Del's students in The Southerner
https://thesoutherneronline.com/
Del's salutes:
William Raspberry, Byron Pitts, Robin Roberts, John Blake, Monica Kaufman Pearson, and Max Robinson
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In this episode, we're joined by Damaso Reyes. Damaso is both the executive and investigative editor at New York Amsterdam News, one of the oldest Black weeklies in the United States.
Damaso has nearly 30 years of experience in journalism. Last year, he won the National Association of Black Journalists Ida B Wells Award. That's given to someone providing distinguished leadership in increasing access and opportunities for Black journalists and improving the coverage of communities of color in American media.
Damaso discussed his early newspaper influences from growing up in Brooklyn, particularly in how he felt his neighborhood was not covered fairly. He shared his interest and history with photojournalism and international news coverage.
He also explained the formation of Amsterdam News' investigative unit, Blacklight, and talked about series he'd worked on related to the aftermath of gun violence and also to bail reform. He spoke about the challenges of covering the city and his desire to affect change.
Damaso's salute: Ida B. Wells and the NABJ.
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In this episode, we are joined by Jada Vassar, Human Resources Manager for the State News at Michigan State University and host of the award-winning podcast 'All Shades of Chocolate'.
Jada discussed her journey into journalism, the impact of her family and upbringing in Detroit, and her various roles at the State News, with an emphasis on her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and her current role, which she created. She also shared her experiences with the New York Times Student Corps, her internship at Planet Detroit, and her aspirations in journalism.
Jada highlighted the importance of representation and advocacy for marginalized communities and detailed her efforts to foster diversity and support within her newsroom.
Jada's salutes: Outlier Media, SaMya Overall, and Ida B. Wells
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
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On this episode, we're joined by Eda Uzunlar. Eda is the arts and culture reporter and a news anchor for WSHU Public Radio, an NPR affiliate in Connecticut that covers both that state and Long Island, New York.
Eda is a first generation Turkish-American who grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In addition to radio and print work, she's also done illustrations, graphics, and comics journalism. Eda is a graduate of Yale University
Eda talked about her having a curious nature from a very early age, as well as her early interest in radio. She explained the importance of being an emotive speaker in her reporting and anchoring work and someone who tries to make her stories as easy to understand as possible.
Eda also discussed how she manages her passions for print, audio, and illustrative journalism. She shared how she comes up with story ideas and how she relates to interview subjects.
Examples of her work
The local teen with a technology museum
https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2024-08-12/ct-teen-westport-tech-museum-historic-innovations
Illustrative piece on maternal health care challenges
https://wyofile.com/saras-story-one-womans-birthing-trials-underscores-broader-challenges/
The evil eye (nazar) and what it means in different cultures
https://www.instagram.com/washingtonpost/p/CyJUKOUMjMN/?img_index=4
Eda's salutes: Tennessee Watson (Wyofile) and Fatma Tanis and Jasmine Garsd (NPR)
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On this episode, we're joined by DorMiya Vance. DorMiya is a multimedia reporter for WABE, the NPR and PBS affiliate serving Atlanta, Georgia. She's been with them for almost 3 years.
DorMiya is a graduate of an HBCU, Fayetteville State University with a masters from Georgia State. She's part of Report for America, a non-profit that provides and helps pay the salaries of journalists at newsrooms across the country.
DorMiya talked about taking on a radio job without having experience in radio and how she learned what to do on the job. She gave examples of the reporting she did and explained how she gets her story ideas. And she talked about the value of both an HBCU education and of working with Report for America.
DorMiya's salutes: Journalists of Color at WABE (including Marlon Hyde, Julien Virgin, Rahul Bali, Jasmine Robinson) and also Ethel Payne, The First Lady of the Black Press
Story examples
Blighted properties in South Dekalb
https://www.wabe.org/whos-responsible-for-south-dekalbs-blighted-properties/
Atlanta's LGBTQ rappers and hip hop artists
https://www.wabe.org/queering-the-mic-lack-of-representation-in-hip-hop-creates-challenges-for-lgbtq-atlanta-rappers/
Atlanta's transgender basketball league
https://www.wabe.org/how-a-transgender-basketball-league-is-creating-space-for-trans-people-in-atlanta/
Black Women Mayor's Roundtable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS95Xnhdio4
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On this episode, we're joined by Katelyn Vue. Katelyn is a reporter for the non-profit newsroom Sahan Journal in Minnesota covering the immigration and housing beats. She's been with them for a little over 2 years. In 2024 she shared the Young Journalist of the Year award from the Minnesota branch of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Katelyn is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She's our 2nd Hmong guest to appear, joining tv news anchor Chenue Her.
Katelyn is a product of Report for America, a non-profit that helps pay the salaries of journalists across the country. Applications to join the next Report for America corps of reporters are due on February 3.
Katelyn talked about the importance of building trust with sources and recounted notable stories, including those on housing issues and different cultural communities. She also reflected on the challenges and rewards of her work, the impact of Report for America on her career, and the importance of maintaining mental health as a journalist.
Notable articles
You live day by day’: Language, cultural stigma add to barriers for unhoused Hmong
https://sahanjournal.com/housing/hmong-homeless-st-paul-minnesota-encampments
The funeral with 400 Whopper Juniors
https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/burger-king-whopper-jr-400-burgers-hmong-funeral/
The West Side Flats Displacement
https://sahanjournal.com/housing/st-paul-west-side-flats-displacement-report-apology-reparations/
Lebanese Community Response To Israeli Attacks
https://sahanjournal.com/immigration/lebanon-minnesota-community-response-israeli-attacks/
Katelyn's Salutes: Susan Du, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Chao Xiong, Sahan Journal
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On this episode, we're joined by Jennifer Berry Hawes. Jennifer is a reporter for the non-profit ProPublica focusing on criminal justice, religion, race, and the welfare of women and children in the southern part of the United States.
Prior to ProPublica, Jennifer was a longtime Watchdog and Public Service reporter for The Charleston Post and Courier. She was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for Public Service for a series about South Carolina's failure to protect women from domestic violence. She's won several other prominent awards. Her book- Grace Will Lead Us Home- about a mass shooting in a South Carolina church was published in 2019.
Jennifer discussed her work on stories about domestic violence, segregation academies, human trafficking, and the challenges of reporting on emotionally taxing topics, while emphasizing the importance of empathy, detailed storytelling, and teamwork in journalism.
This episode abounds with lessons for aspiring journalists in how to excel at longform reporting.
Jennifer's salute: Asheville Watchdog
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On this episode we're joined by student journalists Poojasai Kona and Nico Fischer. They are wrapping up their time as this season's hosts for On Our Minds: Election 2024, a podcast run by the PBS News Hour Student Reporting Labs. Poojasai is an 11th grader at Frisco High School in Texas. Nico is an 11th grader at Santa Clara High School in California.
You'll also hear from Christine Zirneklis, the organization's director of communication and partnerships and Briget Ganske, youth media producer and lead podcast producer for Student Reporting Labs.
The two students, who come from vastly different backgrounds, share insights into the skills they've gained from working on the podcast (particularly the importance of gaining self-confidence), the need for diverse youth perspectives in media, and stories of their triumphs and rejections. They also talk about balancing school and their outside activities and managing their mental health.
Christine and Briget share some background on the program, what is so impressive about the students who work on it, and how other students can get involved. Both students saluted Student Reporting Labs, as well as ...
Poojasai's salutes: Neha Madhira, New Voices
Nico's salutes: Amanda Vigil, digital producer and youth specialist at KQED Public Radio and Washington Post reporter Arelis Hernández
Notable Links
Where to find On Our Minds Election 2024 (select your app of choice)
https://studentreportinglabs.org/on-our-minds/
Teen Vogue article referenced by Nico about conspiracy theories aimed at Latino men
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/conspiracy-theories-young-latino-men-gaming-sports-sites
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On this episode, we're joined by Tony Bartelme. Tony is the senior projects reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier, for whom he has worked for 35 years. He's a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist with one designation in four different categories (explanatory, breaking, feature, and local reporting).
He's also the author of 4 books, most recently A Surgeon in the Village, an American Doctor Teaches Brain Surgery in Africa in 2017. And he's done other recent reporting in both Greenland and Africa as well, as relates to the origin of hurricanes that have hit South Carolina.
Tony shared how his reporting on hurricanes came together, how an Elvis impersonator helped him explain what happened as they watched glaciers met, what goes into writing cinematically, and how an angeltree played a pivotal role in his career. He also discussed the evolving mission of local newspapers amid current media dynamics.
Tony's salute: The Pulitzer Center
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On this episode we're joined by Diego Mendoza-Moyers. Diego is a reporter covering energy and the environment in western Texas for El Paso Matters for the last 2 years. He's previously worked for papers in San Antonio, Phoenix, and Albany N.Y. He's a graduate of Arizona State University.
El Paso Matters is a non-profit news website covering El Paso and the surrounding area in western Texas.
Diego discussed his approach to storytelling, how he sources his stories, and provided examples of stories he covers on his beat. He explained what makes El Paso such an interesting city to cover and shared how he's still learning as a journalist.
Diego's salutes: Houston Landing, Source New Mexico, Texas Monthly
Article examples:
An Ode to El Paso
Story about rare earth deposits
Impact of Trump Tariffs
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On this episode, we're joined by Isabella Ramírez. Isabella just completed her tenure as editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator at Columbia University and President of Spectator Publishing Company. She is the first Latina to hold that position. She just received the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Student of the Year award.
One of the people who nominated her for the award said Isabella's leadership changed her campus.
Isabella led a staff covering protests against the Israel-Hamas War and the university's investments in Israel. That included a Gaza Solidarity encampment in April, the takeover of a campus building, Hamilton Hall, the subsequent arrests of hundreds of protesters by the NYPD, and the resignation of the school president. The protests at Columbia were a catalyst for other collegiate protests across the country. Isabella also represented The Spectator in national and international interviews.
Isabella discussed her journalistic leadership during campus protests, her approach to storytelling, managing, and teaching, and the significant internal and external challenges faced by The Spectator during her tenure. She also reflected on her heritage, how she manages her mental health, and her aspirations within journalism.
Isabella's salute: National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
An oral history of the protests written by Columbia students for New York Magazine
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/columbia-university-protests-israel-gaza-campus.html
An interview with Isabella on how the staff managed its mental health
https://mindsitenews.org/2024/05/08/a-student-journalist-on-how-her-team-coped-with-the-stress-of-covering-a-campus-under-siege/
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On this episode, we're joined by North Carolina State University student journalist Erin Ferrare. Erin is a junior majoring in science, technology, and society with a specialization in science and technical writing.
She's also a sports writer for Technician, the school newspaper at NC State. She recently wrote a piece 'The Invisible Girl on Press Row' about the contrast in experiences between male and female writers in covering college sports and the Carolina Hurricanes.
And she's also written about how men's sports at her school have been more highlighted at her school than on social media.
Erin has also worked in science communication both at her school and at Yale.
I learned of Erin through Melissa Ludtke's newsletter, Let's Row Together – Melissa is a pioneer among women in sports journalism.
We talked to Erin about both her sportswriting and science writing experiences (an example of the latter, here), how she views her purpose as a journalist, and more.
Erin's salutes: Any woman pushing boundaries in women's sports and also research communication lead Matt Shipman.
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In this episode, Mark Simon interviews science journalist and NYU grad student Humberto Basilio, who covers stories about science globally, with an emphasis on Latin America. Humberto's stories touch on climate change, biodiversity, and vulnerable communities across the globe, as well as many other topics.
Humberto discussed one example of his approach to a story, a piece about desert racers in Chile destroying ancient art that ran in The New York Times and a story about the future of science in Venezuela.
He also shared insights into his featured essay in 'The Craft of Science Writing' (edited by past podcast guest Siri Carpenter) and his methods for pitching stories to major outlets. Humberto revealed the challenges and rewards of being a freelance journalist and emphasized the impact of journalism on personal perspective.
Humberto's salutes: Science writer Alexa Robles Gil and The Mexican Network of Science Journalists.
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On this episode we're joined by Tamika Smith. Tamika is the local host of All Things Considered on WAMU in Washington D.C. She has been with the station since 2014. She's worked in radio as a host, producer, and reporter. She also worked in print journalism as a managing editor for Patch.
Tamika discussed her passion for storytelling, her Caribbean heritage's impact, and the empathy she brings to her work. The conversation touches on lessons from her career, how a show is put together, her significant investigative series on sickle cell disease, and the importance of diversity and careful language in journalism.
Tamika's salute: NPR's Michel Martin
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On this episode, we talk to students who attended the Journalism Education Association's national convention in Philadelphia, November 7-10. We got their perspective on how they view journalism and why it's important to them, as well as their take on the president-elect calling journalists the enemy.
Student Journalists we spoke to:
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Sophie Nguyen, Granite Bay High School, California (1:21)
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Ghost Taylor, Olathe East High School, Olathe, Kansas (12:38)
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Linus Bossardt, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Los Angeles (15:29)
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Jenny Marquez, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Los Angeles (18:29)
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Hannah Berk, Pulitzer Center (21:28)
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Allesandra Tremulis, Carlmont High School, Carlmont California (23:00)
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C.J. Getting, Naperville High, Naperville, Illinois (33:55)
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Vivian Kumpf, Delaware Hayes High, Delaware, Ohio (35:41)
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Juliana Yao, Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania (39:07)
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Anna Herr Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana (41:57)
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Oskar Doepke (44:12), American School in London
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Sophia Bateman (47:19), American School in London
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Rena Felde (49:18), Redondo Union High School, Los Angeles
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Student newspaper tribute (37:19)
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The Spoke- Conestoga High, Berwyn, PA
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Comet- Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana
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The Dispatch- James Bowie High School, Austin Tx
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Eastside- Cherry Hill East, Cherry Hill, NJ
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The Nexus- Westview High School, San Diego, CA
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The Redwood Bark- Redwood High School, Larkspur, CA
Advisors saluted
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Julie Francesconi, Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, California
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Adriana Chavira, Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, Los Angeles
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Lindsey Skaggs, Olathe East High School, Olathe, Kansas
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Cyndi Hyatt, former advisor, Conestoga High School, Berwyn, Pennsylvania
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Kristina Collard, Lake Central High School, St. John, Indiana
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Keith Carlson, Naperville High School, Naperville, Illinois
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Julianne McLain, Delaware Hayes High School, Delaware, Ohio
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Louisa Avery, American School in London, London, England
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Justin Raisner, Carlmont High School, Carlmont, California
Also saluted
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Journalist Kitty Felde
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Washington Post reporter, Arelis Hernández
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Sophia Bassi, student, Columbia University
Articles of note
- Why Does Wellness Notify My Parents by Sophie Nguyen
https://granitebaytoday.org/why-does-wellness-notify-my-parents/
- Hidden Narratives, Individual Realities of Student Drug Dealing by Allesandra Tremulis
https://scotscoop.com/hidden-narratives-individual-realities-of-student-drug-dealing/
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In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ben Kaplan, a VP in the sports and entertainment industry and a former Division III basketball player, who is the co-author of 'Pipelines to the Pros: How D3 Small College Nobodies Rose to Rule the NBA' with Danny Parkins.
Ben wanted to talk about how a non-journalist learns journalism on the fly for the purpose of writing a book, so that's what we did!
We look at the lessons he learned along the way about how a book needs a throughline, how to interview prominent people (like former NBA head coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Stan Van Gundy) and dig for anecdotes they haven't shared before, and how to fight through the struggles of being a first-time author.
Ben's salutes: Chris Herring, Mirin Fader, Chris Ballard, Jeff Pearlman, and Jeff Passan
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On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Mackler. Stella is a junior at Davidson College in North Carolina. Stella was co-editor in chief of her college’s newspaper, The Davidsonian, this past year and spent considerable time reporting on student reaction to the war in Gaza. Additionally, she’s done an independent reporting podcast project on the Jewish community in Moldova, written a freelance piece for The Forward, and spent several months as a researcher on a book about the history of Sesame Street.
Stella is double majoring in environmental studies and Arab studies. She lives in Atlanta and is currently studying abroad in Cambodia.
Stella’s salute: WABE, 90.1 FM – Atlanta’s NPR affiliate.
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This week's episode is a special presentation from The Nutgraf- Campus To Campaign- Student Media's Role in Election Coverage- hosted by The Journalism Salute's Mark Simon.
Our guests were Peggy Dodd, editor-in-chief of OU Daily at the University of Oklahoma, Lily Alexander, editor-in-chief of The Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico, and Sarah Hutter, executive producer of E2024 at The LA Loyolan at Loyola Marymount University.
The three of them share their journeys into journalism, their reporting strategies and team coverage of the election, the challenges unique to student journalists, the value of diverse perspectives, how they're handling misinformation, and much more.
The Nutgraf covers student journalism and is edited and published by Chatwan Mongkol. We highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter, nutgrafnews.substack.com
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In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Michelle Pera-McGhee, a senior journalist-engineer at The Pudding. (Pudding.cool)
Michelle discussed her unique career path and projects and her original pursuit being computer science.
The conversation covers various projects including data-driven analyses of crossword puzzles for inclusivity, the rhythmic influence of hip-hop producer J Dilla, a recent collaboration with sportswriter Neil Paine on baseball lineup strategies, and an analysis of how famous National Anthems compare in terms of a "diva score."
Michelle elaborated on the technical and creative process behind her work, her views on journalism's state and her role within it, along with advice for aspiring journalists seeking to innovate through personal passion projects.
Michelle's salute: XOXO Fest
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Show summary written with the help of Descript AI
In this episode, Mark Simon talks to Esmy Jimenez, who shares her unconventional journey into journalism, discussing her work at the Boston Globe covering the racial wealth gap in New England. She reflects on her career's turning points, including her time working in radio and at the Seattle Times, and the influence of DACA on her life and ability to work in the United States
Esmy offers insights into covering complex beats such as immigration and mental health, and highlights the importance of community engagement, mindful interviewing practices, and mental health awareness for journalists.
She also shares stories of impactful reporting, like an explanatory piece on Family Self Sufficiency home ownership programs, her investigation on Ron DeSantis' controversial flights of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, and how Latino voters are often misunderstood, as well as one in which she covered 23 weddings in one town on one day.
Esmy's Salutes: Latino USA, Reveal, and small-town journalists
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
Show notes written with help of Descript AI
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In this episode, Mark Simon talks to Kimberly Cortez, editor-in-chief of The Beacon, the University of Portland's school newspaper.
Kimberly (pronouns: she/they) is a social work major who is the child of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants. She explained the importance of their cultural heritage to her work covering diverse stories, including one on the transgender students at Portland, a Catholic university. Her approach emphasizes passion, empathy, and resilience.
She also shared the impactful role of The Beacon in her career, their time as a New York Times student corps member (with a bylined story covering a Pro-Palestinian protest), and the work she's doing for Portland's weekly newspaper, Street Roots.
And she explained her deep interest in journalism, the challenges she faces as a young journalist of color, and their unwavering hope for the future of the industry. Through personal anecdotes and valuable advice, Cortez provides a poignant perspective on the evolving landscape of journalism and the importance of staying true to one's values.
Kimberly's salute: Underscore News and all journalists from marginalized backgrounds
Our salute: I'm doing a salute as well. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Asaka Park.
If you just listen to the podcast, you don't know Asaka, but if you have read our newsletter in the last year, you know her as someone who wrote articles to supplement episodes of the podcast for about 6 months.
Asaka had a distinct journalism voice. She was passionate and courageous and a strong voice for college students and for people with disabilities.
I never met Asaka in person but we connected over Zoom when I spoke to a journalism class at The College of New Jersey. She wasn't afraid to critique the podcast in pretty strong terms. A few months later, she reached out to ask about interning and I told her I knew exactly who she was and I appreciated her critique. She laughed nervously but I assured her that she'd done well. And she did well by this podcast with her writing.
Asaka died over the weekend of the 28th from complications of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos, an extremely rare genetic condition. You can learn more about it at marfan.org.
Thank you Asaka. We salute you for your journalism excellence.
On this episode we’re joined by Arifa Akbar. Arifa is the chief theatre critic for the British newspaper, The Guardian, a newspaper that has been in existence since 1821.
Arifa shares insights on the preparation involved in reviewing plays and the importance of honest criticism. She also touched upon the influence of her upbringing, the legacy of her predecessors, and her views on inclusivity in the arts.
Arifa is the cousin of Aisha Sultan, the columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, whom we recently interviewed.
Articles
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Review of The Years
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When a critic changes their mind upon 2nd viewing
Arifa’s salutes: Margo Jefferson (New York Times), longtime critic Michael Billington (The Guardian), and investigative journalists at The Guardian.
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On this episode we’re joined by Jeff Singer. Jeff is managing editor of The Downballot, a reader-supported newsletter that covers thousands of elections other than the presidency- everything from senate to legislature to attorney general and secretary of state, district attorney and city council.
It also calculates the results of the presidential election in every congressional district and produces data sets so people can evaluate elections themselves.
Jeff was a writer and editor at Daily Kos, a progressive news site, for 10 years prior to this. He’s a graduate of Tulane University.
Jeff talked about The Downballot's function in the journalistic ecosphere, why he loves covering elections, no matter the type, and shared other resources that are important to following election coverage.
Jeff's Salute: Inside Elections and NOLA.com for election coverage.
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On this episode we’re joined by Miles Griffis. Miles is the co-founder of The Sick Times, a non-profit website chronicling the Long Covid crisis. He knows the impact of the disease firsthand.
As is written on The Sick Times website
“We report on the common, life-changing disease following COVID-19 infection that affects over 400 million people worldwide and can be fatal. Our coverage spans related infection-associated chronic conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, dysautonomia, mast cell activation syndrome, and more. Unlike many outlets, we continue to report on the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. No denial, minimizing, or gaslighting here.
Join us as we investigate injustices, challenge powerful institutions, wade through the latest research, assess COVID-19 data, and offer a platform for those most affected by the crisis.”
Miles also writes about nature, science and about LGBTQ+ culture. Among his regular outlets for writing is High Country News.
Miles talked about the origin of The Sick Times, the different types of stories he covers, and why he does what he does.
Examples of stories
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How to Live and Die with Long Covid
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Drag Artists and Organizers Making Spaces More Covid Safe
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COVID-19 a Threat To Wildland Firefighters
Miles’ salute: The Palestinian journalists killed during the war in Gaza.
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On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Vivienne Serret, a student at the University of Florida who has been covering the resignation of president Ben Sasse and other notable stories for The Alligator, an independent newspaper covering the school, and Fresh Take Florida, a wire service.
Vivienne talked about what went into her reporting on Sasse, discussed other stories she's covered, explained essays she's written about the pressure of being a first-generation Latina and also the difficulty of covering the trauma of others while dealing with her own trauma. She discussed the fearlessness required to be an investigative reporter, how she views her place in journalism, and how being a journalist has shaped her worldview.
Vivienne's salutes: Professors Ted Bridis, Brandon Meyer, Harrison Hove, reporter Garrett Shanley and the staff of Fresh Take Florida
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On this episode we’re joined by ThéodenJanes. Théoden is an award-winning features and entertainment reporter for the Charlotte Observer, for whom he’s worked for more than 18 years. He previously worked at The Washington Post, Arizona Republic, and Bergen Record. He’s a 1996 grad of the University of Arizona.
Théoden talked about the different types of stories he writes, including one about a trip to South Korea to find his birth family (he was adopted at 9 months old), an obituary for a well-known local woman who had a special garden, and a variety of concert reviews that encompass a large part of his entertainment work. He explained how he comes up with his story ideas and he shared how his parents influenced his work.
Théoden’s salute: David Leonhardt and the staff of The Morning at The New York Times
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On this episode we’re joined by Alice Scott. Alice is this year’s Journalism Education Association Student Journalist of the Year. Alice was co-editor of The Shield, the student newspaper at McCallum High School in Austin, Texas. It was not her first national award. She also won Student Broadcaster of the Year in 2022 from the National Scholastic Press Association.
Alice talked about how her interests evolved from theatre to journalism, shared the story that most influenced her desire to be a journalist, explained how her approach to journalism is centered around listening, gave examples of the work she did, and shared her journalism aspirations
Alice’s Salute: Student journalists from around the country
Notable links:
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Student Journalist of the Year Announcement
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Her journalism portfolio
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PBS story on transgender students
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Story on students assisting refugees
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School shootings editorial
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1st person account of caretaking for grandfather
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On this episode, we’re joined by Aisha Sultan. Aisha (@AishaS) is an award-winning writer and columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, whose column is also nationally syndicated.
Aisha is Pakistani-American Muslim, a wife and mom of 2 who writes to help people feel seen or heard and to provide perspectives people may not have heard before.
(Wednesday, August 14 is Independence Day of Pakistan)
One day she’s writing a commentary on J.D. Vance’s comments about “childless cat ladies” and the presidential election, another she’s writing about a college faculty vote regarding the war in Gaza. Another, she’s writing about a roaming cat that captured the hearts of the people in its community and another about the winners of the paper’s father-child lookalike contest. She’s a journalist and story-collector who likes and believes in people.
Aisha talked about the different types of writing she’s done, her evolution as a writer, and her foray into filmmaking. She gave examples of the work she’s done and how she handled reporting those stories or columns.
Aisha’s salute: Journalists who have died in Gaza and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
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On this episode Mark Simon is joined by Mesfin Fekadu. Mesfin is the senior editor for music at The Hollywood Reporter, which he’s done the last 2 years. Previously he had a 13-year run that included time as senior journalist and music editor for The Associated Press. In between, he spent a year and a half in the communications department at Netflix.
Additionally, he’s a vice president at the Society for Features Journalism, which just announced its annual award winners.
The discussion covered the intersection of music with current events, such as Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, and the influence of celebrities in politics. Mesfin delves into his career journey, memorable interviews with stars like Dolly Parton and Adele, and actors/actresses from Abbott Elementary, as well as a story about racism in country music. He also talked about hosting one of Hollywood Reporter’s famous celebrity roundtables.
Additionally, he discusses his involvement with the Society for Features Journalism and the importance of independent storytelling in traditional and digital media.
Mesfin’s salutes:
Nekesa Mumbi Moody, co-editor-in-chief, The Hollywood Reporter
Fatima Shaik, former journalism professor, Saint Peter’s University
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In this episode, Jim Morris, executive director and editor-in-chief of Public Health Watch, discusses his career in journalism and the significant environmental and public health reporting done by his organization with Mark Simon.
The conversation gets into Public Health Watch's role in shedding light on environmental injustices, particularly through their 'Toxic Texas Air' series, which was a runner-up for The Collier Prize, a prestigious investigative journalism award. The series examines the severe impact of petrochemical pollution in Texas.
Jim shares his journalism journey, the importance of investigative journalism, and the tangible impacts their reporting has had, including within the Texas legislature. Jim also talked about his new book, The Cancer Factory.
The episode also highlights the challenges and the need for earning community trust while reporting on complex environmental and public health issues.
Jim’s salute: Ana Bueno, Univision Houston
Find the Toxic Texas Air series at - https://publichealthwatch.org/category/environment/toxic-texas-air/
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In this episode, we’re joined by Lev Gringauz, associate editor for Jewfolk.
Lev delves into his journey to becoming a specialized journalist covering Jewish communities in Minnesota and Cincinnati. Lev shares insights into his reporting process, including his motivations and challenges in tackling diverse stories.
The two do a thorough look at an 18,000-word investigative story Lev did on the planned closure of the Hebrew Union College rabbinical school in Cincinnati. Lev also talked about the complexities of reporting on sensitive issues, like the Israel-Hamas war. He also shared what it’s been like to cover visits by teachers to prominent sites connected to the Holocaust.
Lev’s story on the college closing
https://cincyjewfolk.com/2024/04/19/how-to-close-a-campus-huc-jir-bleeds-money-while-cincinnati-pays-the-price/
Lev’s salute: Tovah Lazoroff, The Jerusalem Post
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In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Mira Fox, a staff writer for The Forward, who discusses her work covering Jewish culture.
Mira talked about her diverse writing topics, from serious issues like student protests and anti-Semitism to lighter pieces and reader advice columns. Mira shared her winding journey to journalism, her upbringing, education, and the impact of her personal experiences on her work. She also provided insights into her writing process, especially as to how it pertained to an 8,000-word piece about BYU’s production of Fiddler On The Roof.
Story examples
-
Fiddler on the Roof
-
The Talmud and Kristi Noem
-
Odd places the war has been referenced
-
Brown University encampments
-
Bintel Brief advice column
Mira’s salute: Andrew Silverstein, freelance writer
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On this episode Mark Simon is joined by Michael Anguille, a journalist and the executive director of the Stillwater Awards, which are given by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Prison Journalism Project for excellence in journalism within the incarcerated community.
(Thanks to Michael Koretzky at Florida Atlantic University, (whom Michael saluted) for his help in coordinating this interview. He is well aware of my desire to have a diverse guest base in every respect.)
Michael is a professional journalist who has dealt with drug and alcohol abuse issues and served 8 1/2 years in prison in Florida for a drunk driving car accident that happened in 2014.
Prior to that he was managing editor of the school newspaper at Florida Atlantic and managing editor of the South Florida Gay News. He currently writes for a variety of outlets, including BestColleges.com and is currently applying to law schools.
Michael talked candidly about his life, what led to his incarceration, and what he did in prison that kept him moving towards a path of writing and journalism. He also went through some of the highlights from the winners of the Stillwater Awards and explained the importance of elevating prison journalism and prison journalists.
Stillwater Awards winners: https://www.spj.org/stillwater-2024.asp
Michael's salutes: Prison Journalism Project and The Marshall Project
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On this episode Mark Simon is joined by Sarah Conway, a senior reporter at City Bureau and Trina Reynolds-Tyler, the data director for The Invisible Institute. They just won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for their 2-year investigation, Missing in Chicago. You can find it at ChicagoMissingPersons.com.
Their 7-part investigative series revealed how Chicago police violated state law and police procedure, delaying and mishandling missing person cases. The series revealed a racial bias that disproportionately impacts Black women and girls and how poor police data is making the problem harder to solve.
The interview explores how the project began, challenges faced during the investigation, personal experiences that shaped their journalism journeys, the importance of accurate data, and the value of community involvement in journalism. The conversation also highlights the duo's personal mental health strategies while working on this emotionally taxing project.
Sarah’s Salutes: Chicago photojournalist & reporter Sebastian Hidalgo
Trina’s Salutes: Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago
About City Bureau:
City Bureau is a Chicago-based nonprofit journalism lab reimagining local media: how we make it, who can make it, and how it can better reflect people’s priorities and needs. We do this by equipping people with skills and resources, engaging in critical public conversations, and producing information that directly addresses people’s needs. Our programs equip people with skills, resources, and connections, creating pathways for a more participatory democracy. Drawing from our work in Chicago, we aim to equip every community with the tools it needs to eliminate information inequity to further liberation, justice and self-determination
To learn more about City Bureau, listen to our interview with its co-founder, Bettina Chang
About Invisible Institute:
The Invisible Institute is a nonprofit journalism production company on the South Side of Chicago. We work to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable. As we address the racial inequities that deform our society, we also work to alter the asymmetrical power dynamic within journalism by creating the conditions for people to drive their own narratives, putting our craft at the service of their experience. Our work is organized around a central principle: we have co-responsibility with the government for maintaining respect for human rights and, when abuses occur, for demanding redress.
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In this episode, Mark Simon interviews Christina Kahrl, the sports editor of the San Francisco Chronicle since 2021. Christina's career includes over a decade at ESPN.com and a significant role at Baseball Prospectus.
Christina shares her journey into journalism. She also discusses her experience as a transgender woman who came out publicly in 20023, with support from colleagues and the baseball community.
The conversation covers Christina's work on LGBT civil rights issues, memorable baseball stories, including her interview with Minnie Minoso, and her approach to sports journalism. Christina emphasizes the importance of local reporting, investigative journalism, and covering broader issues within sports.
Christina's salute: Sarah Langs, a baseball data journalist battling ALS
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In this episode, Stacie Sherman, a senior editor at Bloomberg News with 27 years of experience, shares her career journey. Stacey discusses her transition from an accounting major to journalism, influenced by a pivotal class in college. She details her diverse roles at Bloomberg, and her significant work covering state government.Stacie also elaborates on the importance of quick, accurate news delivery at Bloomberg, emphasizing the significance of multimedia in news reporting.
Additionally, she touches on her passion for women in journalism and her recent foray into authorship with her book 'My Broken Road, The Tangled and Twisted Musings of an Autism Mama' which shares her experiences as a mother of two children on the autism spectrum.
The episode provides insights into Stacie's career, her achievements, and her dedication to journalism and storytelling.
Her blog: Brielle's Voice
Stacie's Salute: Student Journalists at Columbia University and The College of New Jersey
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On this episode, we’re joined by Carla Robinson and Daralyse Lyons from the Chestnut Hill Local. Carla is the editor in chief of the Chestnut Hill Local. Daralyse is the business growth officer for the Chestnut Hill paper and the Mount Airy Local. The Local is a community-focused newspaper serving Northwest Philadelphia.
Carla and Daralyse talked about their accidental journeys into journalism, the mission and responsibilities of the newspaper, the significance of local news, and their personal passions and values as journalists.
They highlight the importance of community engagement, collaboration, and trust in sustaining impactful local journalism. The episode also touches on their roles, editorial experiences, and ambitions for future projects that enhance community connections.
Article of note: We Have A Choice About How We Respond To Hate
https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/stories/we-have-a-choice-about-how-we-respond-to-hate,29308
Their salutes (besides their staff):
Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative, Kouvenda Media, Broad Street Review, Dosage Magazine, WURD Radio, the NABJ, and the NLGJA.
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On this episode, we’re joined by Medar De La Cruz. Medar is a Dominican American cartoonist and illustrator from Miami who currently lives in Brooklyn N.Y.
In May 2023, Medar wrote and drew from his own experience, as a Rikers Island prison library worker through the Brooklyn Public Library. That work done for The New Yorker won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary.
Medar shared parts of his life story leading up to getting this job, including how he sold comics he created in Union Square and slept in an art studio. He explained the break he got that led to doing a drawing for The New York Times, one that was seen by an editor at The New Yorker, which eventually led to his Pulitzer-winning series of drawings.
Medar walked us through the different drawings, explaining his process for several of them. He detailed what it was like to be a library worker in one of the country’s most famous prisons. He also talked about the future, which includes a book about his experience, and described why he finds libraries so appealing.
You can find the Pulitzer-winning article here
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-diary-of-a-rikers-island-library-worker?_ga=2.225364825.2128249421.1717466611-743932481.1715143392
Medar’s salute: Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda
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On this episode, we’re joined by Brian Lyman. Brian is the editor of the Alabama Reflector, a non-profit news outlet covering Alabama state government. He’s covered state government in some form in Alabama since 2006.
Brian, a native New Yorker, was just named a Pulitzer Prize finalist “for brave, clear and pointed columns that challenge ever-more-repressive state policies flouting democratic norms and targeting vulnerable populations, written with the command and authority of a veteran political observer.”
Brian talked about how he formulates his Pulitzer-nominated columns, his day-to-day work and why the statehouse beat is so important. He also discussed his podcast, Becoming Lincoln, and offered a couple of journalism history book recommendations.
Column links
https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/brian-lyman-alabama-reflector
Book recommendations
The Paper, The Life and Death of the New York Herald Tribune
The World of Swope by E.J. Kahn
Brian’s Salute
All Statehouse Reporters
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On this episode, we’re joined by Daniel Alvarenga. Daniel is an independent journalist who recently hosted the podcast, Humo, Murder and Silence in El Salvador. It is the story of a serial killer who was a national police officer and a highest-level government cover-up. It was done in both Spanish and English and produced by Sonoro in conjunction with FACTum.
As a Salvadorian-American, Alvarenga brings a personal connection to the stories he tells. His family's history as refugees from El Salvador's civil war and his upbringing in a home where news was a constant, have shaped his perspective and fueled his passion for journalism.
He talks about that, his path to AJ+ (Al Jazeera Plus) and Telemundo, writing a story about this for Rolling Stone,and his goal of creating a narrative that that reflects the experiences and struggles of his community.
Notable quotes:
"I just wanted to create archives so that people don't paper over our history and say that, didn't happen."
"I think we should just question anyone in power. I think that's just what journalists should do."
Daniel’s Salute:
Migrant Roots Media
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On this episode, we’re joined by Chenue Her. Chenue is in his 3rd year as the morning news anchor for Local 5 News in Des Moines, Iowa. He’s previously worked as a reporter in Eugene, Oregon, Norfolk, Virginia, and Atlanta. Chenue is Hmong – there are fewer than 400,000 Hmong people living in the United States. He was the first male Hmong news anchor in the United States.
Chenue talked about how his Hmong heritage impacts his work, the lessons he learned at his different stops, the kind of stories he’s reported on, ranging from the celebration of Hmong New Year to the shortage of Latino doctors to profiling an artist who made a mural of basketball star Caitlin Clark.
Chenue also explained why the phrase “we’re sharing your story” is especially important and paid tribute to other journalists of Hmong heritage.
Chenue’s salutes:
Gia Vang, anchor NBC Bay Area
Laura Lee, anchor, Northern News Now
Bao Vang, former anchor
Panhia Yang, executive producer, Fox9
Boua Xiong, former KARE 11 reporter
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On this episode, we’re joined by Mary Rasura. Mary is a student at Florida Atlantic University who will graduate with a degree in multimedia journalism in December.
Mary is a reporter for Florida Atlantic University Press and for OutSFL, an LGBT-focused publication. And she’s the executive editor at OutFAU, a monthly student publication that she founded that is devoted to LGBTQ issues at the school.
Mary talked about what led her to start OutFAU and the types of stories that she and it covers. That includes everything from explaining how the university’s Campus Inclusion Center shut down to concert and entertainment reviews.
She also spoke about what journalism issues are important to her and the kind of journalist she hopes to be.
Mary’s salute: Dart Center
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On this episode, we’re joined by Lomi Kriel and Lexi Churchill.
They are 2 reporters on the team of journalists that just won The Collier Prize, a prestigious award given by The Collier Companies and The University of Florida for investigative journalism and political reporting specific to state governments.
The award was given for coverage on reporting on the actions and lack of actions by law enforcement that were responding to a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that resulted in 21 deaths.
This team of journalists encompasses reporters from Pro Publica, The Texas Tribune, and PBS’ documentary series, Frontline. Lomi and Lexi are 2 of many who worked on this. They work jointly for ProPublica and the Tribune.
The stories we talk about are
“Someone Tell Me What To Do,” which describes the police response to the shooting in-depth.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/05/uvalde-officer-student-trainings-mass-shootings/
“Reports Analyzing the Police Response To A Mass Shooting Can Leave Unanswered Questions – If They’re Released At All”
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/police-reponse-mass-shooting-reports-questions/
Lomi and Lexi talked about the 2.5 years of work that has gone into their reporting, explaining both their findings and the challenges they faced in their reporting.
They described the collaborative effort, the databases they created, the records requests they filed, and the police interviews and body camera footage they obtained and watched. And they shared the empathy needed to cover a story of this magnitude.
They jointly salute: The entire staff of the Uvalde Leader-News
If you wish to watch the documentary, Inside the Uvalde Response, click here.
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On this episode we’re joined by Chatwan Mongkol.
Chatwan is the editor and reporter for The Nutgraf, a newsletter that covers student journalism. He’s also a graduate student at The New School going for his masters degree in Media Management. Chatwan is a 2022 grad of Quinnipiac University.
You can find the newsletter at nutgrafnews.substack.com or bit.ly/thenutgraf
Chatwan talked about his journalism path (he was born in Bangkok, Thailand), his brief career as a newspaper reporter, and the types of stories in the newsletter. He also spoke about a certificate program for journalism entrepreneurs at CUNY-Newmark School that he’s participating in.
Newsletter examples
Student journalists in states where DE&I offices are being eliminated
Students covering school shootings
Lesser-known student newspapers that made an impact
Chatwan’s salutes: College newspapers at Quinnipiac, Michigan State, and Michigan
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On this episode, we’re joined by Rebecca Worby. Rebecca is the editorial director for Reasons to Be Cheerful.
Reasons to Be Cheerful is a non-profit website and newsletter founded by the musician and artist David Byrne. And it is what it says it is- reporting on news that should make you feel good. Many of these reasons to be cheerful come in the form of smart, proven, replicable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Their newsletter has 135,000 subscribers and the stories in it literally span the globe.
Rebecca talked about her journalism path, which includes getting a masters degree in creative non-fiction, and time as an editor of travel guides. She explained what makes a story appropriate for Reasons To Be Cheerful and provided examples of the kinds of stories they like.
1)Make America Rake Again – A story about trying to wean people off gas-powered leaf blowers
2) One from Vilnius, Lithuania – about “Befriend Vilnius” a program that provides mentorship to Ukranian migrants.
3) How student journalists are stepping up to fill news deserts
4) Unfamiliar fish helping fight food insecurity
And we discussed a piece she wrote for Lithub.com, linking together several crimes – vandalism in national parks, the stealing of Native American artifacts on public lands, and dismantled sculptures.
Rebecca's salutes: Hellgate and High Country News
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On this episode, we’re joined by Jay Boller. Jay is co-owner and editor of Racket. RacketMN.com is a writer-owned, reader-funded alternative journalism source for news, arts, and culture in Minneapolis. He has previously worked for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and City Pages. Racket was founded in August 2021.
Jay talked about his journalism origin story and Racket’s origin story. He shared examples of his work, including pieces on a day at a megachurch’s moneymaking event, potential environmental pollution near Lake Superior, the closing of a popular McDonald’s, and the troubles of Minneapolis Public Radio.
Jay also explained how starting a writer-owned, reader-funded journalism business is challenging and not necessarily for everyone.
Jay’s salute: Minnesota Reformer
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On this episode, we’re joined by Itto Outini. Itto and her husband Mekiya run the website, The Datekeepers. This online platform operates under the idea that stories move mountains and that we need to see better stories about humanity and people overcoming extraordinary odds to make contributions to the world.
I should note that Itto is blind. She has a degree in applied linguistics from Mohamed V University in Rabat Morocco and a masters in journalism and strategic media from the University of Arkansas. She is writing a book, Blindness is the Light of My Life. Her backstory is remarkable.
Itto talked about her origin story and some of the notable stories she’s written, like one about a blind cricketer and another about how immigrants have to deal with remittances for family and friends. She also shared how some people are more willing to open up to her because of her being blind and how she comes up with story ideas.
Itto’s salute: Nicholas Kristof
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On this episode, we’re joined by Shi En Kim PHD. Kim (she goes by her last name) is a freelance science writer who was just awarded a Pulitzer Center fellowship to cover a health and science story in Brazil.
Kim has written for many publications including Scientific American and National Geographic. She often covers new research and emerging trends in sciences, tech, the environment, and health and medicine.
Kim was born in Malaysia. She is a graduate of Cal Tech who got her doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Chicago.
She talked about her non-traditional path to journalism (“One long overcorrection …”), the process by which she comes up with story ideas and reports on stories, how being a journalist has impacted her life, and a new journalism collective project she’s working on, Sequencer.
Notable links
- Article on precision cancer drugs and access to them
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/precision-cancer-drugs-glitter-with-promise-if-you-can-get-them/
- Article on the world’s smelliest flower
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/cultivating-the-worlds-largest-stinkiest-flower-is-no-small-task
- Article on pesticides and the link to childhood chancer in Brazil
https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/study-links-pesticides-to-child-cancer-deaths-in-brazilian-amazon-cerrado/
- Sequencer
https://www.sequencermag.com/welcome-to-sequencer/
Kim’s salutes
- The Open Notebook
- Jane C Hu
- Brent Crane
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On this special episode, we talk to a diverse group of journalists at the College Media Association Spring Convention in Manhattan. They speak about their journalism origin stories and their most memorable journalism experiences.
In this episode, you’ll hear from CMA president and University of Alabama-Birmingham student media advisor Jackie Alexander (1:10), Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Beatrice Forman (11:27), and 7 college student journalists ranging in age from teenager to 50s: JD Delcastillo (Florida Atlantic, starts at 20:48), Ashley Atkins (Monroe County Community College, 24:34), Audrey Gavagan (Rochester Institute of Technology, 30:02), Jacquelyn Reaves (Ithaca College, 33:44), Paul Czarnecki (University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, 38:36), Megan Martinez (Capital University, 43:01), and Sagel Gurreh (Capital University, 47:00)
Journalism Salutes
Jackie Alexander: All student journalists, Center for Community News
Beatrice Forman: Hell Gate, Katie Way
JD Delcastillo: The Athletic, ESPN West Palm Beach
Ashley Atkins: Matthew Bird-Meyer, advisor, The Agora
Audrey Gavagan: Pro Publica
Jacquelyn Reaves: The Ithacan
Paul Czarnecki: Laura Austin Eurich, ESPN, Annika Schmidt
Megan Martinez: Adrian Suppes, editor-in-chief, Capital University Chimes
Sagel Gurreh: Motas Azaiza, Palestinian photojournalist\
Notable Quotes
“It's made me more curious about things I wouldn't be curious about.”
“In these times, it's so important to be on the right side of history and truth and showing what is happening.”
"That she got tears in her eyes from reading her own story that I wrote made me feel really good.”
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On this episode, we’re joined by Erin Reed. Erin is an independent journalist. She covers transgender issues and anti-transgender legislation for her newsletter, Erin in the Morning, available on Substack. She also does video pieces on Instagram and TikTok. Erin is transgender and uses the pronouns she/her.
Erin explained her entry into journalism, what it’s like to cover and track anti-transgender legislation across the country. She told us about the stories she’s most proud of, ranging from a rebuttal of an erroneous New York Times piece that got more than 4 million pageviews to a personal story about her engagement to Montana state representative Zooey Zephyr (who is also transgender. And she shared the names of other people doing a good job covering transgender issues.
Erin’s salutes: Evan Urquhart of Assigned Media and Karleigh Webb of Outsports, as well as the Trans Journalists Association.
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On this episode we’re joined by Amir Vera. Amir is a breaking news editor at CNN and the vice-president of digital at the National Association of Black Journalists.
Amir talked about his journalism origin story and his early days living in different parts of the world. He shared the lessons he learned from his college days at VCU and working for two daily newspapers – The Progress-Index and The Virginian Pilot. He explained his roles at CNN, first as a news writer and now as an editor, taking big stories and helping make them easily readable for CNN’s audience.
Amir also discussed his work with the NABJ, the organization’s goals for the upcoming year, specifically as relates to advocacy and to helping journalists who were recently laid off. And he talked about what an NABJ convention is like.
Amir’s salute: Hyperlocal journalists, like those at The Progress-Index in Petersburg, Virginia.
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On this episode we’re joined by Adriana Chavira. Adriana is a journalism teacher at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Los Angeles. She’s been teaching for more than 20 years She’s also previously worked as a newspaper reporter after graduating Cal-State Northridge.
We’re having Adriana on this week because it is Scholastic Journalism Week. The Journalism Education Association is doing and promoting activities all week devoted to bringing awareness to journalism education.
Adriana talked about her work as a teacher at one of the smallest schools in the city, one whose demographics are more than half Latino. She explained what she teaches, how she teaches, and the work that the students do in her classes.
She also talked about her experience with student press freedom, stemming from a suspension she was given (later rescinded) after defending her students’ rights against administrative censorship.
Further details on that can be found here
https://splc.org/2022/09/lausd-withdraws-unlawful-disciplinary-action/
Adriana’s salute: All the state and local journalism education organizations.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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Tweet us at @journalismpod.
Subscribe to our newsletter- journalismsalute.substack.com
On this episode, we’re joined by Curtis Bunn. Curtis is based in Atlanta and writes about race for NBC BLK. He’s been a journalist for more than 40 years, among the highlights: as a sportswriter at the New York Daily News and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, then as a writer and deputy editor for Black newspapers, such as the Atlanta Black Star. He’s from Washington D.C.
He’s also had a successful career as a novelist with 10 novels to his credit, as well as co-authoring Say Their Names, How Black Lives Came to Matter in America. And he’s the founder and president of the National Book Club Conference, an event for African-American readers and authors that has been running for more than 20 years.
Curtis spoke about his entry into journalism, his time covering sports, including 17 NBA Finals and a memorable Summer Olympics in Australia. He noted how covering the NBA was a rare beat on which a young Black journalist had advantages over his counterparts. He explained his transition into an area of journalism that could be more impactful.
Curtis spoke about some of the stories he covered. He’s continuously following the issue of reparations. He also shared a story about how Black families are reacting to violence at HBCUs and talked about the experience he and his wife had staying overnight at a former slave plantation.
Curtis’ salute: The National Association of Black Journalists
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
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On this episode, we’re joined by Adrienne Johnson Martin. Adrienne is the executive editor at MLK50.com. Adrienne has been an editor for more than 30 years for The Los Angeles Times, The Raleigh News and Observer, Duke Magazine, and now MLK50, which she’s been with for 2.5 years. She’s a graduate of Syracuse with a masters from Columbia Journalism.
MLK 50 was founded by Wendi Thomas, a longtime columnist and managing editor at the Memphis Commercial Appeal. It focuses on poverty, power and public policy in Memphis and the systems that make it hard for workers to make ends meet – issues that Martin Luther King cared deeply about.
Adrienne talked about her career path and the many things she learned from her stops on the road to MLK50. She explained how the newsroom measures success not just in the amount of readership, but in how its stories move the community forward. And she talked about her editor’s notes, which are meant to convey a journey of understanding and learning.
She addressed two pieces in particular, one about comments made by actor Jonathan Majors about how his girlfriend should have stood by him like Coretta Scott King and Michele Obama did for their husbands, and another about the idea of starting over when it comes to policing.
Other links
Journalism Salute interview with (now former) MLK50 writer Carrington Tatum
Adrienne’s salute: Lynell George and the Institute for Independent Journalists
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
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On this episode we’re joined by Alexa Imani Spencer. Alexa reports on racial health equity for Word in Black, a newsroom that frames narratives and fosters solutions for racial inequities in America. It was founded after the murder of George Floyd. She previously worked for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and also writes about maternal health.
Alexa talked about her early journalism origin story and how going to Howard University shaped her as a journalist. She shared her experience as a doula, helping women through labor and baby delivery. And she was frank about how covering breaking news stories in Memphis impacted her mental health.
We went through different examples of her work, including a story about black maternity care deserts and an interview with the family of Henrietta Lacks (the subject of a book and movie about stolen cells used for medical research). She explained that her goal was to create a catalog of how racism impacted health carte in America and discussed her passion for ethics and training in trauma reporting.
Alexa’s salute: Nikole Hannah-Jones
(also prominently mentioned, Howard University’s Ingrid Sturgis and Dr. Yanick Rice Lamb).
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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On this episode, we’re joined by Bennet Goldstein. Bennet covers agriculture and the environment in the heartland for Wisconsin Watch as part of Report for America. He works on the Mississippi River Basin Agriculture and Water Desk – a collaborative reporting group. He previously worked for newspapers in Iowa and Nebraska.
Bennett talked about the purpose of the Ag and Water Desk, which covers 31 states, and the 10 command-prompts that help guide the desk’s mission of covering important, impactful stories. He explained the desk’s collaborative approach
He gave examples of stories he worked on, including
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Opposition to the starting of a pig farm in a small Wisconsin town
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The pollution in Lake Superior, whose water is important to the fishing industry for the Ojibwe Native American tribe.
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LGBTQ farmers in the Midwest and how that challenges the traditional husband and wife own the farm, son inherits it stereotype. He also wrote about how doing the story changed his perception about being gay and covering what he covers.
And he shared the important (and humorous) role that gossip has played in his career path.
We hope you're inspired by this episode and others we've done recently to learn more about Report for America.
Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.
They are accepting applications to be part of their next reporter class through January 31st.
If you're interested, I recommend visiting their website at reportforamerica.org.
And check out the video promoting the Ag and Water Desk.
Bennett’s salute: Lane DeGregory, Tampa Bay Times
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
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And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode we’re joined by Andrew Galarneau. Andrew has been a journalist for 35 years and a writer and editor at The Buffalo News for 26 years, 12 years covering covering food. Now he’s gone independent and started his own food newsletter, Four Bites. He’s also a journalism professor at the University at Buffalo.
Andrew talked about the lessons he learned early in his career that have paid off now (including what it was like covering “Nudists for Pat Robertson”). He explained the process by which he reviews Buffalo’s diverse array of restaurants, and how his approach is more that of a scout than critic. He described the importance of photos and video to his work. And he went into the factors that led him to quit newspapers and go out on his own as an independent journalist.
Andrew’s Salutes: Investigative Reporters & Editors; Pro Publica
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
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On this episode we’re joined by Mallory Carra. Mallory is a journalist, editor and professor who has experience in print, digital, and audio.
Among many projects, she’s currently teaching journalism at USC, is the lead producer of the soon-released Electric Futures Podcast, and publishes a job listings newsletter, West Coast Media Jobs.
She formerly wrote for Bustle and wrote and edited podcast episodes for Parcast Studios.
Mallory talked about what she learned at each of her jobs, from covering the outdoors in Tennessee to coming up with clever ways to handle celebrity interviews at Bustle, to writing first-person experience taking a stunt-fighting class to writing podcast episodes about September 11, 2001 for Spotify.
She also explained the purpose of her newsletter, the current projects she’s working on and why she’s so passionate about pushing for paid editing tests.
Mallory’s salute: The Asian-American Journalists Association and all journalism affinity groups
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
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On this episode we’re joined by Stephanie Marudas and Emily Previti of Kouvenda Media.
Kouvenda is a non-profit podcast production company that produces narratives for social change.
Stephanie is the founder and executive producer. Emily is a data journalist and producer. Together they are the co-creators of their latest project, Obscured.
Obscured covers critical issues that are missed because they are complex, overshadowed and unfold out of the public eye. The most recent project in that series is From Words to Weapons, about police trauma survivors.
They talked about the production of this podcast series, the interviews they did and the stories they produced. They also detailed some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into things like finding the appropriate music and getting in touch with their interview subjects. And they explained the company’s goals, which go well beyond their download numbers.
Emily’s Salute: On Being Biracial Podcast
Stephanie’s Salute: The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com,
Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org
Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com)
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On today’s episode we’re joined by Massarah Mikati. Massarah covers immigrants and communities of color for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She’s been with them for about a year and a half. Prior to that she covered a similar beat in for the Albany Times-Union in New York and the Houston Chronicle.
Massarah is Lebanese. She just won an award from the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association. She’s a graduate of The Ohio State University.
Massarah talked about her journalism ambitions, which were formed in middle school out of a desire to clarify and humanize the perspectives of the Arab community and then all communities of color.
She explained how her job is about both story writing and relationship building. She discussed several examples of her work, including history-themed pieces about Philadelphia’s Chinatown and redlining in Albany. And she shared her thoughts on the value of Twitter to journalists of color.
Massarah’s salutes:
Jasen Lo, Philadelphia Inquirer
Eduardo Medina, New York Times
Mona Chalabi, The Guardian
All journalists covering the war in Gaza, especially those doing so while losing family members and friends
Other links
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Award-winning story on Natalie Abulhawa
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Philadelphia Inquirer apology to Black community
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Story about soccer uniting Philadelphia’s Arab community.
Outreach
Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website, thejournalismsalute.org
And Mark's website MarkSimonmedia.com
Subscribe to our Substack JournalismSalute.Substack.com
Or tweet us at @journalismpod.
And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Divya Karthikeyan, the race and equity reporter for WFPL and the non-profit newsroom Louisville Public Media. Divya is originally from Chennai India and came to the states as a grad student at NYU. She previously worked for a collaborative of stations as Capitol reporter at Kentucky Public Radio.
Divya talked about her early interest in journalism and how she found her way both into radio and from India to Kentucky.
She shared some of the many stories she’s covered in the last year ranging from how Breonna Taylor’s mother campaigned in the governor’s race to a behind-the-scenes look at how Latino immigrants impact the Kentucky Derby to the reaction of a community to a mass shooting.
She also explained how it’s hard not to get attached to the stories she covers, how she tries to do stories that acknowledge hard-to-acknowledge feelings. And on a lighter note, she explained how she relates to The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Divya’s salutes: Freelance writer Austyn Gaffney and also The 19th
We reached a milestone with this interview - we've now interviewed a journalist living or working in all 50 states.
Thank you as always for listening.
Outreach
Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com
Visit our website, thejournalismsalute.org
And Mark's website MarkSimonmedia.com
Subscribe to our Substack JournalismSalute.Substack.com
Or tweet us at @journalismpod.
And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode we’re joined by Tim Furlong. Tim is a reporter for the Delaware bureau of NBC’s news affiliate in Philadelphia (NBC10). He’s also an adjunct professor at Widener University. Tim describes himself as high energy, conversational and versatile. He’s been part of an Emmy-winning team and has been in TV news since 1997.
Tim talked about the turning point in his journalism career, walked us through how he covers the stories he covers (he’s unusual for a big-market TV reporter in that he shoots his own footage), discussed the technological advancements in the field, and explained the importance of conversational writing.
Examples of stories:
1- The Delaware Memorial Bridge completing a huge repair project ahead of Thanksgiving
2- A professor at Delaware visiting Peru to teach cheesemaking to a small village?
3- A Delaware state trooper could lose his job for punching a handcuffed suspect in response to a prank
Tim’s salutes: Kristin Welker and Pete Williams of NBC News
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website, thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Colleen Cronin. Colleen is a reporter for ecoRI News, a non-profit dedicated to reporting on environmental and social justice issues in southern New England.
Colleen covers rural Rhode Island. She’s been with ecoRI for a year-and-a- half as part of Report for America.
Colleen is a graduate of Brown University where she was editor in chief of The Brown Daily Herald. She also worked briefly at The Boston Globe.
Colleen talked about her journalism origin story. She shared a story of a discussion she had with her father (a police officer) about an early piece she wrote on racial profiling and how that impacted his perspective. She also talked about her interest in environmental reporting and the kind of stories she covers on her beat, ranging from leaf peeping to the teaching of humane ways of killing fish to coverage of mass transit issues and access to public records about car crashes.
And she talked about the different ways she manages her mental health, and the journalism issue most important to her.
Colleen’s salutes:
Ivy Scott and Shannon Larson, Boston Globe
The Brown Daily Herald Staff
Listen to Colleen talk about her reporting on ecoRI's podcast, The Blab Lab
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Adrianna Adame. Adrianna is an indigenous democracy and education reporter for Buffalo’s Fire via Report for America.
Buffalo’s Fire is a non-profit website that produces independent journalism to enhance the quality of life for Native communities through news coverage that informs and engages American Indians and lifts up our stories to the broader culture.
Adrianna is No. 2 on the masthead, the site’s lone reporter. She is a 2020 grad of Cal State San Marcos and has a masters from Syracuse. She is of Mexican heritage and an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana.
Adrianna talked about her journalism path and previous work experiences. She explained how she has been reconnecting to her Native roots while working in this job. And she shared what it was like to report on stories such as one about a memorial walk for Indian Boarding School survivors, another on a homeless shelter working to promote sobriety and one on the New Year’s Eve traditions of her great grandmother.
Adrianna’s salute: IndigiNews
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode we’re joined by Joseph Bustos. Joseph is a state government and politics reporter at The State, a McClatchy-owned newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s a 2005 graduate of Northwestern University who has previously been a reporter for 3 other papers. He’s been with The State for 4 years and can be found on Twitter at @JoeBReporter.
Joseph talked about a photojournalism class that served as a turning point for his journalistic skills. He explained his interest in government and politics and his approach to covering the Republican primary candidates and other South Carolina politicians. He gave us examples of his reporting and of what a day in the life is like on the beat, including where the adrenaline rush moments come from.
Joseph’s salutes: John Monk, The State and Nick Reynolds, Charleston Post & Courier.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Rochelle Estrada. Rochelle is a senior journalism major at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. She is the president of the William Paterson chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The chapter just won the award for student chapter of the year, the 2nd time in 4 years that William Paterson has earned that distinction under professor Nick Hirshon.
Rochelle talked about her broadcast journalism aspirations, the different activities and events that the SPJ chapter does, and about some of the work she’s most proud of.
Rochelle’s salutes: Society of Professional Journalists and The National Center on Disability and Journalism
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Click here to find us on YouTube. We're also on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Frances Solá-Santiago. Frances is a fashion writer at Refinery29 and also does freelance work for other prominent outlets. She’s a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico and Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Frances talked about how the MTV show ‘The Hills’ and an early interest in fashion magazines set her career path. She explained the wide range of stories that touch fashion that she covers (one week Chat GPT, another week, famous scammers, another week a personal piece on engagement rings). She talked about the importance of covering Latinx in fashion and music. And she shared what her first book will be about.
Frances’ salutes:
Andrea González Ramirez, The Cut and founder of Latinas in Journalism Mentorship Program
Claudia Irizarry Aponte, The City
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Marjorie Cortez. Marjorie is an education reporter for the Deseret News in Utah. Prior to her current role on the Utah InDepth team, she was an editorial writer, columnist and Sunday opinion section editor. She’s been a journalist for three decades.
For those unfamiliar, The Deseret News covers news locally and nationally and is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American West. The company that owns the publication is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Marjorie talked about working the education beat, which includes a lot of coverage of social issues. She talked to us about what it was like to cover a high school graduation in a prison and some of the difficult choices she faced in writing that story. She provided examples of other work she’s done recently as well. She discussed what it is like to write stories now compared to when she first started. And she gave a great example of something she learned from making a mistake.
Story examples:
Graduation ceremony in a prison
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/6/5/23746993/utah-state-prison-earning-diploma-while-incarcerated
A bus that doubles as a homeless shelter
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/3/29/23643677/nomad-alliance-bus-homeless-shelter-winter-weather
Marjorie’s Salute: The Education Writer’s Association
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Michael Clair. This episode is airing right around the time of the World Series. Michael Clair covers what I’d call “The Wide World of Baseball” for MLB.com. He writes features about interesting people and stories around the world, connected to playing baseball. And other things too.
Michael talked about the value of reading to a journalism origin story that also included Hollywood aspirations. He explained how he covers international baseball and walks us through some of his interesting stories, including baseball played in Bhutan and the Czech Republic.
Michael’s salutes
Jiří Vlach, Ján Jabrocký, Lukas Ercoli, baseball in the Czech Republic
Martin Jorge and Allar Hrastoviak, WBSC
Eric Balnar, Baseball Australia
Fluto Shinazawa, The Athletic
Michael’s stories
Baseball in Bhutan –
https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/bhutan-hopes-to-be-next-great-baseball-country
The Czech Republic Baseball Team Will Steal Your Heart
https://www.mlb.com/news/featured/czech-republic-world-baseball-classic-underdog-stars
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Cindy Kuzma. Cindy is a freelance writer based in Chicago and her primary beat is running. She’s written for several magazines about the subject.
She’s also co-authored books and co-hosts the podcast, The Injured Athletes Club. And she does write about other subjects too. Cindy graduated from Baylor University with a masters degree from the Medill School at Northwestern.
Cindy talked about how she makes a career out of freelancing and gave examples of the many different types of projects she’s worked on. Notable recent stories include news stories about issues with body composition testing, pieces related to running, health, and personal wellness, and coverage of marathons from both an elite athlete and human interest perspective.
Cindy’s salute: The Daily Northwestern and the students who investigated the team’s football program
Examples of stories
-Top college programs moving away from body composition testing
https://www.runnersworld.com/preview/news/a42437488/body-composition-testing-college-programs/
-Coverage of the 2023 Boston Marathon
https://www.runnersworld.com/preview/news/a43581068/boston-marathon-2023-american-women/
-What COVID Surviors Know
https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/may-2021/what-covid-survivors-know/
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
I'm finishing the editing work on a book project this week and a planned interview didn't happen, so I'm sharing an episode from November 2021 that some of you may not have heard.
We’re joined by April Alonso. April is the co-founder of the award-winning Cicero Independiente, a bilingual news website and publication based in Cicero, Illinois, along with Irene Romulo and Ankur Singh.
The Independiente has won a number of non-profit journalism award. At the time of this interview, it had just won two awards from the Institute for Non-Profit News for the 11-part series – Unrest in Cicero – How One Day Shook a Town – coverage of racial violence and unrest in their city of 80,000.
April talked about her career as a photographer and her role with this organization, explained what happened in the city and how her organization covered it, and discussed how the Independiente functions with workers that are part-time and volunteers from local schools and the community.
To learn more about The Independiente, read this article from The Poynter Institute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Stefania Lugli. Stefania is a Civic Engagement reporter for an educational non-profit, the Kansas Leadership Center, as well as the Spanish-language site, Planeta Venus. Her work supports increased news coverage on items of interest to English and Spanish speaking Latinos in Kansas.
Previously, she was a reporter in Wichita as part of Report for America, and also Sarasota, Florida, and wrote for the Metro section of the Boston Globe. She is a second-generation Venezuelan American and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston.
Stefania talked about her current role and how she writes stories with purpose about things that have immediate utility for her audience. She also spoke of writing with compassion, her love of research, and the responsibility she feels in her job.
Examples of her work
- Is Oaklawn Wichita’s forgotten neighborhood?
https://klcjournal.com/oaklawn-wichita-neighborhood/
- Latinos Face a Choice: Uphold Cultural Tradition or Trust Strangers to Care For Your Own
https://klcjournal.com/senior-elderly-caregiving-in-latino-families/
Stefania’s salutes:
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The 19th
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Mississippi Free Press
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AZ Luminaria
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The Marshall Project
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Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe
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Margo Snipe, Capital B
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Arelis Hernández, Washington Post
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Marissa Lang, Washington Post
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Steven Walker, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Karli Paulson. Karli is publisher and editor of the weekly Clark County Courier in Clark, South Dakota. Karli recently purchased the paper – she had been working for it as the office manager and typesetter. She’s a graduate of Minnesota-State Moorhead.
Karli talked about her path from animation major in college to 23-year-old newspaper owner. She explained her vision for the paper and future goals and walked us through what goes into getting her paper out to the people of Clark (approximate population, 3,800). It was refreshing to hear from someone working in a place so reliant on community news coverage.
Karli’s salutes:
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Glenn Elmore, publisher South Shore Gazette (South Shore, South Dakota)
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Garrick and Carrie Moritz, Garretson Gazette (Garretson, South Dakota)
Learn more about Karli and the paper here:
https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/south-dakota-weekly-newspapers-journalism/
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Richard Tsong-Taatarii. Richard is in his 25th year as a staff photographer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He notes on his website that he enjoys covering communities within our larger society that escape the attention of the mainstream media.
Richard talked about his photography origin story, the practical and philisophical reason why he calls himself a picture poet and how his being a photographer has shaped his worldview. He also went through his best-of portfolio, telling us the stories behind his most memorable shots, which include the George Floyd murder protests, being in an Arby’s while it was being looted, the life of a Tibetan child on the verge of becoming a Lama and recent projects related to Native American reservations.
Richard’s salutes: photographer Eugene Richards; The Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting
Richard’s portfolio: https://apicturepoet.com/portfolio/
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Isadora Varejão, an engagement producer for Retro Report. Retro Report is a non-profit organization that makes documentaries connecting current events to stories from the past.
Isadora is Brazilian and got her journalism degree at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and a masters degree from Craig Newmark School of Journalism at City University of New York.
In the first part of the interview, Isadora explained her journalism path (which included time working in public relations for the Brazilian government) and described the important work she did at Newmark School, creating a bot and a play to educate Latina immigrants about domestic violence.
In the second half of the interview Isadora talked both about what Retro Report does and explained what engagement journalism is. She also described her role, specifically that of working with teachers and educators to meet her audiences where they are.
Isadora’s salute: Jeff Jarvis,Craig Newmark School
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Frank Vaisvilas. Frank covers indigenous affairs for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He just joined the Sentinel after three years at the Green Bay Press-Gazette as part of Report for America. Wisconsin is home to 11 Native American tribes, so there’s a lot to cover.
Frank, who is Mexican/Yaqui/Lithuanian/Irish/American/, is a graduate of Columbia College of Chicago and worked for multiple Chicago-area papers. He talked about the common misconceptions people have about Native American cultures and how his articles serve as an entry point to teaching people. He also recounted some of the most notable things he’s covered and how versatile he needs to be on the beat.
Frank’s articles: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/staff/5312094002/frank-vaisvilas/
Frank’s salute – Report for America
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
Hi everyone - We're doing a feed swap this week with a podcast that shares similar sensibilities to ours.
Local News Matters features extended conversations covering a wide range of topics. Tim Regan-Porter, CEO of the Colorado Press Association, talks to reporters, editors, publishers, startup founders, sales leaders, philanthropists and more – anyone doing new or exemplary work or proffering thought-provoking insights is fair game.
This episode features an interview with Emmy-winning journalist Maritza Félix of Conecta Arizona.
Maritza started a WhatsApp group to answer questions for friends and family on both sides of the border between Arizona and Mexico. What she assumed would be a short-lived project for people she knew has grown to encompass daily conversations on WhatsApp, original reporting for the web, newsletters, podcasts, a radio show and more.
She talks about the challenges of getting funding for a Spanish-language initiative on non-traditional platforms, learning to be an entrepreneur, and more.
To listen to more episodes of Local News Matters, visit their website- https://localnewsmatterspodcast.com/ and follow them on Twitter - https://twitter.com/lnmpod
We'll be back with a new episode next week.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Em Espey. Em is an education reporter for MoCo360 Media, which covers Montgomery County, Maryland, comprehensively online at Moco360.media.
Em is transgender and goes by the pronouns they/them. They’ve previously worked as a transcriptionist and court reporter and as an investigator for a group that worked with religious organizations on improving their responses to sexual abuse.
Em talked about the primary story they've been focusing on the last several months, a lawsuit over Montgomery County's decision to not allow parents to opt their children out of the LGBTQ+ books in the school curriculum. They explained the story and gave perspective on what it's like to cover as someone who is transgender.
Em also talked about their past work amplifying the good stories - and how stories of trans joy need to be covered and shared given that most stories about transgender people deal with their being under attack.
Em's articles: https://moco360.media/author/em-espeybethesdamagazine-com/
Em's salutes: Erin Reed & Imara Jones
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok at @journalismsalute.
On this episode, we’re joined by Jen Sorensen. Jen is an award-winning editorial cartoonist whose work can be seen at magazines, newspapers, and websites (including her own). She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for her coverage of the 2016 presidential race.
Jen talked about how she comes up with her cartooning ideas, how alt-weekly newspapers have influenced her work, and the mechanics of how she draws. She also discussed the current state of cartooning, with the recent layoff of 3 Pulitzer-winning cartoonists.
You can see Jen's Pulitzer portfolio here:
https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/jen-sorensen-freelance-cartoonist
Jen's Salutes: The Guardian and ProPublica
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok!
On this episode we’re joined by Kadjata Bah. Kadjata is an incoming freshman at Yale University. She was the 2023 Wisconsin JEA Student Journalist of the Year from Madison East High School in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kadjata spoke about her journalism origin at Simpson Street Free Press (a journalism program for local students), writing both about stories that were personal and that brought attention to underrecognized people and groups in the community.
She also talked about how important representation is to her as a Black Muslim woman and the daughter of African immigrants and whether she feels optimistic about journalism and her future in it.
You can see Kadjata’s journalism portfolio here.
https://sites.google.com/view/kadjatajoyportfolio/home
Kadjata’s salute: Black journalism pioneers
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok!
On this episode, we’re joined by Grace Hamilton. Grace is an incoming freshman at Columbia University. She was the 2022-23 Journalism Education Association Student Journalist of the Year after completing her studies at the American School of London.
Grace talked about how her passion for journalism developed, the award-winning piece she wrote exploring sexual harassment at her school, a story she wrote about meeting young women at a Syrian refugee camp, how she evolved as an editor-in-chief, and her aspirations for the future.
We also heard from Louisa Avery, journalism teacher at the American School of London, who talked about Grace’s development, and the importance of the Journalism Education Association.
Grace’s salute: The Student Press Law Center (+ her colleagues at The Standard)
Link to Grace’s full portfolio
https://gracehhamilton.journoportfolio.com/
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's
website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok!
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Patricia Gallagher Newberry. She’s an enterprise and watchdog reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer who began her journalism career as a student at the University of Nebraska in 1979.
There’s an interesting career path here – Reporting until 1997 and then, after dealing with repetitive strain injuries, a transition to being a professor at Miami of Ohio, where she worked for 25 years.
And then retiring from that and back to reporting. It all comes full circle.
Patricia talked about her work in academia, including a series of classes she created and why she felt it so important to return to reporting. She provided examples of stories she’s covering, including that of a Ukranian family that escaped from the war, and a prominent murder trial that had her doing the kind of coverage she never had before.
Throughout the conversation, Patricia offered advice, including
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Listen to your professors!
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Find a specialty
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Never burn bridges
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Have productive conversations with your editors about coverage
Patricia’s salute: Society for Professional Journalists (she’s a past president)
Her work can be found at:
https://www.cincinnati.com/staff/6972893001/patricia-gallagher-newberry/
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod. And find us on TikTok!
On this episode we’re joined by Isiah Holmes. Isiah has been an award-winning reporter for Wisconsin Examiner since 2019. He’s a multimedia journalist who will be a Type Media fellow for the next year, which allows him to further his investigative reporting pursuits. He’s a lifelong resident of Milwaukee.
Isiah talked about his journalism origin story, one that might inspire future reporters who have difficulty paying for college.
He has a particular interest in covering several areas, including police misconduct and its ramifications, drug addiction and treatment, and the environment and he provided examples of the work he’s done in each area. That includes a documentary film and several award-winning print pieces.
He also shared the story of how he ended up on an FBI watch list for doing his job.
Isiah’s advice: Innovate … and be a kind vulture.
Isiah’s salutes: Jeremy Scahill, Gary Webb, Kevin Carter, Robert King
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Note that this episode was recorded and produced before the June 30 news broke about the Coast Guard's failure to pursue criminal investigations of a large number of sexual assaults of former students at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. You can read about that here.
Sonner Kehrt is an investigative reporter for The War Horse, a non-profit newsroom covering the military and veterans. She’s based in California and has been a journalist since 2015 and a lecturer at Berkeley since 2018.
Prior to that she served in the United States Coast Guard for 5 years. So she has a military-experience perspective in the work she does.
Sonner talked about her path to journalism, the experience of going to the Coast Guard Academy, and how her military time prepared her for journalism.
She walked us through the different stories she’s done, including ones on being an LGBTQ military member (or parent of an LGBTQ child) in a state where anti-LGBTQ legislation has passed, on the damage done by military burn pits post 2001, some first-person experience stories about her time at the Academy, and a lighter pre-War Horse piece on watching Isle of Dogs with dogs.
Sonner’s advice: Turn every page when reviewing documents
Sonner’s salute: Berkeleyside
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode we’re joined by Lyndsay C. Green.
Lyndsay is a dining and restaurant critic for the Detroit Free Press. This past year she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for criticism for a body of work described thusly by her employer.
Eye-opening, thought-provoking and mouthwatering, Lyndsay’s work brings fresh perspective and uncommon courage to readers hungry for brave dining criticism. She taps into Detroit’s culturally expansive and unpretentious spirit as she reviews area eateries.
Lyndsay talked about her path from beauty writer to food critic, how she spoke a personal passion project into existence, a column she wrote about how Black women can go unseen in fine dining, the process by which she does restaurant reviews and other extensive coverage of her beat, and how both eating food and growing food inspire her.
Read Lyndsay’s work here:
https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/lyndsay-c-green-detroit-free-press
Lyndsay’s advice: You can create whatever you want to create.
Lyndsay’s salute: Food, culture, media, politics writer Alicia Kennedy
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
A caution: This episode includes brief discussion of sexual abuse in the Catholic church and of suicidal thoughts.
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, we're joined by John Casey. John is a senior editor and columnist at The Advocate, the world’s oldest and largest LGBTQ news outlet. John is in his late 50s. He’s spent much of his career in public relations, first on Capital Hill, then for big companies like Toys R Us and Nielsen.
He’s in his first year as senior editor after previously writing for The Advocate since 2019. He often speaks to the most prominent politicians and celebrities in the United States about LGBTQ issues.
John talked about what he's learned in his different PR jobs, explained his transition to journalism and walked us through some of the different stories he's written and positions he's taken.
John's salute: All other publications specifically covering LGBTQ issues
Link to John's columns
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark Simon is joined by Amber Payne. Amber is the publisher and general manager of The Emancipator.
This struck us as an important episode to release on Juneteenth.
The Emancipator is the Reimagining of the first abolitionist newspaper for a new day. Explaining and exploring solutions to racial inequality. It began as a partnership between Boston University and the Boston Globe. It is now housed at BU’s center for Anti-Racist Research, which is run by Dr. Ibram Kendi.
Amber is also a documentary filmmaker, who has held prominent positions at NBC News, Teen Vogue, and Black Entertainment Television. She’s a 2004 grad of the University of Virginia.
Amber talked about learning how to speak up, to stand up for stories, and to build and lead in her previous jobs. She explained how The Emancipator comes up with its print, video, social, and event ideas.
These included
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A series of pieces on the anniversary of the death of Vincent Chin
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Stories explaining what redlining is
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Articles related to a documentary about how the recall of a judge led to harsher and more disproportionate sentences for Black convicted criminals.
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A community gathering to discuss issues Black women face regarding breastfeeding.
Amber’s advice: Rewrite your job description annually to what you want it to be
Amber’s salute: Madeleine Bair, El Timpano
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark Simon is joined by C.J. Janovy. C.J. is the director of content for KCUR, the NPR affiliate in Kansas City, Missouri.
She has previously worked as editor of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt-weekly, and as an editor at Kansas Reflector, a non-profit covering state government in Kansas.
She’s also the author of the book No Place Like Home, Lessons in Activism from LGBT Kansas. There’s a documentary that serves as a sequel to the book, directed by Kevin Wilmott, who directed Black KkKlansman.
C.J. talked both about her long career as a journalist, both as a writer profiling people like Melissa Ethridge and her current work. She explained her role at KCUR and how she shapes the station’s and the website’s diverse content.
She also talked about her book – about the people she got to meet as she traveled across Kansas and their ongoing battle for equal rights in a conservative state that is rich in great stories of LGBTQ activism.
To learn more about her book, watch the talk she gave to the Kansas Historical Society.
C.J.’s salutes: Nikole Hannah-Jones of The 1619 Project and Randy Shilts, who covered LGBTQ issues for the San Francisco Chronicle
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode, we’re joined by Melissa Sanchez.
Melissa is a bilingual reporter for Pro Publica, which does investigative journalism in the public interest.
Melissa is based in Chicago and covers labor and immigration. She just won a Studs Terkel award for her work (that’s a very important award to Chicago journalists). Her stories are deep investigative pieces that are read by people who can enact change.
We talk to her about one in particular, the death of a young boy at a Wisconsin dairy farm. Melissa explained what went into the reporting for her and her co-author, Maryam Jameel. Melissa talked about her journalism explained what goes into reporting about broken systems, and offered advice for aspiring journalists throughout the interview.
Melissa’s salute: Aura Bogado, Reveal
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Justine Harman. Justine is a journalist and podcaster and current host of the podcast Killed. Killed is a podcast about journalism that gets … killed … for a variety of reasons. Season 2 from Audiochuck is currently ongoing. It’s ranked among the most downloaded podcasts in Seasons 1 and 2.
We talked about Justine’s former career as a magazine writer and editor (she still does freelance work) at Elle and Glamour, and how she works to make celebrity features (like one she did on Jessica Chastain) be more than just a typical story.
We then discussed the origin story for Killed, along with one example of the kinds of pieces the podcast touches on – a story that has had trouble getting published about a player for the Pittsburgh Steelers who believes he was cut because he had a white girlfriend.
Justine also provided advice for those interested in working for fashion magazines and also for those interested in writing for podcasts.
Justine’s salute: New York Magazine.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Richard Ruelas. Richard has been a reporter and metro columnist at the Arizona Republic for 30 years. He has moderated debates, written a book, and also reported and anchored a podcast series about a murdered Arizona journalist, Don Bolles. And he’s an adjunct professor at Arizona State.
Richard talked about all aspects of his career, including his reporting on Turning Point USA, his moderating a contentious debate for Arizona Secretary of State, his podcast work and the time he had a gun pointed at him by an Arizona politician. Throughout, he provided advice to future journalists, most notably, decide early if this is the career for you.
Richard’s salute: Tony Ortega, The Underground Bunker (scientology reporting)
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Peter Rice. Peter is the editor of Downtown Albuquerque News in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He’s been a reporter for both print outlets and local NPR stations and has written multiple books. Downtown Albuquerque News is what it says it is – a digital news outlet serving downtown Albuquerque and surrounding neighborhoods. Hyperlocal news.
Peter talked about his and the newsletter’s origin story, gave a couple of examples of the type of coverage his news outlet does, and offered advice throughout to those interested in doing something similar in their community.
DAN Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/downtownalbuquerquenews/
Peter’s Salute: New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Rebecca Johnson. Rebecca is a graduating senior from the University of Pittsburgh who plans a career in journalism. She’s just finishing her tenure as editor in chief of The Pitt News, overseeing a staff of 18 editors and 150 contributors. She’s also done multiple internships, including one covering education for the Austin American-Statesman.
Rebecca talked about her journalism origin story (she just wrote about it too), discussed what went into daily coverage and the challenging stories that the newspaper has covered this year.
She also talked about the work she did covering education in Texas in the wake of the Uvalde massacre. Rebecca is headed to the Chicago Tribune on a reporting internship after graduating.
Rebecca’s salute: The State News, Michigan State’s school newspaper.
Thanks to Pitt professor Harry Kloman for the interview recommendation.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Sydney Ross. Sydney is a graduating student at North Carolina A&T majoring in multimedia journalism. She’s the managing editor of The A&T Register, the school’s newspaper and the founder of the non-profit, Change the Type.
Sydney is headed to North Carolina’s journalism school graduate program but took time to reminisce about her journalism origin story and her time at the Register. She talked about the challenges of being a managing editor, getting the opportunity to cover a Joe Biden speech on campus, and why doing alumni interviews was important to her.
She also explained what her non-profit does, sharing stories to change stereotypes seen in the media about Black people.
Sydney’s salutes: A&T Register editor-in-chief Melvin Harris and local TV journalist and NABJ vice-president Ken Lemon (a former guest on this podcast)
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
With some of our student listeners looking for work, I thought this would be a good episode to provide guidance should any of them wish to do freelance work.
Pete talked about his freelancing career and provided instructive examples from work he’s done, including a recent Q&A with former Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin, as well as feature profiles, movie reviews, oral histories, and his book on the growth of the NBA, From Hang Time To Prime Time.
Pete provided examples on how to handle idea generation, pitching, question writing, and organization, as well as overarching advice for aspiring freelancers.
Pete’s salute: Parker Molloy
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Monica Samayoa. Monica is a climate reporter for Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) and is co-chair of the steering committee for The Uproot Project, a network of environmental journalists of color.
Monica did not expect to become a climate reporter and filled us in on the path that took her to this job. She walked us through the different kinds of stories she covered, with examples. She included tips for aspiring radio reporters as well (“record at all times!”).
She also explained the purpose of The Uproot Project and why its existence is so important.
Monica’s salute: Meerah Powell, higher education reporter at OPB
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Idaho Capital Sun reporter Mia Maldonado.
Mia never took a journalism class in college but was able to start her career as part of the Voces Internship of Idaho program, which coordinates internships for aspiring Latino/Latina journalists with local newsrooms.
Mia talked about her time as an intern at the Capital Sun and as a breaking news reporter at the Idaho Statesman. She recounted some of the prominent stories she’s covered and talked about how being a journalist has influenced her worldview (and led to her getting a dog). She also explained the importance of the Voces program to her career.
We were also joined by Ximena Bustillo, a reporter for NPR and co-founder of the Voces Internship program along with journalist Nicole Foy. Ximena explained the origin story of the program, why this program was needed, and what the program’s goals are moving forward
Voces on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vocesinternship
Mia’s Salute: Investigative Reporters & Editors
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Tim Whitaker. Tim has been a teacher and a journalist and is the executive director of Mighty Writers.
Mighty Writers is a Philadelphia-based non-profit that teaches 3,500 kids per year to think clearly and write with clarity. It works out of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
Tim talked about the highlights from his lengthy career as a journalist in Philadelphia, most notably as editor of Philadelphia Weekly Magazine. He explained the transition to running a non-profit and shared the work that Mighty Writers does in helping kids.
Tim’s Salutes: The Philadelphia Citzen, The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY Radio
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Laurie Ezzell Brown. She was the publisher and editor of The Canadian Record, a community weekly covering Hemphill County in the northeastern Texas Panhandle from 1893 to 2023, and a legacy business owned and published by the Ezzell family since the late 1940s.
Laurie spoke about being born into her journalism origin story and provided an oral history of the Ezzell family and how the small, rural newspaper lasted so long before publication was just suspended (however it lives on, for now, on Facebook.
She explained the relationship between her newspaper and how the residents of a town that voted nearly 90% for Donald Trump in both elections were upset at her decision to suspend publication. And she shared how a newspaper can make a community matter to itself.
Laurie’s salutes: The Daily Yonder, The Rural Blog
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Spicer. Sarah is a news editor for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). She was just named to Editor & Publisher’s “25 Under 35.” Sarah is a graduate of Emporia State University in Kansas, where she was editor-in-chief of her school paper, as well as Columbia School of Journalism.
Sarah talked about her current role and the work that CPJ does to fight for reporter’s rights and safety worldwide (the organization helped free 130 journalists in 2022). She also shared her journalism origin story and walked us through the award-winning team coverage she was a part of at Emporia State exposing a Title IX sexual assault cover-up involving a tenured professor and a student. She spoke about her time in the Report for America program covering climate change and what a polarizing topic that was in Kansas.
Sarah also discussed the dangers of being a journalist in 2023, gave advice for aspiring journalists specific to finding a niche, and told us about some of her other projects, including a memoir about her life and the navigation of Kansas’ foster care system.
Sarah’s salutes: Nellie Bly, Dorothy Thompson, Emily Atkin, Zoya Teirstein.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Tiffany Tan, a reporter for the non-profit VTDigger who covers southwest Vermont. Tiffany’s career has taken her around the globe, in the Philippines as a TV producer, in Singapore and China as a writer and editor. She’s worked in the United States in both South Dakota and Vermont.
Tiffany talked about her reporting experiences both abroad and in the United States. She explained the mission of VTDigger and why doing this kind of work was important to her. She also walked us through the process of covering stories, including a local sheriff who moved to Tennessee(!) and a criminal case that lasted more than 30 years.
Tiffany’s salutes: Katharine Graham and Maria Ressa.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Luella Brien. Luella is the editor-in-chief at Four Points Press, an independent media company which covers the Crow Indian Reservation in southern Montana. Luella also teaches high school journalism and has taught college in the past too. She was the primary narrator in the new Showtime docu-series, Murder in Big Horn.
Luella talked about her passion for journalism from a young age, how she hopes to grow her non-profit to tell both contemporary stories and those lost to history. the importance of Native representation on big projects like Murder In Big Horn, and what her teaching experience has been like.
Luella’s salute: Native journalist Hattie Kauffman
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Jared Council. Jared is a senior editor at Forbes. He covers stories that touch on Black business, Black culture, and Black power. He’s a graduate of Hampton University who previously worked in Indiana and Virginia and also at the Wall Street Journal. He’s based in Philadelphia.
Jared talked about his unlikely journalism origin story, one that began with he and his brother filming local rap battles. He discussed how he got basically a business school education with the work he’s done at his different jobs.
Jared went in-depth on two pieces – one that was part of a Pulitzer Prize finalist package for the Wall Street Journal about the insurance exclusions for Black residents that came after the Tulsa Race Massacre. The other, also with a history focus, was on past Black women who had been passed over for Supreme Court nominations.
You can find Jared’s current work here:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredcouncil/
Jared’s salutes:
Justin Tinsley, Andscape
Jordyn Holman, New York Times
Dominic Madori, Tech Crunch
Richard Prince, veteran journalist
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Roxanne Scott. Roxanne is a senior producer for Futuro Media Group, an independent non-profit media organization producing multimedia journalism that gives a voice to the diversity of American experience. You may know it best for Latino USA and the person who runs the group, Maria Hinojosa
Roxanne has previously worked as a reporter in Louisville and Atlanta. Prior to being a journalist she was a teacher – in Costa Rica, Mexico, and China.
Roxanne talked about the multi-faceted role she has in investigative pieces that Futuro Media produces, using as an example of an investigative report on problematic U.S. policies for border patrol dealing with migrants in the Arizona desert.
Roxanne also talked about some of her other written and audio work, including a story about “poo and doo” and problematic sewers in Queens, N.Y., how public records were vital to her work tracking COVID cases in an ICE facility in Georgia, and how wind turbines in Louisville were important to farmers in Nigeria.
Roxanne also discussed the value of voice memos and what journalism taught her about being a more proactive person.
Roxanne’s salutes:
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Karen Hawkins. Karen is a longtime journalist and is currently a story editor for The 19th*, a newsroom that operates at the intersection of gender, politics, and policy. She is also a board member for the NLGJA, the association of LGBTQ journalists, of which Karen is one.
Additionally, she is the founder and rebelle in chief of Rebellious Magazine, which delivers a unique feminist perspective on Chicago news, politics and culture. She is also the former co-publisher and co-editor in chief of the Chicago Reader and the co-host of a podcast about mental health.
Karen shared her journalism origin story, talked about what her job as a story editor entails and how she approaches the editing process. She talked about her future hope for The 19th*, which is that it continues leaning into the asterisk and is inclusive of marginalized groups, and the year ahead for the NLGJA.
She also shared trends she’s noticed in coverage of the LGBTQ community, reminisced about her time at the Chicago Reader, and told the story of her passion projection, Rebellious.
Karen’s salutes:
The first African-American writer to publish a short story, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Journalist, author, teacher Jamal Jordan and Derrick Clifton
Journalism Websites: The Triibe, City Bureau, Scalawag
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On today’s show we’re joined by Bobbi-Jeanne Misick. She is the justice, race, and equity reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between NPR and radio stations in WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana, WBHM in Alabama, and Mississippi Public Radio working with NPR. She has previously been an editor and writer for Essence and a reporter and producer in the Caribbean.
Bobbi-Jeanne talked how the September 11 terrorist attack influenced her career decision to become a journalist and discussed her career path.
She discussed three stories she’s worked on in detail – producing an interview with the Washington D.C. Sniper early in her career, writing about laws enacted to prohibit hair discrimination in the workplace, a thorough examination of how Cameroonians seeking asylum were being treated poorly by the justice system.
Bobbi-Jeanne’s salutes: John Washington and Jim Mustian
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Erin O’Hare, the neighborhoods reporter for Charlottesville Tomorrow, a hyperlocal non-profit news website serving Charlottesville, Virginia (cvilletomorrow.org).
Erin explained what a neighborhood reporter does in a city of about 45,000 people, everything from reporting on the changing demographics of neighborhoods to making zoning ordinances understandable, to alerting people to the opening of a bathroom at a mall (the quotes in this one are great!), to writing impactful pieces that help residents living in shelters. Often, she focuses on people whose voices aren’t typically heard in mainstream media.
She also explained what it was like to cover the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, how that deeply affected her as both a journalist and a person, and how she wants to show that the city should be known for much more than that. And she shared her other writing interest – telling stories about culture, art, and music.
Erin’s salutes: Vinegar Hill Magazine and In My Humble Opinion, both parts of Charlottesville Inclusive Media
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Margo Snipe. Margo is a reporter for Capital B (CapitalBNews.org). Covering critical issues affecting the mental and physical health of Black Americans. Capital B is a non-profit newsroom serving both local and national Black audiences.
Margo talked about Capital B’s mission and how she comes up with story ideas. She went through examples of stories she had done, including a story on how doctors treat black patients complaints and how the Damar Hamlin incident of cardiac arrest is part of a larger story. She also discussed covering politics and how her time living abroad as a child shaped her worldview.
Margo’s salute: The 19th (19thnews.org)
(listen to our interview with their writer, Mariel Padilla)
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On today’s show we’re joined by Amir Khafagy. Amir is a labor reporter for Documented – journalism created with and for immigrants and how policy affects their lives. He’s of Egyptian and Puerto Rican descent and grew up in a Muslim household. He’s with Documented as part of the Report for America Program.
Amir talked about his working-class upbringing, his work as a student and labor organizer that preceded his time as a journalist, and the work he currently does. He discussed the importance of covering both labor and immigration and explained how he comes up with story ideas (sometimes they even come from The People’s Court!).
He also spoke about the importance of Report for America and why the world needs more journalists from working class backgrounds.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Amir’s Salutes: Labor reporters Mike Elk, Kim Kelly, and Claudia Aponte.
America Needs More Working-Class Journalists article
https://www.nbcuacademy.com/catalog/working-class-journalists
Follow Amir on Twitter at http://twitter.com/amirkhafagy
Find his work here - https://documentedny.com/author/amirkhafagy91/
On this episode, we’re joined by Raegan Miller. Raegan is a reporter for KRBD, a radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska. She covers Alaska Native and rural issues as part of the Report for America program.
Raegan talked about making the transition from print to radio and covering stories in very small towns where she often gets recognized. She discussed about the kinds of stories she covered and how she works through everything from getting sound to writing. And she explained what went into a 20-minute interview with a group that included the governor of Alaska.
Raegan also talked about the help she’s gotten from the Report for America program and gave tips to those who might end up participating in it.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Raegan’s salute: Theo Greenly, KUCB Radio in Unalaska, Alaska.
Raegan’s stories can be found at https://www.krbd.org/author/raegan-miller/
More information on Report for America can be found at ReportforAmerica.org
Alain Stephens is the western correspondent for The Trace, an online newsroom that investigates gun violence in America. He’s been with them for nearly 4 years. He is based in San Diego.
Alain has a background in law enforcement, military, and sociology – not your typical journalism path. He’s a graduate of the University of North Texas who served in both the Coast Guard and Air Force. And he is a gun owner.
Alain talked about his unusual career path and the different projects he’s worked on for them. He explained how his military background intersects with his journalism experiences and told what it’s like to work on some stories for multiple years.
Alain’s salute: Capital B (CapitalBNews.org)
You can see Alain’s work at https://www.thetrace.org/author/alain-stephens/
LINK: How The Trace Changed Reporting on Guns in America
https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/how-the-trace-changed-reporting-on-guns-in-america
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, I’m joined by Yanqi Xu. Yanqi is a reporter for the Flatwater Free Press in Omaha, Nebraska, the state’s first independent non-profit newsroom. She grew up in China and went to college in Beijing before getting her masters at Missouri.
Yanqi talked about her journalism origin story and about the kind of work she does at the Free Press and described the challenges of doing long investigative pieces.
You can find her work at: https://flatwaterfreepress.org/author/yxu/
Yanqi’s salute: The 19th(19thNews.org) and MLK50.org
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Kasha Patel. Kasha is the deputy weather editor for the Capital Weather Gang at the Washington Post, covering weather, climate, and the environment.
Kasha talked about her path from NASA to her current position, how she covers both hard news stories and fun features, including fact checking a volcanic explosion in a The Lord of the Rings series. She also explained how she comes up with story ideas, her use of TikTok, and how her writing jokes for her stand-up comedy work comes together with her science education interest.
Kasha’s salute: The D.C. Science Writers Association
Find Kasha's stories here
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/kasha-patel/
You can hear me interview Kasha about her comedy work here
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Inez Russell Gomez. Inez is the editorial page editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican – notable that we haven’t talked to an editorial page editor or a New Mexican yet. Her journalism career spans more than 40 years, much of that in New Mexico.
Inez talked about her journalism origin story and her present role both writing editorials and producing an editorial page. She also discussed the special relationship that her newspaper has with the city of Santa Fe.
Inez’s salute: The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Liz Robbins. Liz is currently the director of journalism partnerships for Define American, an organization whose goal is to humanize the immigrant experience in the media one story at a time.
Prior to this job, Liz was a longtime reporter for the New York Times, first covering sports and then immigration. She’s also a journalism teacher and professor and wrote a book about the New York City Marathon.
Liz talked about her career and her goal of humanizing the people in the many features she wrote. She also explained the goals of Define American and explained the day-to-day work that she is doing for that organization, including best practices regarding language and the use of anonymous sources.
Liz’s salute: Documented NY
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
For our 100th episode, we’re joined by Scott MacFarlane, who covers Congress and the January 6 aftermath for CBS News. Scott has been with CBS since January after leaving the NBC affiliate in DC. He’s covered Washington D.C. for nearly 20 years and has had a long career as an investigative journalist. His Twitter (@macfarlanenews) is the go-to source for information about every January 6th court case.
Scott talked about how he keeps track of all the January 6th cases and why he puts such a strong emphasis on the under-the-radar cases. He explained the challenge of keeping his reactions to what he’s seen and heard in check, how he makes his social media coverage differentiating, and why the most important lesson he’s learned in his career is one about fairness.
Scott’s salute: Alex Silverman, Director of News and Programming, KNX Radio, Los Angeles.
To read a transcript of this episode, click here.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Nick Hirshon. Nick’s our first repeat guest. He’s an associate producer of communications at William Paterson University, a co-host of the Journalism History podcast, and is the editor of the upcoming issue of the academic journal – American Journalism. That’s our subject today.
The issues looks at the history of investigative reporting, the hook being the 50th anniversary of the Watergate Break-In. Nick talked about the different types of pieces, from a look at investigative journalism’s origin stories to pieces on the media’s role in the Watergate story, and interviews with a wide range of journalists, including Connie Chung, Steve Scully, and actress Jane Seymour.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Cyd Zeigler.
Cyd is the co-founder of Outsports, a website covering LGBTQ+ issues in sports. He’s also the author/co-author of 3 books, most recently My Life On The Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Lifeby Ryan O’Callaghan. He’s broken many stories related to athletes coming out publicly regarding their sexuality and is a member of the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Hall of Fame.
Cyd talked about the website’s founding and how it has evolved over the last 20+ years. He explained how he works with athletes on their coming out stories, shared his thoughts on what journalists get wrong in their coverage of the LGBTQ+ community, and provided examples of stories he’s done, including one on former Cincinnati Reds and FOX Sports broadcaster Thom Brennaman.
Cyd’s Salute: LZ Granderson
Outsports Podcasts can be found here
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Trân Nguyễn is a bilingual investigative reporter and data journalist who has covered the Vietnamese community, homelessness and health care in Santa Clara County for the San Jose Spotlight via Report for America. She is a native of Saigon, Vietnam and grew up in an environment in which most media was state-sponsored. Now, she’s covering a city with the largest Vietnamese population in the United States.
Tran talked about her career path, explained the purpose of the Spotlight, discussed the kinds of stories she covers, and explained her writing style. She also talked about the mentors that were key to her development as a journalist.
Trân’s salutes: Damon Kiesow, University of Missouri and Sisi Wei founder of the DEI Coalition Slack and editor-in-chief of The Markup.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon talks to Alissa Quart. Alissa is the executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
The Economic Hardship Reporting Project funds and co-publishes reporting, supporting independent journalists who do stories that counteract typical narratives all related to inequality. It can be found at economichardship.org.
Alissa talked about her career, provided examples of what the group does, and explained why reporting on inequity is so important.
Alissa’s salute: The Debt Collective.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we salute and interview Donnell Suggs, editor-in-chief of The Atlanta Voice, which is the longest running and only Black newspaper in Atlanta.
Donnell has covered business, features, real estate, religion, and sports during his time in the industry. He’s a native of Brooklyn N.Y.
He talked about his time as a New York City police officer and why he decided he wanted to become a full-time journalist. He explained why he loved print journalism so much, what makes The Atlanta Voice an important newspaper in 2022, and how he tries to make the paper’s coverage distinct.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Wesley Early, a reporter for Alaska Public Media, who covers city government and Anchorage life.
Wesley talked about his career, which has taken him through both large and small markers in Alaska, and the day-to-day duties of the job. He also explained how being Black in a state with a very small Black population plays a role in how he does his job. And he cleared up some misconceptions that media members in the lower 48 states have about his state.
Wesley’s salute: KYUK, Bethel, Alaska
Wesley’s Twitter: @wesley_early
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Jane Wolfe. Jane is a longtime journalist who has written 3 biographies, the most recent of which is titled Burl, Journalism Giant and Medical Trailblazer. It’s about Burl Osborne, a prominent journalist and newspaper publisher who had a distinguished career at the Associated Press and The Dallas Morning News.
Jane talked about her career, about Burl’s life, and the process of writing a biographies – which parts she likes and which parts she doesn’t like.
Jane’s salute: University of Texas-Austin School of Journalism and Media
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ben Welsh, the visiting senior data journalist at Stanford University who is working on the project, Big Local News. He’s also been a longtime data journalism editor at the Los Angeles Times.
Ben talked about his journalism origin story, the different projects he’s worked on, how Big Local News is helping to make data journalism accessible to smaller media outlets, and the importance of the field of data journalism.
Ben’s Twitter
Details on Ben’s work at Stanford
Studs Terkel podcast
Homepages.news
Ben’s salute: The Las Vegas Review Journal
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we salute John Vitti. John is a man of many skills. He’s been a layout, copy, and online editor/multi-platform editor for the sports department of the Boston Globe for 23 years. He’s also a high school journalism teacher, an elementary school newspaper advisor, and the founder of a journalism program for kids, Headliners in Education.
John talked with Mark Simon about all of those roles as well as the value of teaching journalism concepts to kids, even if they don’t want to become journalists.
John’s salutes
Press Pass NYC
Journalistic Learning Initiative (Ed Madison, its founder, is a past guest)
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we salute and interview Alexis Terrazas.
He’s the editor in chief of El Tecolote (The Owl), a bilingual Latino newspaper that has served the San Francisco Bay Area Latino community since 1970. Prior to that, he wrote for Patch and the San Francisco Examiner.
Alexis shared his journalism origin story, explained the types of stories that El Tecolote covered, and detailed why he’s so passionate about his job and the newspaper’s mission.
El Tecolote’s Twitter account
Alexis’s salute: Renaissance Journalism
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On today’s episode, we salute Katie Hawkins-Gaar.
Katie is a freelance writer and the founder of Digital Women Leaders, a mentoring program for women and non-binary people working in news who are looking for advice from someone who understands their experience. It’s a free program with dozens of coaches available for a 30-minute session.
Katie also edits the newsletter, My Sweet Dumb Brain, a newsletter about facing the ups and downs of life, all while being kind to yourself.
Katie talked about her journalism experience, how the Digital Women Leaders program works and the type of advice mentees receive, and gave examples of topics that she addresses in her newsletter, which often focuses on mental health.
Katie’s salute: Sahan Journal
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Ahmed Ahmed. Ahmed was named the Nevada Student Journalist of the Year – by the Journalism Education Association. He spent 3 years on the staff of the Southwest Shadow at Southwest Career and Technical Academy. And he’s now headed to the University of Chicago to study political science.
Ahmed talked about his journalism origin story, why opinion writing is so important to him, who his greatest influences are, and what his future ambitions are.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Links
Ahmed’s Salute: Youth Journalism International
Ahmed’s work for the Shadow
Ahmed’s website and portfolio
On this episode, we’re joined by Anushka De. Anushka is a freshman from Cupertino California studying computer science at Stanford University.
This past year, Anushka was named the Journalism Education Association Student Journalist of the Year and the National Scholastic Press Association’s Writer of the Year.
Anushka talked about her initial fear of being a journalist and how she overcame it along with the great work she did on El Estoque, the student publication of Monta Vista High School. She discussed the high standards the journalism program at her school has and how students strive to fulfill them. And she shared her future goals.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
Anushka's salutes:
High school newspapers, including the Berkley High Jacket, the Lynbrook Epic, and the Cupertino Prospector
LINKS
Anuskha’s portfolio (including stories referenced within interview)
On this episode, we salute Erin Perry, the managing editor of Outlier Media.
Outlier Media is a Detroit-based service journalism organization that identifies, reports, and delivers valuable information to empower residents to hold landlords, municipal government, and elected officials accountable for longstanding problems.
They do this with text messaging, newsletters, and a section of OutlierMedia.org
Erin talked about her origin story and career path. She shared examples of the kinds of stories that Outlier covers and explained why it’s so needed in Detroit.
She also shared her passion for journalism education and the steps needed to make journalism an appealing profession for Black and Latino students.
Erin’s salute: Capital B, a non-profit for Black audiences.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode we’re joined by Mariel Padilla. Mariel is a general assignment reporter for The 19th.
The 19th is an independent non-profit newsroom reporting on gender, politics, and policy. It’s name invokes the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
She’s been with them for 2 years after working for a year as a reporting fellow for the NY Times. And she was a part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage both at The Times and while interning at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Mariel talked about the stories she’s worked on for each of those organizations.
At the Enquirer that involved collecting data for a major story on the opioid crisis. At the Times, she worked on breaking news (including obituaries) and unusual features. And at The 19th, she’s worked on a wide range of coverage including the January 6 Hearings, the military, Afghan refugees, and abortion legislation.
Mariel also explained what makes coverage at The 19th distinct. Be sure to listen for her wonderful quote about how she views being a journalist.
Mariel’s salute: MIT Technology Review
Stories
Covering Cassidy Hutchinson testimony
Liz Cheney’s comments during hearing
Story on Afghan refugees
How the women of congress remember Jan. 6
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Nicole Neroulias Gupte. Nicole is an editor with Global Press Journal, a news organization working with women around the world covering undercovered countries.
She’s also the founder and executive editor of Trailing-Spouse (Trailing-Spouse.com), an online magazine and community that shares stories of expats, military families and significant others who have done adventurous things and reinvented their lives after partner-prompted relocations.
Nicole talked about the work she’s done at Global Press (using a recent story set in Sri Lanka as an example). She also shared both her journalism origin story and the origin story and development of Trailing Spouse – and the goals she has for it.
She also shared tips and advice for those looking to follow her lead in either editing role and explained why it’s important to get your Nintendo reflexes going before going on Jeopardy.
For more on Global Press Journal, listen to our interview with editor-in-chief, Jessica Meyers.
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
On today’s episode, we’re joined by James Queally, who covers courts, crime, and police for the Los Angeles Times. He previously had a similar job for the Newark Star-Ledger.
James is the 2nd Pulitzer winner to join us (Ted Bridis is the other). He was part of a 2015 breaking news team that covered the San Bernadino terrorist attacks that won the Pulitzer.
He’s also a book author – 2 novels.
James talked about his journalism origin story, how one phone call changed his interest from covering sports to covering crime. He also shared examples of reporting he’s done, from covering the recent trial of the man who murdered Nipsey Hussle to investigative work on racist police officers. And he talked about how he handles the grizzly nature of the job mentally.
James’ salute:
Keri Blakinger, Marshall Project
His website: JamesQueallyWriter.com
(includes links to his books)
His articles can be found here
Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org, Mark's website (MarkSimonMedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Javeria Salman, a digital news producer and staff writer at The Hechinger Report, which covers innovation and inequality in education.
Her beat is the future of learning in kindergarten through 12th grade and her work is most often seen in a newsletter that comes out every 2 weeks. She’s based in New York City.
Javeria talked about her journalism career path, from emigrating to the United States from Pakistan to going to East Carolina University, where her observation of her Muslim faith stood out in an area that hosted rallies for Donald Trump.
She explained how student media provided her the best outlet to be successful, the types of stories she pursues as an education report, and how she relates to the stories and people she covers.
Javeria’s Salutes:
Rowaida Abdelaziz, Huffington Post
Middle East Eye
Thank you for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org, or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Aneri Pattani. She’s a national correspondent for Kaiser Health News based in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has a VERY full resume – with internships, reporting, and radio producing work. She has won an award from INN for her news reporting.
Aneri is also teaching an online class on responsible reporting of suicides on the Coursera online platform and gave examples of lessons she’s encouraging others to follow..
She talked about covering mental health, from why that subject is of interest to her, to how she comes up with ideas and pursues stories. She also shared what she learned from past work experiences, internships and volunteer work, including one with aspiring student journalists in Syria.
Key quote: “I believe being a journalist is akin to being a student for life” and that “a journalist can bring about enlightenment, emotion and change.”
Aneri’s salute:
Rhitu Chatterjeee, NPR Mental Health Reporter
Thank you for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org, or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode Mark Simon talked to to Jen Maxfield. Jen is a reporter and substitute anchor for WNBC TV in New York. She’s has spent nearly 20 years reporting in and around New York City. She’s also the author of More After the Break from Greenleaf Press (out July 12) – this book revisits news stories from Jen’s reporting past.
It’s a book of storytelling and of where-are-they now reporting. It’s also a textbook of sorts that shows aspiring reporters – this is what it’s really like to do the work.
Jen talked to us about her journalism path, her storytelling process, and she explained how she mines details out of interview subjects, while always remembering to be empathetic. She also shared her biggest mistake and the impact it had on the rest of her career.
Jen's Podcast: More After the Break
Jen’s Journalism Salutes:
News12 NY’s Judayah Murray and Jordan Kissane
Thank you for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org, or tweet us at @journalismpod
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Mary C Curtis. Mary is a longtime reporter and editor, and now columnist for Congressional Quarterly Roll Call – covering the intersection of politics, race and culture.
Mary is also a senior facilitator at The Op-Ed Project, a group that mentors people (mostly women) to share their stories and be thought leaders. She has 40 years in an NABJ Hall-of-Fame career in journalism to draw upon, including time as an editor at The New York Times and Baltimore Sun.
Mary talked about her journalism origin story – as a lifelong observer of people. She explained her column writing – where she gets her ideas and how she writes her ledes and her kickers. She also talked about the editing work she had done – and how she overcame misperceptions about her in newsrooms. And she explained the work she does for The Op-Ed Project.
Please share feedback on the show at journalismsalute@gmail.com or on Twitter at @journalismpod. And you can visit Mark Simon's website at MarkSimonMedia.com
Mary’s Salute: MLK50
Mary’s Podcast: Equal Time with Mary C. Curtis
On today’s episode, Mark Simon interviews Jake Wittich. Jake is a reporter for Block Club Chicago covering different neighborhoods in the city and LGBTQ issues. He’s also the vice-president of the Chicago chapter of the NLGJA, which is the association of LGTBTQIA journalists. And – he’s part of Block Club thanks to Report for America, from which we’ve had many guests.
Jake shares his journalism origin story, gives examples of the reporting he does, explains the goals of the NLGJA, and shares the benefits of being a part of Report for America.
Jake's salute: AAJA Chicago
Thank you for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org, or tweet us at @journalismpod
Denise Clay-Murray is a reporter with 30 years of journalism experience who was recently hired by Votebeat to cover the upcoming elections in Pennsylvania. Votebeat has reporters embedded around the country to cover stories related to the election process.
Denise talked about the work she’ll be doing for Votebeat but also about her career covering elections and about why Votebeat is so important. She also talked about freelance reporting she’s done, including a recent piece on the hidden cost of gun violence.
Thank you as always for listening. Please rate and review the podcast – and share feedback with us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or on Twitter at @journalismpod.
Denise’s salutes: MLK 50 and The Pivot Fund.
On this episode we’re joined by Gabrielle Hays.
Gabrielle covers St. Louis for the PBS News Hour as a community correspondent. She both writes and does TV work. She’s previously been a TV news reporter in Knoxville, Tennessee, and a reporter/producer for St. Louis’ PBS affiliate.
Gabrielle talked about her career path, her current job, and the stories she’s covered, including multiple pieces on Afghan refugees. She also explained how she humanizes stories dealing with St. Louis history, and how she approaches the job knowing that she’s going to often be with people on their worst days.
She also detailed how both her mentors and members of the NABJ have been vital to her career success and offered three pieces of advice to aspiring journalists who want to follow in her footsteps.
Some of the stories we talked with Gabrielle about can be found here and her PBS work can be found here.
Thank you for listening. Please email us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter at @journalismpod.
For episode number 75 of our podcast, we’re joined by Tionna Taite. Tionna will be attending the University of Alabama law school after completing her undergrad work there with a degree in News Media. Her minor is Advocacy, Voice, and Stewardship.
Two years ago, Tionna started a magazine for students, Nineteen Fifty-Six – the first Black student-led magazine at the school. It’s staffed by 50 students, full color – articles and amazing photography.
Tionna talked about the origin of her interest in journalism and the origin of the magazine. She explained the organizational process by which each issue is put together and the influences that other magazines had on it.
Tionna is also the current Miss Black Alabama and will be competing in the Miss Black USA pageant this summer. She shared how her platform is related to teaching media.
Thank you for listening. Feel free to rate and review the show. If you have any feedback, please e-mail journalismsalute@gmail.com.
Related Episodes
#20 – Professor Meredith Cummings
28 – The 1619 Project – Kirkwood (Missouri) High School
55 – Ashleigh Fields, Howard University
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Nick Toso (@rolliapp). Nick spent 7 years at CNN, working largely in a production role on CNN Español. He supervised interviews with world leaders, including president Barack Obama, and was a senior producer for both a daily and weekly news show. He’s currently the founder of Rolli, an app that helps journalists find experts for any story they might be working on.
Nick talked about the lessons learned from his time in TV production, the logistics behind the many interviews he oversaw, and his tips for aspiring journalists. He also explained the purpose of his app, which is free for journalists to use as they try to find subject experts to interview.
Thank you as always for listening. Please follow us on Twitter at @journalismpod or e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com.
Our guest today is Diana Kruzman. Diana is currently the Midwest Reporting Fellow for Grist which is a nonprofit, independent media organization that covers climate solutions.
But Diana has done a lot more than that. She also writes regularly about religion and urbanism, which includes some international reporting. Her Twitter bio asks – Journalist, or just plain nosy?
Diana talked about her upbringing – about becoming curious about journalism as the daughter of Russian immigrants and hearing stories of censorship.
She talked about the reporting work she’d done – from traveling to India for a story about sacred groves that are disappearing, and Kyrgyzstan for a piece on environmental issues- to her current work, including her interest in both chaplains and street-dumped pollution. She also discussed an article she wrote about issues that archaeologists are having with YouTube videos promoting alternative history.
Thank you for listening. Please rate or review us if you can. You can follow us at @journalismpod on Twitter or e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com.
On this episode, we’re joined by Ted Bridis, a professor of investigative journalism at the University of Florida.
Ted had a long career as an investigative journalist and editor. His team won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting on NYPD intelligence programs. He and his teams have done prominent work related to Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server, and Paul Manafort and Rick Gates’ covert foreign lobbying.
He was also part of the AP team that projected winners in 4 presidential elections, including 2016 (his call of Wisconsin made AP the first to project Trump would be president).
And he was the administrator of the Collier Prize won by the reporting team from the Miami Herald.
Ted talked both about his career, the traits that go into being a good investigative reporter, and the qualities of good investigative journalism work.
Thank you for listening. You can reach Mark Simon at @journalismpod or journalismsalute@gmail.com. You can also visit our website at TheJournalismSalute.org
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, we’re joined by Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang of The Miami Herald. With additional assistance from ProPublica, they produced a 5-part series published in April 2021 – Birth and Betrayal. This was about a Florida government program that was intended to help families of children who suffered catastrophic brain injuries at birth. But the program did not work as intended.
This piece – there were print and video components- just won The Collier Prize – a $25,000 journalism award focusing on investigative and political reporting on state governments.
Daniel and Carol talked about the work that went into the piece, which took two years to complete. They explained the challenges they encountered, how they organized their work, and the lessons they've learned that allow for investigative reporting success.
Thank you as always for listening. For any comments or questions about an episode, or to suggest a guest, please write journalismsalute@gmail.com. You can also visit our website at TheJournalismSalute.org
On this episode, we’re joined by Kam Burns. Kam is an engagement editor at Politico, working on social media strategy after a couple of years in a similar position for Wired.
Kam is also a founding member of the Transgender Journalists Association. He does freelance writing. In the last couple of years, he’s written pieces on the transgender travel experience published in Allure and National Geographic.
Kam talked about the work he does at Politico and what makes working with social media such an interesting job.
He also talked about the TJA - why it was founded, the types of things it does, and the types of things it wants to do.
Kam cited The 19th as a journalism organization doing great coverage of trans issues and also recommended listening to an episode of Life Kit on making the workplace more trans-equitable.
Thank you for listening. Ratings and reviews are appreciated. Let us know what you think of the show at journalismsalute@gmail.com or @journalismpod on Twitter.
On this issue, we talked with Susan LoTempio and Kristin Gilger of the National Center on Disability and Journalism.
Susan, who had polio as an eight-month old and uses a wheelchair, talked about her long career as a newspaper editor and how she went from initially just writing headlines and editing to overseeing entire sections.
Susan also gave examples of what you’ll see in writing about disabilities when it’s done well and when it’s not done well. And she provided examples of stories related to disabilities that are not being well covered.
Kristin, a professor at Arizona State, is the executive director of the Center. She talked about the types of questions the center typically gets asked to assist on (often relating to language and usage) and what listeners can do to support the work of the Center.
On this episode, we’re joined by Jessica Meyers, editor-in-chief of Global Press Journal. Global Press builds and maintains independent news bureaus in some of the world’s least-covered places. Each bureau is staffed by local women journalists who are from the communities they cover.
Jessica talked about Global Press’ mission, what sorts of stories Global Press Journal covers, what her role as editor-in-chief entails, and her visions for the future of the group.
Thank you as always for listening. Please e-mail any feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com.
On this episode, we’re joined by Starr Dunigan, a reporter for Reckon, an online website that covers the stories and tough and important issues facing the south.
Her current primary role is writing the weekly Black Joy newsletter that comes out every Friday.
Starr talked about her journalism career path, the different types of good news that she covers, the Birmingham 1963 project, and what it was like to be arrested while doing news reporting.
Thank you as always for listening.
On this episode, we’re joined by Anita Hofschneider, a staff writer with the non-profit Honolulu Civil Beat in Hawaii.
Anita writes watchdog stories, investigative and explanatory deep-dives, features and breaking news. She has covered a variety of beats, including politics, housing, health care and the environment.
In 2022, she became the Beat’s Pacific regional correspondent as the organization expanded its coverage area.
Anita talked about stories she covered, including how the pandemic impacted Pacific Island families, investigative pieces on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and sexual harassment allegations against former Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye, and her reporting process for these stories.
Anita also talked about the challenges of covering the Pacific Islands while based in Hawaii and provided advice for journalists in the early stages of their careers.
Honolulu Civil Beat is the only news outlet in Hawaii dedicated to public affairs reporting. Their mission is to engage and educate the community on important public issues through in-depth reporting, explanatory and investigative journalism, analysis and commentary.
Thank you for listening. You can email us at journalismsalute@gmail.com.
Please rate and review the show if you can.
On this episode, we’re joined by Emma Restrepo. Emma is a freelance journalist focused on LatinX communities. She hosts a weekly Spanish-language radio show, Dos Puntos – out of Philadelphia. She’s also an adjunct professor at Temple, teaching Spanish for Media.
Emma talked about her journalism origin story, some of her recent projects - one on disparities of education in Philadelphia suburbs, another a storytelling project on a local bus route. She also discussed the challenges she faces in trying to write and shared some of her favorite Latina journalists throughout history.
Thank you as always for listening. Emma's appearance came via listener suggestion. If you have a suggestion for an upcoming guest, please email me at journalismsalute@gmail.com.
On this episode, we’re joined by Allie Singer. Allie is a senior editor for special projects at Time Magazine for Kids with previous stops at Scholastic and DK Publishing. Allie and I are both graduates of The College of New Jersey. I’m class of 1997. She’s class of 2009.
Allie talked about the moment that changed her aspirations from a career in teaching to one in editing and journalism. She explained her role at Time and how she works on stories and podcasts with kid reporters (like an interview with the Surgeon General about kids’ mental health). She also explained the process by which Time takes a topic like the Russian invasion of Ukraine or presidential impeachment and produces content suitable for children age 5 to 12.
She also explained how sometimes it’s ok to break the rules of editing, particularly when dealing with work read by kids – and she saluted both a journalism organization doing good work and an editor of note.
We’ll be doing interviews with women in journalism throughout March. Hope you’ll keep tuning in. Please reach out to us at journalismsalute@gmail.com and let us know what you think.
Rod McCullom is a Chicago-based science journalist and reports the “Convictions” column for Undark. His work has been published by Undark, Scientific American, Nature, MIT Technology Review, and The Atlantic, among other publications. Rod was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.
Rod discussed the different science topics he covers – a wide range but with special focus on health, artificial intelligence, and criminal justice. He explained how he tries to write in an easy-to-understand manner.
Thank you for listening as always. Please send any comments to journalismsalute@gmail.com.
On this episode, we’re joined by Kelundra Smith. Kelundra (@PieceofKay) is the senior publications writer at Emory University but is also a journalist covering theatre, art and culture for a wide range of outlets, including The New York Times, Food and Wine, The Undefeated, and The Bitter Southerner.
Kelundra talked about her path to a journalism career and some favorite pieces she’s written (the links above include examples). She also talked about how she watches a play when she is reviewing it, the key to writing from the heart, her work with The American Theatre Critics Association Equity Diversity Inclusion Committee, and how she would design an arts journalism curriculum .
She also discussed her current job, her playwrighting ambitions, and a Black History Month project she did, 28 Days Of Black Plays.
Thank you as always for listening. We’d very much like to hear from you. Please review the podcast if you can and send along any feedback. You can e-mail journalismsalute@gmail.com or tweet me at @journalismpod.
On this episode, we’re joined by Boston Globe senior newsroom developer Vince Dixon. Vince’s job is to create interactive and data-driven visuals for Boston Globe.com. He previously worked at Eater.
Vince also does a lot of visual-oriented personal passion projects for his blog, Code Review – including a look at 28 Black Pioneers in Journalism, Design, and Technology in 2019.
Vince talked about his journalism path, the types of projects he works on, and the value of knowing how to code. He also told the story of several Black journalism pioneers.
You can find many of Vince’s projects, including pieces on the history of police brutality, his study on purse-clutching, and how Black people influenced the origins of many American music genres at VinceDixonPortfolio.com.
On this episode, we’re joined by Chris Jones. Chris is a photojournalist and investigative reporter and covers domestic extremism for the collaborative non-profit website, 100 Days in Appalachia as a member of the Report for America program.
He served as an infantryman in the United States Marine Corps from 2010–2014 and that included 2 deployments in Afghanistan.
Chris talked about his path to working in journalism and the work he’s done. He covered the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 as a photojournalist and explained how he got some of the pictures he got (including one that led to an arrest).
Chris also talked about other projects he’s done, including a piece for the New York Times on military challenge coins and their larger representation within the war in Afghanistan, and a 23-minute documentary and story that ran on The Intercept about a former Democrat city council member in West Virginia who stormed the U.S. Capitol.
He also discussed do’s and don’ts related to covering domestic extremism and work he’s doing to help reporters in that area, as well as how Report for America has helped him.
Our other interviews with Report for America reporters include
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Morgan Mullings (Boston’s Black community)
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Kassidy Arena (Iowa Public Radio)
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Farnoush Amiri (local government in Ohio)
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Carrington Tatum (environmental racism for MLK50)
On today’s show, we’re joined by Katie Klingsporn. Katie is the managing editor of WyoFile, a non-profit member-supported public interest news service that covers the people, places, and policy of Wyoming.
Katie is a former newspaper writer and editor with about 15 years experience. She’s done a lot of freelance reporting about life in the West as well. She’s a self-described word geek
Katie talked about her journalism path, how multiple sclerosis has impacted her life and work, and why she enjoys covering the outdoors so much.
She also explained the purpose of WyoFile and the stories it covers, its reputation for fairness, and recent work on Coronavirus, Black Lives Matter protests, and investigative work on the Wyoming National Guard.
Thank you as always for listening. Please rate and review us if you can.
On today’s show, we’re joined by Richard Davies. When you hear his voice, you may say “sounds familiar. He worked for ABC News Radio as a news reporter and host and worked in radio for 29 years.
Richard currently heads his own podcast consulting business and co-hosts the solutions journalism podcast “How Do We Fix It?” which has aired more than 300 episodes and is part of The Democracy Group.
He talked about lessons learned from his career, what characterized his reporting on both big events and personal finance and how his podcast celebrates fresh thinking on current topics. He gave multiple examples of the latter as related to views on policing and the origins of COVID-19.
He also gave practical advice for thoughtful speaking and for interviewing and saluted a reporter who he felt was doing great work.
Thank you as always for listening. You can find “How Do We Fix It?” here and wherever you get your podcasts.
On this episode, we’re joined for an interview by Carrington Tatum.
Carrington is a reporter for MLK50 – a non-profit newsroom focused on poverty, power, and public policy that was founded in 2017 by journalist Wendi Thomas.
He’s also a part of the Report for America program. Regular listeners know that we’re a huge fan of that organization, which is now taking applicants for its next reporting class at ReportForAmerica.org.
Carrington talked about his nearly 40-story series on the Byhalia Pipeline project, one that would have run through one of Memphis’ poorest neighborhoods had it been enacted. He discussed the challenges of learning the subject matter and the prevalence of environmental racism across the country.
He also referenced other work he’d done and shared both his path to a journalism career and how Report for America had benefited him.
Other Report for America interviews
Morgan Mullings (Boston government)
Kassidy Arena (Latinos in Iowa)
Farnoush Amiri (Ohio government)
On today’s show, Mark Simon is joined for an interview by Don Colacino. Don is a filmmaker who has just started production on a documentary, Trusted Sources, that is about the decline of trust in news and those working to restore it.
Don talked about the work that he’s doing (including a considerable amount of research and reporting), outlined what the film will look like, and talked about some of the heroes of journalism who are working to promote trust in the news media.
He also explained lessons he learned from his documentary short, Winner Take All, which explains the movement for a national popular vote, and shared his favorite journalism documentaries.
To learn more about the movie, visit trustdocfilm.com and colacinoproductions.com.
On this week’s episode, we are joined by Howard University junior Ashleigh Fields. Ashleigh is the editor in chief of The Hilltop, which is the student newspaper at the school.
Ashleigh talked about her journalism origin story (she watched her mom, a TV news anchor) and her enjoyment of all forms of writing.
She then discussed the big news story on campus – a housing crisis that led to the occupation of a prominent building at the school – and what it was like to cover it. She also explained the writing process she works through and the style she uses in producing a Letter from the Editor.
Ashleigh also conversed about the decisions she has to make as an editor-in-chief, the benefits of being at an HBCU, the big-name hires in the school journalism department, the access she’s had to different things by being in Washington DC, and why she holds the Charlotte Post in high regard.
A great episode for anyone interested in working in student newspaper leadership.
Important Links
The Hilltop Online
Letter from The Editor – Give Us a Voice
The Carrington Courier
One of Ashleigh’s favorite stories – about her hair
Her TedX Talk
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Russell Midori, a TV photojournalist and the president of Military Veterans in Journalism, an organization that mentors veterans who want to work in journalism after their service concludes.
Russell talked about his military career and transition to video work, shooting, editing and producing features, news stories, and documentaries. He gave examples of work he did and discussed the dangers of the job. This is a good episode if you’re interested in working behind the scenes in TV news.
Russell also spoke about Military Veterans in Journalism and the work the group is doing, as well as why military veterans make good newsroom employees.
If you’d like to learn more, visit their website or find them on Twitter
As always, thank you for listening, and a special thank you to military veterans for their service as Veterans Day approaches.
On today’s episode, we’re joined by April Alonso. April is the co-founder of the award-winning Cicero Independiente, a bilingual news website and publication based in Cicero, Illinois, along with Irene Romulo and Ankur Singh.
The Independiente just won two awards from the Institute for Non-Profit News for the 11-part series – Unrest in Cicero – How One Day Shook a Town – coverage of racial violence and unrest in their city of 80,000.
April talked about her career as a photographer and her role with this organization, explained what happened in the city and how her organization covered it, and discussed how the Independiente functions with workers that are part-time and volunteers from local schools and the community.
To learn more about The Independiente, read this article from The Poynter Institute.
On today’s show, Mark Simon is joined by Insider investigative sports writer Bradford William Davis.
Bradford talked about his career path – from starting a newsletter with a friend to eventually (after time at several start-ups and HBO) as a sports columnist for the Daily News and now for the website, Insider.
Bradford often writes about social justice issues as they relate to sports. We discussed pieces he wrote about performative unity by athletes, Jay Z’s hypocritical stance in partering with the NFL, the erasing of a Black Lives Matter statement on a pitcher's mound, and a feature he wrote for GQ about an Olympic fencer – a black athlete in a white conservative sport. Bradford also addresses the issue of there being so few Black baseball writers.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can. You can e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by one of his favorite sportswriters, enterprise reporter, Alex Coffey, who has written for The Athletic, The New York Times, USA Today, and FoxSports.com.
Alex told the story of how she got into the business, following the path of her father as a sports enterprise writer and her mother as journalists, and explained how her appreciation of history is so important to her work.
Alex then talked about some of the most interesting stories she’s written, from hanging out in a bookstore and talking about The Alchemist and The Great Gatsby, with a baseball player just before his baseball life changed, to a more intense piece on a former baseball player-turned police officer who has dealt with the aftereffects of working through the September 11 attacks.
She also shared on her efforts to talk to people who would give insight into a reclusive sports team owner and how she captured her own thoughts on her sister getting drafted to play pro soccer.
Thanks for listening, as always. Please rate and review us if you can. You can email us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or tweet at @journalismpod.
On this episode, Mark Simon talks to Ken Partridge, a music journalist and author of Hell of a Hat, The Best of 90s Ska and Swing.
Ken talked about how his interests in journalism and music began and evolved, some of the prominent musicians he’s interviewed and how he finds little tidbits to make stories on everything he does (including Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer) distinct. He also shared his favorite question-answer moment, when he got Joni Mitchell to refer to herself as a genius.
Ken also explained why he wrote this book, what the experience and process was like. He gave tips on how to get good answers to questions and how to handle the volume of work in a book project. He also discussed his journalistic influences and picked a music journalist he wanted to salute.
You can find Ken’s book here.
On this episode, we’re joined by David Cutler, a history and journalism teacher at Brimmer and May School in Massachusetts, as well as the Executive Director of the Private School Journalism Association.
David discussed both the work of his organization and his journalism teaching. The PSJA is attempting to increase membership and work to develop policies with private and independent schools regarding censorship and private review. David went through the efforts being made in both areas.
He also talked about the work he’s done teaching at Brimmer and May, other private schools that have stood out for their journalism work (including one in England), and how he’s tried to integrate journalism into his history teaching, and comic books into classrooms.
Thank you for listening. Episode feedback is welcomed. Please rate and review us if you can. You can find us on Twitter at @journalismpod.
Stay safe and stay well.
On today’s show, we’re joined by César Rodríguez, a photojournalist and GroundTruth fellow based in Mexico. You might have heard our recent interview with photojournalist Aryana Noroozi a couple of episodes ago. César has a distinct story to tell as well.
César talked about his path to journalism through chocolate(!),a recent project he did for GroundTruth on a Mexican migrant camp, how he approaches his projects, and his filmmaker aspirations
LINKs
Mexican Migrant Camp Project
Photoessay on family of drug cartel murder victims
If Hell Existed documentary trailer
Farnoush Amiri is one of the busiest journalists we’ve gotten to interview. She is currently a reporter for the Associated Press as part of the Report for America, covering a broad range of stories out of Columbus, Ohio. She is also a vice-president for the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), and a co-director of the Voices program for the Asian-American Journalists Association (AAJA).
Farnoush talked about her career path, which began at The Hollywood Reporter, where she learned lessons still applicable today. She talked about her current job, and what a week is like covering everything from state government to the pandemic to any other news happening in her coverage area.
She also discussed her most notable story – a piece for NPR’s Code Switch on a harrowing incident involving her family and the police at a time when post-9/11 tensions were high.
Farnoush also spoke about the priorities of the AAJA and what the Voices program does to help train young journalists and build awareness for problematic issues, such as prominent organizations hiring interns largely from Ivy League schools. She also addressed the current priorities for the SAJA and why she is taking on these leadership positions.
On this episode, Mark Simon joined by investigative reporter and data journalist Adam Rhodes. Adam is a queer, first-generation Cuban-American who works uncovering corruption and wrongdoing in our nation's health care and criminal justice systems. Adam reports for the Chicago Reader as a social justice reporting fellow and is president of the Chicago chapter of the NLGJA, which is the Association of LGBTQ journalists
Adam talked about different stories he had done, including those related to laws criminalizing HIV-positive status, white supremacy and racism in the Boystown section of Chicago, and the challenge for people in getting HIV medication and treatment in Puerto Rico.
Adam also talked about what the NLGJA does and his role as president of the Chicago chapter.
Thank you, as always, for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Aryana Noroozi, a photojournalist working with The GroundTruth Project and Pulitzer Center on impactful community reporting.
Aryana talked about her career path, her photography style, and the different projects she worked on as a recent student at Columbia Journalism School. She also discussed one of her biggest projects, documenting remote learning and the impact it has on refugee families in San Diego, and an upcoming project related to losing a loved one to addiction during the time of COVID-19. She also shared her career aspirations and picked a journalism organization that she would like to salute.
If you like the podcast, please rate and review it. Thank you for listening.
Notable stories/photo projects
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Refugee families and virtual learning
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Friendship Park – a multinational park in San Diego
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Iranians foreshadowing COVID issues
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The Fears of Undocumented Home Health Care Workers
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The class of 2024? Portraits
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Sean Lahman, Watchdog Reporter for The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Sean talked about his career path - from working on baseball databases and sports encyclopedias to his current role with the D&C.
Sean talked about developing both technical skills and storytelling skills and how that allowed him to differentiate from others in the field. He gave examples of the many resources and databases he's created, and talked about the emotional challenges of covering difficult stories.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well
NOTE: We're going to an every-other-week schedule in June and July, so check out one of our first episodes ...
This originally aired in August 2020 (hence the references to the Trump Administration).
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark is joined by Allison Augustyn, the executive director of InvestigateWest, a non-profit journalism studio based in Seattle.
In Allison’s words, InvestigateWest is reporting “for community, with community” using a modern investigative reporting approach. She explains the role that InvestigateWest fills and how the impact of their reporting on the Pacific Northwest is measured.
She provides examples of notable stories (a social justice component to environmental reporting) and the idea of “meeting people where they live.” She also previews an upcoming story running in The Atlantic. Lastly, she offers advice to aspiring investigative reporters and offers her own salute to a journalism organization.
Core quote: “There are economists who have put forth data that shows that for every dollar spent on investigative reporting, it yields $125 in societal good. It’s just that it takes a lot of time and money up front before you get that payoff.”
The Journalism Salute is a podcast intended to spotlight journalism organizations doing prominent work and to counter the notion of journalists as the enemy of the people. It is hosted by Mark Simon. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark Simon is joined by Mona Holmes of Eater LA.
Mona talked about her career path and the entrepreneurial ventures she tried before deciding that food journalism was what she wanted to do.
She explained how food journalism is more than just about food, that it’s about telling stories about people and reporting on policy. She also discussed the process by which a story goes from idea to completion, pointed out the importance of photography to her work, and noted voids in the industry that aspiring journalists could look to fill.
Notable Links
Mona’s articles for Eater LA
Story on grocery store fried chicken
Funnel cakes queen feature
Viral tweet on LA food misconceptions
NOTE:
Taking the week off, so thought I'd dial it back to the very beginning - August 2020- with Episode 1a (I did 2 episodes to start- we'll call them both 1a).
This one is one of my favorites because the topics are interesting and the approach is so different.
Back next week with a new episode. Enjoy!
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark is joined by Eve Pearlman, the co-founder and CEO of Spaceship Media.
In Eve’s words, Spaceship Media is a company that invites exploration for journalists and conversation participants through a recently developed form of work known as dialogue journalism. Spaceship brings people from different groups together for conversations over an extended period of time and works with media outlets to report on what comes from those conversations.
Eve explains the origin of the company and how dialogue journalism works in the spirit of reconceptualizing what journalism is. She tells what motivated her to pursue this type of journalism, how projects are conceptualized, developed, and completed, and why journalists are ideal for the role they serve within dialogue journalism. She also shares her vision for future projects and pays it forward with advice, and a journalism salute of her own.
Core quote: “What can I do with the skills I have, from where I sit, to help the greater good?”
The Journalism Salute is a podcast intended to spotlight journalism organizations doing prominent work and to counter the notion of journalists as the enemy of the people. It is hosted by Mark Simon. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
Show Links
Spaceship Media
Spaceship Media Twitter page
Eve Pearlman’s Twitter page
Guns, An American Conversation (Spaceship Media’s book)
Eve’s Ted Talk
Journalism Salute Twitter
Mark Simon Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Carol Robidoux, the founder and publisher of the Manchester Ink Link, a news website serving Manchester, New Hampshire and its surrounding community.
Carol talked about her path to her current role and explained what’s in a name – both the name of the website and her self-appointed title of Chief Instigating Officer. She also discussed what a news organization can do to reflect its community, and how a collaborative organization of multiple media outlets can be a gamechanger for the community.
Carol also saluted multiple other organizations that have helped her along the way and told a story of how a piece of advice from journalism professor Bob Cole changed her life.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by 40-year copy editor and World War II oral historian Aaron Elson.
Aaron talked about his long career in newspapers, emphasizing his role as a counselor of wayward commas about their place in sentences, protecting the English language, and writing headlines
He also talked about his work compiling more than 600 hours of oral history of World War II and the books and podcasts he’s created from that. Aaron his written multiple books and hosts a podcast: War As My Father’s Tank Batallion Knew It. You can learn more about him at AaronElson.com.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
On this episode, Mark Simon talked to Steve Novotney, a 30-year journalism veteran who co-founded Lede News to cover the Upper Ohio Valley in West Virginia.
Steve talked about his background in baseball, print media, and radio talk shows and all that led him to his current position as publisher and podcast host. Steve talked about the decline of local news and how his online newspaper intends to fill it. He gave examples of his coverage, including a photo essay in which he took pictures of 26 bridges around the state in an effort to alert governor Jim Justice to maintenance issues.
Steve is very much an old-school journalist trying to show that old school still plays in the digital age.
For more information on Steve and Lede News, check out this feature by John Miller.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
This week, Mark Simon and Emmy Liederman are joined by Kassidy Arena, a reporter for Iowa Public Radio and a product of the Report For America program.
Kassidy talked about her radio career and the work she does covering issues impacting Iowa’s growing Latino community. She also discussed her background as a journalist and how she didn’t think she would go into radio because she was hard of hearing, but was able to carve a path that led to her current position.
Kassidy also continued discussions we’ve had on previous episodes regarding building trust in your sources and reporting for people rather than at them. She also gave her thoughts on the value of the Report for America program and Iowa Public Radio, and paid tribute to a recently deceased colleague in the industry.
Mark and Emmy then discussed Kassidy’s interview. Mike Fabey provided this week’s tribute to Dr. Cole.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
Important Links
Kassidy’s story on Iowa’s English-only law
In this episode, Emmy Liederman is joined by two other student journalists, Hadriana Lowenkron and J.D. Duggan. Hadriana is the editor-in-chief of The Daily Pennsylvanian and J.D. is the city editor of The Minnesota Daily.
They share what they’ve learned from covering race relations in their cities over the past year and best practices for making sure that all audiences are adequately represented in their reporting, as well as how they manage their mental health and take time for themselves. Hadriana and J.D. stressed that showing up to events and being eager to learn — even when you don’t have a byline — is the best way to help people tell their own stories.
They are candid about the struggles of being student journalists, but are also certain that this is made worthwhile by the fulfilment that comes from being in a newsroom, holding people in positions of power accountable and making a direct impact on the communities that they serve.
Important Links
Hadriana's Twitter
J.D.'s Twitter
In this episode, Emmy Liederman is joined by multilingual journalist and author Fernanda Santos. Santos was the first Brazilian to work as a staff writer at The New York Times, where covered the American Southwest. She is now a full-time professor at Arizona State University and a contributing columnist at The Washington Post.
Fernanda’s book, “The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshot,” honors the men who died together in one of the deadliest days in American firefighting. Her connection to these victims and their relentless sense of unity is also the subject of her Ted Talk. In this episode, she talked about how she maintains trust with her sources, best practices for pitching the right stories and how she continues to learn alongside her students every day. Santos also discussed her journey to rediscovering joy after the sudden death of her husband Mike Saucier, who was also a journalist and author.
We also paid tribute to TCNJ journalism professor Robert Cole through a segment with alum Brian Hershberg, who thanks Cole for giving him the confidence he needed to build a successful career.
Important Links:
Fernanda’s TED Talk, website, and Twitter
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark Simon and Emmy Liederman were joined by Graham Lee Brewer, a newly-hired enterprise reporter for NBC News Digital, a former reporter and editor for High Country News, and the secretary for the Native American Journalists Association (Graham is a Cherokee Nation citizen).
Graham talked about his new job and the reporting work he had done on Native American issues for publications including the New York Times and Audobon Magazine. He discussed the ways in which the NAJA supports Native American journalists and provides assistance to non-Native journalists.
Graham explained how important Deb Haaland’s appointment as Secretary of the Interior and Joe Biden’s promises to protect more public lands are and how Native American stories of struggle can often be reframed as stories of perseverance. He also provided career advice related to writing story pitches.
Thank you for listening to our podcast. Please rate and review if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
Important Links
Graham Lee Brewer’s Twitter
Graham’s story on Deb Haaland’s press conference with Indigenous media
Graham’s recent story in Audobon
On today’s episode, Mark and Emmy are joined by Dr. Ed Madison, a professor at the University of Oregon and the co-founder of The Journalistic Learning Initiative, a program aimed at getting students to learn through journalism at a young age.
Dr. Madison described the history of the program, how it works with middle school students in Oregon and California, and shared the many successes the program has had. He also talked about his work in teaching and in helping students own their future career success.
Important Links
Journalistic Learning Initiative website
JLI videos
Ed Madison’s Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ben Chase, a reporter for The Huron Daily Plainsman in Huron, South Dakota (population 13,000). Ben took an interesting path to his position, having previously worked as a social worker, in youth ministry, and as a freelance baseball writer.
Ben discussed working as a jack-of-all-trades who takes curiosity and his desire to help people into his work. One day he may be covering COVID issues and the newest developments at the town dump, the next he might be spending all day at state high school basketball tournaments. And then the day after that, he might produce an op-ed piece on racial inequality or the latest piece of anti-transgender legislation to come through the state. Ben is a throwback to the days of when local journalism mattered most. It still matters in Huron.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
Notable Links
Huron Plainsman
Ben Chase’s Twitter
Huron Plainsman Twitter
John Miller’s Poynter story about small town journalism
The newspaper Ben saluted – Kingsbury Journal
On this episode, Mark Simon and Emmy Liederman are joined by Iliana Limón Romero and Ashley Colley, the chair of the board and president of The Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM – pronounced “Awesome”).
Iliana is the deputy sports editor of the Los Angeles Times. Ashley is an associate producer at ESPN. They discussed the goals of the organization and initiatives for members related to career support and career growth. They shared their thoughts on some of the issues in sportswriting this winter, with two incidents involving prominent people in Major League Baseball coming to light.
They also noted the many successes for women in sports media and explained how the group is mentoring the next generation of female sports media members. They then answered Emmy’s questions about misconceptions about sports media and the ways in which sports media principles can be applied to other areas of journalism.
At the end of the episode, Iliana and Ashley also saluted the Association of Asian-American Journalists for their work. Mark and Emmy then discussed takeaways from the conversation and honored a sports media barrier breaker.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review us if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
Important Links
AWSM website
Iliana’s Twitter
Ashley’s Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Barbara Crossette, senior consulting editor and writer for PassBlue, a non-profit journalism organization that covers the United Nations. Barbara is a former international reporter and editor for the New York Times, who has more than 50 years of journalism experience (she turns 82 in July)
Barbara gave examples of the kinds of stories she and the site cover and explained how she and editor-in-chief Dulcie Leimbach work to determine what their website will cover, and the challenges of getting people interested in the U.N.
She shared stories from her career, including covering the assassination of India prime minister Rajiv Gandhi from just a few yards away and explained the difficulties and challenges that women reporters faced, as well as one advantage she had covering India as a woman.
She also provided advice to future journalists answering Emmy Liederman’s questions.
We also paid tribute to another New York Times editor in our Women’s History Month segment and continued our work in paying tribute to TCNJ journalism professor Bob Cole.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review if you like our work. You can contact us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or on Twitter at @journalismpod.
Important Links
PassBlue
Barbara Crossette’s articles at PassBlue
PassBlue Twitter
PassBlue's podcast
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by publisher Donna Ladd and senior reporter Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press, a non-profit media outlet that has published a considerable amount of important reporting about the state.
Donna and Ashton talked about the origin of the site and multiple stories that they’re working on. The most prominent of those is a series of pieces following racist e-mails sent by prominent people at the University of Mississippi (including the dean of the journalism school) and the ramifications for whistleblowers who alerted the media to the e-mails. They also talked about the challenge of covering state government, which is a republican supermajority.
Donna and Ashton also answered questions from Emmy Liederman, a graduating senior at The College of New Jersey and provided advice for students hoping to pursue a career in the field.
After the interview, Mark and Emmy reviewed the key points that Donna and Ashton made, and Emmy continued our Women’s History Month tribute and our regular feature on former journalism professor Bob Cole.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can. You can e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or contact us on Twitter at @journalismpod.
Important Links
The Mississippi Free Press website
The Mississippi Free Press Twitter
Donna Ladd Twitter
Ashton Pittman Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon talked to Khushbu Shah, the editor-in-chief of The Fuller Project.
Khushbu talked about The Fuller Project’s groundbreaking reporting on women around the world. She shared examples of reporting they’ve done and how they come up with the stories they publish on topics such as childcare challenges during the pandemic and immigration issues, focusing on the people impacted rather than the policies or legislation created to deal with them (similar to a previous episode guest, Ashton Lattimore from Prism).
She explained how the group spends months on story and does follow-ups after the fact and how it pairs with large organizations, like the New York Times and Associated Press to get its stories exposure.
Khushbu also shared lessons learned from working at CNN as a producer and from covering the Ahmaud Arbery case for public radio. She gave advice to aspiring journalists (learn another language if you want to work internationally!). And she picked a journalism organization that she wanted to salute.
The show also paid tribute to two important women in journalism history as part of Women’s History Month.
Special thanks to Emmy Liederman for editorial assistance (including questions used in the advice section).
Important Links
The Fuller Project
The Fuller Project Twitter
Khushbu Shah Twitter
Definition of Nut Graph
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Dr. Hannah Brown and Anna Hamilton of The Marjorie.
The Marjorie is a woman-owned reporting non-profit covering women and the environment in Florida.
Hannah and Anna explained their website’s name and explained what they cover, how they define “the environment,” and who their audience is. They shared examples of articles that had appeared on their website, ranging from one on an infestation of frogs through people’s toilets to multi-part pieces on the sugar cane industry, racial justice as relates to environmental issues, and a look at student concerns with politicians not taking environmental issues seriously.
Emmy Liederman, a graduating journalism student at The College of New Jersey, joined the show for our new segment in which she asked questions with answers that would serve as advice for future journalists.
Hannah and Anna then closed the interview by picking journalism organizations that they would like to salute.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can. If you have any questions or comments on the show, please send them to journalismsalute@gmail.com or tweet at @journalismsalute.
Important Links
The Marjorie website
The Marjorie on Twitter
Dr. Hannah Brown on Twitter
Anna Hamilton on Twitter
Article on Invasive Herpetofauna (Frogs in the Toilet!)
Sugar Cane series
Youth frustration with politicians on environmental issues
2017 piece on Florida women you should know
In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by 3 college students formerly from Kirkwood (Mo.) High School: Emma Lingo, Maddie Meyers, and Kiden-Aloyse Smith to talk about a project they did for their high school newspaper in 2020.
They were part of a group that took The 1619 Project, the Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles and podcasts from the New York Times and adapted it to cover their largely white suburb outside St. Louis. They wrote stories about topics such as the impacts of redlining, redistricting, and economic disparities in and around their community
Mark talked with the students about the pieces they wrote, the writing process, and how they reacted when they heard that politicians in Iowa just introduced legislation to ban the teaching of The 1619 Project.
Mark and podcast intern Emmy Liederman then briefly discussed what the students shared, and Mark shared something he found online connected to Black History Month and journalism history.
Thanks to the Student Press Law Center, whose website made us aware of this project, and Kirkwood High School journalism teacher Mitch Eden for putting us in touch with the students.
Important Websites
The Kirkwood Call's 1619 Project
Kirkwood Call Twitter
Vince Dixon's 28 Black Pioneers Project
On this episode, Mark Simon talks with Hadar Harris, the executive director of the Student Press Law Center.
Hadar talked about what the SPLC does and the different things that the organization is doing to commemorate Student Press Freedom Day on Friday, February 26. She spoke extensively about the challenges that students faced in 2020 and how they overcame them, the different forms of censorship that students deal with, and work done to change existing laws that challenge student press freedom across the country.
Thank you for listening. Please don’t forget to rate and review the show. You can also contact us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or at @journalismpod on Twitter.
Important Links
Student Press Law Center website
Student Press Freedom Day website
SPLC on Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ken Lemon, a longtime TV reporter for WSOC-TV in Charlotte and vice-president for broadcast for the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Ken talked about his career as a reporter, how he comes up with story ideas, a recent feature he did on an incident that happened at a baseball game many years ago, and a TV show he recently hosted, Conversations With 5 Black Men.
Ken also talked about his work with the NABJ and how the organization is trying to raise awareness for issues that Black journalists face. He discussed the recent awful comments reportedly made by a CBS executive disparaging a prominent Black journalist and how the organization is trying to convince ABC News to hire a Black president. He also talked about work he’s spearheading – The Black Male Media Project and shared thoughts on what people can do to help the organization’s causes.
To end the show, Ken gave tips to journalists who want to cover weather-related issues (he has considerable experience!) and named 3 Black journalists from history, and multiple media organizations that he wanted to salute.
Mark also shared the work of another Black organization doing important work in the field of play-by-play broadcasting.
As always, don’t forget to rate and review the podcast, and share it with your friends. Thank you for listening. Stay safe and stay well.
Important Links
NABJ website
NABJ Twitter
Ken Lemon bio
A Conversation With 5 Black Men – Part 1, 2, 3, 4
Feature on baseball game canceled by Springfield team
Black Play-By-Play Fund
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by P.J. Cabrera, a journalism teacher at Judson High School in Converse, Texas (not far from San Antonio) and the coordinator of the Scholastic Journalism Week committee for the Journalism Education Association.
P.J. shared the story of his path to teaching journalism, the challenge of teaching in a pandemic and teaching journalism in a state that allows school administration to review newspapers prior to publishing, and the good work his students are doing.
He also discussed his observations regarding the lack of journalism advisors from communities of color, and shared what his committee is working on for Scholastic Journalism Week which begins February 21.
Thank you for listening. Please don’t forget to rate and review the show. You can find us on Twitter at @journalismpod or e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Important Links
P.J. Cabrera’s LinkedIn
Scholastic Journalism Week Twitter
The Fuel – Judson High School’s newspaper
On this episode, Mark is joined by FiveThirtyEight election analyst Nathaniel Rakich. Nathaniel talked about the path to his current job, how he collaborates with other members of the website on stories, how he comes up with story ideas, and the best way to understand polls and election data. He also provided advice to aspiring journalists who want to work extensively with data.
Thank you for listening. Please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast if you can. You can contact us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or @journalismpod.
Important Links
FiveThirtyEight
Nathaniel Rakich’s Twitter
Nathaniel’s Five Thirty Eight articles
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Robin Kemp, the founder of the Clayton Crescentin Clayton County, Georgia.
Robin talked about her 30+ year career and how she’s really been a journalist since she was “in utero.” Her path to her current role included stops at CNN as a news writer, The Weather Channel as a founding editor of the scrolling ticker that occupies the bottom of the screen, and time as a local newspaper reporter who was laid off during the pandemic.
Robin shared the story of documenting the vote count for the presidential election for 21 consecutive hours and how the celebrity status that came from it helped her fund her current project, a news source that she hopes will someday become as well-regarded as The Texas Tribune.
Robin saluted the Tribune and other important news organizations and offered advice on merging creative writing and journalism.
Thank you for listening. Please rate, review, and subscribe if you can. You can also contact Mark at journalismsalute@gmail.com or @journalismpod
Important Links
The Clayton Crescent
Robin Kemp on Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon talked to Bay State Banner reporter Morgan Mullings, a recent grad of St. John's, whose opportunity to begin her professional journalism career began via Report for America.
Morgan talked about her work with the Banner, and why it's important for a newspaper whose readership is geared to the African-American community to have a young black female writer. She shared her experience in past internships and what led her to apply to Report For America, which helps place aspiring journalists with news outlets to fill important needs in their coverage.
Morgan also talked about her passion for news literacy, how she comes up with story ideas, the different type of writing she's done, and gave tips for both applying to Report for America (applications for this year due January 31) and getting around Boston (spoiler: get a bike!).
Thank you for listening. If you have any thoughts on this episode, please e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com or find us on Twitter at @JournalismPod. Please rate and review the podcast if you can.
Important Links
Morgan Mullings Twitter
Bay State Banner website
Bay State Banner Twitter
Report for America website
Report for America Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Arelis Hernández, a vice president for print for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a reporter covering Texas and the US-Mexican border for the Washington Post.
Arelis talked about the goals of the organization, making sure Hispanic journalists receive opportunities for advancement and aren't unfairly treated when it comes to the industry's cutting jobs. She also talked about the treatment of Hispanics in the media, including the inaccuracy of the term minority, and what non-Hispanic people can do to aid the NAHJ's cause.
Arelis also discussed her current job for the Washington Post, some of the stories she'd written about the ejection, and how she comes up with story ideas. Lastly, she offered advice for journalists wanting to take on organizational leadership positions and picked a journalist that she wanted to salute.
Thank you for listening. Please rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. If you have any comments on this episode, please share them at journalismsalute@gmail.com or @JournalismPod on Twitter.
Important Links
NAHJ website
NAHJ on Twitter
Palabra
Arelis Hernández on Twitter
Arelis' articles for the Washington Post
NAHJ statement on use of the term "minority"
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by University of Alabama journalism instructor, Meredith Cummings, who also is the director of the Alabama Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) and the National Elementary Scholastic Press Association (NESPA).
Meredith talked about what teaching journalism to college students in a her state is like, the way she approaches her classes, and how sports has played an important role in teaching larger lessons about journalism.
She also talked about the role the Alabama Multicultural Journalism Association has played in improving newsroom diversity starting at the scholastic level. She also explained the services provided by the ASPA and NESPA and why she believe the future of journalism is bright.
We also talked about #FollowHerLede, a 10,000 mile cross-country journalism tour that Meredith did, visiting a diverse array of news organizations. Meredith also provided advice on balancing so many passion projects and listed a few journalism organizations she wanted to salute.
Thank you for listening. Follow us on Twitter or e-mail us at journalismsalute@gmail.com
Important Websites
Meredith's website
Meredith's Twitter
Alabama Scholastic Press Association
National Elementary School Press Association
FollowMyLede article
Article on high school students in a pandemic
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Hillel Goldberg, editor and publisher of the Intermountain Jewish News, a weekly family-owned newspaper and website that has served the Rocky Mountain Jewish community for more than 100 years.
Rabbi Goldberg talked about the evolution of the publication and the importance of both his father and mother to the paper’s direction. He explained the intent of the news and editorial pages, discussed a number of recent articles, including an editorial welcoming Joe Biden to the presidency.
He also shared his approach to running the business, gave advice to students on how to work with family and how to establish themselves as writers, and picked a couple of journalism organizations for a personal salute.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the podcast if you can.
Important Websites
Intermountain Jewish News website
Intermountain Jewish News on Twitter
On this episode, Mark Simon was joined by Georges Budagu Makoko and Kathreen Harrison, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Amjambo Africa, a monthly newspaper and website published in 6 languages that is devoted to covering the African immigrant experience in Maine.
Georges and Kathreen talked about Georges’ journey to the United States and Kathreen’s career as a teacher and how they came together to start this publication. They discussed how some Maine residents were welcoming and others throughout the state were not.
They explained how the paper functions and the kinds of stories they publish – in addition to news, opinion, and features, there is a poetry editor and pieces providing assistance on such things as money management. They also talked about the message they hoped to get across both to the immigrant community and to Maine residents.
They also offered advice on starting a publication of this nature and gave salutes to different journalism organizations they worked with.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review our podcast. You can email me at journalismsalute@gmail.com or find me on Twitter at @journalismsalut
Important Links
Amjambo Africa website
Amjambo Africa Twitter
Article on Georges’ life and background
New York Times article on the increased African population in Portland, Maine
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by The Forward editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren, formerly a longtime reporter and editor for the New York Times.
Jodi talked about making the move from The Times to an organization with a long, proud history of covering Judaism that is now a subscription-based online publication. She talked about stories they had done – from coverage of prominent issues like the presidential election to Jewish culture, including food and entertainment. She talked about the goals for the group moving forward and her hope that it will do more accountability journalism in the future.
Jodi also talked about her career – learning from mistakes and managing a career path that reached inclusion on the New York Times masthead. And she saluted two other important journalism organizations.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review our podcast. You can email me at journalismsalute@gmail.com or find me on Twitter at @journalismsalut
Important Links
The Forward website
The Forward Twitter
Jodi Rudoren Twitter
Jodi Rudoren interview with Jewish Funders Network
Jodi Rudoren 2014 Q&A with Hadassah
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Kinnelon (NJ) High School journalism teacher Alana Van Der Sluys, who is also a vice-president of the Garden State Scholastic Press Association (GSSPA).
Alana explained the role of the GSSPA and shared her path to teaching. She described how the school’s journalism program, which has 3 classes and allows students to get college credit, works.
Alana also talked about issues that journalism teachers face, including administrators wanting a first look at stories in school media, small budgets, and limited resources. She spoke with pride about her students and gave examples of the work they’ve done in covering topics such as the election and Coronavirus.
Alana concluded by offering advice to people who are just now thinking about becoming a journalism teacher and picked an organization that she wanted to salute.
Thank you for listening. If you would like to rate and review the show, we would greatly appreciate it. You can offer us feedback by e-mail at journalismsalute@gmail.com and Twitter at @journalismsalut.
Important Links
Alana’s Twitter page
GSSPA website
Colt Chronicle (Kinnelon High School Student Newspaper)
On this episode, Mark talked to Ashton Lattimore, editor-in-chief of Prism, whose editorial goal is to center the people, places, and issues currently underreported by national media and treat Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, the LGBTQ+ community and other invisibilized groups as experts on their lived experiences, resilience, and fight for justice.
Ashton talked about what it was like to try to write an editorial
the week of the presidential election, provided examples of the kinds of
stories that Prism covers in the areas of immigration, politics, and racial justice. She also explained how the site covers culture and celebrates triumph.
Lastly, Ashton picked 2 journalism organizations to salute and
offered advice to people who venture back and forth between journalism and other careers, as she did.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review us if you
can.
If you have any feedback on the show, please email
journalismsalute@gmail.com or tweet @journalismsalut
Links
Prism website
Prism Twitter
Ashton Lattimore Twitter
Carolyn Copeland’s article on Betsy Devos’ successor
Tina Vasquez’s story on Who Built the Cages
Prism’s story on brASS Burlesque
Ashton’s recent article on Poynter
On this episode, Mark is joined by Bettina Chang, one of the co-founders and executive editorial director for City Bureau, a Chicago-based non-profit journalism lab that both covers the city and works with the community to produce impactful, equitable and publicly-responsive reporting
Bettina talked about the group and what led to its formation in 2015. She explained how they try to reimagine local news by teaching local residents how to document what happens in public meetings along with the creation of journalism fellowships awarded to a diverse group of aspiring journalists who report for larger media outlets.
She also explained how the group provides essential public information, including the creation of a Zine to help prisoners file appeals. And she shared technological developments like a bot that tracks government bills, along with the website HasMyAldermanBeenIndicted.com.
Bettina concluded by offering advice to journalists looking to take the kind of approach that City Bureau does and shared a journalism organization that she would like to salute.
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to rate and review us. Stay safe and stay well.
IMPORTANT LINKS
CityBureau.org
BettinaChang.com
City Bureau's Newmark School talk
Bettina's Ted Talk on Maslow's Pyramid, Fake News, and The Future of Journalism
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Dr. Siri Carpenter, the co-founder of The Open Notebook, a science journalism organization that helps writers with every aspect of their work - from pitching articles to understanding terminology and data and much more.
Siri talked about how her career as a science writer, and what led her and Jeanne Erdman to start their website, and the resources her site provides. She shared the traits that make a good science writer, discussed the challenges of being a science writer, the idea of writing for Dr. Fauci's aunt, and using narrative to articulate scientific information.
She also explained what The World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest is (you have to see it to appreciate it!), offered advice to others interested in creating a journalism community, and picked multiple organizations that she wanted to salute.
Important Links
The Open Notebook website
Siri Carpenter's Twitter and website
Brian Vastag Profiles a Dinosaur
Their book - The Craft of Science Writing
On this episode, Mark Simon talks with Teri Finneman and Nick Hirshon of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) – History Division. They are journalism professors at the University of Kansas and William Paterson University respectively.
Terri is the executive producer and co-host and Nick is a regular co-host of the podcast, Journalism History, a fun and interesting look at stories you might not have read about in your class textbooks.
They explained what the AEJMC is and their roles within the history division and shared some of the favorite history lessons they learned on their show. They explained what they are doing to make academic studies more accessible to journalists and the public through things such as their podcast.
They also explained their journalistic passions. Teri has done extensive research and written a book on press portrayal of women politicians (and also written about First Ladies). Nick studies sports media and subjects such as how sports talk radio influences public perception and how politicians latch on to sports teams in hopes of getting favorable coverage and rising in popularity.He’s written a book on the bizarre rebranding of the New York Islanders.
They also shared advice for aspiring journalists interested in trying podcasting and picked a journalism organization that they would like to salute.
Thank you for listening. Stay safe and stay well.
LINKS
AEJMC Twitter & website
Teri Finneman’s Twitter
Nick Hirshon’s Twitter
Journalism History podcast
Terri Finneman’s book
Nick Hirshon’s book
On this episode, we’re joined by Crosstown LA Publisher and editor, Gabriel Kahn, a professor at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. Crosstown LA covers the neighborhoods of Los Angeles in a different way – through data. Their stories are brief, visually-vibrant, and phone-friendly.
Gabriel explained how the project was born and how the Crosstown LA team of writers and editors, designers, and software engineers work together to produce stories. He gave examples of stories that the group is proud of, specifically in the areas of social justice, Coronavirus, and crime coverage. He also explained both the capabilities and the limitations that the data provides, and described creating a customized newsletter to help further their project.
He also gave advice for people interested in getting into data journalism and picked another journalism organization that helped inspire this project that he wanted to salute.
Thank you for listening. If you’d like to contact us, email journalismsalute@gmail.com. Please consider rating and reviewing us. It helps us out. Stay safe and stay well!
Important Links
Xtown.LA website
Crosstown LA’s Twitter
Gabriel Kahn’s Twitter
More coverage of Crosstown LA
On this episode, we’re joined by journalists Tara Haelle and Bara Vaida to talk about the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) and health journalism in the age of Covid-19. They explained what the organization does, why it is invaluable to health care journalists as an informational and networking resource, as well as their role as topic leaders in medical studies and infectious disease, respectively.
Tara talked about the importance of media understanding the different stages of vaccine development. Bara talked about writing about pandemic preparedness and why it’s important for reporters to understand the connection of politics and health care.
They explained the challenges that occur when some political reporters enter the health journalism landscape – understanding that evidence trumps “both sides” reporting. They talked about the value of Twitter in helping them find public health experts and lessons learned that could be applied to reporting on future health care issues (such as health care disparities, listening to the right experts for the right questions, and building public health literacy).
We ended the discussion by talking about their journalistic passions, what advice they would have for future journalists, and what journalism organizations they would like to salute.
Notable Links
AHCJ website
AHCJ Twitter
Tara’s Twitter
Bara’s Twitter
Tara’s website, TedXTalk on vaccination, and parenting book
Bara’s website and pandemic preparedness article
On this episode, Chalkbeat publisher-to-be (current editor-in-chief) Bene Cipolla joined Mark Simon to talk about how her group covers educational issues across the country.
Bene talked about her organization's purpose -- to have an impact on the improvement of schools for all children, especially those who have lacked access to a quality education.
She explained her role, why education journalism appeals to her, the kinds of stories Chalkbeat covers, how they cover social justice issues, who their readership is, how they are funded, and the organization's long-term plans.
Lastly, Bene gave advice to aspiring education journalists and picked a group that she wanted to salute.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review us if you can. Stay safe and stay well.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Chalkbeat.org
Chalkbeat's Twitter
Bene Cipolla's Twitter
AP/Chalkbeat story on racial inequity in education
NY Times/Chalkbeat story on reopening schools
This American Life featuring a Chalkbeat story
Chalkbeat on Great Schools overhauling ratings
CEO Elizabeth Green on Chalkbeat's business model
Votebeat.org, which will cover election administration in a similar manner
On this episode, Mark Simon talks to Darragh Worland, the vice-president of creative services for the News Literacy Project.
The News Literacy Project is a non-partisan non-profit group devoted to making people better news consumers using educational tools.
Darragh talked specifically about what the group does, about programs like Checkology that can be used by students, educators, and the public. She discussed ways to handle disinformation and misinformation, how social media and groups like QAnon make their work more challenging, and how the group is trying to educate people on the use of statistics in stories.
( Note: This episode was taped before the news about Facebook's QAnon ban broke)
She also explained the goal of the Project's new podcast, which she hosts - Is That a Fact?
Darragh also gave tips for aspiring journalists and talked about a group working with stopping the spread of disinformation that she wanted to salute.
Like the show? Don't like the show? Send us feedback - journalismsalute@gmail.com - and please rate and review us if you don't mind.
NOTABLE LINKS
The News Literacy Project website
The News Literacy Project on Twitter
Darragh Worland on Twitter
Darragh's article in the New York Daily News
Is That a Fact podcast
We'll call this episode a Personal Salute, as we're joined by KING-5 news anchor Steve Bunin, a former colleague of mine at ESPN.
There are many journalistic components to Steve's job and he educates us on each of them. We also discuss the changing role of the news anchor and watching the internet completely change his job over time.
Steve was regarded as one of the best question-askers at ESPN, so he provides some insight on interviewing, lists the journalists whom he most admires, and shares his own journalism salute
NOTABLE LINKS
Steve Bunin on Twitter
Steve Bunin Bio
KING-5 TV
John Sawatsky on interviewing
On this episode, we're joined by Holly McCall, the editor of the Tennessee Lookout, a website devoted to covering state government and issues as part of States Newsroom.
We discuss the background in politics and journalism that led her to this job and the challenge of covering state government in a state in which the Republican party has a supermajority hold on the state legislature.
Holly talked about stories her team uncovered related to Coronavirus, the growing immigrant community, governor Bill Lee, and the cities of Nashville and Memphis.
She also explained the balance between news and editorial and how her organization demonstrates its fairness, She also shared advice for aspiring journalists and provided a journalism salute of her own.
Key quote: "I think there's a great hunger for more policy and politics coverage."
Thanks for tuning in. Please rate and review us if you can.
LINKS
Tennessee Lookout
Tennessee Lookout on Twitter
Holly McCall on Twitter
Articles by Anita Wadhwani
Articles by Nate Rau
Articles by Dulce Torres
The organization Holly saluted
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Trusting News director Joy Mayer to discuss how journalists and newsrooms can work at improving the level of trust from their readerships.
Joy provided examples of work her group does to help news organizations and journalists in this regard. She explained how trust has to be earned and provided examples of groups that are doing work to increase trust from their readership.
Thank you for listening. If you liked the podcast, please rate and review us. Stay safe and stay well.
LINKS
Trusting News Website
Trusting News Weekly Newsletter
Pew Poll on What People Think of Journalists
Trusting News on Twitter
Joy Mayer on Twitter
Mark Simon's Twitter
On this episode, we focus on The American Journalism Historians Association with its president, Dr. Donna Lampkin Stephens from the University of Central Arkansas and its first vice-president, Dr. Aimee Edmondson of Ohio University.
They explain what the organization does, talk about the importance of teaching the history of journalism, show how history often repeats itself, and share the group's resources, including a highly-impressive speakers bureau. They also provide recommended reading (related to John Lewis), share their own research and salute other journalism organizations doing good work.
Thank you for listening. If you wish to rate and review the podcast, please do, and please share it with your friends and colleagues. Please stay safe and stay well.
NOTABLE LINKS
AJHA Website
AJHA on Twitter
Dr. Lampkin Stephens on Twitter
Dr. Edmondson on Twitter
In Sullivan's Shadow
If It Aint Broke, Break It
Their recommended book: The Race Beat
On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Michelle Faust Raghavan, West Coast Region Manager for the Solutions Journalism Network.
They discussed what Solutions Journalism is, what the group does, and why it is so important. Michelle provided examples of Solutions Journalism teaching in action and the stories produced as a result. She also offered resources that the Network provides that journalists will find useful in developing their stories. Michelle also talked about why she thinks the future of journalism is bright and which journalism organizations she would like to salute.
Key phrase to remember: "Hope with teeth."
Links
SolutionsJournalismNetwork.org
Michelle's Ted Talk
Celeste Headlee's Ted Talk
Solutions Journalism Network Twitter
Michelle's Twitter
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark is joined by Allison Augustyn, the executive director of InvestigateWest, a non-profit journalism studio based in Seattle.
In Allison’s words, InvestigateWest is reporting “for community, with community” using a modern investigative reporting approach. She explains the role that InvestigateWest fills and how the impact of their reporting on the Pacific Northwest is measured.
She provides examples of notable stories (a social justice component to environmental reporting) and the idea of “meeting people where they live.” She also previews an upcoming story running in The Atlantic. Lastly, she offers advice to aspiring investigative reporters and offers her own salute to a journalism organization.
Core quote: “There are economists who have put forth data that shows that for every dollar spent on investigative reporting, it yields $125 in societal good. It’s just that it takes a lot of time and money up front before you get that payoff.”
The Journalism Salute is a podcast intended to spotlight journalism organizations doing prominent work and to counter the notion of journalists as the enemy of the people. It is hosted by Mark Simon. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
Show Links
Investigate West website
Investigate West Twitter
Allison Augustyn Twitter
Journalism Salute Twitter
Mark Simon Twitter
Mark's list of Journalism Organizations
On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark is joined by Eve Pearlman, the co-founder and CEO of Spaceship Media.
In Eve’s words, Spaceship Media is a company that invites exploration for journalists and conversation participants through a recently developed form of work known as dialogue journalism. Spaceship brings people from different groups together for conversations over an extended period of time and works with media outlets to report on what comes from those conversations.
Eve explains the origin of the company and how dialogue journalism works in the spirit of reconceptualizing what journalism is. She tells what motivated her to pursue this type of journalism, how projects are conceptualized, developed, and completed, and why journalists are ideal for the role they serve within dialogue journalism. She also shares her vision for future projects and pays it forward with advice, and a journalism salute of her own.
Core quote: “What can I do with the skills I have, from where I sit, to help the greater good?”
The Journalism Salute is a podcast intended to spotlight journalism organizations doing prominent work and to counter the notion of journalists as the enemy of the people. It is hosted by Mark Simon. Please subscribe, rate, and review.
Show Links
Spaceship Media
Spaceship Media Twitter page
Eve Pearlman’s Twitter page
Guns, An American Conversation (Spaceship Media’s book)
Eve’s Ted Talk
Journalism Salute Twitter
Mark Simon Twitter