AccessFest 2024 schedule
58 sessions confirmed • Updated October 14 • All times are ET
58 sessions confirmed • Updated October 14 • All times are ET
AccessFest 2024 will run from Thursday, October 17, to Saturday, October 19 online. Most sessions will be video-recorded and made available to attendees afterward.
Click here to register. More details will be added to this schedule as they are confirmed.
Start typing to filter the results below. You can search by session title or speaker name.
Showing 58 of 58 sessions
Welcome to AF24! Overview and networking event
Time: Thursday, October 17, 10:30 – 10:50 a.m. (20m)
Location: Zoom
In this opening session, IRE's executive director Diana Fuentes and Director of Diversity and Inclusion Francisco Vara-Orta kick off #AF24.
We'll also will give an overview of the conference schedule, tips on using the Guidebook platform and connecting with other attendees, before breaking into small groups to network with your fellow IRE members.
Speakers
Francisco Vara-Orta brings 17 years of newsroom experience to his role as IRE's first director of diversity and inclusion. Vara-Orta joined the IRE staff in February 2019 as a training director. While working as a trainer, he has conducted sessions on managing data and investigative reporting for journalists across the United States and internationally. He has worked for a variety of online and print publications, including Chalkbeat, Education Week, the San Antonio Express-News, Austin Business Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal and the Los Angeles Times. He earned a master’s degree in investigative/data journalism at the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Bridging the inclusivity values gap: From colleges banning DEI to newsrooms trying to embrace it
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Today, a growing tide of anti-DEI sentiment is sweeping American universities. How can college journalism educators and administrators best prepare students to embrace inclusivity in the profession, and talk about what's going on at home on campus? What are best practices for college educators serving tomorrow's young journalists?
Speakers
Tracy Everbach is a journalism professor in the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas. She teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on race, gender, media, news reporting, mass communication theories, and qualitative research methods. Her research focuses on women’s work and leadership in journalism, sports, and gender and on representations of race and gender in media. She is a former newspaper reporter.
Connect: LinkedIn
Melita M. Garza is a media historian focusing on journalism as an agent of democracy, including its role in defining what it means to be an American. She is the Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism and an associate professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign. Prior to getting her PhD at UNC Chapel Hill, Garza was an award-winning journalist, at the Milwaukee Journal, Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg news, and the Los Angeles Times.
Connect: X
Jeannette was a reporter for a rural Virginia weekly for seven years before earning her Ph.D. in Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is now an assistant professor of strategic communication and the Director of Engagement and Student Development at the Missouri School of Journalism. Among her course offerings is Cross-Cultural Journalism, the School's core course in communicating across differences.
For 15 years, Erin Siegal McIntyre has worked as a cross-platform investigative journalist. Before joining the University of North Carolina faculty in 2020, Siegal McIntyre was based in Tijuana, Mexico, for a decade. Her work has appeared in a wide variety of outlets and publications, including The New Yorker, the Atlantic, the New York Times, Mother Jones, Reveal, and more.
Centering people in your political reporting
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Democracy and human rights are on the ballot this election cycle. How can reporters ensure their political reporting focuses on people and avoids the pitfalls of traditional horse race coverage?
Speaker information coming soon.
Disability is part of every beat
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
A discussion between disabled journalists on how to cover topics like climate change, mass incarceration, and poverty through a disability lens.
Speakers
Jen Deerinwater (Cherokee Nation) is the founding executive director of Crushing Colonialism and has been awarded several fellowships, including the 2019 New Economies Reporting Project, 2020 Disability Futures, and the 2024 Disability Visibility fellowship at the Unexpected Shape Writing Academy. Jen is a contributor at Truthout and is currently editing the anthology "Sacred and Subversive: Queer Voices on Faith and Spirituality" (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
Lygia Navarro is an award-winning disabled journalist working in narrative print and audio. Lygia has reported freelance from across Latin America, North America and Europe, for Afar, Al Jazeera magazine, The Associated Press, Business Insider, the CBC, The American Prospect, Marketplace, The World, Latino USA, The Pulse, the Christian Science Monitor and many other outlets. She is an editor at NAHJ’s palabra and an Uproot Project Environmental Justice Fellows mentor.
Networking for students and professionals
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Meet with peers and professionals from throughout the world to find solidarity, make new friends, and build your professional community in this fun and informal networking session.
Speakers
Using open records laws to improve your investigative podcasts
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Ever wondered what it takes to make a podcast infused with strong investigative reporting? We'll give you a high-level view of how to turn great reporting into a great audio narrative. For example, hear from one of our panelists who got the Pima County (Arizona) District Attorney's Office to digitize nearly 40 audio files from a historic 1990 murder investigation/conviction for free. Building investigative podcasts is so expensive because of the licensing fees for copyrighted material; so finding ways to access public domain audio saves money and makes ambitious projects more practical. We'll discuss tips and tricks using FOIA toward building a podcast that unfurls an investigation over episodes, such as school shooting in Uvalde, TX that gripped the nation, while introducing unforgettable characters and delving into the big questions.
Speakers
Cindy Galli is Executive Producer of ABC News’ Investigative Unit, overseeing a team of reporters covering government and corporate fraud, racial injustice, consumer and environmental issues. Her team was recently awarded a Columbia-duPont baton for an investigation into plastic recycling and a national Emmy for leading the network’s Uvalde:365 commitment to remain in and cover the community. Cindy also oversees collaborations between ABC News and its local stations.
Pate McMichael is the director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition and an instructor of journalism at Elon University. He is a longtime investigative journalist and FOI expert. He is the author of "Klandestine: How a Klan Lawyer and a Checkbook Journalist Helped James Earl Ray Cover Up His Crime" and "Operation Chrysler: The Greatest Murder Mystery of World War II." You can find his work at: www.patemcmichael.com
Connect: LinkedIn
Roxanne Scott is a reporter and audio producer in Queens, NY. She covers health, climate and the environment and has been published in the New York Amsterdam News, City Limits and Scientific American. She teaches journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY).
Parker Yesko is an investigative reporter for In the Dark podcast and The New Yorker. Her work has long focused on criminal justice. For Season 3 of In the Dark, Parker helped examine why no U.S. Marines were punished for the 2005 killings of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. She compiled the largest known database of possible war crimes committed by American service members in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. Parker previously worked at American Public Media.
Connect: X
Keynote: Tristan Ahtone in conversation with Mary Hudetz
Time: Thursday, October 17, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Investigative Reporters and Editors is honored to announce that Tristan Ahtone will give the keynote address for AccessFest24, the organization's fourth virtual-by-design conference Oct. 17-19. He will join in conversation with ProPublica reporter and IRE Board member Mary Hudetz.
Ahtone serves as Editor at Large at Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization focused on climate solutions and environmental injustice. Ahtone is an award-winning reporter, who previously served as Editor in Chief at the Texas Observer and Indigenous Affairs Editor at High Country News. He is a member of the Kiowa Tribe, most recently recognized by Covering Climate Now for his leadership on Grist’s “Misplaced Trust” investigation.
Hudetz is an award-winning reporter at ProPublica, based in Albuquerque. She is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke/Crow Tribe and focuses on investigating tribal issues throughout the Southwest. This year, Hudetz was honored with the Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism for her work on ProPublica’s “The Repatriation Project.” She was elected to the IRE Board of Directors in June.
Speakers
Tristan Ahtone is a member of the Kiowa Tribe and is editor at large at Grist. He previously served as editor in chief at the Texas Observer and Indigenous affairs editor at High Country News. A past president of the Native American Journalists Association, Ahtone is a 2017 Nieman Fellow.
Connect: X
Accessibility basics you can start right now
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
You know that you and your organization need to take web accessibility more seriously, but you're not sure how. Maybe you're confused on terms, or maybe you're trying to find resources with a budget of zero. In this session, you'll learn things you can start doing today to make your content more accessible to people with disabilities. You'll also get insight on how to foster a culture of accessibility, and how to learn when you have no one to teach you.
Speaker
Patrick Garvin spent 15 years working in newsrooms at daily newspapers, including the Boston Globe, where he worked on information graphics and digital projects. He now works as a front-end developer in St. Louis. He also has web design and accessibility at the Missouri School of Journalism. He works with individuals and organizations to make their digital work more accessible for people with disabilities.
Getting stories back to people in their language
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This session is on how news organizations can think creatively about getting their reporting back to the communities the reporting is about - especially when those communities aren't typical readers of your publication, don't speak English and have low literacy rates even in their home language.
Speakers
Lyndsey Gilpin is senior manager of community engagement at Grist. She previously founded and led Southerly. Lyndsey was a John S. Knight Community Impact Fellow at Stanford University from 2020-22, focusing on information access in rural Southern communities of color. She lives in Kentucky.
Connect: X
Maryam Jameel is an engagement reporter at ProPublica based in Washington, D.C. She mostly writes about labor issues affecting low wage workers. Most recently, she has been reporting on immigrant workers on Wisconsin dairy farms with her colleague, Melissa Sanchez. Their work there has led to a DOJ civil rights inquiry into the failures of a sheriff's department to ensure language access, and the creation of an $8 million fund to build farm worker housing.
Connect: X
Melissa Sanchez is a reporter at ProPublica based in Chicago. She writes about immigrants and low-wage work. Most recently, she has been reporting on immigrant workers on Wisconsin dairy farms with her colleague, Maryam Jameel. Their work there has led to a DOJ civil rights inquiry into the failures of a sheriff's department to ensure language access, and the creation of an $8 million fund to build farm worker housing.
Connect: X
Lam Thuy Vo is an investigative reporter working with Documented, an independent, non-profit newsroom dedicated to reporting with and for immigrant communities, and an associate professor of data journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she was a journalist at The Markup, BuzzFeed News, The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera America and NPR’s Planet Money.
Connect: X
Networking for educators
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Meet friends old and new and build your professional community in this fun and informal networking session.
This session is for educators and those who aspire to break into academia.
Speaker
Overlooked stories on the education beat
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
When covering education, it's easy to focus on topics such as standardized testing, school funding, curriculum debates and politicized topics entering the classroom. However, there are myriad overlooked issues that significantly impact students, educators, and communities that often go unreported. Join to hear from panelists about specific story ideas to take home to your newsroom, tips for covering them, and sourcing connections that make stories the strongest. Topics will include: The effect of national elections on incarcerated persons' educations; the impacts of school choice on resources students have access to; nuances of LGBTQ coverage; and reporting the solution, not the problem.
Speakers
Thriving as a freelance journalist
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
With mass layoffs and an unstable job market, more journalists are freelancing, out of need or by choice. This session will cover how to make it work! You'll learn how to set your rate, network to find great assignments, build relationships with clients, juggle multiple gigs, and stay motivated. Speakers will discuss funding your work through grants and fellowships, and tracking projects and invoices to get paid. Participants will leave the session with a slew of new tools and strategies for becoming an emotionally and financially sustainable freelancer.
Speakers
Olivia Monahan, aka Liv Styler, is a Chicana journalist with a focus on telling stories at the intersection of art, culture and social sciences. She fights for radical joy, BAMN. She is an Ida B. Wells Investigative Journalism Fellow Finalist, sits on the board of the IIJ and is a member of the Association of Raza Educators. She has bylines in Business Insider, Stacker, The Courier, Alta Journal, Comstock’s Magazine, The Sacramento Bee and others.
Connect: LinkedIn
Lygia Navarro is an award-winning disabled journalist working in narrative print and audio. Lygia has reported freelance from across Latin America, North America and Europe, for Afar, Al Jazeera magazine, The Associated Press, Business Insider, the CBC, The American Prospect, Marketplace, The World, Latino USA, The Pulse, the Christian Science Monitor and many other outlets. She is an editor at NAHJ’s palabra and an Uproot Project Environmental Justice Fellows mentor.
Shernay is an independent journalist with 15 years of experience. After launching her career as a local newspaper and TV reporter/anchor, she fell in love with entrepreneurship. She’s run a content firm, served as an entrepreneurship consultant, and launched a national directory and resources platform for Black mompreneurs. Her written and video work has appeared in MarketWatch, Barron’s, Fast Company, Comcast Newsmakers, Kiplinger, TheGrio and Ivanhoe Broadcast News.
Connect: LinkedIn
Amplifying immigrant voices: How to cover immigrants, not just immigration
Time: Thursday, October 17, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Immigration is more than one beat and it's more than just border reporting. Here we discuss how to amplify the many diverse voices present among our immigrant communities. And we also talk about how to get the news to them! Plus we walk through how some stories came to be and how you can replicate them.
Speakers
Jasmine Aguilera is a senior health equity reporter and editor at El Tímpano, a Bay Area nonprofit newsroom covering the region’s Latino and Mayan immigrant communities. Prior, she covered Congress and immigration for TIME magazine, working from New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, the Dallas Morning News, Yes! Magazine, Latino Rebels, and others. She is originally from El Paso, Texas.
Carlos Ballesteros reports on incarceration, policing, and issues affecting immigrants and older adults in the court system. Before joining Injustice Watch in 2020, Carlos was a Report for America corps member at the Chicago Sun-Times and a breaking news reporter at Newsweek in New York. Carlos was born and raised in Chicago and also lived in Mexico.
Terrence Fraser is a Caribbean American investigative data journalist and documentary producer, who focuses on Black communities in the U.S. and people of the global majority more broadly. Terrence holds an M.A. in Engagement Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and a B.A. in Politics & African American Studies from Princeton University.
Beyond stress: What journalists should know about burnout (and how to reconcile the betrayals that cause it)
Time: Thursday, October 17, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
The Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media found that 70% of local journalists experienced work-related burnout. The RJI-Smith Geiger research on The Burnout Crisis in Journalism further supports this. Burnout is an “occupational phenomenon” that will be resolved only when an entire news organization prioritizes the well-being of its journalists. In this reflective session, journalists will contribute anonymously to a series of prompts to learn actionable insights for reassessing and repairing their relationships with work. Created specifically for those working within a news organization, this session will help journalists assess where they sit on the stress spectrum, understand what is inside and outside their control and self-prescribe a set of actions or behaviors to combat their unique blend of burnout.
Until our news organizations can fully commit to supporting this work, it will be up to us as those doing the work, to protect ourselves and support one another as best we can.
Speaker
Samantha Ragland is the vice president of journalism programs at the American Press Institute, where she champions cultural transformation, journalist flourishing and business sustainability in local news. Once a burned-out but award-winning journalist, now she's a mental health expert. A former Poynter leadership faculty, she specialized in supporting women news leaders. She is driven by the deep need for healthy, inclusive and essential community news.
Connect: LinkedIn
The year of harmful policies in higher education
Time: Thursday, October 17, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
As more states draft laws that outlaw DEI, curb the rights of trans and LGBTQ students, block student protests and curb lectures and curriculum in college classrooms, what are the best ways for reporters to dig past the usual "he said, she said, they said" breaking news? Journalists offer advice on digging deeper into these stories.
Speakers
Brianna Atkinson is a higher education reporter at North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC. She covers various universities, including private schools, community colleges, HBCUs and the UNC system. Her reporting has recently been focused on how the UNC Board of Governors’ DEI repeal is impacting public universities across the state. Brianna is passionate about local news and reporting that's inclusive of various voices within the community.
Megan covers state politics at the Ohio Capital Journal with a focus on higher education legislation and policy, among other topics. Megan previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch and graduated from Ohio University. Megan is from the Toledo area and is a karate black belt.
Marcela Rodrigues is an education reporter at The Dallas Morning News. Her coverage of the Texas DEI ban won a 2023 Education Writers Association National Award in education reporting. She previously reported for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Chalkbeat and The New York Times.
Unsung documents
Time: Thursday, October 17, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Veteran investigative reporters reprise a classic panel and list obscure but powerful documents that anyone can use to turbocharge a project or bulk-up daily beat coverage. They also provide practical guidelines for unearthing, scrutinizing, managing and cross-referencing routine documents to unleash their full investigative power.
Speakers
Using R to power quick turn stories
Time: Thursday, October 17, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This walkthrough equips reporters with the power of R programming. Learn to create custom functions that tap into valuable public datasets like the US Census, National Weather Service, and local data portals.
This session is good for: Those who have some intermediate R knowledge.
Instructor
Networking for international journalists
Time: Thursday, October 17, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (30m)
Location: Zoom
Meet friends old and new and build your professional community in this fun and informal networking session.
This session is for journalists from or based outside of the U.S. who are interested in international collaboration and beyond.
Speakers
Hyuntaek (Tag) Lee is an Assistant Editor at the Chosunilbo, South Korea's largest newspaper. He taught at the Yoonseyoung Journalism School of Ewha Womans University, where many of his students became journalists. He is the first board member of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) from outside North America. Since last year, he has launched and been chairing the international committee within IRE.
10 international financial crimes journalists should understand
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 p.m. – 12 a.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
International illicit financial flows affect so many areas of life from crime to the democratic process. This session will lay out the top financial crimes that you should know about — and how to investigate them. Learn how bad actors hide these transactions in plain site.
Speaker
Drew Sullivan is a co-founder & the publisher of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Under his direction, OCCRP has won numerous awards, including the European Press Prize. He is an executive producer of the award-winning film, The Killing of a Journalist. Drew also created Reporters Shield, a membership program for media outlets that helps defend investigative journalism against SLAPPs & other legal harassment.
Obstacles with international investigations
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 p.m. – 12 a.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Investigative reporting outside the U.S. is a totally different atmosphere. Panelists will share bot the direct and indirect obstacles they face in their reporting. You'll hear from speakers from the Philippines, Pakistan, Montenegro, Burundi and South Korea.
Speakers
Bojana Dabovic is a seasoned journalist and editor spearheading a central news program at RTV Podgorica, Montenegro’s public local broadcaster. She served as an advisor to the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, honing her public affairs and diplomacy expertise. Bojana is a distinguished alumna of prestigious programs, including the “European and International Affairs” program at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna and the U.S. State Department’s IVLP program.
Riazul Haq is an investigative journalist based in Islamabad. He has worked with different leading English dailies for the past 13 years covering governance, government, human rights and social issues. He has won an award investigative story for human trafficking with use of data.
Hyuntaek (Tag) Lee is an Assistant Editor at the Chosunilbo, South Korea's largest newspaper. He taught at the Yoonseyoung Journalism School of Ewha Womans University, where many of his students became journalists. He is the first board member of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) from outside North America. Since last year, he has launched and been chairing the international committee within IRE.
Katrina Ventura is a media research fellow at Columbia University, where she earned her Master of Science in Data Journalism. Previously, she worked as a senior news producer at CNN Philippines and led the news team of PumaPodcast in the Philippines. She spearheaded the production of programs covering law and politics, and was a finalist at the Society of Publishers in Asia Award for her podcast on disinformation during the 2022 Philippine elections.
Connect: X
Organizing your story: Transforming chaos into clarity
Time: Thursday, October 17, 11 p.m. – 12 a.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Whether you use Post-Its, a white board, a spreadsheet or an old-fashioned yellow pad, keeping your head above a flood of information is crucial to your investigation’s success. This session will tap examples for techniques to navigate the key phases of organizing your story in any medium: managing material; pruning and pivoting; and visualizing the story.
Speaker
Steve Padilla is editor of Column One, the Los Angeles Times showcase for storytelling. This year he is also a member of the Times presidential coverage team. He serves as a writing coach and lectures frequently on writing technique.
Connect: X
36 chapters and no nut graph: A case study in merging investigative and narrative
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
“The Landlord & the Tenant,” by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and ProPublica, took a bold approach to telling an investigative story: 14,000 words; no nut graph; 36 short chapters, all based on scenes. The braided narrative won the National Magazine Award for feature writing, the first time ever for a double-bylined story. Co-authors Raquel Rutledge and Ken Armstrong will talk inspiration and structure; what makes a successful partnership; and how to keep a narrative rolling without sacrificing your investigative findings.
Speaker information coming soon.
Beyond the diversity committee: Your DEIB journey isn’t over yet
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Since 2020, we’ve all seen the effect of newsrooms taking their foot off the gas pedal for DEIB. Sure, some shops set up committees or employee resource groups but are you still investing in your inclusion and belonging culture?
This interactive session will highlight some best practices while also diving into what’s working in YOUR newsrooms to drive inclusive culture building.
Speakers
Emma Carew Grovum is the director of careers and culture at The Marshall Project and also the founder of Kimbap Media, a consultancy solving problems at the intersection of journalism, technology, and the audience. She is a co-founder of and regular contributor to the News Product Alliance; Emma is also a founding partner of Media Bridge Partners, a collective of journalism trainers working to build equity in newsrooms.
Connect: LinkedIn
Hannah Wise is a certified solution-focused coach and news product leader with Media Bridge Partners and the Local News Lab at the Brown Institute. Her work is centered on making journalism a fulfilling and healthy career option, especially for people from historically marginalized backgrounds. Hannah is an organizing member of the Open News DEI Coalition for Anti-Racist, Equitable, and Just Newsrooms, part of the Vision 25 initiative.
Connect: LinkedIn
Networking for LGBTQ+ journalists
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Meet friends old and new, and build your professional community in this fun and informal networking session. This session is for anyone who identifies as part of the LGBTQQIP2SA community or as an ally.
Speaker
Sonali is a Senior Recruiter at URL Media, where she works with newsrooms and media-adjacent organizations who want to find fantastic candidates and treat them well. She is also author of the young adult nonfiction book, “Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won,” published from Beacon Press in June 2024.
Reporting on discrimination and hate in K-12 schools
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This session will center on strategies journalists used to obtain data, report, write, and fact-check two unrelated projects—one uncovering rampant enrollment discrimination against older immigrant students and another focusing on the under-reporting of AAPI hate crimes and discrimination in schools. Speakers will discuss challenges and provide tools and techniques used to complete these investigations.
Speakers
Kathy Moore is an executive editor at The 74 overseeing investigative and enterprise reporting with a team of reporters who specialize in school security, student privacy and civil rights, immigration and learning recovery. Kathy is involved in developing and improving newsroom practices, including recruitment, professional development, diversity and inclusion, and editorial partnerships.
Jo Napolitano, senior reporter for The 74, has written extensively for The New York Times and was a staff writer at the Chicago Tribune and Newsday. A two-time Education Writers Association Fellow and grant recipient from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, she is a former Spencer Education Fellow at Columbia University and the author of The School I Deserve (Beacon Press, 2021).
Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria is an award-winning investigative reporter whose work focuses on keeping people at the center of the story. She has worked at numerous Gannett newspapers, including USA TODAY, and has held fellowships with the American Political Science Association in Washington, D.C., and Global Health Corps in Uganda. She is a licensed nurse and is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi.
Connect: X
Mc Nelly Torres is an award-winning investigative journalist and former editor at the Center for Public Integrity, where she led a team investigating inequality. She worked as an investigative producer for NBC6 in Miami and co-founded FCIR.org. Torres is a product of newspapers including the Sun-Sentinel and the San Antonio Express-News. Torres was the first Latina to be elected to the IRE board of directors. She was a recipient of the Gwen Ifill Award in 2022.
Connect: X
Stories, sources and data to solve the housing crisis
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Housing can be an overwhelming beat, especially for reporters who cover breaking news or are in charge of general assignments. In this fast-paced session, we will give you more than a dozen story ideas that any reporter can do and we will talk about how data, sourcing, and research can lead to solutions-oriented journalism.
Speakers
Brandi Kellam is an investigative journalist and filmmaker whose work has been honored with an Emmy, Gracie, and Tobenkin Prize. Her local reporting has sparked nationwide debates on racial injustice including her ProPublica series “Uprooted,” which exposed the displacement of Black communities by American universities. Kellam's work has appeared in CBS, NBC, The Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. She holds degrees from Syracuse University and UNC Chapel Hill.
Camila is a communications specialist with the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. She’s interested in the impacts of substandard housing, who gets harmed by evictions and tenant organizing. Previously, Camila was a housing reporter for Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) through Report for America. She focused on covering housing policy with a social justice lens. Her work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PRX’s The World, NPR’s Here and Now and more.
COVID reporting still matters: The inaccuracy of "post-pandemic" frames
Time: Friday, October 18, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
While "post-pandemic" and "during the pandemic" are often used to describe the current time period, levels of Covid are higher now than at many points over the past 3 years, with record surges happening this summer. Journalists' unwillingness to question the Biden administration's narrative around Covid, from emphasizing "only the elderly and immunocompromised are at severe risk" to saying that "we have the tools to fight Covid" when public testing apparatuses have all but been dismantled and Long Covid clinics are few and far between, has put the public of greater risk for misunderstanding how the disease continues to impact them and others. Anyone is at risk for Long Covid, which has disabled millions, and the only way to avoid Long Covid is to avoid Covid. While there has been a rise in community journalism among disabled journalists, we have seen disabled people who have been sounding the alarm about Covid be dismissed by major publications and public health officials as fringe. If journalists want to understand and be trusted by disabled communities — especially as many have particularly been left behind at this moment — better Covid reporting matters. We'll talk about how reporters can better improve their reporting on the virus (such as looking at and interpreting wastewater data), and discuss some frameworks — especially disability justice, solidarity journalism and solutions journalism — that can improve stories and help folks advocate for Covid stories, especially at a time when many editors similarly see the pandemic as over.
Speakers
Betsy Ladyzhets is the co-founder and managing editor of The Sick Times, a nonprofit news site chronicling the Long COVID crisis. Previously, she freelanced for popular science outlets and ran the COVID-19 Data Dispatch, a newsletter and blog that provided news, resources, and original reporting on COVID-19 data. She was recently a journalism fellow at MuckRock, where she contributed to award-winning and impactful COVID-19 investigations.
Phoebe Petrovic is an investigative reporter at Wisconsin Watch and a current Local Reporting Network fellow with ProPublica. They cover extremism and threats to civic equality for women, LGBTQ+ people and those with disabilities. In their personal time, Petrovic is a union organizer and caretaker for their partner, who is disabled by Long Covid.
Covering polarizing issues in de-polarizing ways
Time: Friday, October 18, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
When journalists cover issues on which Americans disagree strongly, these stories can further polarize. This session will show journalists how to avoid common (but misleading and toxic) journalistic practices such as covering the loudest voices on both sides, "tidying" narratives by cutting nuance, or focusing on stereotypes. We'll discuss ways to cover politics and issues such as guns, abortion or immigration in fresh and de-polarizing ways.
Speakers
Dana Amihere is a longtime data journalist, designer and developer. She’s the founder/executive director of AfroLA, a nonprofit newsroom covering greater Los Angeles through the lens of the Black community. Previously, Amihere worked in data, interactive design and news apps for LAist, The Dallas Morning News, Pew Research Center and The Baltimore Sun. She owns Code Black Media, a digital media and data consultancy.
Hélène Biandudi Hofer is a broadcast journalist and conflict navigator. She co-founded Good Conflict, LLC, to help leaders, communities, and companies get smarter about how they fight. Through her work in conflict, Hélène has trained over 1,500 journalists across 150 newsrooms worldwide on how to transform their coverage of controversial and divisive issues. She has worked with CBS, NPR, PBS and the Solutions Journalism Network.
Connect: LinkedIn
Tina Rosenberg is co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network. She is a longtime New York Times journalist, for the editorial page, Sunday magazine and as co-writer of the Fixes column. She has written hundreds of magazine articles and three books. Her work has won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
Connect: LinkedIn
Reporting on coordinated rightwing extremism
Time: Friday, October 18, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
In this panel, attendees will hear the methods journalists use to expose rightwing attacks on elections, school boards, the LGBTQ+ community, and more as part of a larger coordinated rightwing extremist movement to upend democracy and strip away Americans' fundamental rights.
Speakers
David Armiak is research director and an investigative journalist with the Center for Media and Democracy.
Connect: X
Emily Russell is a reporter at North Country Public Radio. She is also the co-host of the NCPR podcast "If All Else Fails," a six-episode limited series on far-right extremism in Upstate New York. Prior to joining NCPR in 2019, Russell worked at NPR stations in rural and urban Alaska, which is where she began her journalism career. Her work regularly appears on NPR.
Connect: X
A.C. Thompson is a correspondent for FRONTLINE and a reporter for ProPublica. He has led the reporting on three major projects on white supremacists and right-wing extremists.
Super awesome tools demo: Fostering inclusive journalism and capturing dimensions of data
Time: Friday, October 18, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Whether you are interested incorporating data into your journalism, documenting source diversity, or looking for the best ways to represent people equitably -- we can help you work towards inclusivity! Join this session to learn how the tools and methods you use can foster more informed, inclusive and equitable journalism. We'll share best practices we've adopted in our own work, share free tools you can start using right away, and welcome all of your questions.
Kat Duncan: Demo of three free to use tools to incorporate data and equity into your journalism practices – AgendaWatch, the Defender Handbook and Source Diversity Tool
Kira Limer: Best practices for inclusive data collection — How (and why) to ask the tricky demographic questions you need to know
Samantha Sunne: Takeaways from “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Data Reporting”
Speakers
Kira Limer is an information specialist managing Impact and Evaluation at Report for America. Her area of expertise is survey design, with emphasis on inclusive practices for collecting demographic data. She is passionate about helping organizations use data to support their missions, find elegant solutions to systems issues, and maintain the utmost integrity and equity in all they do.
Connect: LinkedIn
Samantha Sunne a freelance journalist based in New Orleans. When not on a reporting project, she teaches at conferences, universities and newsrooms around the world, including Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). She recently co-authored the textbook "Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting."
Connect: LinkedIn
The ethics of using AI in the newsroom
Time: Friday, October 18, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Description coming soon.
Speakers
Darla Cameron is the interim chief product officer at The Texas Tribune. She guides product development and management, engineering and design, working closely across the organization to deliver the Tribune’s journalism in fresh and innovative ways that build trust with more Texans. Previously, Darla was the managing editor for visual journalism, overseeing the work of the photo, multimedia and data visuals teams.
Liz Lucas is the Houston Harte Chair in Journalism at the University of Missouri. She teaches data journalism and works with the Missouri News Network's newsrooms. Previously, she was the senior training director at IRE and the data editor at KFF Health News.
Connect: GitHub
Ana Paula Valacco is the community manager of JournalismAI Connect. She holds a MA in Journalism, Media, and Communication from Cardiff University. With a background in political science and journalism, she has worked in Marketing at Google Argentina and as the Institutional Development Coordinator at Chequeado. Additionally, she serves as the ambassador in Argentina and was the director of Global Project Oasis at SembraMedia.
Connect: X
2024 elections: Mis- and disinformation impacting Latino and Spanish-speaking communities this election cycle, and how to fact-check it
Time: Friday, October 18, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Factchequeado’s reporting team will present a session on election-related mis and disinformation narratives, especially linked to how they impact Latino and Spanish-speaking communities. With the 2024 presidential election weeks away, this session would equip attendees with a toolkit of essential election topics to monitor and report on in their own communities.
Speakers
Ana Maria is a journalist who's passionate about innovation and social impact. She is a former editor at elDetector, Univision's fact-check team. She created content for Second Chances, a multi-platform bilingual project that presents stories of Latinosre-entering society after prison. Carrano founded Archivo de Voces, a public archive of interviews. In 2014, she was selected as a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University.
Covering Indigenous peoples
Time: Friday, October 18, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Learn how to build respectful, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities when researching and sharing their stories, and avoiding extractive journalism.
Speakers
Graham Lee Brewer is a national reporter at the Associated Press who focuses on Indigenous communities and tribal nations. He has covered Indian Country for NPR, the New York Times, NBC News, ProPublica, BuzzFeed, and Rolling Stone. Brewer is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a past president of the Indigenous Journalists Association.
Connect: X
Adreanna Rodriguez is a Lakota Sioux/Chicana storyteller and artist based in Oakland, CA. Her work highlights Indigenous and femme narratives, focusing on social and climate justice. With an M.A. in Visual Anthropology, she has produced impactful investigative audio, including the award-winning piece “Roe Was Never Enough,” a 2023 Third Coast Audio Awards finalist. Adreanna is also a 2023 Fourth World Media Fellowship recipient.
Connect: LinkedIn
Crash course in gender inclusivity for data reporting
Time: Friday, October 18, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This session will cover the basics of gender inclusivity at the various stages of data reporting from choosing/gathering data to publication. We'll focus on practical tips and welcome lots of discussion and questions.
Speakers
Jasmine Mithani is the data visuals reporter at The 19th, an independent nonprofit newsroom covering the intersection of gender, politics and policy. She also writes data + feelings, an occasional newsletter about being human.
Connect: LinkedIn, Newsletter
K. Sophie Will is an investigative data reporter at Bloomberg Law, Government and Tax. Previously, she was a congressional action reporter at CQ Roll Call and Utah Investigative Journalism Project's Alicia Patterson fellow. The award-winning Utah native graduated from Boston University with bylines found in the Deseret News, USA Today, AP, Thomson Reuters, HuffPost, WGBH and more.
Networking for journalists of color
Time: Friday, October 18, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Meet friends old and new, and build your professional community in this fun and informal networking session. This session is for journalists of color.
Speaker
Supporting journalists with disabilities and improving disability coverage
Time: Friday, October 18, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
More than 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. reported having a disability in 2022, yet people with disabilities have long been underrepresented in news coverage and in newsrooms. This session will be packed with tips and insights to help journalists across beats bolster their coverage of disability-related issues and elevate the voices and needs of this key segment of our communities. We’ll also discuss ways reporters and editors can support their colleagues with disabilities, including those who don’t yet feel safe enough to disclose their condition at work.
Speakers
Samantha Hernandez is the Des Moines Register’s state education reporter. Hernandez is the lead coordinator for the Register’s award-winning Iowa’s Book Ban Battle project, which tracks the impact of Senate File 496. Her work covering rural schools was recognized with a 2019 Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship at Columbia University. Outside of work, Hernandez co-leads Making New Connections, an online traumatic brain injury support group.
Wendy Lu is a senior staff editor at The New York Times and a global speaker on disability representation in the media. She is also a board member for the National Center on Disability and Journalism. Previously, she was an editor and reporter at HuffPost, covering the intersection of disability, politics and culture. In 2022, she was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Media category for her efforts to improve disability coverage. She lives in New York.
Denise has been a reporter and editor for 20+ years at print, online and broadcast news outlets in the U.S. and Central America. She's also a Pulitzer Prize finalist, fellow of Harvard’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism and member of the Education Writers Association board of directors.
Authenticity in investigations: Covering your own communities
Time: Friday, October 18, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
A standout at the IRE conference, now revamped for a virtual crowd! Racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ persons, women... journalists who are members of these groups and others can enrich stories with their experiences, but they can often also face criticism for their closeness to subjects. When the story is investigative, the need for transparency in reporting grows. Find out how a group of journalists covers its own community and works to ensure trust among its audience – tactics that may work for you or your newsroom, too.
Speakers
Josh Hinkle is KXAN’s director of investigations and innovation, leading the station’s duPont and IRE Award-winning investigative team on multiple platforms. He also leads KXAN’s political coverage as executive producer and host of “State of Texas,” a weekly statewide program focused on the Texas Legislature and elections. In 2021, he was elected to the IRE Board of Directors and currently serves as its vice president.
Barbara Rodriguez is the state politics and voting reporter at The 19th, an independent nonprofit newsroom that writes about gender, politics and policy. She previously covered politics and health care at the Des Moines Register. Before that, she was the Iowa statehouse reporter for The Associated Press. Barbara has served on the IRE Board of Directors and now chairs IRE's Affordability Task Force.
Connect: X
Kat Stafford is the Global Race and Justice Editor for Reuters. She has received several awards for her work, including Wayne State University's 2024 Spirit of Diversity award and the National Press Club Journalism Institute's 2023 Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism.
Connect: X
Filing a better FOIA request
Time: Friday, October 18, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This workshop will show you how to increase your chances of receiving records that reveal significant new information to help advance your story.
What can help identify the records you should ask for in the first place? And how can you make it more likely that you’ll receive a useful response? We will look at strategies for formulating public records requests — treating them as a distinct reporting task, often requiring interviews and other digging to help pinpoint what records could be most helpful to ask for. We will also examine how to make the most of records that you receive to help identify potential sources and future story ideas.
Speakers
Scraping TikTok and Instagram videos for investigative reporting
Time: Friday, October 18, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
While the social media landscape continues to rapidly evolve, video-based platforms continue to be rich sources of material for investigative reporting. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram, however, are designed to make it incredibly difficult for users to access video data in bulk, if at all. This session will walk through tools and a flexible Javascript/command-line pipeline to batch download TikTok videos or Instagram reels for a specific topic or list of users, extract metadata, and transcribe audio. I’ll also discuss general principles and advice for how to navigate reporting on these platforms, using the story “The food industry pays ‘influencer’ dietitians to shape your eating habits” as a case study.
Speaker
Caitlin Gilbert is a data reporter at The Washington Post, where she has covered health, wellness, business and tech stories. Before joining The Post, she worked as a U.S.-based data journalist at the Financial Times, where she covered the economy, U.S. politics and abortion access across the country. She received her PhD in neuroscience and genomics from Rockefeller University.
Securing a safe contract
Time: Friday, October 18, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Freelance investigative reporting may not begin and end with a contract, but it can't really be done without one. Learn how to help your outlet stick up for you, not just on pay but on the key provision in the public interest—a promise against defamation exposure.
Speakers
Rebecca Aguilar is in Dallas. She did 28 years in TV news covering the police and court beats. In her four decades, her investigations have uncovered registered sex offenders among U.S. postal workers, VA hospital doctors experimenting on veterans without their knowledge, Catholic pedophile priests secretly moved by the church to Texas only to abuse again, and even a man posing as a criminal lawyer. She's been honored with 50 awards and nominations for her work.
Laird Townsend is an Associated Press-trained journalist and award-winning investigative reporter and editor. Before founding FIRE's predecessor, Project Word, in 2007, he was features editor at Orion magazine. His own multi-year investigation of labor allegations against GMO seed-corn companies won the 2017 Peter Lisagor award of the Society for Professional Journalists, Chicago, for Best Investigative/Public Service Reporting, online.
Your hiring process doesn’t have to suck
Time: Friday, October 18, 4 – 5 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Hiring isn’t easy and it rarely follows the “best case scenario” plans. But we know for every frustrating setback you have as a hiring manager, there are dozens of candidates desperate to learn more.
Let’s talk about techniques like writing inclusive job postings, hosting open office hours, and being more transparent with your candidates throughout.
Speakers
Talia Buford is an Assistant Managing Editor at ProPublica, where she focuses on recruiting, hiring and career development. Previously, Buford was a journalist at ProPublica, The Center for Public Integrity, POLITICO Pro and The Providence Journal. She was part of the ProPublica team whose coverage of the coronavirus pandemic was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Emma Carew Grovum is the director of careers and culture at The Marshall Project and also the founder of Kimbap Media, a consultancy solving problems at the intersection of journalism, technology, and the audience. She is a co-founder of and regular contributor to the News Product Alliance; Emma is also a founding partner of Media Bridge Partners, a collective of journalism trainers working to build equity in newsrooms.
Connect: LinkedIn
Kyndell Harkness is the first Head of Culture and Community at the Minnesota Star Tribune. Her cultural transformation work started in the newsroom after the murder of George Floyd and is now company-wide effort. Harkness helped to coordinate visual coverage of the George Floyd protests ensuring that picture selection kept community impact in mind.
Sonali is a Senior Recruiter at URL Media, where she works with newsrooms and media-adjacent organizations who want to find fantastic candidates and treat them well. She is also author of the young adult nonfiction book, “Don’t Wait: Three Girls Who Fought for Change and Won,” published from Beacon Press in June 2024.
Digging deep into U.S. public records — even when you don't live there
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 p.m. – 12 a.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Description coming soon.
Speaker
Writing tips you'll use every day
Time: Friday, October 18, 11 p.m. – 12 a.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Steve Padilla, editor of Column One, the Los Angeles Times' showcase for storytelling, offers sentence-level advice on how to make your writing brighter, tighter and better. Touching on self-editing, crafting anecdotes, structure and more, Steve will offer tips you can use immediately for any kind of writing — lyrical or technical, quick dailies or enterprise.
Speaker
Steve Padilla is editor of Column One, the Los Angeles Times showcase for storytelling. This year he is also a member of the Times presidential coverage team. He serves as a writing coach and lectures frequently on writing technique.
Connect: X
50 FOIAs in 50 minutes
Time: Saturday, October 19, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Finding yourself coming up empty handed on FOIA Friday thinking up what to request? This session will offer dozens of concrete request ideas you can file today (even during the session!) while also giving you strategies for how to tailor your public records strategy to match whatever story or topic you're diving into, from backgrounding an agency and source development to setting up even your rejections to be newsworthy.
Speaker
Dillon Bergin is MuckRock's data reporter. He uses data and public records to power investigative reporting with partner newsrooms. He's currently a National Science Health and Environment Reporting Fellow. He was a member of the Documenting COVID-19 team, a project funded by MuckRock and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation. Before that, he was a Report for America corps member with Searchlight New Mexico and a Fulbright Germany Journalism Fellow.
Connect: LinkedIn
Backgrounding like a boss
Time: Saturday, October 19, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Even great reporters can get tricked by fake names or sketchy backgrounds. We’ll walk through some strategies you can use to create a routine and spot potential red flags before you get burned.
Speaker information coming soon.
Career talk: How students can set themselves up to enter the industry
Time: Saturday, October 19, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
As a student journalist, you're looking to make inroads as you enter the industry. What should be front of mind and what should you not sweat as much? This dynamic group of journalists will share tips and insights into preparing to join the workforce, what they wish they had known, what to look for, and more. Come join in the conversation and bring all your questions!
Speakers
Alejandra Cancino is a senior reporter at Injustice Watch, a Chicago-based nonprofit newsroom investigating the Cook County court system. Her award-winning work focuses on the intersection of government and business and combines data with personal stories to expose how people are affected by systemic failures. In 2022, she spent a year as an editor training emerging journalists. Earlier in her career, she covered labor as a business reporter at the Chicago Tribune.
Ana Ley, a journalist with 16 years of experience, is a reporter at The New York Times. Previously, she worked at five newspapers, including the San Antonio Express-News in San Antonio, Texas; the Las Vegas Sun and Las Vegas Review-Journal; and at the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, where she was a reporter and then editor.
Connect: X
Brandi Kellam is an investigative journalist and filmmaker whose work has been honored with an Emmy, Gracie, and Tobenkin Prize. Her local reporting has sparked nationwide debates on racial injustice including her ProPublica series “Uprooted,” which exposed the displacement of Black communities by American universities. Kellam's work has appeared in CBS, NBC, The Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. She holds degrees from Syracuse University and UNC Chapel Hill.
Connect: X
Paroma Soni is a data and graphics reporter covering trade and agriculture for POLITICO Pro. She was previously an Associate Visual Journalist at FiveThirtyEight, covering electoral politics and abortion policy. She was also a fellow at Columbia Journalism Review and a video producer at BuzzFeed India, and has contributed to many other publications including The Markup, Slate and The Wire. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School, she is based in New York.
Cinco razones (y media) para lanzarse a aprender Python
Time: Saturday, October 19, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
En este demo exploraremos porqué los periodistas debemos considerar aprender Python y cómo este lenguaje de programación puede transformar nuestro trabajo. A través de ejemplos prácticos, veremos cómo Python facilita el análisis eficiente de grandes volúmenes de datos y la extracción de historias ocultas, al tiempo que te facilita entrevistar a los datos de manera más profunda. Descubrirás cómo estas habilidades pueden ayudarte a investigar más a fondo, identificar patrones invisibles y fortalecer tus reportajes con información sólida. Al final de la sesión, tendrás una visión clara de las ventajas de integrar Python en tu caja de herramientas periodística.
Speaker
Mónica Cordero is a data-driven investigative reporter covering business, agriculture, environment, politics, and LGBTQ issues. Her work has appeared in Univision, Bloomberg Businessweek, Radio Ambulante, NPR, openDemocracy, and The New York Times. She trained at the University of Costa Rica, Newmark J-School at CUNY, and Columbia University's Lede Program for Data Journalism.
Connect: Twitter
Managing trauma and troubles in the newsroom
Time: Saturday, October 19, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
The panel will discuss entering a new environment as a manager, managing staff with strong opinions, helping staff avoid residual trauma from the stories they cover, and what to do if you inherit a team that has been under poor leadership in the past.
Speakers
Karyn, aka Pabàmàdiz, is an award-winning journalist with 15 years of management experience, including editor-in-chief of Canadaland, Canada's National Observer, Managing Editor of CBC's Investigative Unit, and Executive Director of News and Current Affairs at APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) In the Spring of 2020 she completed a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. She is the former President of the Canadian Journalism Association.
Covering the local reproductive health beat
Time: Saturday, October 19, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
While repro/gender issues obviously play a huge role in national politics, so many battles are happening at local level. But the beat can be extremely tricky for local reporters to navigate. This panel will offer story ideas, sources and reporting advice for people who are covering repro/gender issues in the communities they live in.
Speakers
Data tools for covering gun violence, police use of force, and the political opinions of incarcerated people
Time: Saturday, October 19, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
The Marshall Project, The Trace, and the Associated Press have all built curated datasets for journalists to dig into local stories with big impact. Join this session to learn about data products that have been designed for local newsrooms. Specifically, learn how to tell stories about shootings happening near schools, learn how to use a one-of-a-kind political survey of incarcerated people, and learn how to investigate and document police use of force.
Speakers
Michelle Billman helps design reporting toolkits to support local newsrooms with their own criminal justice journalism. For more than a decade, Michelle managed regional public radio newsrooms where she trained dozens of emerging journalists and co-founded several partnerships to increase reporting in Spanish and elevate youth voices. These partnerships earned national Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in innovation and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Connect: LinkedIn
Angeliki Kastanis is data editor at The Associated Press, leading a team of data reporters who acquire, vet, analyze and interpret data for impactful journalism. Previously, Kastanis was a data analyst at the Williams Institute-UCLA School of Law, researching sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy. They hold a Master of Public Policy from The University of Chicago and a B.A. in Audio, Arts and Acoustics from Columbia College Chicago.
Connect: LinkedIn
Samantha is the managing editor for The Trace. She helps run the day-to day of the newsroom, the soon-to-launch Gun Violence Data Hub, as well as assigns and edits stories across desks. Storey spent more than half of her career at The New York Times, where she worked as an assignment editor and audio reporter. Prior to The Trace, she worked as an executive producer and podcast host at Bloomberg, where she won a Gerald Loeb Award in audio.
Connect: LinkedIn
How to report on communities that aren't your own
Time: Saturday, October 19, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Journalists frequently find themselves reporting on communities outside their own experience. This panel will explore effective strategies and tools for approaching unfamiliar communities, uncovering untold stories, and building trust with sources. We will discuss how to engage with diverse stakeholders to ensure that our coverage accurately and comprehensively reflects the full spectrum of experiences within these communities.
Speakers
Sarah Conway is City Bureau’s Senior Reporter & Special Projects Manager. Sarah writes investigative stories rooted in records and data and connects people with resources to improve their lives.
Connect: X
Ariel Hart is a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She has reported on subjects including health care, voting rights and transportation, and she currently focuses on the impact of health policy on people. Her awards include first place for beat reporting in Georgia from The Associated Press and she was part of a team named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in national reporting for a year-long project on doctors and sex abuse.
Katie Licari is an investigative reporter with AfroLA. When she isn't reporting, she can be found in her community garden.
Yanqi Xu (pronounced yen-chee shu) is an investigative reporter at the Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska's first nonprofit statewide newsroom. Her reporting unpacks how policies affect people's lives with a focus on accountability. She recently wrote about the groundwater pollution tied to crop and animal production in Nebraska. Originally from China, Yanqi is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Connect: X
Cici Yu is an associate producer for WBUR’s Morning Edition in Boston. Previously, she wrote investigative narratives on public health policy and litigation for Bloomberg Law, Brookline.News, Milford Daily News, and various other outlets.
Intro to Python
Time: Saturday, October 19, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
In this session you'll learn how you can use the Python programming language to analyze data (and so much more!).
This session is best for folks who have some experience working with data, but no programming experience is required. You'll need a (free) Google account if you'd like to participate.
Instructor
Cody is the technology director at IRE, where he has also worked as a training director. Previously, he reported for newspapers in Texas, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Connect: GitHub
Student-led investigations
Time: Saturday, October 19, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Join us for an exciting, information-packed session that’s half forum for educators and students to advise on best practices for college journalism, and half intimate networking session to learn more about how j-schools should prepare students for future jobs, and how to land a quality internship in today’s competitive job market. We’ll learn from each other, share our best advice, as students and professors, and answer your questions so you can succeed as you navigate through j-school.
Speakers
Maggie Mulvihill is a veteran reporter, data journalism trainer, news entrepreneur, First Amendment advocate and attorney. Since 2009, Mulvihill’s students earned over a dozen regional or national journalism awards for stories ranging from juvenile killers to COVID-19 workplace safety. Mulvihill serves on the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press Leadership Council, The New England First Amendment Coalition board and former fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.
Connect: X
Crowdsourcing ideas for DEI in data journalism
Time: Saturday, October 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Join this brainstorming session to share and get resources, tools and guidelines for applying DEI principles to data reporting
Speakers
Samantha Sunne a freelance journalist based in New Orleans. When not on a reporting project, she teaches at conferences, universities and newsrooms around the world, including Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). She recently co-authored the textbook "Data + Journalism: A Story-Driven Approach to Learning Data Reporting."
Connect: LinkedIn
Elaine Tassy is a reporter at Colorado Public Radio covering race, diversity and equity. She has worked as a newspaper reporter at the Los Angeles Times (as a trainee), the Baltimore Sun, the Grand Rapids Press and the Albuquerque Journal. She has a BA from Wesleyan University in English and a MA in Journalism from Ohio State University.
Connect: X
Earn trust with diverse audiences by investing IRL
Time: Saturday, October 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
Many journalists are eager to reach more diverse audiences and serve communities newsrooms haven’t historically covered. But that can be a challenge when there's longstanding distrust and growing levels of news avoidance, specifically in communities that are already politically and socially disadvantaged.
We've seen that journalists can counter this and build trust by 1) creating content that’s reflective of and relevant to people in those communities and 2) making sure their content is accessible to those communities.
This session will cover strategies for how journalists could approach both of the above steps through intentional curiosity-driven listening and connecting with their communities through face-to-face outreach.
Speakers
María Méndez is a service and engagement reporter embedded on The Texas Tribune's audience team. She writes guides, manages callouts and works on strategies to better inform and reach everyday Texans.
James Rinker (he/they) is the education and business reporter for The Keene Sentinel, based in Keene, New Hampshire. He was a 2023-2024 Complicating the Narrative Fellow through the Solutions Journalism Network, reporting on rural LGBTQ+ health care access and the politicization of gender-affirming care in the state of New Hampshire. They have received awards for their work from the New Hampshire Press Association and the New England Newspaper & Press Association.
Introduction to AI & Coaching ChatGPT to help you with your coding and data tasks
Time: Saturday, October 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
ChatGPT, widely misunderstood and in some cases misused, can be a powerful tool to improve efficiency in our day-to-day work. Give ChatGPT a few rows of publicly available data and ask it to write a data dictionary. We'll use ChatGPT to help write a public records request for us, have it help us make sense of data and we'll even use it to write a Python script to reshape unruly Excel data. The best part? You don't need to know Python to write this code. This session is good for everyone.
Instructor
Reporting on the realities of incarceration
Time: Saturday, October 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This session will explore the profound impact of incarceration on communities, including the damage caused by the erosion of family and community ties. The discussion will emphasize the importance of comprehensive reporting that enables the public to critically evaluate what it means to invest in a policing economy.
Speakers
Keri Blakinger is a reporter at the Los Angeles Times. Before that, she covered criminal justice for the Houston Chronicle and then prisons for the Marshall Project. She was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing. Her work has appeared everywhere from Vice to the Washington Post Magazine, where her 2019 reporting on women in jail helped earn a National Magazine Award. She is the author of “Corrections in Ink,” a 2022 memoir about her time in prison.
Priscilla Grim (she/her) is a Nuyorican activist, journalist, and mom. She has written for Hammer & Hope, Scalawag, The Atlanta Community Press Collective, and the forthcoming anthologies No Cop City, No Cop World, and World War 3 Now? Dedicated to public education of radical possibilities, she has worked with the Occupy Wall Street social media teams on Facebook and Twitter, The Occupied Wall Street Journal, and the We Are The 99 Percent Tumblr blog.
Ebony Reed is a journalist, editorial leader, and strategist with expertise in journalism, business operations, and communications. As The Marshall Project’s first Chief Strategy Officer, she oversees strategy, communications, and local growth. Ebony has worked with major outlets like the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal. She has also taught at institutions including Yale and the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Bianca Tylek is Worth Rises's founder and executive director, working to end financial incentives for incarceration. A leading expert on the prison industry, she advocates for free prison communication, saving families over $400 million. Bianca leads the #EndTheException campaign to end prison slavery, blocking mergers, inspiring divestment, and costing the prison industry billions.
Unleashing the power of data in investigations to expose political influence operations
Time: Saturday, October 19, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Zoom
This panel will provide actionable information to help journalists follow the money and uncover political influence, from who is seeking to influence policy to U.S. elections. Panelists will share a wide range of investigative techniques and tools, walking participants through a simple recipe of creating compelling investigative stories exposing political influence. Learn the ins and outs of where to find what information, as well as potential pitfalls. Resources covered will include campaign finance data, lobbying disclosures and other public records.
Speakers
Anna Massoglia is the editorial and investigations manager overseeing all communications and editorial processses at OpenSecrets, which tracks the influence of money in U.S. politics. Her research areas foreign influence, political advertising and investigations into opaque spending networks. Anna holds degrees in political science and psychology from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law.
Ben Wieder is an investigative reporter for McClatchy and the Miami Herald and oversees McClatchy's data fellowship program. He reports on financial crimes, real estate and political influence. He previously worked at the Center for Public Integrity and Stateline.
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