August 25, 2020
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Investigative journalism requires digging for information that someone wants hidden. Powerful forces seek to prevent access, from government officials to private citizens avoiding accountability for wrongdoing.

So how can journalists protect their ability to investigate while under attack? What’s the best defense? And what are the strongest strategies for protecting a free press? Those questions will be the subject of a wide-ranging program in partnership with Investigative Reporters & Editors, moderated by Angela Greiling Keane, editorial director of states and Canada for POLITICO, with panelists Amanda Bennett, former Director of Voice of America; Agnes Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur; and Nabiha Syed, president of The MarkUp. The discussion will bring together their experiences as press freedom advocates with their work in journalism, law, and human rights.

Registration is open for this program, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2020. 
Resilience. It’s a quality familiar to many journalists. The ability to process hardship — whether personal, professional or both — and rebound stronger. 

But sometimes even the most resilient can struggle, especially right now

Here are three ways journalists can strengthen resilience on the job.

1. Write everything down. During a Journalism Institute conversation about resilience and community, author Connie Schultz offered the following advice. 

Schultz: If you’ve never kept a journal, I recommend it now. The process of writing helps us figure out what we’re feeling and thinking in the moment. I’ve often said when I’m working on my columns, I’m not quite sure how I feel until I’m in the process of writing them. Because I have to articulate and I have to narrow down exactly what I think matters in the moment. …

Who tells this history? Who will be the storytellers this time? We may think we’ll never forget this moment. We’ll remember the history of it, but we won’t always remember how we felt in that moment. … It’s coming at you so fast. … It’s so unpredictable day-by-day what’s happening and taking those notes helps us make sense of this.


2. Support your colleagues. Remote work can be isolating, said McClatchy Southeast regional editor Robyn Tomlin, who emphasized the importance of community building during a Journalism Institute program on resilient leadership.

Tomlin: There’s three buckets that I think about in terms of building resiliency, especially in what we’re going through right now where we’re working remotely. It’s very difficult to replicate some of the different ways that we interact with each other. One of those is around communication, making sure that we are communicating frequently, clearly in all the channels that we need to, and that people know what we expect, what we need, what we want from them and what we want for them. 

The second is in building community, making sure that we all are collaborating, working well as a team, and have each other’s backs. And I think that that’s an important element. 

Then the third is around caring. That is everything from checking in with people as individuals to ensuring that we’re doing things like building fun even into these weird environments. … Trying to find ways to make sure that not only that people understand that we care about their work that we care about them as individuals, and that we’re there for each other.


3. Tell the story of how you’re trying. We recently interviewed The University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Angela Duckworth on how journalists can pass along grittiness and determination to their children during times of stress. She mentioned honesty as a path toward resiliency.   

Duckworth: I don’t want to give trivial examples in a very nontrivial time, but say there is a parent who’s been unable to really focus and get work done and is increasingly stressed out. I think it’s okay to say to your kids, ‘Hey, I’ve really struggled to be productive and to stay focused. My mind’s in a million places, and I asked my friend, and she had this idea, and now what I do is I really just try to take the first hour, and have this whatever it is that you’re doing.’  

I think you are modeling a resilient response that isn’t perfect but you’re just telling the story of how you’re trying, and always emphasizing what you learned.

Who is your Safe Venting Zone? For whom can you be that safe space? Everyone needs to feel connected to others at work. And research by Gallup shows that having a best friend at work can improve engagement and performance. So be a vault for your work friends’ confidences, and trust them to be one for you. 

Click here to read Jill’s previous posts.

Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership
Do you qualify as an ally? Join Jill for the next Freedom Forum Institute Power Shift Project program on September 15 at 1 p.m. EDT. Registration is now open.
If you’re feeling less productive these days, you aren’t alone. Your tried-and-true system to get things done at work or at home (which mingle today more than ever) may be challenged in new ways: procrastination, changes in priorities, and ability to focus among them. 

Routines, especially during chaotic times, help us feel a sense of control and contribute to mental wellness. But even the best productivity routines (hello, to-do list!) are worth shaking up from time to time. 

If you’re ready to tackle tasks through a new lens, explore productivity systems — including which may best suit your current situation — with this short quiz from Todoist. It’ll tip you to your best bet for a system that could pump up your productivity.

Read on for more self-care tips, or share how you are taking care of yourself right now.
The November elections will be among the most consequential presidential contests in living memory, while also posing myriad challenges to voters seeking to cast a ballot. Now more than ever, reporters are feeling a civic imperative to produce timely, nuanced watchdog journalism so that the American public is equipped with the information it needs to press for a free and fair voting process and vote tabulation.

But how do you prepare for the unpredictable? Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s “What if” workshop, which will bring journalists together with experts to generate unanswered questions and unanticipated scenarios that can guide coverage. 

Registration is now open for the free workshop, which will be held Thursday, Sept. 3 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Following opening remarks, participants will join small breakout groups on one of four topics:

  • Voter suppression, polling access and Election Day pandemonium led by Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause
  • Mail-in ballots and US Postal Service readiness led by David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research 
  • Foreign interference, led by Maria Barsallo Lynch, executive director of the Defending Digital Democracy Project
  • Contested election results, led by Rick Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California at Irvine

Following the breakout discussions, participants will reconvene to learn about story ideas and reporting tips generated by each group. Spots are limited for this program to ensure its hands-on value.
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This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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