News and information to help journalists serve the public and stay safe.
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Journalists prize investigative work for the impact it has: unearthing risk and damage, holding the powerful to account, changing laws and changing lives. But investigative journalism jobs have long been the province of veteran reporters, usually white and male. As newsrooms commit to diversifying their teams, investigative journalists can better reflect underserved communities that have traditionally been harmed by systemic problems yet to be exposed.
Join moderator
Manny Garcia
, senior editor for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative;
Maria Perez
, investigative reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; and
Cheryl W. Thompson
, investigative correspondent for NPR and president of Investigative Reporters and Editors, for this program from the
News Leaders Association
and Journalism Institute.
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The
New York Times
and The Atlantic’s
COVID Tracking Project
, however, were able to continue updating their databases through their widespread, work-intensive collection systems from states and, for the Times, even from counties.
“The Times’s data collection for this page is based on reports from state and local health agencies, a process that is unchanged by
the Trump administration’s new requirement
that hospitals bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all patient information to a central database in Washington,” the Times wrote Friday at the top of their COVID-19 mapping page.
We talked to
Archie Tse
, the Times director of graphics, to learn more about how massive amounts of data collected by Times staffers become charts and maps that viewers can easily understand.
What are your main sources of information for the data you display in your coronavirus graphics?
Tse
: We’re getting all of our cases and death data directly from the states and also in many cases directly from counties. States are often slow and so we actually go directly to the counties and get the data, which is usually a few days ahead of what the states report.
Because the data task is pretty monumental, we kind of pick and choose the counties that we go to directly based on how severe the outbreak is in those places, and what kind of outbreak is happening there. So we're kind of making choices about when we rely on a state for the data and when we go to the county to get the data.
So you don’t even use the CDC data for backup?
Tse
: We're not using any of the case and death data from the CDC site at all. We have been trying to plug into their hospital data, but we've not found it to be that useful yet, and we don't know when it will become useful.
We don't know exactly what it will mean if the HHS now becomes the clearinghouse for this. We do worry a little bit about another set of competing numbers that may not be as timely, that will be confusing to the public. We're kind of concerned about that. But I think there's not a lot we can do at this point.
There's not been a central clearinghouse for the data. It's kind of a wild, wild West.
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The National Press Club Journalism Institute is spotlighting
the next generation of journalists
, students who graduated from college or Master’s programs this spring into
a challenging job market
. We hope they’ll meet future bosses and colleagues here, who will reach out and support them in building journalism’s future together.
Name
:
Shabnam Danesh
School
:
American University
Location
: Washington, D.C.
What's been your best moment in journalism?
Danesh
: It seems like forever ago now, but covering the impeachment was an exhilarating time. I was assigned to cover the
Gordon Sondland
hearing for a class, Reporting of Public Affairs. I got there very early, I think around 6 am, but was still stuck in line for hours! But all the waiting paid off and eventually I made it into the hearing room. I felt like I was witnessing history being written with my eyes. So worth it.
What do you want potential employers to know about you?
Danesh
: Journalism is my second master's degree and represents a foray to a new career and life. I have a multi-faced work history in legal administration, criminal justice research and account management. I always wanted to be a journalist and am excited to pursue my dreams. I am a hard worker, energetic and ready to hit the ground running. Just need someone to give me a chance.
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2020 may in fact be “the best of times…[and] the worst of times” for journalism. Financial and market conditions have closed newspapers and media outlets, and layoffs of reporters and editors are accelerating. Yet tumultuous events in health, social justice, government, and politics have created a resurgent age of journalism, making solid and insightful news reporting more critical than ever before. Press freedom and professional development for reporters are paramount. And
Julie Moos
is at the forefront of efforts to achieve both objectives.
Join
The Alliance for Women in Media
for a vibrant conversation with Julie, moderated by
Rob Stoddard
, SVP, Industry and Association Affairs at NCTA – The Internet and Television Association, as they look at how the National Press Club Journalism Institute is coaching the women and men of journalism bringing home today’s life-changing stories.
Register here
.
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The pandemic has opened opportunities for at-home learning, with more free or low-cost courses at your fingertips. From professional development to personal enrichment, learning new skills can be an
effective part of a self-care routine
.
Here’s how you can make the most of online learning opportunities:
- Be selective. Zoom fatigue is real, so commit only to sessions you are excited about. (Are you really going to revisit the video?)
- Research the instructors. Evaluate their expertise in the subject, or feedback on their instruction style.
- Focus fully. Close out email and other work, and turn off notifications. Multitasking is a myth.
- Prepare and participate. Prior to the webinar, list what you’d like to learn. Use the chat and question functions to chime in.
- Recognize marketing ventures. Some free learning available by commercial ventures come with sales pitches for their products throughout.
- Schedule time after the webinar to reflect on what you learned and fill in your notes. What can you apply now? Who can you share great information with?
- Respond to feedback surveys. In addition to letting organizers know what worked and what didn’t, a survey gives you built-in time to reflect on what you learned.
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This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, Jim Kuhnhenn, and Julie Moos.
Send us your questions and suggestions
for topics to cover.
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