Stories About Connor Sheets
A Trusting News analysis: What news consumers say they trust
Trusting News Project ReportDownload Fundamentally, news consumers trust journalism that they find to be balanced, in-depth, honest and reputable. Those qualities appeared over and over in an analysis of 81 in-depth interviews our newsroom partners conducted with members of their communities. And when asked directly about what defines quality journalism, they were at the top … Continued
Can we drone without a phone? No. Here’s some apps to make your drone journalism safer and better
Judd Slivka has noticed how dependent he’s become on his phone for a lot of information regarding how to fly with drones. Here are some he uses every day.
RJI Fellow launches Deputy Program as free newsroom engagement tool
My goal as a 2016-17 Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow was to help news organizations keep tabs on the communities they serve using available and often limited resources. The result of my efforts is the Deputy Program, a simple, cost-effective way to boost news-gathering capacity by harnessing the power of community networks via text … Continued
AL.com’s news deputy program: A fledgling success despite obstacles, missteps and hiccups
My RJI Fellowship project, dubbed the Deputy Program, has had its share of kinks. But it’s also yielding tips, information and insights that would be nearly impossible for the AL.com newsroom to come up with on its own. It’s creating engagement and connections with people who might otherwise believe they don’t have a stake or … Continued
Community sources of info for AL.com newsroom project include immigrant population
There is perhaps no more misunderstood and maligned community in Alabama than the state’s population of undocumented immigrants. Uncounted by definition, they’re still reeling from the negative impacts of the state’s H.B. 56. Passed in 2011, the law wreaked havoc on the immigrant community by imposing a host of draconian measures, from demanding that police … Continued
Nonresidential fellow jumpstarts his project with a visit to RJI
My fellowship project was transformed earlier this month during a three-day visit to Columbia, Missouri. The occasion was an informal convening of several of this year’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute fellows to discuss the varied projects we hope to bring to fruition over the coming months. Though it was a laid-back affair, the conversations … Continued
RJI Fellow to create pipeline of ‘deputies’ in pursuit of news coverage of Alabama communities
One unseasonably warm weekend this past February, I found myself chatting about transportation spending deep in the bowels of a dark, loud motorcycle club headquarters in a warehouse on Birmingham, Alabama’s gritty west side. We were eagerly waiting for the latest Vikings recruits to be doused in water and beer as an initiation into the … Continued