RJI Fellows Class of 2020–2021
This series features stories by RJI’s 2020–2021 class of fellows.
‘Unpublishing’ may be a catchy term, but does it accurately encompass the issue?
Most journalists would agree that the words we use to identify important issues are intrinsic to understanding them. New phenomena get labeled through the process of discovery by individuals who, naturally, do not yet fully understand them. I propose we may need a better term for what we currently refer to as unpublishing. The Unpublishing … Continued
Your first web-scraping project will be easier than you think
Last week, a colleague emailed me with a data request. She was working on a story about the shifting sands of Republican congressional rhetoric on climate change and was wondering if GOP voting records had seen any corresponding shifts in recent years. She pointed out that one good measure of environmental voting comes from the … Continued
Discovering how readers perceive photos and video
The main questions bouncing around my educator’s noggin for the last couple of decades have been about how visuals resonate with audiences — what draws a person’s attention, helps them to parse information, to understand and remember? My goal with this RJI project is to create practical materials to help small newsrooms and non-profit organizations … Continued
Make your reporting more diverse: Try a different network, redefine experts
In the survey of 750 journalists, editors and producers conducted by ExpertFile in conjunction with The Associated Press, journalists acknowledged that there remains a significant gap in representing a more diverse set of experts in their coverage. Despite a recognition of the need for more diverse voices in their coverage, the national survey also found … Continued
Salary disparities are the most visible factor of discrimination against Latino journalists
“As a photojournalist for one of the Hispanic TV networks, I realized big differences between the “general market” and the Hispanic market. In one of my jobs the salary was almost 50% less than the same position in English.” This statement was provided by a Latino journalist who answered Fundamedios survey about the main challenges … Continued
Unpublishing project advisory board gets rolling
The unpublishing project has gained significant momentum in the last few weeks, including an unpublishing webinar with editors RJI hosted in August. Much of the work has been behind the scenes, cementing the foundation I need to ensure the final result is valuable to newsrooms across the country. There is much work to be done in … Continued
Scrappy hacks for scrappy visual journalists
As far as I can tell, the Internet is mostly duct-taped together. And why should visual journalism be any different? In a world of flashy D3.js wrappers and React components and the like, sometimes you just need a chart—and you need it as quickly as possible. In other words, you don’t need interactivity; you need … Continued
Engaging with your audience = eyes, ears and super fans
After the New York City Mayor’s office announced a $20 million donation from the Open Society Foundation to help undocumented immigrants, city officials went on live TV to show the beginning of the delivery of the funds. Many of our users heard this news and messaged us to report that the phone numbers and email addresses … Continued
Lessons from a viral obituary
Once in a while, notice of someone’s death takes on a life all its own — the addict who was also a mother with a beautiful voice, the hard-living, sweet-souled uncle, the former beauty queen grandma who wrote her own obituary. Three months into my RJI fellowship experimenting with obituaries, I’ve been thinking a lot about what … Continued
Identifying and overcoming challenges with inclusive storytelling
When I proposed my hands-on diversity training program for newsrooms, I thought getting media partners on board would be the biggest challenge. I have been pleasantly surprised at the interest and willingness to participate, but overwhelmed by the need for this project which is in even greater demand because of this seminal moment. In my … Continued