This year, because of COVID-19, the 35 News21 fellows from 16 universities reported virtually from their hometowns or home campuses across the country, using video conferencing and cell phones for interviews.
We found innovative ways to produce a multimedia package of 23 main investigative and explanatory stories, 35 additional reports with photo illustrations, plus a seven-part podcast and several video stories. Because of the virtual nature of the project, we had to lean on design for the user experience on the homepage and throughout the site. I am most proud of the UX design and also the unique ways we told stories through video.
This year, 37 journalism students from 19 universities traveled across the country, examining, among other things, how local and federal agencies respond to communities devastated by disasters.
State of Emergency was, in my opinion, the most visual project in News21’s recent history. I spearheaded the production of a 4-part documentary series about disaster recovery, leading the student directors to create unified episodes.
This year, 38 journalism students from 19 universities traveled to 36 states, including a 7,000-mile road trip around the country. Reporters interviewed nearly 300 people. They also produced a documentary and a five-episode podcast following the lifecycle of hate.
Hate in America was a labor of love. My husband, Jim, and I each drove half of the 7,000-mile road trip around the country, leading a group of students in conducting person-on-the-street interviews in all kinds of towns. The documentary is as important today as it was then, following the legacy of hate in America and what it means for our future.
This year, 29 journalism students from 18 universities are traveling across the country. They are conducting hundreds of interviews, reviewing thousands of pages of state and federal statutes and other records and building databases and data visualizations documenting the issues surrounding water pollution.
This was my husband, Jim, and my first year as editors for News21. Having previously been fellows, we had no idea the organization and management skills it would take to make sure each story, picture and video were presented beautifully. We advised the students in the production News21’s first long-form documentary and helped to create innovative ways of video presentation within stories.