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Mark Walker briefed attendees of NPF and RTDNA's "Crime Coverage Summit: 2023" in San Diego and spoke about "Five Records Requests Every Crime Reporter Should File" January 13, 2023. He also briefed National Press Foundation fellows in January 2022: A FOIA Field Guide and Web Scraping without Coding. Mark Walker is an investigative reporter focused on transportation at the Washington…

Seth Mnookin is a longtime journalist and science writer. His most recent book, "The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy," won the National Association of Science Writers “Science in Society” Award and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He is also the author of the 2006 New York Times bestseller "Feeding the Monster:…

James V. Grimaldi is a senior writer on the investigations desk of The Wall Street Journal. He is based in the Washington bureau, where he has worked since 2012. Previously, Grimaldi worked at The Washington Post for 12 years, primarily for the investigative unit. In 2006, he and two others won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for stories exposing…

The United States is dependent on China for a range of vital materials used in everything from livestock to fighter jets, yet it hasn’t made plans in case Beijing decides to cut off those supplies. That was the assessment of three experts who study the supply chains for critical industries that rely on Chinese supplies. “The United States might have…

In a tiny Colorado town at the end of 2018, a police lieutenant named Roy Kinney shot and killed Daniel Pierce after an adrenaline-fueled car chase. Pierce had paranoid schizophrenia, believing he was God. Kinney knew Pierce’s diagnosis  but felt forced into the shooting that cost a man his life and Kinney his job. It also prompted Rangely, population 2,300,…

With conspiracy theories spreading even faster than the COVID-19 virus, journalists face a daunting challenging in reporting on misinformation without feeding fake narratives. At a National Press Foundation online training, Public Good Projects CEO Joe Smyser released a new digital tool that aggregates social media information from across the United States and flags known purveyors of health misinformation. Smyser walked…

For reporters covering state capitals, it’s a fast-paced, news heavy beat. For many, it’s also a multimedia one – and few news organizations these days have the resources to send photographers for simple news shots. In a session with National Press Foundation fellows – most of whom cover local and state politics – Graham Cullen went over the basics of…

By Sandy K. Johnson For six generations, the Mueth family farmed the land near Waterloo, Illinois, just like their neighbors: row crops like corn and soybeans. The seventh generation, comprised of six brothers, is doing things differently. They have a startup aquaponics operation, combining hydroponic techniques with aquaculture to produce lettuce, basil and other greens to sell at nearby farmers…

By Chris Adams What’s next in ag technology? At Bayer Crop Science, looking forward is the key driver in the company’s efforts. Bayer acquired crop science giant Monsanto in 2016 and has now integrated the firm. In a discussion with National Press Foundation fellows at Bayer’s research facility outside St. Louis – the former Monsanto operation – research and development…

By Chris Adams Stop and think – before you publish. It’s good advice for any beat and particularly apt for coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts, where the pressure to instantly determine what something means is constant, and potentially counterproductive. “My advice: Take a step back,” said Amy Howe, a former editor and current contributor to the…

People in the United States – and around the globe – need only check their Twitter feeds to see what President Donald Trump is thinking about trade and China. Chinese leaders don’t negotiate by tweet in the same manner. But how are they assessing and responding to this ongoing trade war? In a session with National Press Foundation fellows on…

By Sandy K. Johnson A small order of french fries has 230 calories. A large order of fries has 510 calories. It’s probably obvious that a large order of fries is not really the best choice from a nutritional standpoint. But if the calorie count slaps you in the face – in black-and-white on a menu – will you alter…

It sounds so simple: “Managing overfishing is a solvable problem,” said Amanda Nickson of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “All you have to do is not take too much out.” Of course, when those fish you want to take out swim from one country’s waters to another, a simple math equation isn’t so simple. Nickson is director of Pew’s international fisheries…

By Sandy K. Johnson At the National Press Foundation’s journalism awards dinner Feb. 13, the hard work of journalism was illustrated by every award winner as they recounted their belief in journalism as a critical component of democracy. Their remarks provided inspiration for journalists everywhere. A sampling: Judy Woodruff, anchor of PBS NewsHour, and Albert R. Hunt, longtime Bloomberg and…

By Chris Adams It’s one of those jobs you love to have done. “Being an embed is the best experience that I would never do again,” said Liz Landers, a reporter for CNN who covered the 2016 campaign, focusing on Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent running for president as a Democrat, and then Mike Pence, the Republican Indiana governor…

By Chris Adams The Kansas City metropolitan area is home to 2.1 million people, thriving industry, manufacturing plants – and farmland. Katherine Kathleen Kelly has been helping refugees till inner city land for more than a dozen years, teaching them the basics of farming, growing techniques and business practices. In Kansas City, Kansas, Kelly’s organization, Cultivate Kansas City, runs the…

By Chris Adams In the United States, the percentage of row cropland set aside for organic production is growing steadily but is still tiny, amounting to less than 1 percent. And it’s not as though there’s no demand. But the demand is increasingly being met by foreign growers. From 2012 to 2016, U.S. imports of organic soybeans, corn and wheat…

By Chris Adams Farming has always been a weather-dependent endeavor. In an era of evolving growing seasons fueled by a changing environment, that’s never been more true. In a session with National Press Foundation fellows exploring the future of agriculture, Patrick Schnable of Iowa State University described some of the biggest challenges farms face – and what plant scientists are…

By Chris Adams In the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, Marc Oshima produces lettuce and other greens on his farm – all without stepping outside. Using the decaying shell of a former steel mill, AeroFarms has built a vertical farm, layering row after row of greens on top of each other and using artificial light and controlled watering systems…

The National Press Foundation has chosen 22 journalists for the 2018-2019 class of its prestigious Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship, which introduces promising young reporters to the city they’ve been assigned to cover. Over the course of nine months, fellows will visit the Pentagon, the Supreme Court, the Capitol and other key Washington institutions. They’ll discuss politics and policy with…

By Chris Adams For hundreds of years, farmers have been raising chickens and cows and pigs. But only since the 1950s have aqua “farmers” been trying to grow fish. At the Mote Aquaculture Research Park in Sarasota, Florida, scientists are trying to change that. Despite its size, wealth and scientific expertise, the U.S. is far behind the rest of the…

By Jesse Schneider From a very early age, Jesse J. Holland knew he wanted to be an author. In 1994, while working as a full-time journalist at The Associated Press, he began searching for the right time to make his dream of writing a book a reality. What he found instead was a dose of reality. “Pro tip,” he deadpanned,…

By Chris Adams For reporters on the courts beat, information is right there for the taking: decisions, briefs, every filing from both sides in a dispute, the names – and even phone numbers – of the attorneys pushing or defending a lawsuit. But the courts beat comes with some significant drawbacks, too. Leaks are virtually unheard of. Scoops are impossible…

John Schmid of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is the winner of the National Press Foundation’s Carolyn C. Mattingly Award for Mental Health Reporting. Schmid combined data and storytelling to trace the aftershocks of Milwaukee’s collapsed manufacturing economy and the impact it had on generations of children. NPF judges said: “The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel put mental illness into rare perspective with…

The media – and the public in general – have a potentially powerful law at their disposal to pry open records from federal agencies. But as every reporter who has sent off a Freedom of Information Act request knows, a law on the books doesn’t mean records on your desk. Reponses can be maddeningly inconsistent by agency or request. As…

By Kevin M. Goldberg It’s been one week since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the U.S. Department of Justice would take steps as part of the National Insider Threat Task Force to stop what he termed a “culture of leaking” in government. Joined by Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, Sessions made the remarks in response to what he said…

The National Press Foundation has chosen 22 journalists for the 30th anniversary class of its prestigious Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship, which introduces promising young reporters to the city they’ve been assigned to cover. From September to June, this one-day-a-month fellowship gives print, online and broadcast journalists from top news organizations an intensive – and lively – overview of reporting…

By Chris Adams Journalist Jean Friedman-Rudovsky had written the stories that shined a light on problems in society. She wanted to direct that light on something else: A way to solve those problems. “Without that other side, we’re caught in this endless feedback – things are terrible, things are terrible, things are terrible,” said Friedman-Rudovsky, a freelancer now editing and…

By Sandy K. Johnson Rosalind Adams was intrigued by mentions of subpoenas and a federal investigation buried in a long corporate report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. More than a year later, after interviewing more than 300 people, Adams came to a powerful conclusion: Universal Health Services, the nation’s largest for-profit psychiatric hospital chain, was keeping patients for…

By Chris Adams Harriet Behar, a specialist and inspector for the organic industry, says organics might be a small part of the agriculture sector but it has a promising future. “We are very vibrant, we are growing, and we can feed the world,” said Behar, a senior organic specialist for the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. She is also…

By Sandy K. Johnson How big is a bushel? Why do farmers need to increase their yield? What is an acre? These are basic facts that reporters should understand in order to cover agriculture and its end game — food that we all eat. Fact one: How big is an acre? About the size of a soccer field. How does…

Some New Year’s Resolutions to #MakeJournalismGreatAgain By Sandy K. Johnson 2016 was undeniably a mixed bag for journalists. Let’s make 2017 the year we get our reputations back. Some suggestions for the New Year: 1. Take inspiration from spectacular journalism produced by fellow journalists in 2016. These examples just happen to be National Press Foundation award winners. #GoodReads 2. We’re…

The National Press Foundation will honor nine journalists and their news organizations at our annual journalism awards dinner on Thursday, Feb. 16. Drum roll please. The 2016 award winners are: Martha Raddatz, ABC News correspondent, winner of the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. Judges said: “Martha Raddatz is an intrepid correspondent who has excelled in reporting on complicated…

By Sandy K. Johnson It’s time for some good news about journalism. Set aside for a moment the self-flagellation about coverage of the 2016 elections and relish what’s good about our profession. The finalists for the National Press Foundation’s two innovation in journalism awards set the standard for the best of American journalism. These projects will renew your faith in…

The Washington Post has won two digital innovation awards sponsored by the National Press Foundation. The Post journalists will receive the awards at NPF’s annual journalism awards dinner on Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Washington, D.C., along with other award winners. Learn more about the NPF dinner and awards here. The Washington Post’s investigation into police shootings will…

By Sandy K. Johnson When Keith Gingerich works his fields of grain in central Illinois, his tractor cab is a movable high-tech office. With a smartphone and computer tablet, he uses technology to drive his equipment and plant with precision; tap satellites and remote sensors to check on moisture and nitrogen levels in fields far away; and analyze data to…

By Chris Adams In an age of agricultural abundance, JoAnne Berkenkamp is focused not on all the food society produces but the food it wastes. And it wastes a lot. “This is the food we produce that we don’t eat,” said Berkenkamp, a senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization. Overall, 40 percent of all food…