Demographically, culturally, politically, geographically, technologically. The United States is evolving in many ways, through its people, institutions, policies and cultures. For the summer of 2010, News21 fellows will travel the nation, investigating a wide range of topics, looking to present their in-depth journalism in fresh ways with innovative approaches. Their reporting followed a spring seminar that immersed them in their topics and helped them to sharpen their investigation and digital presentations.
The Carnegie Transborder Seminar (.pdf syllabus) focused on multidisciplinary study of issues relevant to injustice in America, particularly among Latinos and immigrants.
The “Latino America: People and Governments Grapple with Immigration, Identity and Status” project will documents the changing experiences of Latinos, especially in Arizona and along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Explore the site: Latinos & Hispanics in America | See 2009 story summaries & RSS
An interdisciplinary seminar on the Census (syllabus pdf) formed the basis of this project, focusing on inmate populations.
Explore the 2010 site: California’s Convict Cycle
Explore the site | 2009 projects: Barthood, CityLab, 51st & Telegraph and The New Town Square
The stories tied to this project stem from a specialty reporting class on aging Americans (syllabus pdf).
In “Brave Old World” Columbia delves into challenges facing senior citizens and the people and institutions who support them.
Explore the 2010 site: Brave Old World
Explore the 2009 site: Charter Explosion | See 2009 story summaries
News 21 fellows participated in “The Changing Chesapeake,” a multimedia reporting seminar on covering the environment (seminar pdf), which concentrated on scientific, cultural and economic impact of the Chesapeake ecosystem.
Explore the 2010 site: Chesapeake: Bay on the Brink
Explore the 2009 site: The New Voters | See 2009 story summaries & RSS
The spring seminar focused on U.S. demographics and energy use (seminar site and site as pdf), particularly in light of population pressures on the environment.
North Carolina’s “Quest for Energy in a Changing USA” project shows how increased demand for energy use is producing cracks in the way America gets power.
Via a research course in audience insights (seminar pdf), fellows from Northwestern’s Medill School focused on individuals and urban identities.
Explore the 2010 site: Beyond the Border
Explore the 2009 site: Shift | See 2009 story summaries & RSS
USC’s California in Crisis special topics course (seminar pdf) concentrated on the economic, social, cultural and political impact of immigration and other forms of population change.
Explore the 2010 site: California in Crisis
Explore the 2009 site: Southwestern Shifts | See 2009 story summaries & RSS
The spring “News for the 21st Century” seminar (seminar pdf) concentrated the students’ attentions on veterans adjusting to life outside the military. Early reporting is available at the Syracuse blog.
Explore the 2010 site: Apart from War
Explore the 2009 site: The Young and the Wireless | See 2009 story summaries & RSS
For 2010, one fellow was selected from 11 of the 12 News21 schools to join a national reporting team. They participated in an accountability journalism course (seminar pdf). Working with the Center for Public Integrity, the team explored National Transportation Safety Board data to delve into stories converning trains, planes, ships and highways.
Explore the 2010 site: Breakdown: Traveling Dangerously in America.
The nation's leading journalism schools come together in this unique program to experiment with new forms of in-depth and investigative reporting.
Fellows travel the country to report on critical issues facing our changing nation and then find innovative ways to tell those stories.