Journalism Institute and News Leaders Association program on re-imagining the cops, crime and courts beats, tomorrow

As journalism re-examines its relationship with communities of color, mug shot galleries are coming down, questions are coming up about police sourcing, and newsrooms are assessing the role of justice coverage.

Join moderator Michael Days of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Libor Jany of the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Jamiles Lartey of the Marshall Project for a National Press Club Journalism Institute and News Leaders Association conversation offering practical suggestions for “Covering Justice: Re-imagining the cops, crime, courts beats.” Registration is open for this program by clicking here, taking place on July 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Our panelists will help journalists and the public understand: 

• Daily decisions newsrooms could make differently, including the use of suspect descriptions, mug shots, neutralizing language like ‘officer-involved shootings,’ or coded language like ‘unarmed black man’ 

• Short-term considerations, for example eliminating the crime blotter, explaining how police are funded, what it means to ‘abolish’ or ‘defund’ police, and what community-centered justice reporting and justice narratives would look like 

• Long-term questions of who the audience is for justice coverage, whose authority we seek/trust, how we can re-envision routines and what we should be tracking & investigating, including how often police are asked to address mental-health issues or homelessness or other social challenges that have been criminalized; and the business opportunity and cost of changing justice coverage.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute has added weekly programming, a daily newsletter, a daily writing group, and other support for journalists since March, and has waived fees for everything due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you value what you’ve been learning from the Institute during this time, please consider a donation of $5, $10, or whatever you can contribute.

This program is one of an ongoing series of free conversations. Upcoming:

• Keeping public records public: Strategies for getting access during the pandemic with Miranda Spivack and Mark Walker (August 5, 11:30am-12:15pm)

• What would antiracist journalism look like? with Leah Donnella, Cassie Haynes and Robert Samuels (August 21, 11:30am-12:15pm)

• Journalists in peril: Creating a safer, equitable future together with Jill Geisler, Alex Marquardt, Sarah Matthews, Abby Phillip and Michael Santiago (September 16, 11:30am-12:15pm)

Watch the video replay or read the recap:

• Writing through: Grieving together, alone with Keith Woods and Tom Huang

• Leading through: Resilient newsrooms with Robyn Tomlin, Mike Wilson and Jill Geisler 

• Writing through: Resilience & community with Connie Schultz and Jon Mooallem 

• Covering Coronavirus: How to be an antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi, Robert Samuels and Shannon Young 

• Writing through: A personal pandemic with Sarah Maslin Nir and Tim Herrrera 

• Writing through: The power of details with Jessica Contrera and Kelley Benham French 

• Writing through: Focusing in short bursts with Lane DeGregory, Deborah Netburn and Marla Broadfoot 

• Find untold stories: How to use PACER with Seamus Hughes 

• Design hacks: How to create visuals when it’s not usually your job with Beth Francesco 

• Working through: Revising your emotional story with Elizabeth Flock and Lori Gottlieb 

• Newsroom leadership in the age of Black Lives Matter with Mizell Stewart III, Katrice Hardy and Mary Irby-Jones

• The art & craft of the interview: How to deeply listen with Terry Gross, Michael Barbaro and Kimberly Adams 

• How to recruit, develop and advance diverse investigative journalism teams with Manny Garcia, Maria Perez and Cheryl W. Thompson 

• Being heard: How to use your voice so people listen with Sewell Chan, Erika Smith, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Jake Silverstein

Contact Journalism Institute Executive Director Julie Moos with questions.