The Journalism Salute

On this episode we're joined by Mikayla Newton. Mikayla is a freelance reporter and anchor in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area often focusing on news and education stories. She's an adjunct lecturer at the University of Maryland. And she's the president and founder of a non-profit aimed at empowering future journalists, The Mikayla Newton Foundation. She is a graduate from Georgia State with a Masters from Syracuse. Mikayla talked about what she learned from working as a weekend morning news anchor, her current project about private schools doing radical things in education in the DMV, and the goals of her foundation (which most recently awarded its first scholarship). Mikayla's documentary short on The Mandala School https://substack.com/home/post/p-182443346 Mikayla's salute: WABJ – The Washington D.C. chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Jackson Juzang. Jackson is a student journalist at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He's quite busy. He's a research and editorial intern at NBC Sports, he's the founder of the Philadelphia Student Press Association, and he's the co-founder of PBJ Productions, whose services include podcasts, films and video series. And he does other things too, like serve as an associate editor on the Haverford school paper (The Clerk) and run on the school track team. We talked with Jackson mostly about the Philadelphia Student Press Association, what it does and what its goals are (it's the kind of organization that should exist in every state). We also addressed the various other projects he's involved in and what his overall aspirations are Philadelphia Student Press Association is a nonprofit coalition of student-run newsrooms across Philadelphia’s colleges and universities. We are founded to amplify student voices, promote press freedom, and build pathways into professional journalism. Jackson's salute: The Leinfest Institute for Journalism and all student journalists. You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Alana Van Der Sluys. Alana is a journalism teacher at Kinnelon High School in Kinnelon, New Jersey. Alana was a guest on episode 16 on this podcast back in December 2020. She's back nearly 250 episodes later to reflect on what happened since, which includes writing a book. Alana is a graduate of Iona University with masters' from there and Montclair State. Alana talked about her experience as a teacher, how her program includes the possibility of college credit, how the value of journalism goes beyond the class itself, and her own writing about a difficult personal experience. Kinnelon Colt Chronicle School Newspaper: https://coltchronicle.org/ Alana's salutes: Ava Gutkin (Colt Chronicle editor-in-chief), The Garden State Scholastic Press Association, Anna Helhoski (Nerd Wallet) Alana's book: https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Food-Fitness-Alana-Sluys/dp/1953027199 You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Stacy Kess. Stacy is a journalist and the founder and head of editorial for Equal Access Public Media. She's a graduate of Indiana University and is based in Boston. The mission of Equal Access Public Media is to make news more accessible to all audiences so that it is more inclusive of those with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and others with accessibility needs; and to make jobs more accessible to journalists with disabilities, with chronic illnesses, who are military veterans, and who are caregivers. Stacy talked about her connection to disability, what her organization does and its points of emphasis, the importance of alt text, and why she believes journalism is a calling. Stacy's salute: 4 journalism professors she interviewed: Nicole Carr, Meghan Irons, Nicki Mayo, and Jason Strother Donate to Equal Access Public Media: https://equalaccesspublicmedia.org/ You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by David Covucci. David is the editor-in-chief of FOIAball – FOIA standing for "Freedom of Information Act." It's a newsletter that uses public records reporting to investigate college football. As he said- collectives, consultants, cops, contracts, and communications. Whether or not you like sports, I think you'll find this conversation informative as we're going to talk about the idea of finding a niche in a very crowded field. David's past experience in journalism includes time as a news editor for BroBible and the senior tech and politics editor for nearly 9 years at The Daily Dot. He's a graduate of Virginia Tech. David talked about his experience with FOIA requests and what led him to doing a newsletter centered around them. He gave examples of the kinds of stories he's done (from tax fraud allegations to how much schools spend on entertaining recruits), and how accidental discoveries can lead to significant revelations. The website: FOIAball.com David's salutes: College sports newsletter founder Matt Brown, Daniel Libit (Sportico), Matt Baker (The Athletic), Jason Leopold (Bloomberg News) You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Sam Donndelinger. Sam is an investigative journalist and lead designer for Uncloseted Media. Uncloseted Media is a non-profit newsroom started by NYU professor Spencer MacNaughton to do investigative reporting on LGBTQ issues. It has 4 full-time employees and well-followed Instagram and tiktok accounts. Sam has won multiple awards for her reporting. She's a recent graduate of NYU Sam talked about the kinds of stories she covers and the importance of being an empathetic and present reporter. She explained the design role she has. And she shared why a job like this is the best fit for her. Examples of stories: Transgender men and struggles with eating disorders https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/transgender-men-experience-eating Google and conversion therapy https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/google-sends-parents-of-lgbtq-kids Unequitable access to drugs that would deter HIV https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/unraveling-the-urgent-unspoken-struggle More on Sam's life and backstory https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/why-am-i-still-explaining-being-bisexual You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Ben Chase. Ben is a two-time guest. We talked to him in 2021 when he was a reporter for the Huron Daily Plainsman in Huron, South Dakota (population ~14,000, one-third of which is Hispanic or Asian). Now he's the paper's managing editor, a role he's held for roughly a year … and it's been quite a year as he’ll share.The paper was shut down (briefly), sold, and brought back, but with some changes, including fewer print editions and a directive to be more local.Ben talked about running a small-town newspaper, the types of things the paper covers, how he writes his weekly op-ed piece, and how his stress relief is … more journalism (of a different type).Ben's salute: South Dakota SearchlightExample of Ben's Op-Eds – "It's Not The Same."https://www.plainsman.com/stories/its-not-the-same,163806Background on the sale of the newspaper https://www.plainsman.com/stories/plainsman-three-other-south-dakota-papers-purchased-by-champion-media,148535https://www.midstory.org/can-local-news-survive-south-dakota-says-yes/You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here,Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.orgThank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.comVisit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.socialSubscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Jules Roscoe. Jules is an independent journalist (freelance writer) who covers labor and technology from a national perspective and politics from a local perspective. Jules has written for (among other places), 404 Media, The Boston Guardian, Vice, Wired, and Matter News, is a 2024 graduate of NYU, and works full-time as a legal proofreader. We talked about Jules' experience, approach to writing stories (why it needs to sound good to the ear) and why a 'stupid question' is often a good question. Jules' salutes: 404 Media, and journalists Ken Klippenstein and Matthew Gault You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Megan Tagami. Megan is a reporter covering education for Honolulu Civil Beat, a non-profit newsroom in Hawaii. She's a native of Honolulu and a 2023 graduate of UCLA with a degree in political science and government. Megan talked about her entry into journalism, how she overcame her hesitance to ask people questions, explained her writing process, and shared the kinds of stories she covers on the education beat. Lots of good lessons for aspiring journalists from the perspective of a young writer beginning her career. Megan's story about mental health and Hawaii schools https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/08/the-crisis-isnt-over-maui-kids-mental-health-needs-are-mounting/ Megan's story about the librarian shortage https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/03/hawai%ca%bbi-school-libraries-are-shrinking-when-students-may-need-them-most/ Megan's story about how teachers are dealing with free speech and challenging discussion topics, like Charlie Kirk's assassination https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/11/whats-controversial-teachers-grapple-with-free-speech-in-hawaii-schools/ Megan's salute: You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Alyssa Rosenberg. Alyssa is a former editor and columnist for The Washington Post. She was at the Post for 11 and a half years, the last year and a half was spent as the letters and community editor. After the Post declined to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election she invited readers to write in. The result was 21,000 letters. And over a 6-month period, Alyssa read every one. She wrote about this recently for NOTUS (News of the United States) and she joined us to talk about her work and career. Alyssa explained what her job as a letters editor was like, her process for editing (and shortening letters), what one goes through when they read 21,000 letters on the same subject, and the value of allowing someone to feel heard. Alyssa's article for NOTUS about the 21,000 letters https://www.notus.org/perspectives/the-washington-post-got-21-000-emails-after-it-didnt-endorse-i-read-them-all Across The Movie Aisle Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/across-the-movie-aisle/id1491840893 The Shop Around The Corner- Children's Book Newsletter https://alyssarosenberg.substack.com/ Alyssa's salutes: Shane Harris, The Atlantic, Richard Just, Notus You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On The Journalism Salute we talk to journalists about who they are and what they do with the intent of showing that journalists are not the enemy of the people. On this episode we're joined by Babette Hogan and Julie Eisenberg. They are the filmmakers behind Running for the Mountains, a new documentary film about environmental policies and politics and the fight between activists and politicians about this issue in West Virginia. It's available on Amazon Prime and also, if you have a library card, on Kanopy. Babette and Julie talked about the process by which they made their movie, which took 15 years to complete. They explained why they made the movie, how – as outsiders – they gained the trust of West Virginians, and shared some of the adventures they had along the way (including an arrest. Babette and Julie's salutes: Chris Hayes of MS Now, Gasland director Josh Fox, and the movie Knock Down the House. You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by A'lauren Gilchrist. A'lauren is a senior at Norfolk State University, an HBCU in Norfolk, Virginia. She is also the student representative at the National Association of Black Journalists, NABJ. A'lauren's experience includes an internship with WAVY 10 News and we talked about the different things she learned, including the importance of having Black voices in the newsroom and in pitch meetings. She also shared the goals she has in her position with NABJ and the work she's done as a student newspaper editor and an intern with Historically Black Since. At the end of the episode, we'll hear an update from Urban Assembly Gateway School journalism club advisor Anita Pinto about what her students have been working on in the past month. We originally interviewed Anita in September. A'lauren's salutes: Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals and its president Eugene Daniel, and her mentors April Woodard of WTKR, and Aesia Toliver of WAVY 10. Article summarizing her internship: https://www.wavy.com/blogs/intern-blog/wavys-fire-intern-from-smoke-filled-scenes-to-broadcast-success/ You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Maryam Jameel. Maryam is a graduate of Northwestern and an engagement reporter for ProPublica focused on workers' rights, occupational safety, immigration, and the federal government. Being an engagement reporter means both connecting with your audience and connecting with sources and Marayam is working on a campaign featuring ads on D.C. Metro cars encouraging federal workers to share their stories. This follows a campaign that ProPublica did with a truck traveling around Washington D.C. also encouraging workers to call. We talk to her about writing, sourcing, and her approach to stories. Maryam's salute: Reporters covering the war and atrocities in Gaza Helpful links: More on the way ProPublica is finding sources https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/03/propublica-wanted-to-find-more-sources-in-the-federal-government-so-it-brought-a-truck/ Our interview with her reporting colleague, Melissa Sanchez https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/melissa-sanchez-pro-publica/id1526063503?i=1000615807775 You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Joe Coughlin. Joe is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Record - North Shore, a non-profit newsroom serving Chicago's North Shore suburbs. Joe has 20 years in the journalism industry to draw upon. The Record and The Journalism Salute started at around the same time. In fact, Joe reached out to me not long after he started to tell me what he was doing. I said – I'll talk to you eventually. Eventually is now – 5 years later! Joe talked about why he has such a passion for local news, how he started and manages a small, local, award-winning non-profit and how it has been able to survive. He also provided examples of the kind of stories that work and why he thinks sports is so important to local news coverage. Joe's salute: Block Club Chicago You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Nicole Lewis. Nicole is the engagement editor for The Marshall Project, leading the organization’s strategic efforts to deepen reporting that reaches communities most affected by the criminal legal system. She also leads certain investigative reporting projects. The Marshall Project is a non-profit nonpartisan newsroom covering America's criminal justice system with the belief that the system is broken and needs reform. We talked to Nicole about both her purpose as a journalist and The Marshall Project's purpose as an organization. She provided examples of stories she's worked on, everything from 'as-told-to' pieces with incarcerated people dealing with pregnancy issues to lawmakers' response to a supposed shoplifting crisis, to a massive survey of those incarcerated about the 2024 election (which featured a surprising level of support for Donald Trump). Nioole's salutes: Outlier Media and New York Magazine You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Ishan Thakore. Ishan is a climate and environmental reporter for Colorado Public Radio. He previously worked as a researcher, fact checker and field associate producer for Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, a show that ran on TBS that used comedy to tell and analyze news stories. We talked to Ishan about both jobs. He discussed his responsibilities on Full Frontal, the kinds of stories he did, the process that went into producing them, and why comedy was an effective storytelling tool. He also explained his current beat and how almost every story has a climate and environmental aspect to it, and he shared what it's like to work in public radio right now. Ishan's website https://www.ishanthakore.com/ Lumpkin or Leave It (Full Frontal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL1EyLolFUk Trump Administration Canceling Funding https://www.cpr.org/2025/07/10/trump-cancels-millions-agriculture-funding/ Ishan's salutes: The Committee to Protect Journalists and The Society for Environmental Journalists You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On The Journalism Salute we talk to journalists about who they are and what they do, with the intent of showing that journalists are not the enemy of the people. On this episode, we're joined by Rick Goldsmith. Rick is a 2-time Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker. His most recent film, Stripped For Parts, American Journalism On The Brink is streaming on PBS.com through the end of 2025 and is scheduled for airing on many local PBS stations on October 20. We talked to Rick both about the movie and how he made it. We explored why Alden Global Capital is so dangerous and what people are doing to fight back against them. Rick also provided advice for aspiring documentary filmmakers Rick's salutes: The documentaries No Other Land and Love + War You can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

On this episode we're joined by Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez. He is a political science and philosophy student at the University of Texas at Dallas. He's the editor-in-chief of The Retrograde, a student newspaper that operates independent of school administration.He previously was editor-in-chief of The Mercury, which was the campus newspaper that received funding from the school, until school administration took an extremely hostile position towards the paper and local media, leading to a series of events discussed in this episode.Gregorio talked about his journalism interest (he took an atypical path to it) and described what he and his staff have been through.You can learn more about Gregorio and his colleagues in these articleshttps://www.keranews.org/education/2024-09-18/ut-dallas-mercury-student-newspaper-strike-eic-firedhttps://www.dallasobserver.com/news/ut-dallas-newspaper-ban-is-another-blow-to-freedom-on-campus-23056264https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/education/schools/ut-dallas-student-newspaper-student-groups-sue-to-block-texas-law-used-to-suppress-student-protestYou can find all our episode guides for teachers and professors (including this one) here, Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.orgThank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com)Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.socialSubscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com

Hi everyone - Wanted to alert you to another journalism podcast that you might enjoy listening to. This is a recent episode of Small Press, Big Ideas hosted by Paul Gewuerz, who owns and runs a company that produces podcasts for news organizations. Today Paul sits down with Matthew Watkins, Editor-in-Chief of The Texas Tribune, for a conversation on nonprofit journalism, civic engagement, and navigating polarization in today’s media environment. Matthew shares his journey from local Texas reporting to leading one of the nation's premier nonprofit newsrooms, and offers candid insights into what makes The Tribune unique, from its funding model and newsroom culture to its commitment to transparency and nonpartisanship. If you like it, be sure to follow it on Apple or at LocalNews.co - we'll be back with a new episode of The Journalism Salute next Tuesday.

On this episode, we're joined by Laura Kebede-Twumasi. Laura is a journalist and public historian based in Virginia. She has formerly been a staff writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and an education reporter at Chalkbeat. From 2022 to 2025 she was a journalist in residence (and professor) at the University of Memphis, where she got her masters. During that time she launched Civil Wrongs, a podcast and series of articles investigating lynchings, deaths related to Civil Rights work and racially-motivated massacres. It spanned 21 episodes and was a collaborative effort with students in social justice classes she taught. She is a 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri and lists her job as Professional Listener. She was recommended by our recent guest, another journalist-historian, Logan Jaffe. Laura's salute: Cardinal News You can find our episode guides for teachers and professors here Please support your local public radio station: adoptastation.org Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com Visit our website: thejournalismsalute.org Mark’s website (MarkSimonmedia.com) Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social Subscribe to our newsletter– journalismsalute.beehiiv.com