The GroundTruth Project

The Democratic National Convention wrapped up yesterday with Kamala Harris accepting the nomination for president, becoming the first Black, South Asian woman to be the party’s presidential nominee. However, for Democrats, getting to this point was challenging, with some similarities to the political atmosphere of 1968, including anti-foreign war protests, a new, last-minute presidential candidate, and, the most obvious, a convention in Chicago, Illinois. But for those who were at the 1968 convention, like Professor Geoffrey Cowan of the University of Southern California, there are more differences than similarities between the two historical moments: “It feels different now, it feels more positive,” Cowan told GroundTruth’s Charles Sennott. “We were living in a world in which MLK and RFK had been assassinated and the [Vietnam] war was raging with US troops and US bombs being dropped. There was unrest in cities about civil rights and racial discrimination was rampant. Voter intimidation was a part of life in the South. Now the voter participation in the Black community is much larger. Still not good enough, but just in a completely different place. The candidate herself is Black, not something you could really even imagine in 1968.” Using Cowan’s historical perspective, along with the visual journalism of former Report for America corps member Anthony V. who was on the ground at the DNC this week, Sennott explores how the political atmospheres of 2024 and 1968 are similar yet also very different amid a general election just two months away: https://lnkd.in/eyr26x3g #DNC24 #DemocraticNationalConvention #Chicago #History #America

🇧🇷 Congrats to Report for the World newsroom partner Armando.Info and InfoAmazonia along with Colombian news collective La Liga Contra el Silencio for winning the Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award for small newsrooms from the Online News Association for their Amazon Underworld Project! The project presents a database that has mapped the presence of armed groups on the Amazonian borders of countries and includes in-depth reports on various aspects of organized crime in the region, many of which have received little or no media coverage. https://lnkd.in/ecTjBFnm #brazil #award #localnewsmatters #journalism #reporter

Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president and CEO of the Knight Foundation, discusses how local news can foster community and bring people together at a Report for America hosted panel at the Weisman Art Museum on July 18 during our national gathering in Minneapolis. “I think that we can all agree that it would be great if we reconnected again with our neighbors," Wadsworth said on the Report for America-organized panel, which was broadcast last week by MPR News with Angela Davis, along with another discussion about the state of local news in Minnesota with local journalists and newsroom leaders. We are truly thankful for Wadsworth's support — not only for this event but also as a member of our board of directors! Watch the full video: https://lnkd.in/guzp-HnD #journalism #philanthropy #sustainabilty #rfagathers24 #pressforward #supportlocal #panel #media

Thanks to their partnership with Report for America/CatchLight newsrooms like El Tecolote Newspaper have seen that "visuals are critical to serving underrepresented communities," Erika Carlos said. Now is your chance to apply to become a newsroom partner before the Sep 13. deadline: https://lnkd.in/ecGPCwMv #newsroom #apply #deadline #photography #visual

Excited to start a new phase of growth at Report for the World with the support of mentors and fellow cohort members at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Grateful to Niketa Patel, Marie Gilot and Shazdeh Omari for encouraging me to apply. Friends and peers in NY, I will be in your lovely city from Sept 8 to 16! Please message me if you are around.

Today marks 10 years since former GroundTruth and freelance journalist James Foley was killed by ISIS. "Jim had gone to Afghanistan, Libya and Syria to report not only on the plight of the people there but also on the condition of our soldiers," Foley's mother Diane Foley wrote in a New York Times column.[https://lnkd.in/ezmiR223] Back then, "The American government would not engage with terrorists. This cruel, stubborn, and misinformed policy cost Jim his life." To honor his memory and advocate for the change of these policies, Diane M Foley created the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which has been working tirelessly to secure the release of hostages and push for better policies to engage with their captors. Learn more about Jim’s story and the legacy his mother continues to build. [https://lnkd.in/gGzaVDsB] #pressfreedom #journalist #publicservice

Happy World Photography Day! We are celebrating by showcasing some of our Report for America and Report for the World corps members’ incredible photojournalism. #photos #worldphotographyday #localnewsmatters

The Senior Executive Women in Leadership program is a Solomon Island-based initiative that helps emerging women leaders in the country gain confidence, relevant business knowledge, and skills to encourage more participation in higher levels of their organization and diversify senior leadership. The program, which has trained 65 women since it was launched last year, aims to deepen their knowledge of business operations, develop strong networks with other senior women, gain specific training in areas like governance and build their professional brand. For IDS News (In-depth Solomons), Report for the World corps member Ronald Toito'ona’ spotlights the most recent cohort of the program and the impact this initiative has on the businesses of the island: https://lnkd.in/ev9XwEDn #womenleaders #globalreporting #journalism #business

The responsibilities of covering farming life are not like those of your typical reporter job. One moment, you’re documenting the livelihood of county fairs; the next you’re talking with a struggling farmworker; or you find yourself surrounded by animals finishing up their lunch on a hot summer day. For some, this might seem like a world apart, but for Report for America corps member Emily Kenny, who grew up on her family farm in Schaller, Iowa, reporting on agriculture and farm life seems natural. For this week’s edition of our newsletter, GroundTruth’s Director of Photography Ben Brody spotlights Kenny’s incredible on-the-ground photojournalism for Spectrum News in Syracuse, NY, illustrating how Kenny uses her personal experience to better her coverage of agriculture and food production in rural communities: https://lnkd.in/eDm59hUb Subscribe for more: https://bit.ly/3Qo4jpk #farmlife #agriculture #news #journalism #newyork #reporting

"Working with the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, and newsrooms up and down the basin, gives you a sort of giant newsroom to work with," James Shiffer, editor at the Star Tribune says. Newsroom benefits extend beyond these partnerships, with talented reporters expanding coverage and providing unique insights. "We've been very fortunate to have Chloe Johnson, an experienced environmental reporter, who has informed the coverage of the Star Tribune with her knowledge and reporting." Learn more about becoming a Report for America newsroom partner by visiting: https://lnkd.in/dbrCR8k. Applications close Sept. 13, 2024, so apply today!