On this episode we're joined by Daniel Newman. Daniel is a digital content producer for Cleveland Jewish News in Cleveland Ohio. He's an early-career journalist who also spent a year as a news reporter for the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, Ohio. He's a native of Youngstown, Ohio and a 2023 graduate of Cleveland State University, where he spent a year as news editor of the student newspaper.

Daniel discussed his upbringing and multi-layered racial religious background and what he's enjoying about working for a Jewish media outlet. He walked us through the different elements of his job, gave examples of what he's covered, and shared several other interests he has.

Work example: Cleveland Museum of Natural History Transformation

Daniel's salute: Chris McBride, Tribune-Chronicle

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On this episode we're joined by Miranda Green. Miranda is a freelance investigative reporter based in Los Angeles. She was the director of investigations at Floodlight news covering corporations and political interests stalling climate action.

She's also previously worked for Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Decode DC, CNN, the Hill, and Huffington Post. She's a graduate of George Washington University.

I became interested in talking to Miranda after I found stories she wrote about a specific way in which misinformation about climate science is spreading.

We spent much of the episode discussing how she reported on those stories, how those are both individual stories and also a problem for the journalism industry, and advice she has on covering one story that may lead to many more stories.

Examples of coverage:

Chevron owns a newspaper

https://mirandacgreen.com/chevron-owns-this-citys-news-site-many-stories-arent-told-2/

The North Dakota "newspaper" and a Greenpeace lawsuit

https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/03/a-pipeline-company-is-suing-greenpeace-for-300-million-a-pay-to-play-newspaper-is-accused-of-tainting-the-jury-pool/

How an Alabama utility wields influence by financing news

https://mirandacgreen.com/control-the-narrative-how-an-alabama-utility-wields-influence-by-financing-news/

Miranda's salute: Byron Tau, investigative reporter, AP

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On our 221st episode, we're joined by Kristen Hare. Kristen is Poynter Institute's director of craft and local news. She teaches local journalists the skills they need to serve and cover their communities. Previously she covered the people of business and local news for Poynter. She's based near Tampa, Florida.

We covered a wide range of topics with Kristen, including what local news looks like in 2025, tips she has for maximizing local news coverage, and how she views the work of college students helping local news thrive and the role of newsletters in covering local news.

And she talked about one of her passions- obituary writing (our first obituaries discussion!).

Kristen's salute: Justin Baxley, WMAZ

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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On this episode we're joined by Evan Urquhart. Evan covers anti-transgender propaganda and transgender news issues for Assigned Media (AssignedMedia.org), an organization he founded. He is also the community manager for Slate's comments section and is a freelance writer with many prominent bylines. And he's currently doing a Knight science writing fellowship at MIT.

We interviewed Evan, who is transgender, on Trans Day of Visibility (March 31)

Evan talked about why he started Assigned Media and the kind of stories it covers. He discussed covering news and writing personal essays. He also explained the kinds of things that mainstream media, like the New York Times, gets wrong when covering transgender issues and the kind of stories that are currently getting overlooked, with all the attention given to whether transgender women should play high school and college sports.

Evan's salute: The Trans Journalist Association

Coverage examples:

Stories about the New York Times and its mistakes

https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/you-betrayed-us-azeen-parents-of-trans-youth-reeling-after-speaking-to-the-nyt

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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On this episode we're joined by Lizzy Lawrence. Lizzy covers the Food and Drug Administration for STAT News, a subscription-based part of Boston Globe's media newsroom owned by the Boston Globe that covers the frontiers of health and medicine.

As they say- "We take you inside the science labs and hospitals, biotech boardrooms, and political backrooms. We dissect crucial discoveries. We examine controversies and puncture hype. We hold individuals and institutions accountable. We introduce you to the power brokers and personalities who are driving a revolution in human health."

Lizzy has been with them for 2 1/2 years and she's been part of stories that have won prominent awards. She's previously covered technology and was editor-in-chief of the University of Michigan's student newspaper. And she's a graduate of my alma mater, Stuyvesant High School in New York City.

Lizzy talked about what it's like to cover both breaking news, like the mass firing of thousands of people at the FDA and bigger enterprise stories, like the team coverage on United Healthcare that won a Polk Award for investigative journalism. She shared the biggest lessons she learned and what she feels she's taken from being a journalist.

Lizzy's salute: The Association of Health Care Journalists

A detailed interview explaining STAT's coverage of United Healthcare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0VJGEv5IGw

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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On this episode we're joined by Lola Claire. Lola is a student at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas and the editor in chief of Hilltop Views, the student newspaper there. Lola is also the chair of the Title IX Student Advisory Board at the school.

Lola is from southern Louisiana. She caught my attention because of something she's working on. Hilltop Views has a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network for its mental health reporting and she spoke about that at the College Media Association national convention.

Lola talked about how her love of writing led her to journalism, how her small student staff is able to accomplish a lot, what it's like to be an editor-in-chief, what the newspaper is doing with their solutions journalism initiative, and what it's like to do theatre reviews.

Work examples

Review of Macbeth

https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/29916/life-and-arts-art/review-mary-moody-northen-theatres-production-of-macbeth-takes-the-crown/

Op-ed about Elon Musk

https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/26293/viewpoints/opinion-elon-musks-vision-for-uncensored-speech-invites-bigotry-contention/

Example of solutions journalism

https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/30961/viewpoints/solutions-opinion-new-yorks-solution-to-traffic-deserves-consideration-in-texas/

Lola's salutes: The Austin Chronicle and Hilltop Views adviser Curt Yowell.

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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On this episode, we're joined by Denise Watson. Denise is an editor at WHRO Public Media in Norfolk, Virginia. For more than 30 years she was an award-winning writer and features and education editor for the Virginian-Pilot. She often writes about race and history.

Additionally, she is a journalist in residence at William & Mary, teaching a masterclass there. And she is a fellow at the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

Denise shared many lessons that she applied to her work, including what it means to "vacuum a scene," how to interview people about their past, and how to do research for a story about a prominent historical event, local or otherwise. She also shared what her classes are like at William & Mary and explained why history is so important to her.

Story Links

Story about a woman's search for her Japanese grandfather who never returned from an internment camp during World War II

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r14mRphohLD9AIClzEqy4niITfD-txL43i563D3OYIE/edit?usp=sharing

17 Students Break Through Color Barrier (50th anniversary in Norfolk)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IPT1xhekYGl2SqV5Dm9kSoceCeOjsobGFdBNCPQTtgU/edit?usp=sharing

Denise's salutes: The Maynard Institute, Maria Carrillo, Kris Worrell

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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On this episode, we're joined by Leanne Yoon. Leanne is the co-editor in chief of the Jets Flyover, the student news website of Daegu International School in South Korea, where she's in her junior year.

Leanne also just started writing a column for Nutgraf News, a student journalism newsletter, and she founded High School Press Central, whose goal is to make student journalism accessible to all by connecting high school journalists across the world to share ideas, resources, and practices.

Leanne discussed her diverse living experiences and interests (which include music and public speaking), how she handles her leadership role, challenges related to press freedom limitations, and why she considers it important to leave a legacy.

Interested students can e-mail Leanne at hspresscentral@gmail.com

Notable Links

Jets Flyover

http://jetsflyover.com

High School Press Central

https://www.hspresscentral.com/

Her story about a notable fencer

https://jetsflyover.com/15488/features/under-the-mask-of-azul-rivera-a-young-fencers-leap-of-faith/

Her story about high school dropouts

https://jetsflyover.com/16503/features/high-school-dropouts-find-detours-in-purported-dead-ends/

Her co-authored story about deepfakes

https://jetsflyover.com/14471/opinions/unmasking-the-truths-of-stolen-faces/

Leanne's salutes: The staff at Jets Flyover, advisor Jefferson Lipsky, the American School in London, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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