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/

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Thank you for listening. You can e-mail me at journalismsalute@gmail.com

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Bluesky at @marksimon.bsky.social

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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, innovative ways of sourcing, the challenges of ethical reporting, and her approach to stories.

Maryam's salute: Reporters covering the war and genocide 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