$300K Grant Helps Launch New Journalism Program at UofM
Support from Scripps Howard Fund Makes Open-Source Investigative Reporting Possible
August 7, 2024 — The Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis has received a $300,000 grant from the esteemed Scripps Howard Fund, in partnership with the Adam R. Scripps Foundation, to start an open-source investigative reporting graduate program expected to become a critical asset for current and future journalists in Memphis and across the country.
Spread over four years, the grant allows for the launch of the program in Fall 2025, when the University of Memphis will become one of only a handful of colleges nationwide teaching digital and visual investigations, an emerging field in which journalists analyze publicly available video, satellite imagery, social media networks, online databases and other data in the performance of investigative journalism.
Many journalists now using these techniques are either self-taught or have learned them via online forums.
“This grant positions the Institute for Public Service Reporting to expand our award-winning journalism and, just as critically, to sharpen our focus on our mission of mentoring the next generation of journalists,” said Marc Perrusquia, director of The Institute for Public Service Reporting. “Our new Open-Source Investigative Reporting Program adds another dimension to the institute’s Otis L. Sanford Journalist Incubator, which already features a paid internship program for UofM students, operates Civil Wrongs, our documentary-style podcast and academic course exploring racial injustice and teaches introductory journalism to middle and high school students. We are so thankful to Scripps for creating this opportunity for us and the UofM’s journalism department.”
Open-source research uses publicly available information to uncover data and get to the truth. Through the graduate program in Open-Source Investigative Reporting, journalists with all levels of experience will learn how to discover, uncover and report on information found on the internet, social media, public databases, books and periodicals – from the U.S. and other countries. The program will also teach participants how to conduct open records requests and what to do if a request is denied or delayed.
“Mixing Marc and his team at the Institute with our graduate program is a recipe for success,” said Matt Haught, chair of the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media. “This program will have a lasting effect on investigative journalism across the country and will position our students as tomorrow’s leaders in the field.”
A decline in the number of journalists has meant fewer eyes and ears on government, which in turn has led to the public getting less substantive reporting on issues critical to the region. Since its founding in 2018, the Institute for Public Service Reporting has raised community awareness of complex issues. As the teaching institute in the Department of Journalism and Strategic Media, the Institute for Public Service Reporting has created a professionally-staffed newsroom specializing in in-depth investigative, public service and explanatory journalism. It also operates the Otis L. Sanford Journalist Incubator, educating students from middle school to graduate school while inspiring working journalists who want to hone their skills.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Godwin
Director of Media and Public Relations
jennifer.godwin@memphis.edu
(O) 901.678.4822 (M) 501.529.7482