The Journalism Salute

In this episode, we are joined by Jada Vassar, Human Resources Manager for the State News at Michigan State University and host of the award-winning podcast 'All Shades of Chocolate'. Jada discussed her journey into journalism, the impact of her family and upbringing in Detroit, and her various roles at the State News, with an emphasis on her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&am...

On this episode, we're joined by Eda Uzunlar . Eda is the arts and culture reporter and a news anchor for WSHU Public Radio , an NPR affiliate in Connecticut that covers both that state and Long Island, New York. Eda is a first generation Turkish-American who grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In addition to radio and print work, she's also done illustrations, graphics, and comics...

On this episode, we're joined by DorMiya Vance . DorMiya is a multimedia reporter for WABE , the NPR and PBS affiliate serving Atlanta, Georgia. She's been with them for almost 3 years. DorMiya is a graduate of an HBCU, Fayetteville State University with a masters from Georgia State. She's part of Report for America , a non-profit that provides and helps pay the salaries of journalists...

On this episode, we're joined by Katelyn Vue . Katelyn is a reporter for the non-profit newsroom Sahan Journal in Minnesota covering the immigration and housing beats. She's been with them for a little over 2 years. In 2024 she shared the Young Journalist of the Year award from the Minnesota branch of the Society of Professional Journalists. Katelyn is a graduate of the University of Minne...

On this episode, we're joined by Jennifer Berry Hawes . Jennifer is a reporter for the non-profit ProPublica focusing on criminal justice, religion, race, and the welfare of women and children in the southern part of the United States. Prior to ProPublica, Jennifer was a longtime Watchdog and Public Service reporter for The Charleston Post and Courier . She was part of a team that won a Pulitz...

On this episode we're joined by student journalists Poojasai Kona and Nico Fischer . They are wrapping up their time as this season's hosts for On Our Minds: Election 2024 , a podcast run by the PBS News Hour Student Reporting Labs . Poojasai is an 11th grader at Frisco High School in Texas. Nico is an 11th grader at Santa Clara High School in California. You'll also hear from Christin...

On this episode, we're joined by Tony Bartelme . Tony is the senior projects reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier , for whom he has worked for 35 years. He's a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist with one designation in four different categories (explanatory, breaking, feature, and local reporting). He's also the author of 4 books, most recently A Surgeon in the Village, an Ameri...

On this episode we're joined by Diego Mendoza-Moyers . Diego is a reporter covering energy and the environment in western Texas for El Paso Matters for the last 2 years. He's previously worked for papers in San Antonio, Phoenix, and Albany N.Y. He's a graduate of Arizona State University. El Paso Matters is a non-profit news website covering El Paso and the surrounding area in western...

On this episode, we're joined by Isabella Ramírez . Isabella just completed her tenure as editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator at Columbia University and President of Spectator Publishing Company. She is the first Latina to hold that position. She just received the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Student of the Year award. One of the people who nominated her for the awa...

On this episode, we're joined by North Carolina State University student journalist Erin Ferrare . Erin is a junior majoring in science, technology, and society with a specialization in science and technical writing. She's also a sports writer for Technician , the school newspaper at NC State. She recently wrote a piece 'The Invisible Girl on Press Row' about the contrast in experi...

In this episode, Mark Simon interviews science journalist and NYU grad student Humberto Basilio , who covers stories about science globally, with an emphasis on Latin America. Humberto's stories touch on climate change, biodiversity, and vulnerable communities across the globe, as well as many other topics. Humberto discussed one example of his approach to a story, a piece about desert racers...

On this episode we're joined by Tamika Smith . Tamika is the local host of All Things Considered on WAMU in Washington D.C. She has been with the station since 2014. She's worked in radio as a host, producer, and reporter. She also worked in print journalism as a managing editor for Patch. Tamika discussed her passion for storytelling, her Caribbean heritage's impact, and the empathy s...

On this episode, we talk to students who attended the Journalism Education Association's national convention in Philadelphia, November 7-10. We got their perspective on how they view journalism and why it's important to them, as well as their take on the president-elect calling journalists the enemy. Student Journalists we spoke to: * Sophie Nguyen, Granite Bay High School, California (1:2...

In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ben Kaplan , a VP in the sports and entertainment industry and a former Division III basketball player, who is the co-author of 'Pipelines to the Pros: How D3 Small College Nobodies Rose to Rule the NBA' with Danny Parkins . Ben wanted to talk about how a non-journalist learns journalism on the fly for the purpose of writing a book, so that's wh...

On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Mackler . Stella is a junior at Davidson College in North Carolina. Stella was co-editor in chief of her college’s newspaper, The Davidsonian , this past year and spent considerable time reporting on student reaction to the war in Gaza . Additionally, she’s done an independent reporting podcast project on the Jewish community in Moldova, written a freelance...

This week's episode is a special presentation from The Nutgraf - Campus To Campaign- Student Media's Role in Election Coverage- hosted by The Journalism Salute's Mark Simon . Our guests were Peggy Dodd , editor-in-chief of OU Daily at the University of Oklahoma, Lily Alexander , editor-in-chief of The Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico, and Sarah Hutter , executive producer of...

In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Michelle Pera-McGhee , a senior journalist-engineer at The Pudding. ( Pudding.cool ) Michelle discussed her unique career path and projects and her original pursuit being computer science. The conversation covers various projects including data-driven analyses of crossword puzzles for inclusivity , the rhythmic influence of hip-hop producer J Dilla , a rece...

In this episode, Mark Simon talks to Esmy Jimenez , who shares her unconventional journey into journalism, discussing her work at the Boston Globe covering the racial wealth gap in New England. She reflects on her career's turning points, including her time working in radio and at the Seattle Times, and the influence of DACA on her life and ability to work in the United States Esmy offers insi...

In this episode, Mark Simon talks to Kimberly Cortez , editor-in-chief of The Beacon, the University of Portland's school newspaper.  Kimberly (pronouns: she/they) is a social work major who is the child of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants. She explained the importance of their cultural heritage to their work covering diverse stories, including one on the transgender students at Portland, a C...

On this episode we’re joined by Arifa Akbar . Arifa is the chief theatre critic for the British newspaper, The Guardian , a newspaper that has been in existence since 1821. Arifa shares insights on the preparation involved in reviewing plays and the importance of honest criticism. She also touched upon the influence of her upbringing, the legacy of her predecessors, and her views on inclusivity in...

On this episode we’re joined by Jeff Singer . Jeff is managing editor of The Downballot , a reader-supported newsletter that covers thousands of elections other than the presidency- everything from senate to legislature to attorney general and secretary of state, district attorney and city council. It also calculates the results of the presidential election in every congressional district and prod...

On this episode we’re joined by Miles Griffis . Miles is the co-founder of The Sick Times , a non-profit website chronicling the Long Covid crisis. He knows the impact of the disease firsthand. As is written on The Sick Times website “We report on the common, life-changing disease following COVID-19 infection that affects  over 400 million people worldwide  and can be fatal. Our coverage spans rel...

On this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Vivienne Serret , a student at the University of Florida who has been covering the resignation of president Ben Sasse and other notable stories for The Alligator , an independent newspaper covering the school, and Fresh Take Florida , a wire service. Vivienne talked about what went into her reporting on Sasse , discussed other stories she's covered , ex...

On this episode we’re joined by Théoden Janes. Théoden is an award-winning features and entertainment reporter for the Charlotte Observer, for whom he’s worked for more than 18 years. He previously worked at The Washington Post , Arizona Republic , and Bergen Record . He’s a 1996 grad of the University of Arizona. Théoden talked about the different types of stories he writes, including one about a...

On this episode we’re joined by Alice Scott . Alice is this year’s Journalism Education Association Student Journalist of the Year. Alice was co-editor of The Shield , the student newspaper at McCallum High School in Austin, Texas. It was not her first national award. She also won Student Broadcaster of the Year in 2022 from the National Scholastic Press Association. Alice talked about how her int...