Resources

  • Getting Started on the Crime and Courts Beat

    Getting Started on the Crime and Courts Beat

    Crime reporting is a high pressure job, even by the standards of journalism. The knowledge required is vast and complex, and the stakes of writing about people— criminals or victims— in their most vulnerable moments are high. But the public deserves to know what’s happening in the community and whether the justice system is just. Read more

  • How to Get Ideas for Coverage and Reach More People by Asking Your Audience

    How to Get Ideas for Coverage and Reach More People by Asking Your Audience

    Social media presents a challenge to the traditional role news organizations have played as gatekeepers of information — anyone with a smartphone can now engage in public discourse. But by submitting questions to the public in  “callouts,” newsrooms can find valuable new leads and gain a deeper understanding of what the public needs. “We can Read more

  • A New York Times Reporter’s Techniques for Writing Human Stories on Deadline

    A New York Times Reporter’s Techniques for Writing Human Stories on Deadline

    Deadlines are the bane and lifeblood of reporting. New York Times reporter Sarah Mervosh has created several routines and checklists to help. “I think we all want to tell stories about real people and the human element,” Mervosh said. “That’s probably why a lot of us got into journalism.” Mervosh shared the techniques she uses Read more

  • Fairness in Criticism with Sam Sifton

    Fairness in Criticism with Sam Sifton

    Sam Sifton’s experience is in restaurant reviewing, but the lessons from his Alaska Press Club presentation on fairness in criticism can be applied to all kinds of reporting.  Sifton is a national editor at the New York Times, where he has served as the culture editor and food reviewer. Alaska journalist Julia O’Malley introduced Sifton, Read more

  • #AKleg covered! State government 101 with Chad Sant

    #AKleg covered! State government 101 with Chad Sant

    Jan. 14, 2021 – In this recording, Alaska Press Club members heard from Chad Sant, a former educator in the Anchorage School District who taught government, U.S. history, debate and more for nearly three decades. Sant’s presentation covered the basics of the legislative process and how to use the legislature’s website to gather information about Read more

  • #AKleg covered! State budget basics with Larry Persily and Tim Bradner

    #AKleg covered! State budget basics with Larry Persily and Tim Bradner

    Dec. 11, 2020 — In this recording, Alaska Press Club members heard from Tim Bradner, co-owner of the Alaska Legislative Digest, and Larry Persily, UAA’s Atwood Chair of Journalism. The pair discussed where the money comes from that is so heavily debated during session, as well as pitfall journalists should avoid while covering the state Read more