This February, Poynter’s Beat Academy starts its second year with two webinars (Feb. 1 and Feb. 15) on covering extremist activity. These sessions will provide a framework to suss out the many strands of extremism, and help journalists find the words that will inform, not inflame, public debate. Participants will:
- Learn how to monitor extremist activity and background candidates for extremist ties.
- Gain access to extremism resources and researchers at the national and state levels.
- Understand key areas to monitor: school board and local government races, and ballot referenda and election procedures.
- Learn how to craft coverage to avoid giving extremists the platform they seek.
The framework that underlies the training sessions applies regardless of the political leanings of the extremists.
For those who want to take their understanding to the next level, Beat Academy enrollees can apply for an in-person, expenses-paid workshop in Chicago on April 11 at WBEZ. There is space for up to 25 participants, thanks to sponsorship from the Joyce Foundation.
This advanced workshop will be a day of face-to-face discussions with top researchers and experts on political extremism, deeply experienced reporters, and Poynter trainers who will share tools to shed light on the networks and money that spur extremism. It will be a chance to learn advanced reporting techniques to monitor extremist activity in your area.
Apply here for the reporting workshop.
Please note: Enrollment in Beat Academy and attendance in our first two webinar sessions are prerequisites for acceptance. Successful applicants will also demonstrate a readiness to engage with this phenomenon, and show that they have a working relationship with a news organization that shares their interest.
MORE FROM POYNTER: Beat Academy empowers reporters with knowledge, sources, data and story ideas
“We are looking for journalists who already have their eyes on the local trends that undermine the checks and balances of an effective public sector,” said Beat Academy lead Jon Greenberg. “People who want to shine a light when there’s intimidation, intolerance or efforts to disrupt for the sake of disrupting.”
Webinar participants will be eligible to receive one of three $10,000 reporting grants, courtesy of the Joyce Foundation. Both the workshop and the reporting grants are open to journalists across the country, although there is a preference for journalists in the Great Lake states of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Poynter will provide participants with free lodging and meals during the session, plus a generous travel stipend, thanks to our Joyce Foundation sponsors.
You can apply for the workshop immediately, but applications are due Feb. 16, 2024. Selected participants will be announced by March 1, 2024.
If you have any questions, please email info@poynter.org.
Thank you to the Joyce Foundation’s generous support of this teaching program and the reporting grants.
