Pulitzer Center Update January 24, 2025
New Resources for Reporting on AI, Ocean, and More
Sharing Is Caring (About Democracy)
About 10 years ago, I spent a few months in a university basement in the Midwest going through stacks of seasonal labor housing reports and adding them to a spreadsheet. It was my first big data investigation. I was hooked.
Back then, there were not that many resources on analyzing data for journalism. There were a few courses, some textbooks, and tipsheets published by the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), but a lot of topics were not covered.
Today, those organizations, and many others, are publishing ever more information for reporters, often based on specialized expertise. With journalism—and the democratic values supporting its raison d´être—under pressure worldwide, there is a silver lining in seeing reporters so willing to share their knowledge and collaborate.
At the Pulitzer Center, we are adding to that spirit of collaboration. Some of our recent resources for journalists include a guide to investigating misinformation on TikTok, which is especially relevant as social media companies are taking less responsibility for what is being posted. We also published two AI reporting methodologies last month, one on gig work and the surveillance industry and another on AI tools for people with disabilities.
Our Data and Research team (DA/RE team) has been working with grantees and Fellows to publish reporting guides on rainforests, the ocean, AI, governance, supply chains, money trails, and many other topics.
Our mission is to keep contributing to a culture of sharing knowledge. We are working to grow our library of resources and develop new partnerships like the ones we have with GIJN and the International Journalists’ Network (IJNET). We have also revamped the Resources section of our website to make the Pulitzer Center a go-to source for reporting guides and methodologies. Check it out here!
Feel free to contact our team about much-needed resources and partnership opportunities at [email protected].
Best,
Impact
The widow of a U.S. Air Force missileer who died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma has secured Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits after years of denials, a major milestone as more missileers suspect their service caused their illnesses. Jenny Holmes’ case was featured in a Military.com investigative series that was supported by the Pulitzer Center. The series highlighted cancer concerns among those who worked at Cold War-era nuclear missile bases. Holmes credits Military.com's reporting, among other outreach efforts from family, friends, and grassroots organizations, for making it possible to spread awareness about her struggle.
Read the full story here.
Photo of the Week
“Artist Lucie Kamusekera’s tapestry interpretations of scenes from Congo’s violent contemporary history are breathtaking, and her modest studio is a rare hub of creativity in a city most famous for its decades of conflict [...] This small element in one of her pieces that focuses on the M23 conflict shows displaced children playing on abandoned artillery, based on a photograph I had published in National Geographic in a Pulitzer Center-funded project two years ago. Her interpretation of design elements changes with each new version of a tapestry that she produces and sells, and no two pieces will ever be identical. Her work is her own, but I am extremely proud that I have been able to collaborate with her, and watch her process of creating a personal history of Congo.”
— Hugh Kinsella Cunningham
This message first appeared in the January 24, 2025, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.
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