A discussion with Medill graduate student Annie Snider on her three-month involvement with Medill’s Global Warning project, which began publishing its results earlier this month.
First off, how would you describe your three-month experience with the National Journalism Security Initiative?
Tough question! It was challenging and exhausting and rewarding. The security community is not an easy one to penetrate, and having Josh’s help was invaluable. He was generous in sharing his own contacts and he had great ideas for backdoor routes to what I needed to know.
What were your goals heading into the project of what you wanted to get out of the experience?
Before coming to Medill I worked for an environmental NGO and I focused on environment reporting throughout my Medill education, so when I saw that the NSJI project was focusing on climate change this year I was thrilled. The national security argument has increasingly been used in the political arena to push for energy reform, and this was a great opportunity to explore the actual merits that argument. I was also excited to broaden my reporting expertise. There are many good environment reporters out there, but environment reporters who can penetrate the Pentagon and the intelligence community are few and far between.
Looking back at the three months, what are one or two experiences that really stand out to you as unforgettable opportunities?
Interviewing the head of the CIA’s climate change center at CIA headquarters was a high point. That interview took months to make happen, but we were the first — and so far the only — press he has spoken to. (His first public event is scheduled for Jan 13, so after that we won’t be the only ones).
How have you grown as a journalist from when the quarter began?
I’ve certainly become more dogged — you’ve got to be when covering government. There were offices that I called well over a dozen times without ever getting a call back.
My experience was one of the particularly collaborative ones on the project. I worked with a fantastic partner, Charlie Mead, on the intelligence story, and that experience improved me as much as anything else I learned at Medill.
Looking at everything you and your classmates produced, what are you proudest of?
The idea that climate change could have national security implications is one that is frequently mentioned, but is rarely explored. Our project really breaks new ground, and does so in a way that is inviting and compelling for audiences. From the deep reporting to the graphic visualizations to the compiled data and documents, we have really put out a wealth of information that will be valuable to people in ways I don’t think we even realize.
What impact do you hope you and your classmates’ work will have on the climate change issue?
Of course, our job isn’t to change anybody’s mind. That said, there is a lot of incorrect information out there about climate change — and about climate change’s national security impacts — and I hope that our project adds some clarity. I also hope that it breaks down some of the stovepipes that exist when it comes to government. People who think about climate change aren’t often the same ones who think about national security, but, as our investigation shows, that creates a significant vulnerability.
Originally appeared on Medill’s website.
