Journalists who cover the military beat around the country participated in briefings at the Pentagon and panel discussions and presentations with a variety of experts on topics ranging from medical care for veterans to national security law during a June conference organized by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative.
About 30 journalists chosen from a pool of applicants gathered June 23-24 for the “Covering the Military at Home and Abroad,” sessions in Washington, D.C. Many also participated in an optional one-day immersion in using computer-assisted reporting to cover defense issues. Investigative Reporters and Editors and Medill were co-organizers of those sessions.
“The two-day fellowship and Saturday’s NICAR session were fun and instructive,” conference participant Mike Cronin of The Daily said. “I had a blast, learned a lot.”
Gretel C. Kovach of the San Diego Union-Tribune also found the conference to be a success. “I returned to San Diego full of ideas and skills.”
Below are links to stories from the conference, as well as the main conference page.
- Military contractors a rich source of stories
- Great stories about the military start with understanding of FOIA4
- Experts offer advice on how to best cover medical issues of returning troops
- When it comes to cyber law, serious issues remain unresolved
- General sees speed-up in Afghan transition
- U.S. Cyber Command tasked with protecting Dept. of Defense from Internet explosion
- Conference Photo Gallery
- Main conference coverage page.
