Medill National Security Reporting Project
Medill/GlobalPost investigation sheds new light on $3.2 billion U.S. mine clearance and victim assistance effort.
→ Visit the project site
→ Read more about the project
Medill/USA TODAY investigation of U.S. international food aid programs finds significant, entrenched problems
Read about the project.R.I.P. James Wright Foley, 1973-2014
#MedillRemembers James Foley, One Year Later
Remembering James Foley's life and legacy one year after his death at the hands of the Islamic State.
→ Continue to the story.
→ James Foley: A legacy that lives on (VIDEO)
Major TV networks sign onto freelancer safety compact
Read about the compact, which was signed by Medill NSJI Co-Director Ellen Shearer at Columbia University in September, here.McCormick Foundation renews grant for Medill National Security Journalism program
EVANSTON, Ill. — The Robert R. McCormick Foundation has renewed a $1 million grant to fund the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative at Northwestern University over the next two years.
The NSJ program provides journalists-in-training and working journalists with the knowledge and skills necessary to report accurately, completely and with context on events and issues related to defense, security and civil liberties. The initiative began in January, 2009 with an initial three-year, $1.3 million McCormick Foundation grant. The grant was also renewed for $1 million over two years in 2011.
Posts by SB Anderson
A helpful new guide to spending on the war on terror since 9/11
(May. 11, 2011)A fresh analysis by the Congressional Research Office provides a bounty of sliced and diced data for journalists writing about the war on terror and how much the federal government has spent in the past decade on its military efforts.
“The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11” (document embedded below) details the $1.3 trillion spent through this year. This will hit $1.4 trillion if the 2012 budget requests are approved. The current “burn rate,” as they say in business: $6 billion a month. The Department of Defense has spent 94% of the money, the report says.
The largest share of spending has been in Iraq (66%) followed by Afghanistan (35%) and for enhanced base security (2%). CRS couldn’t account for about $5 billion.
The report isn’t just a dry recitation of numbers; it offers insights and analysis over time by theater and type of spending; dissection of cost trends for Continue reading
Context and perspective on the bin Laden developments
(May. 06, 2011)Flood of bin Laden coverage good for national security journalism’s future Media stuck to news — not politics — in coverage Some historic context over the decision not to release photos of a dead bin Laden Another milestone in the … Continue reading
Pakistan was among the stops in the National Security Journalism Initiative’s recent examination of special operations forces
(May. 03, 2011)For her investigation of U.S. special military operations, Medill National Security Journalism Initiative Fellow Tara McKelvey visited Pakistan to explore the role — and risks — of special operators working there. She reported from Swat Valley, northwest of Abbottabad, where … Continue reading
Medill Students awarded national security journalism scholarships
(May. 02, 2011)WASHINGTON — Ten Medill graduate students have been selected as recipients of $7,500 McCormick National Security Journalism Scholarships to participate in an innovative National Security Reporting Project in Fall Quarter 2011 in Washington. The Fifth Quarter Specialization Program in National … Continue reading
bin Laden story another milestone in role of social media as ‘early warning system’ for breaking news
(May. 02, 2011)Based on how word of Osama bin Laden’s demise last week broke on social networks, national security beat reporters might want to be sure they’re following members of Congress — and key officials from previous administrations — on Twitter.
Or at least are receiving breaking news alerts from key media via Twitter or SMS and checking in on Facebook, not just checking web sites or cable channels now and again.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s chief of staff, Keith Urbahn, is believed to be among the first to break the news on Twitter, with this tweet at 10: 24 p.m. EDT.
Continue reading
Congrssional commitee sites, social media
(Apr. 26, 2011)COMMITTEE HOUSE SENATE TWITTER FACEBOOK Armed Services Democrat Republican Combined @HASCRepublicans @HASCDemocrats Democrats Republicans Foreign Affairs/ Relations Democrat Republican Combined @HFACRepublicans @HFACDemocrats House (D) House (R) Senate Homeland Security Democrat Republican Combined @HouseHomeland @HomelandDems House
Covering the Military At Home and Abroad
(Apr. 22, 2011)The Medill National Security Journalism Initiative invites journalists who cover the military or defense issues to participate in the first annual National Security Journalism Conference scheduled for June 23 thru June 24, 2011, in Washington, DC. The conference will include … Continue reading
Tweets, Facebook updates to be used for terror warnings
(Apr. 07, 2011)The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will use Twitter and Facebook in a mix of methods to issue terrorism alerts and warnings, instead of its nine-year color-coded system, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press.
Under a new system that may be in place within weeks, “The new terror alerts would also be published online using Facebook and Twitter “when appropriate,” the plan said, but only after federal, state and local government leaders have already been notified,” the AP said today (4/7).
The social media outreach for alerts is not a new concept; Homeland Security itself mentioned it might be included in late January when it announced the end of the color-coded system that has been in place since 2002.
Continue reading
State Department funding ‘panic button’ mobile app development
(Apr. 04, 2011)A portion of the $30 million the U.S. State Department has set aside for “Internet Freedom Programs” this year is being used to develop a “panic button” for the mobile phones of protesters and activists in the Mideast and other hot spots.
The panic button app would “both wipe out the phone’s address book and emit emergency alerts to other activists,” Reuters reported. A version for Andorid phones is under way, while a Nokia version “is being considered,” TechCrunch reported over the weekend.
iPhone? No plans for an app for that right now, TechCrunch says. Which seems to makes sense when you consider the average protester or activist in Cairo or Sana’a probably is carrying something a little less high-end than an iPhone. Continue reading
TSA opens up request for design of shoe scanners for airports
(Mar. 18, 2011)One fewer inconvenience may be in the bidding for air travelers as the Transportation Security Administration this week filed a formal request for vendors to design a shoe scanning device.
Like all things government, this effort comes with its very own acronym — SSD (for Shoe Scanning Device, naturally) — and the TSA says “The SSD system will be capable of detecting threat objects concealed in footwear without requiring passengers to remove their footwear as they pass through a security checkpoint.”
The TSA says 98% of passengers now put their shoes through the regular scanning device with their other belonging. “The removal of footwear takes time, reduces the efficiency of the checkpoint, creates safety concerns with footwear removal and contributes to passenger dissatisfaction. In addition, scanning footwear through the X-ray machine increases the volume of items that the Transportation Security Officers (TSO) at the X-ray machine must visually screen.” Continue reading
