About

On the National Security Beat doesn’t try to index all the national security related stories in the wild every day. We’ll leave that thankless job to the algorithms!

We’re much more selective, casting our net for stories that we think will help national security reporters of every stripe be more effective on their beats. We look for stories that:

  • Might lend themselves to a local angle.
  • Are based on a great idea or ideas that you could replicate in your market.
  • Include new or updated resources and materials, such as reports, databases, audits, hearing testimony, etc.
  • Take a new or innovative investigative approach.
  • Offer tips on how to be more effective at FOIA and other records requests.
  • Get beyond the “usual suspects” topical territory of the national security beat (and its many sub-beats)
  • Are just generally interesting or intriguing (tour of  dead dictators’ graves, for example).

We’re all about fresh tips, news and resources to help national security beat reporters excel.

That’s our story. And we’re sticking with it.

Glad to have your ideas, suggestions and feedback.

Contact Scott Anderson


On the National Security Beat is a service of the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative, based at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and Washington, DC. With the generous support of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the NSJI 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, homeland security and civil liberties.

The initiative, with financial assistance from Carnegie Corporation, also includes a Fellows program that provides supporting original research and establishes thought leadership on media and journalistic performance on national security topics, always with an emphasis on the public interest.

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