RoA Quarterly Update Q2 2024
Happy Spring, Reporting on Addiction community!
We’ve had a busy few months since the start of the year, and we wanted to share an update on all of the good that’s come, along with some new items heading your way soon.
Now Accepting Applications: Summer 2024 Journalism Educator Cohort
Apply to join our free Summer 2024 Journalism Educator cohort. These free train-the-trainer webinars will teach you the latest in evidence-based addiction science and medicine while preparing you to discuss addiction stigma with your students, recognize problematic reporting, and present them with helpful resources to improve reporting on addiction today.
Join the 13 other journalism educators who have participated in this training over the past two years who are training the next generation of journalists to accurately and empatheticly report on addiction.
Participants will receive:
- A deeper understanding of the latest addiction science and stigma
- Techniques for addressing stigma and misinformation in your own classroom discussions about addiction
- Teaching materials, including lectures and homework assignments, to use in your classroom
- Assistance adapting our materials to fit within your pre-existing reporting courses
- A community of professors and working journalists to support each other through the teaching of difficult topics
Educators are asked to commit to five virtual sessions over the two-week summer program. If you’re interested in joining us, or know someone who might be, please fill out this quick form or forward this email to a journalism educator.
Our First Microgrant Supported Story Is On the Air Now
In our January update, we told you about our microgrants to support the creation of local journalism. From our group of 13 applicants, we awarded four microgrants in February. Now, we’re celebrating the publication of the first story from the funding project.
Kylie Cameron’s from KMUW, Wichita’s public radio station, tells the story of Prarie Rose Wellbriety, a recovery group in Wichita supporting the local Native American community.
“Telling Prairie Rose’s story will always stick with me,” Kylie told us. “Their resiliency, despite generations of forced assimilation, is powerful – especially watching the children learn from their elders.”
Make sure you give Kylie’s story a read or, better yet, a listen on KMUW’s website or catch it on Native News Online.
We have three more grant-supported stories coming your way in May. Keep an eye on your inboxes!
These stories were supported by a fellowship Co-director Ashton Marra received from the Solutions Journalism Network. If you’re someone who would like to fund solutions-focused journalism on addiction and treatment, respond to this email for more information or donate here.
Jonathan JK Stoltman
New Resources Are Ready for You – and Another Is on the Way!
Last month, we published the Spanish language version of our Visual Styleguide. Published in English in September of last year, this guide helps journalists navigate both creating and choosing the visuals that support their stories. Find the Spanish translation, as well as all of our styleguides, on the Reporting on Addiction website.
If you’re an expert through training or experience who is interested in writing opinion articles for submission to your local news outlets, make sure you download our newest Op-Ed Toolkit. This kit is a ‘pay what you can’ style resource. Remember, any donation is tax deductible and all of your funding goes to support the creation of new materials just like this one!
And keep an eye out for our next resource: securing sources. This one-pager will provide information for journalists and experts on how to protect yourself in the reporting process when discussing sensitive topics. From secure, encrypted email services to tips for how to handle tough conversations, expect this guide in Summer 2024!
We’ll be developing more of these toolkits this summer, so if you have thoughts on what you need – whether you’re a journalist or an expert – reply to this email with your thoughts!
Jonathan JK Stoltman
Supporting Reporting on Opioid Settlement Funds
Our opioid settlement fireside chats to assist journalists who are covering the funds in their local communities have been a massive success. You can catch a recording of our latest session, Conflicts of Interest and Opioid Settlement Money with Regina LaBelle, JD, and the recordings of all of our past sessions here.
Jonathan JK Stoltman
Our next fireside chat will feature tips for reporters filing FOIAs to access critical information about the opioid settlement fund spending in their state or city. Ed Mahon from Spotlight PA and Kate Giammarise from WESA in Pittsburgh will be with us in May. Keep an eye on your inbox to register.
Some Quick Highlights:
- We’ve now crossed the threshold of 200 experts on our Expert Database. Are you a journalist looking for a source? Check the database here. Experts looking to join our list can do so here.
- Jonathan has provided training at Georgetown University, the Michigan Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, and will be traveling to speak at the 2024 College on Problems of Drug Dependence in Montreal June 15-19. If you’re attending, make sure you stop in to say hi!
- Ashton presented to a group of journalism educators and students at the Broadcast Education Association conference in Las Vegas this month and to investigative journalists in March who gathered at the Investigative Reporters & Editors’ national conference in Baltimore. She also hosted a panel of Appalachians covering addiction at the 2024 Appalachia Studies Association conference in March.
Reporting on Addiction is not possible without your guidance, support and engagement. We appreciate all that you do to spread the word and advocate for our resources to be used in your communities. As always, we’d love to hear from you about what we’re doing or could be doing to make an impact.
And if you have the ability, your financial support can also help us continue this work. Make a tax-deductible gift here today.
Happy Spring!
The Reporting on Addiction team
