Niemans @ Work

In the Transformation to an Information Company, Bringing in Substantial Revenue: Chronicle of Higher Education editor in chief Michael Riley, NF ’95, leads a team creating in-depth reports that are a new revenue stream

I spend many of my waking hours—and some of my sleeping hours, too—thinking about how best to ensure the health and long-term growth of The Chronicle of Higher Education Inc.,…
March 2, 2018
Michael Riley

Identifying Mexico’s Missing Persons: Sandra Barrón Ramírez, a 2017 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow, is designing a universal data standard to organize information about missing persons in Mexico

In February 2015, Justicia Cotidiana (“Everyday Justice”) hosted a hackathon for journalists, developers, and designers in Mexico City, Mexico. It was there that I first heard the term “black figure”…
February 12, 2018
Sandra Barrón Ramírez

Photographing Massacre Survivors as Individuals, not Statistics: Anastasia Taylor-Lind, NF ’16, creates a makeshift studio in a Rohingya refugee camp

How do you photograph something you can’t see? This was the question I asked myself last September when Human Rights Watch (HRW) assigned me to cover the Rohingya crisis for them. My…
February 5, 2018
Anastasia Taylor-Lind
Digging Behind the Jobs Numbers: Amy Goldstein, NF ’05, finds synergies between her beat and her book

Digging Behind the Jobs Numbers: Amy Goldstein, NF ’05, finds synergies between her beat and her book

In October 2015, I found myself in a neon blue rental car in Janesville, Wisconsin, driving slowly every several hours past a red brick Georgian revival in a historic district…
January 2, 2018
Amy Goldstein
Finding a Good Hook: Hurricane Irma moves Joan Martelli, NF ’08, to finish her book about a storied wreck  

Finding a Good Hook: Hurricane Irma moves Joan Martelli, NF ’08, to finish her book about a storied wreck  

After working for more than 20 years in television as a newsmagazine producer, I am diving into uncharted waters and publishing my first book.“The Law of Storms:  The true story…
November 6, 2017
Joan Martelli

The Story Behind a StoryCorps Success: Dean Haddock, a 2015 Visiting Fellow, on the long, winding road to an oral history app

In 2015 Dave Isay, StoryCorps’ founder, received the $1 million TED Prize. The money funded the development of an app for preserving and sharing meaningful conversations with the world. Those…
October 30, 2017
Dean Haddock
“A podcast every day for three weeks straight”: After covering the Tour de France, Tim de Gier, NF ’16, launches a podcasting network in the Netherlands

“A podcast every day for three weeks straight”: After covering the Tour de France, Tim de Gier, NF ’16, launches a podcasting network in the Netherlands

The work of a print journalist can be very unrewarding. When I worked for a magazine, writing a piece could take several weeks. The potential audience was 100,000. Often, this…
September 22, 2017
Tim de Gier
One of a Kind: In creating a one night-only live magazine, Florence Martin-Kessler, NF ’11, finds a storytelling innovation that sparks excitement  

One of a Kind: In creating a one night-only live magazine, Florence Martin-Kessler, NF ’11, finds a storytelling innovation that sparks excitement  

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in October 2013, I entered a conference hall at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge to attend a roundtable that was part of the Nieman Foundation’s…
August 16, 2017
Florence Martin-Kessler
What Anthony Shadid Teaches Us Still: Rami G. Khouri, NF ’02, is studying the craftsmanship of the late Pulitzer-winning foreign correspondent to share it with a new generation

What Anthony Shadid Teaches Us Still: Rami G. Khouri, NF ’02, is studying the craftsmanship of the late Pulitzer-winning foreign correspondent to share it with a new generation

In life and death alike, Anthony Shadid was repeatedly recognized by his peers as among the finest foreign correspondents of his generation. To examine his legacy and share it with…
August 4, 2017
Rami G. Khouri

“A Roller Coaster of Emotions”: James E. Causey, NF ’08, tells a tale of Milwaukee’s decline through the lives of his third-grade classmates

When I set out to find out what happened to everyone in my third-grade class at Milwaukee’s Samuel Clemens Elementary School in 1978, I had no idea how mentally draining…
June 8, 2017
James E. Causey