Banner Image for Schedule

2022 Christopher J. Georges Conference on College Journalism

Schedule

Friday, April 8, 2022

(all times are EDT)

4:00 – 4:05 p.m.
Opening remarks and welcome
Ann Marie Lipinski, curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
4:05 – 5:00 p.m.
Keynote and conversation

S. Mitra Kalita, journalist and media entrepreneur

Moderator: Raquel Coronell Uribe, president of The Harvard Crimson

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Conference participant introductions and networking

Saturday, April 9, 2022

9:45 – 10:50 a.m.
Opening Session

A primer on investigating, reporting on and conducting interviews about sensitive subjects, such as campus sexual assault cases.

Kristen Lombardi, head of Columbia Journalism School’s postgraduate reporting program and longtime investigative reporter at the Center for Public Integrity.

Introduction by Jasper G. Goodman, managing editor of The Harvard Crimson

10:50 – 11:00 a.m.
Break
11:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Hands-On Training Session

Online abuse self-defense training: This session equips journalists with practical tools and strategies for digital safety and guarding against online abuse.

Jeje Mohamed, program manager for free expression and digital safety, PEN America

Introduction by Sofia Andrade, arts chair, The Harvard Crimson

12:30 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Breakout sessions taught by Nieman Fellows from the class of 2022 (choose one)

Telling Stories with Data: An introduction to finding stories in data and using data to make stories better.

  • Caelainn Barr, data projects editor at The Guardian in London.

Audience Engagement: Discover new ways of engaging your audience to deepen the impact of your journalism.

  • Jorge Caraballo Cordovez, growth editor at Radio Ambulante, NPR’s Spanish language podcast.
  • Jakob Moll, co-founder and former CEO of Zetland, a membership-based digital newspaper in Denmark.

Covering a Beat: The art of developing sources and story ideas and keeping up with the latest developments on any beat.

  • Pranav Dixit, technology correspondent for Buzzfeed News in India
  • Bill Barrow, Atlanta-based reporter on the national politics team for The Associated Press

Breaking Into Journalism: How to get a job in media, in a newsroom or as a freelancer.

  • Pacinthe Mattar, a Toronto-based journalist who worked for the CBC for a decade. Her work has been published by Deutsche Welle, BuzzFeed News, Toronto Life, Chatelaine and The Walrus.
  • Deb Pastner, director of photo and multimedia at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.
2:00 – 2:10
Break
2:10 – 3:15 p.m.
Student Lightning Round: Hear from Your Peers
Short presentations from student participants about special projects and newsroom challenges. Moderator:  Hanna’ Tameez, staff writer, Nieman Journalism Lab

The Harvard Crimson, Harvard University

Topic: A 2020 Crimson investigation detailed allegations against Harvard Professor John L. Comaroff, reporting that contributed to him being placed on leave earlier this year after he was found in violation of the school’s sexual and gender-based harassment policies. The Crimson also broke the news that 38 prominent faculty members sent a letter in support of Comaroff to the dean – with most quickly retracting their support following backlash and a federal lawsuit filed by graduate students alleging that Harvard had ignored their complaints. The reporters behind the coverage will discuss their work.

Presenters: Reporters Ariel H. Kim, Meimei Xu and Isabella B. Cho

The Heights, Boston College

Topic: The Heights, Boston College’s independent student newspaper, ceased its print operations ahead of the 2021-2022 school year. In this presentation, Heights editors will explain how the paper’s digital-only transformation has transformed its campus and local news coverage.

Presenters: Erin Shannon, news editor; Victor Stefanescu, metro editor; Josie McNeil, associate arts editor; and Megan Gentile, sports editor

The Knight News, Queens College (City University of New York)

Topic: Queens College has been home to The Knight News since 1937, but because the paper’s website only features articles published since 2012, the vast majority of QC’s journalistic output over the years remains inaccessible to students. Editor-in-chief Johnny Sullivan will discuss his work with the head archivist of QC’s library on a new archival project to remedy the problem.

Presenter: Johnny Sullivan, editor-in-chief

3:15 – 3:20 p.m.
Final thoughts and comments
3:20 – 3:30 p.m.
Survey