Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour anchor and managing editor, was an EILI keynote speaker in April 2019 and discussed the role of journalism in democracy today. (Photo by Victor Ren)
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University are pleased to announce the second round of fellows selected to participate in the Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative (EILI). They join the fellows who were announced earlier this year, bringing the total to 100 participants.
The fellows will take part in an intensive program at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. The curriculum focuses on editorial integrity, utilizing active learning strategies to reinforce public media’s commitment to balance and objectivity, accuracy, fairness and transparency, as well as its unique firewall of independence for journalists.
Participants will receive one-on-one coaching from industry leaders, who have included Jim Amoss, former editor of The Times-Picayune, Alisa Barba, a former editor on NPR’s National Desk, and Sandy Rowe, former editor of The Oregonian.
“The response from the first group of fellows to complete the training has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Kathy Merritt, Senior Vice President of Journalism and Radio at CPB. “The EILI has helped strengthen them as editorial leaders, with some graduates being elevated to new positions of responsibility. This is the kind of success we hoped for with this program.”
EILI is funded by a $1 million grant from CPB and managed by the Cronkite School. It is led by Julia Wallace, the Cronkite School’s Frank Russell Chair and the former editor-in-chief at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We are already seeing tremendous success from our EILI fellows,” Wallace said. “Since completing the program, fellows have taken on higher leadership roles and have expressed more confidence in their abilities to implement real change in their newsrooms. The program is rigorous, but it is designed to help strengthen American public media journalism by helping participants develop the skills needed to face the challenges in today’s media industry.”
The 100 EILI fellows come from 42 states and Washington, D.C., work at public radio and television stations of all sizes, serving rural and urban communities. They include current editors of journalism collaborations, producers of local and national programs, station newsroom leaders, investigative journalists, and up-and-coming reporters who show great potential.
Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative fellows selected:
Eric Aasen, Managing Editor, KERA, Dallas, Texas
Ben Adler, Capitol Bureau Chief, Capital Public Radio, Sacramento, California
Sarah Ashworth, Director of News, Vermont Public Radio, Colchester, Vermont
Cassandra Basler, Senior Editor, WSHU, Fairfield, Connecticut
Andrew Batt, Senior Producer, Iowa Public Television, Johnson, Iowa
Carolyn Beeler, Environment Correspondent and Editor, PRI’s The World
Jeremy Bernfeld, Director of Collaborative Reporting, WAMU, Washington, D.C.
Michelle Billman, News Director, KUNR, Reno, Nevada
Grace Birnstengel, Editor, Next Avenue, Twin Cities PBS, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Carla Borras, Director of Digital Video, PBS Frontline WGBH, Boston
Monica Braine, Senior Producer, Native America Calling, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Susanna Capelouto, Senior Editor, WABE, Atlanta
Tiffany Campbell, Digital Executive Editor, WBUR, Boston
Maria Carter, News Director, KCUR, Kansas City, Missouri
Teresa Collier, Director of News and Public Affairs, Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Sam Cohen, Chief Content Officer, Rocky Mountain Public Media, Denver
Bill Dorman, Vice President and News Director, Hawaii Public Radio
Patrick Doyle, News Director, WESA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Patrick Duggins, News Director, Alabama Public Radio, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Rhonda Fanning, Senior Managing Producer, The Texas Standard, Austin, Texas
Rebecca Feldhaus Adams, News Director, WHRO, Norfolk, Virginia
Phyllis Fletcher, Editor, APM Podcasts, Seattle
Kimberley Freda, News Editor, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland, Oregon
Teresa Frontado, Digital Director, South Florida Public Media, Miami
Gisele Grayson, Deputy Editor, Science Desk, National Public Radio
Yoni Greenbaum, Chief Content Officer, PBS39/WLVT, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Cara Hetland, Director of Radio and News and Information, South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Kate Howard, Managing Editor, Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, Louisville Public Media, Kentucky
Sam Hudzik, News Director, New England Public Media, Springfield, Massachusetts
Tracie Hunte, Reporter, Radiolab, WNYC, New York
Laurie Johnson, Executive Producer for News, Houston Public Media
Catherine Komp, Senior Features Editor and Producer, VPM News, Richmond, Virginia
Anna Rose MacArthur, News Director, KYUK, Bethel, Alaska
Michelle Maternowski, Managing Editor, WUWM, Milwaukee
Shula Neuman, Executive Editor, St. Louis Public Radio, St. Louis
Julio Ochoa, Health News Florida Editor, WUSF, Tampa Florida
Larkin Page-Jacobs, Managing Editor, WESA, Pittsburgh
Will Pedigo, Executive Producer, Nashville Public Television
Ben Philpott, Interim Managing Editor, KUT, Austin, Texas
Kathy Ritchie, Senior Field Correspondent, KJZZ, Phoenix
Chas Sisk, Senior Editor, WPLN, Nashville, Tennessee
Jay Smith, Supervising Producer, WTTW, Chicago
Mareea Thomas-Stevens, FM Programming & Operations Manager, WNIN, Evansville, Indiana
Vinnee Tong, Managing Editor, News, KQED, San Francisco
Vanessa Vancour, Editor, Noticiero Móvil, Reno, Nevada
Jack Williams, Host, Reporter & Editor, NET Radio, Lincoln, Nebraska
Sáša Woodruff, News Director, Boise Public Radio, Boise, Idaho
Denise Young, Executive Editor of Collaborative Journalism, WXXI, Rochester, New York
Contacts
Morgan Bircher, Cronkite School, 602-496-0579, mptanabe@asu.edu
Shana Teehan, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 202-879-9658, press@cpb.org
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
The Cronkite School at Arizona State University is widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier professional journalism programs. The school’s 2,000 students regularly lead the country in national journalism competitions. They are guided by faculty comprised of award-winning professional journalists and world-class media scholars. Cronkite’s full-immersion professional programs give students opportunities to practice what they’ve learned in real-world settings under the guidance of professionals.