In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Ben Kaplan, a VP in the sports and entertainment industry and a former Division III basketball player, who is the co-author of 'Pipelines to the Pros: How D3 Small College Nobodies Rose to Rule the NBA' with Danny Parkins.

Ben wanted to talk about how a non-journalist learns journalism on the fly for the purpose of writing a book, so that's what we did!

We look at the lessons he learned along the way about how a book needs a throughline, how to interview prominent people (like former NBA head coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Stan Van Gundy) and dig for anecdotes they haven't shared before, and how to fight through the struggles of being a first-time author.

Ben's salutes: Chris Herring, Mirin Fader, Chris Ballard, Jeff Pearlman, and Jeff Passan

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On this episode, we’re joined by Stella Mackler. Stella is a junior at Davidson College in North Carolina. Stella was co-editor in chief of her college’s newspaper, The Davidsonian, this past year and spent considerable time reporting on student reaction to the war in Gaza. Additionally, she’s done an independent reporting podcast project on the Jewish community in Moldova, written a freelance piece for The Forward, and spent several months as a researcher on a book about the history of Sesame Street.

Stella is double majoring in environmental studies and Arab studies. She lives in Atlanta and is currently studying abroad in Cambodia.

Stella’s salute: WABE, 90.1 FM – Atlanta’s NPR affiliate.

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This week's episode is a special presentation from The Nutgraf- Campus To Campaign- Student Media's Role in Election Coverage- hosted by The Journalism Salute's Mark Simon.

Our guests were Peggy Dodd, editor-in-chief of OU Daily at the University of Oklahoma, Lily Alexander, editor-in-chief of The Daily Lobo at the University of New Mexico, and Sarah Hutter, executive producer of E2024 at The LA Loyolan at Loyola Marymount University.

The three of them share their journeys into journalism, their reporting strategies and team coverage of the election, the challenges unique to student journalists, the value of diverse perspectives, how they're handling misinformation, and much more.

The Nutgraf covers student journalism and is edited and published by Chatwan Mongkol. We highly recommend subscribing to his newsletter, nutgrafnews.substack.com

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In this episode, Mark Simon is joined by Michelle Pera-McGhee, a senior journalist-engineer at The Pudding. (Pudding.cool)

Michelle discussed her unique career path and projects and her original pursuit being computer science.

The conversation covers various projects including data-driven analyses of crossword puzzles for inclusivity, the rhythmic influence of hip-hop producer J Dilla, a recent collaboration with sportswriter Neil Paine on baseball lineup strategies, and an analysis of how famous National Anthems compare in terms of a "diva score."

Michelle elaborated on the technical and creative process behind her work, her views on journalism's state and her role within it, along with advice for aspiring journalists seeking to innovate through personal passion projects.

Michelle's salute: XOXO Fest

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Show summary written with the help of Descript AI

In this episode, Mark Simon talks to Esmy Jimenez, who shares her unconventional journey into journalism, discussing her work at the Boston Globe covering the racial wealth gap in New England. She reflects on her career's turning points, including her time working in radio and at the Seattle Times, and the influence of DACA on her life and ability to work in the United States

Esmy offers insights into covering complex beats such as immigration and mental health, and highlights the importance of community engagement, mindful interviewing practices, and mental health awareness for journalists.

She also shares stories of impactful reporting, like an explanatory piece on Family Self Sufficiency home ownership programs, her investigation on Ron DeSantis' controversial flights of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, and how Latino voters are often misunderstood, as well as one in which she covered 23 weddings in one town on one day.

Esmy's Salutes: Latino USA, Reveal, and small-town journalists

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

Show notes written with help of Descript AI

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In this episode, Mark Simon talks to Kimberly Cortez, editor-in-chief of The Beacon, the University of Portland's school newspaper.

Kimberly (pronouns: she/they) is a social work major who is the child of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants. She explained the importance of their cultural heritage to their work covering diverse stories, including one on the transgender students at Portland, a Catholic university. Their approach emphasizes passion, empathy, and resilience.

She also shared the impactful role of The Beacon in their career, their time as a New York Times student corps member (with a bylined story covering a Pro-Palestinian protest), and the work she's doing for Portland's weekly newspaper, Street Roots.

And she explained their deep interest in journalism, the challenges she faces as a young journalist of color, and their unwavering hope for the future of the industry. Through personal anecdotes and valuable advice, Cortez provides a poignant perspective on the evolving landscape of journalism and the importance of staying true to one's values.

Kimberly's salute: Underscore News and all journalists from marginalized backgrounds

Our salute: I'm doing a salute as well. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Asaka Park.

If you just listen to the podcast, you don't know Asaka, but if you have read our newsletter in the last year, you know her as someone who wrote articles to supplement episodes of the podcast for about 6 months.

Asaka had a distinct journalism voice. She was passionate and courageous and a strong voice for college students and for people with disabilities.

I never met Asaka in person but we connected over Zoom when I spoke to a journalism class at The College of New Jersey. She wasn't afraid to critique the podcast in pretty strong terms. A few months later, she reached out to ask about interning and I told her I knew exactly who she was and I appreciated her critique. She laughed nervously but I assured her that she'd done well. And she did well by this podcast with her writing.

Asaka died over the weekend of the 28th from complications of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos, an extremely rare genetic condition. You can learn more about it at marfan.org.

Thank you Asaka. We salute you for your journalism excellence.

On this episode we’re joined by Arifa Akbar. Arifa is the chief theatre critic for the British newspaper, The Guardian, a newspaper that has been in existence since 1821.

Arifa shares insights on the preparation involved in reviewing plays and the importance of honest criticism. She also touched upon the influence of her upbringing, the legacy of her predecessors, and her views on inclusivity in the arts.

Arifa is the cousin of Aisha Sultan, the columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, whom we recently interviewed.

Articles

- Review of The Years

- When a critic changes their mind upon 2nd viewing

Arifa’s salutes: Margo Jefferson (New York Times), longtime critic Michael Billington (The Guardian), and investigative journalists at The Guardian.

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On this episode we’re joined by Jeff Singer. Jeff is managing editor of The Downballot, a reader-supported newsletter that covers thousands of elections other than the presidency- everything from senate to legislature to attorney general and secretary of state, district attorney and city council.

It also calculates the results of the presidential election in every congressional district and produces data sets so people can evaluate elections themselves.

Jeff was a writer and editor at Daily Kos, a progressive news site, for 10 years prior to this. He’s a graduate of Tulane University.

Jeff talked about The Downballot's function in the journalistic ecosphere, why he loves covering elections, no matter the type, and shared other resources that are important to following election coverage.

Jeff's Salute: Inside Elections and NOLA.com for election coverage.

Thank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback to journalismsalute@gmail.com

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