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Beat Academy (2024)

$75.00 per person

Number of Seats

Beat Academy (2024)

Beat Academy delivers the latest knowledge that journalists need to cover critical topics of deep importance to their communities through engaging webinars that feature the nation’s leading journalists, experts and thinkers.
NOW FREE, THANKS TO FUNDING FROM THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION: Beat Academy: Vote Watch 2024 is free when you use code 24BAKnight100 at checkout (for nonprofit newsrooms or for-profit newsrooms with under $5 million in revenue; all others use code 24voteBA18 for 75% off).

February 1, 2024– September 26, 2024

Overview

  • Attend all or some of these expert- and resource rich webinars that focus on emerging and evolving community trends.
  • Webinars take place Thursdays from 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern; replays will be available for all enrollees.
  • Enrollees in extremism and immigration can apply for grants and to attend expenses-paid, in-person training.
  • Learn to background candidates for extremist ties and what races (like school boards and local government) to monitor.
  • Get inside the nationwide labor demand that lurks behind the immigration debate.
  • Learn fresh approaches to writing about the economy with some of the best reporters in the field.
  • Explore the latest in social and medical knowledge on trans people; access the most recent data and research.
  • Find the climate change angle on any beat.

$75.00 per person

Number of Seats
SKU: BEAT-24 Tag:

Learning Outcomes

In this course, you will:

  • Gain a better understanding of the simple and complex issues driving trends in your community.
  • Broaden your source network to include local and national experts.
  • Learn what data is available to support your reporting, and how to access and use it.
  • Gather a robust list of story ideas specific to your community.
  • Network with fellow journalists who share your passion for storytelling, contextualizing and helping citizens.

$75.00 per person

Number of Seats
Want a discount? Become a member!

Overview

  • Attend all or some of these expert- and resource rich webinars that focus on emerging and evolving community trends.
  • Webinars take place Thursdays from 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern; replays will be available for all enrollees.
  • Enrollees in extremism and immigration can apply for grants and to attend expenses-paid, in-person training.
  • Learn to background candidates for extremist ties and what races (like school boards and local government) to monitor.
  • Get inside the nationwide labor demand that lurks behind the immigration debate.
  • Learn fresh approaches to writing about the economy with some of the best reporters in the field.
  • Explore the latest in social and medical knowledge on trans people; access the most recent data and research.
  • Find the climate change angle on any beat.

Training five or more people?
Check out our custom training.

Climate change. The 2024 presidential election. Transgender medical care. The economy.

Journalists require background, resources, experts and data to help their audiences contextualize these and other complex issues.

That’s where Beat Academy comes in.

In a series of expert-led and resource-packed webinars, Beat Academy will enhance journalists’ understanding on topics critical to American life in 2024.

We’ll be tackling the emerging beats you need the most help synthesizing, while considering the trends driving change in your markets. You’ll leave Beat Academy with tools, sources and resources that will empower your storytelling and enable you to better serve your communities.

After each topic, you will walk away with:

  • A framework to understand the complexities of each issue.
  • A guide to diverse and trustworthy sources.
  • A leg up on finding and using data relevant to your community.
  • A robust list of story ideas specific to your audience.

Journalists new to the newsroom or deep into their careers can benefit from this program. What’s more, some topics serve as a gateway to generous grant-reporting opportunities and on-site field work.

For just $75, individual journalists gain access to our entire series of eight topics. Each topic will include one or two 90-minute webinars, where you’ll hear renowned journalists share the particulars of covering these emerging beats, including their reporting strategies. Alongside them will be experts focused on the changing dynamics in each topic area. Every subject will include valuable roadmaps that will connect reporters to the hard data that matters in their market area, as well as story ideas to take back to their newsrooms.

Attend the webinars for as many topics as you like, or only those that directly impact your work. Newsrooms can also buy seats in bulk for a significant discount — purchases of five or more spots are just $50 each.

Upcoming sessions include:

  • Extremist Politics: How to report on powerful undercurrents in the 2024 elections (Feb. 1, 15)
  • Auditing ARPA and IRA: How to report on Biden’s promise to communities (Feb. 29)
  • Immigration in Focus: How domestic labor demand and politically-driven immigrant busing expose flaws in the system (March 14; El Paso workshop June 6-10)
  • Economic Realities: Understanding your local economy and telling compelling stories centered on people and families. (April 4, writing session June 13)
  • Transgender Coverage: Avoiding rhetoric to deliver meaningful journalism (April 18, May 2)
  • Health care and the 2024 election (May 30, Sept. 26)
  • Vote Watch 2024: What’s on the line for your state’s voting system? (July 11)
  • Climate Change: Finding the angle in any beat (Sept. 12)

Several sessions include reporting grant opportunities and expenses-paid workshops.

Session enrollees in Extremist Politics can compete for one of three $10,000 reporting grants, and/or one of 25 spots in a free, expenses paid advanced workshop in Chicago on April 11, with funding from the Joyce Foundation. (Slight preference for both will be given to reporters in the Great Lake states: Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.)

Great Lakes journalists who enroll and attend Auditing ARPA and IRA can win one of two $10,000 reporting grants, thanks to the Joyce Foundation. Read more here.

Immigration enrollees can compete for one of 25 spots on a trip to El Paso, Texas. The field reporting experience is set for June 4-7, with room, board, and a travel stipend included.

Beat Academy gave some of our most promising reporters a chance to pick up new tools and sources, and connect with other journalists in their field. …  I saw the Beat Academy’s lessons at work in the attention (reporters) paid to how communities experience climate change differently. — Thomas Koetting, senior manager for content, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Enrollees in our transgender coverage sessions can apply for one of three reporting grants of up to $11,500 to explore how the transgender debate has touched lives in their area.

Please click the “schedule” tab above for a list of upcoming sessions and specific dates and times. This section will be updated periodically as more sessions are added.

All sessions are recorded for enrollees.

Funders include the Joyce Foundation, Catena Foundation, the National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation, and the Gill Foundation.

Questions?

If you are enrolling five or more people, use coupon code BeatAcademy40 during checkout to get a significant discount. If you need help or have any questions, please email us at info@poynter.org.

Vote Watch 2024: What’s on the line for your state’s voting system? (July 11)

A fair voting system is the bedrock of democracy. With a majority of Republican voters still believing that the 2020 election was deeply flawed, 2024 has become a proving ground. Drawing on guidance from top election reporters, this session gives you the strategies to be ready for election day.

You will hear how to:

  • Follow the steps to make sure you know how your local voting system works.
  • Zero in on the new rules in your state or county that might expand or limit the ease of casting a ballot.
  • Spot where partisan firewalls might be breached, and know who to call when claims of voting fraud emerge.
  • Plan your coverage to spotlight key developments in the weeks leading up to Nov. 5, and give voters in your area the information they need to participate.

This session expands on our webinars on extremism. Beyond the hard data on voting, we’ll discuss how you can tell these stories in ways that are bulletproof and build trust with your audience.

 

Climate Change: Finding the angle in any beat (Sept. 12)

There is no facet of our lives that doesn’t overlap with climate change. People worry about AI run amok; it’s also a major energy hog. The value of your home could take a hit due to updated flooding maps. The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions. General assignment and beat reporters alike: There’s a climate change story waiting for you.

In partnership with the Society of Environmental Journalists, we will:

  • Connect you with reporters and editors who will share the habits and practices that generate leads.
  • Talk about keeping our eyes open and the reporting methods that turn nascent ideas into coverage that makes climate change real and relevant.

This webinar is the perfect complement to our earlier Beat Academy session on the impact of federal climate and energy programs on disadvantaged communities.

 

Health care and the 2024 election (Sept. 26)

The challenges around a lack of long-term care. More details to be announced.

 

Previous webinars (available for replay)

Extremist Politics: How to report on powerful undercurrents in the 2024 elections (Feb. 1, 15)

Political extremism can be hard to define, but newsrooms need the perspective and tools to spot it — and help voters understand its role in elections.

These sessions will give you a framework to suss out the many strands of extremism, and help you find the words that will inform, not inflame, public debate. In these session you will:

  • Learn how to background candidates for extremist ties.
  • Gain access to extremism resources and researchers at the national and state levels.
  • Understand key areas to monitor: school board and local government races, ballot referenda and election procedures.
  • Learn how to craft your reporting to avoid giving extremists the platform they seek.

Session enrollees can compete for one of three $10,000 reporting grants, and/or one of 25 spots in a free, expenses paid advanced workshop in Chicago on April 11, with funding from the Joyce Foundation. (Slight preference for both will be given to reporters in the Great Lake states: Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.)

 

Auditing ARPA and IRA: How to report on Biden’s promise to communities (Feb. 29)

President Joe Biden promised to make life better in disadvantaged and marginalized communities by targeting them with billions of dollars tied to climate change, affordable housing, drinking and wastewater infrastructure and more.

Is it working?

In this session you’ll get:

  • A guide to the best mapping data, showing where the money has gone in your area.
  • Panelists who will help you understand the forces and factors that eased and impeded the ability of deserving communities to access these funds.
  • A reporting roadmap to assess whether projects have or are likely to improve communities.

Great Lakes journalists who enroll and attend Auditing ARPA and IRA can win one of two $10,000 reporting grants, thanks to the Joyce Foundation. Read more here.

 

Immigration in Focus: How domestic labor demand and politically-driven immigrant busing expose flaws in the system (March 14; El Paso workshop June 5-6)

From the Mexico border to Chicago’s Loop and all spots in between, communities throughout America wrestle with, benefit from and contest the arrival of immigrants. We continue our deep dive into the broken immigration system, and how it morphs from year to year.

In this webinar you will:

  • See how the Texas busing program exposes the weak spots in the legal immigration system.
  • Get a handle on how you can identify the industries and employers who are seeking immigrant workers in your area.
  • Sharpen your understanding of the rules and steps of legal immigration.

The heart of this year’s immigration session is a competitive two-day immersion in El Paso, Texas, where journalists will see first-hand the many facets of legal and illegal border crossings. Up to 20 enrollees in our regular webinar training will be eligible to attend. The border community sessions will include time with non-profit service providers, local residents, and a customs and border patrol tour, along with experts in the legal, social and employment patterns of recent arrivals.

Room and board is provided, along with a generous travel grant. Attend the webinar, then compete for one of the 20 spots.

 

Economic Realities: Understanding your local economy and telling compelling stories centered on people and families. (April 4, writing session June 13)

One of the most contentious issues in the 2024 elections is the state of the economy. Are families better or worse off than they were four years ago? Which families? What are the lived experiences of households seeking a comfortable life?

In these sessions you will get:

  • Guidance through several of the key ways to talk about people, jobs, incomes and family budgets.
  • A closer examination of data that can look good on paper, but miss what real people experience.
  • A look at the habits of partisan and personal beliefs that shape people’s take on this thing called “the economy.”

You’ll also get  fresh approaches to writing about the economy with some of the best reporters in the field.

 

Transgender Coverage: Avoiding rhetoric to deliver meaningful journalism (April 18, May 2)

With a focus on health, we’ll remove ourselves from the politics of outrage to explore the facts — the latest in social and medical knowledge, and the most recent data and research on trans people. We’ll also explore the medical debate over intervention protocols.

We don’t ignore politics, though. We’ll look at state legislation and talk with legal experts, mapping out the landscape of anti-transgender groups and their funders.

Enrollees can apply for one of three reporting grants of up to $11,500 to explore how the transgender debate has touched lives in their area.

 

Health care and the 2024 election (May 30)

May 30: Incoming KFF Health News executive editor Alex Wayne illustrates which healthcare topics may swing the vote in battleground states. Reproductive health is on everyone’s lips, but issues like insurance coverage and healthcare costs may prove critical to certain voters.

Additionally, KFF’s polling expert Ashley Kirzinger will give us an insider’s look at the methods behind the polls driving the news, and how to really understand what’s top of mind for voters this election cycle. Kirzinger’s entertaining guide to data and methods has developed a real following, and she shares it with Beat Academy.

 

Who should enroll

Beat Academy is designed for any journalist at any stage in their career who wants to get the latest information about emerging beats, trends and issues impacting the communities they cover.

Cost

Beat Academy is $75 for the entirety of the series. Attend all webinars or pick and choose the ones that most interest you and will benefit your coverage area.

Newsrooms can also buy seats in bulk for a significant discount — purchases of five or more spots are just $50 each. Use coupon code BeatAcademy40 at checkout to apply this discount.

Instructors

Lead instructor

  • Jon Greenberg
    Faculty
    Jon is the lead Faculty for the Beat Academy webinar series at Poynter. Beat Academy is a series of expert-led and resource-packed webinars that will...
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Panelists: Vote Watch 2024

  • Scott Klein
    Entrepreneur in residence at Newspack
    Scott is an entrepreneur in residence at Newspack, helping publishers on Wordpress and other platforms do great election coverage by building and adopting innovative tools...
    Read More
  • Pam Fessler
    Advisor, Elections Group
    For more than 28 years, Pam Fessler worked as an editor and correspondent at NPR News reporting on elections and voting, including efforts to make...
    Read More
  • Wesley Wilcox
    Supervisor of Elections for Marion County, Florida
    Wesley Wilcox is the Supervisor of Elections for Marion County, Florida, a position he has held since 2012. Marion County has over 250,000 registered voters,...
    Read More
  • Katie Meyer
    Government Editor/Reporter, Spotlight PA
    Meyer covers government and elections, with a focus on the money and powerful interests that can shape policy decisions, and the ways those decisions affect...
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  • Brandi Swicegood
    Brandi Swicegood is the executive director of Sunlight Search. She is a veteran investigative journalist. She spent nearly two decades reporting and editing stories about issues...
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Panelists: Immigration in Focus

  • Theresa Cardinal Brown
    Senior Advisor, Immigration and Border Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center
    Theresa Cardinal Brown is BPC’s Senior Advisor for Immigration and Border Policy. She came to BPC from her own consulting firm, Cardinal North Strategies, LLC....
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  • Maria Sacchetti
    Immigration reporter, Washington Post
    Maria Sacchetti has covered immigration for The Washington Post since 2017. She previously reported for The Boston Globe, where her reporting led to the release...
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  • Elliot Spagat
    US Immigration Team Leader & San Diego Correspondent, Associated Press
    Read More
  • Kathleen Bush-Joseph
    Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute
    Kathleen Bush-Joseph is a lawyer and Policy Analyst with the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at MPI. She has experience with removal proceedings, asylum, and refugee...
    Read More

Panelists: Health care policy and the 2024 election

  • Ashley Kirzinger
    Director of Survey Methodology, KFF
    Ashley Kirzinger is director of survey methodology and associate director of the Public Opinion and Survey Research Program, where she helps direct the organization’s polling...
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  • Alex Wayne
    Managing Editor for Health Policy and Politics, KFF Health News
    Alex Wayne, managing editor for health policy and politics, directs KFF Health News’ coverage of U.S. elections, health policy, and the politics of health care....
    Read More

Panelists: Economic Realities - Part 1

  • Kimberly Adams
    Host and Senior Washington Correspondent, Marketplace
    Kimberly Adams is Marketplace’s senior Washington correspondent and the co-host of the Marketplace podcast, “Make Me Smart.” She regularly hosts other Marketplace programs, and reports...
    Read More
  • Lauren Bauer
    Fellow, Economic Studies & Associate Director, The Hamilton Project at Brookings
    Lauren Bauer is a fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution and the associate director of The Hamilton Project. Her research focuses on social...
    Read More
  • Anna Butler
    Real Estate Reporter, The Dallas Morning News
    Anna is a real estate reporter for The Dallas Morning News. She previously served as managing editor and real estate editor of the Dallas Business...
    Read More
  • Wendy Edelberg
    Director, The Hamilton Project & Senior Fellow, Economic Studies at Brookings
    Wendy Edelberg is the director of The Hamilton Project and a senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. Edelberg joined Brookings in 2020,...
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Panelists: Economic Realities - Part 2

  • Roy Peter Clark
    Senior Scholar, Poynter
    Roy Peter Clark is known as America’s writing coach, devoted to creating a nation of writers. A PhD in medieval literature, he is widely considered...
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  • Jeanna Smialek
    Economy reporter, New York Times
    Jeanna Smialek covers the Federal Reserve and the state of the American economy at the New York Times. On top of covering breaking stories on...
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Panelists: Transgender Coverage

  • Grace Abels
    Staff Writer, PolitiFact
    Grace Abels joined PolitiFact as a staff writer focused on LGBTQ issues in February 2023. She graduated from Duke University where she studied history and...
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  • Jireh Deng
    Staff Writer, Fellow, Los Angeles Times
    Jireh Deng (they/them) is the 2023-24 fellow at the Los Angeles Times and a queer Asian American writer and filmmaker born and raised in the...
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  • James Factora
    Staff Writer, Them
    James Factora is the staff writer at Them, where they have been covering LGBTQ+ news and culture since 2020. Their work has also appeared in...
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  • Karen Hawkins
    Story Editor, The 19th*
    Karen Hawkins is the story editor at The 19th*. She joined the organization from the Chicago Reader, where she served as co-publisher and editor in...
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  • Meredithe McNamara
    Assistant Professor; Affiliate Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
    Dr. McNamara is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and specializes in Adolescent Medicine. She cares for youth aged 11-25 and supervises pediatric residents at Fair...
    Read More
  • Phoebe Petrovic
    Investigative Reporter, Wisconsin Watch
    Phoebe Petrovic is an investigative reporter on a two-year fellowship with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. She previously covered disinformation and democracy at Wisconsin Watch and...
    Read More
  • Elana Redfield
    Federal Policy Director, UCLA Law, Williams Institute
    Elana Redfield, J.D., is the Federal Policy Director at the Williams Institute. In this role, she coordinates the Institute’s legal research and analysis related to...
    Read More
  • Jo Yurcaba
    Reporter, NBC Out
    Jo Yurcaba is a reporter for NBC Out.
    Read More

Panelists: Auditing ARPA and IRA

  • Dana Afana
    City Hall reporter, Detroit Free Press
    Dana Afana is the city hall reporter at the Detroit Free Press. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University and has a background in government, business...
    Read More
  • Glencora Haskins
    Senior research analyst and applied research manager at Brookings Metro
    Glencora Haskins is the Senior Research Analyst and Applied Research Manager at Brookings Metro, where she researches place-based strategies for inclusive economic development. As part...
    Read More
  • Tom Taylor
    Senior Policy Analyst at Atlas Public Policy
    Tom Taylor is a Senior Policy Analyst at Atlas Public Policy. At Atlas, he produces reports and data stories related to climate solutions and is...
    Read More
  • Kristoffer Tigue
    New York City-based reporter for Inside Climate News
    Kristoffer Tigue is a New York City-based reporter for Inside Climate News, where he covers environmental justice issues, writes the Today’s Climate newsletter and manages...
    Read More
  • Adam Willis
    City government reporter for The Baltimore Banner
    Adam Willis is a city government reporter for The Baltimore Banner. He covers intersections of business and government in Baltimore, in addition to examining the...
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Panelists: Extremist Politics

  • Caryn Baird
    Researcher
    Caryn Baird is a researcher for PolitiFact and The Poynter Institute. She previously was the senior news researcher at the Tampa Bay Times where for...
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  • Robert Downen
    Democracy Reporter, The Texas Tribune
    Robert Downen is a reporter covering democracy and the threats to it, including extremism, disinformation and conspiracies. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, he worked for...
    Read More
  • Jennifer Dresden
    Policy Strategist, Protect Democracy
    Jennifer Dresden is a Policy Strategist at Protect Democracy, where she helps teams leverage leading social science research to inform their work in defense of...
    Read More
  • Jen Fifield
    Reporter, VoteBeat Arizona
    Jen Fifield covers Phoenix and Maricopa County government and politics. It's her pleasure to cover her hometown and her community. After graduating from Arizona State...
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  • Christopher Jones
    Reporter for 100 Days in Appalachia, Report for America
    Christopher Jones was a reporter for 100 Days in Appalachia where, as a digital and forensic reporter, he focuses on white supremacists and their disinformation...
    Read More
  • Rachel Kleinfeld
    Senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
    Rachel Kleinfeld is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where she focuses on issues of rule of law, security, and governance...
    Read More
  • Lilliana Mason
    SNF Agora Institute Associate Professor of Political Science
    Lilliana Mason is an SNF Agora Institute Associate Professor of Political Science. She is co-author, with Nathan P. Kalmoe, of Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent...
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  • Brandon Quester
    Executive Director and Editor, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
    Brandon Quester is the co-founder, executive director and editor of the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. In a short time and with limited resources, he...
    Read More

Thank you to our funders:

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