Pulitzer Prize-Winning Editor Discusses Investigative Journalism With Students via Skype

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Gerald Jordan and Leonard Downie Jr.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gerald Jordan, associate professor in the Walter J. Lemke department of journalism in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, hosted a Skype session for his class with Leonard Downie Jr., former editor of the Washington Post. During the Nov. 1 conversation, Jordan and Downie discussed “Who Can Vote?,” a News21 2012 National Project. Last summer, Jordan served as a visiting professor for the project housed at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

“I thought that the Skype session went very well, and it showed the tremendous advantages we now have with technology that we can put a guest lecturer in our classroom without so much as a trip to the airport,” said Jordan. “We certainly are aware of the schedule pressures that all distinguished lecturers face and in-person presentations are preferred, but if we can get a Pulitzer Prize editor, such as Leonard Downie Jr. into a U of A classroom for an hour, then we’ll take that opportunity.”

News21 is a national, student-staffed investigative reporting project. The students completed an in-depth look at voting rights across the country. One of the major findings was that in-person voter impersonation on Election Day, an issue that prompted 37 state legislatures to enact or consider more stringent voter photo identification laws, is virtually non-existent.

Two dozen students from eleven universities conducted the research, reporting and writing under the direction of Jordan and other journalism professionals. The students’ work may be found at the “Who Can Vote?” website, which includes more than 20 reports, interactive databases, data visualizations and photo/video galleries from their investigations of all reported cases of election fraud in the U.S. since 2000.

“I was honored to work on the project with such talented students from around the country and with editors who enjoy towering reputations in journalism,” said Jordan. “In addition to Leonard, I had the privilege of working with and learning from Sharon Rosenhause, former managing editor of newspapers in San Francisco and Ft. Lauderdale and now president of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.”

Even after the election, the News21 project continues to gain recognition. The Cronkite school officials were recently notified that the project earned an EPPY Award for the Best College/University Investigative or Documentary Report. EPPY Awards are presented by Editor & Publisher magazine to honor the best media affiliated websites.

For more information on “Who Can Vote?” at the News21 website.