More than two dozens journalists from throughout the U.S. gathered in Champaign, IL for an intense three-day workshop on covering big agribusiness companies.
The workshop is primarily funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation in Chicago and hosted by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and Investigative Reporters and Editors. Sessions were led by agribusiness experts from Midwest universities and top reporters.
The journalists came from large and small newsrooms, both profit and nonprofit, and work in every medium. The workshop received support from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation in Oklahoma and College of Media at the University of Illinois. The Midwest partners with Harvest Public Media and the Investigative Journalism Education Consortium.
For full details, follow this link: https://investigatemidwest.org/training/
Thursday
Friday
Session 1: Tracking the Farm Bill and its Potential Impact
Download Westhoff’s Presentation
Session 2: Exploring Biofuels and Ethanol in Agribusiness
Download Khanna’s Presentation
Lunch Session: The Business of Feeding the World: Food Insecurity and Agribusiness
Session 3: Understanding Crop Insurance
Presentation Available by Request
Session 4: Tour of the National Soybean Research Laboratory
A private tour organized for the workshop provided journalists with an opportunity to gain a rare behind-the-scenes view into research methodologies at a major research laboratory. The work taking place at the NSRL is largely due to the cutting edge technologies that allow researchers to control nearly every variable.
Saturday
Q & A on Friday’s Sessions
Brant Houston, University of Illinois, starts the day off with a free-flowing discussion of the events from the day before.
Session 1: Using Food Safety and Inspection Reports for Investigations
Mike McGraw, Kansas City Star, reviews his work on meat processing.
Recommended Resources
System Tracking E-coli Positive System (STEPS)
Food Safety Inspection Recalls
Session 2: Investigating Environmental Issues in Agribusiness
Craig Cox, Environmental Working Group, speaks about investigating environmental issues in agribusiness.
Lunch Session: Living and Working on the Farm
Jaimi Dowdell, Investigative Reporters and Editors, leads a lunchtime discussion with the journalists about growing up and experiencing the farm life.
Third Session: Exposing Abuses in Farm Labor
Miguel C. Keberlein Gutierrez, Legal Assistance Foundation of Greater Chicago, discussing his experiences working with migrant workers in the Midwest.
Fourth Session: Overview of the USDA Inspection System
Doug Powell, Kansas State University, joined the workshop by Skype while in Australia to discuss his observations and research into food safety.
Recommend Resources
Sunday
Hands-on Workshops
Mark Horvit, Investigative Reporters and Editors, leads a workshop on computer assisted reporting techniques.
Jaimi Dowdell, Investigative Reporters and Editors, leads an advanced class on computer assisted reporting techniques.
Recommended Resources
Thank you for coming!
We present the fellows and participants of the McCormick Specialized Reporting Institute, “Covering Big Agribusiness in the Heartland” 2013 workshop.
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