Meet our new program director, and beef up your investigative skills
Hey there, beautiful people!
Tre'vell here. Hope you're finding peace and joy amidst the chaos. It's been quite the journey since I joined the team six months ago, but I'm grateful to be taking an active role in shaping journalism into the industry we deserve — especially in times such as these. In that spirit, I'm beyond proud to say that not only are we digging our heels in for the challenges ahead, we continue to capacity-build to meet this moment, and the next. Please welcome our new Program Director, CD Davidson-Hiers, who started earlier this week. (Programming info, opportunities, etc. after the jump 😉)
I’m coming to TJA from the role of membership coordinator with the Education Writers Association, another journalism-support nonprofit that focuses on helping journalists cover K-12 and higher education. In my nearly decade spent in journalism, I’ve worked as a journalist in Florida – including time spent helping to start a news outlet focused on state politics, and growing from an intern, to weekend reporter, to full-time staffer with a newspaper covering K-12 education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that job morphed – as it did for many of us – into covering the pandemic and its fatal effects on our community, which pushed me into managing two breaking news beats for a year.
My coverage of the vaccine rollout in Florida garnered international attention – and brought home for me how clearly the role of the journalist is not separate from the life and health of a community. I bring this energy and belief with me to TJA, where I’ll work hard and sustainably to contribute to the organization’s growth. If you’d like to reach out, I’d love to hear from you. My door, as we say, is always open, and I’ll be knocking on as many here as I can: to learn, to grow, to shelter, to thrive.
My gratitude to and for you all.
Cheers,
CD Davidson-Hiers
She / Her
Upcoming events
We’re excited to share three upcoming workshops in TJA’s investigative reporting series — featuring journalists from The Marshall Project, ProPublica, The Stranger, and more.
These sessions are open to all TJA members and are a great way to build your investigative skills, whether you’re a staff reporter, freelancer, or otherwise juggling daily deadlines. RSVP at the links below.
🕵 Investigations 101: How to Take a Small Idea to a Big Story
Thursday, October 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Learn how to spot promising investigative ideas and turn them into impactful, accountability-driven stories. Led by Beth Schwartzapfel (The Marshall Project) and Justin Myers (Chicago Sun-Times).
📝 Investigations for Freelancers
Wednesday, October 29 at 2:00 p.m. ET
Independent doesn’t mean alone. Hear from Ken Schenk (The Buckeye Flame), Joseph Jaafari (LOOKOUT), and Rosie Cima (Big Local News) about tools, resources, and best practices for freelancers pursuing investigative work.
🥁 Investigations on the Beat: Finding the Time and Resources
Wednesday, November 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Balancing daily reporting with deeper investigations? Vivian McCall (The Stranger) and Sarah Childress (ProPublica) share strategies for pitching, managing time, and finding resources within a busy newsroom.
Member and Community Mixer in NYC
We're hosting a social for members and invited community on Thursday, October 23, starting at 7p ET in New York City. Come meet some of our leaders, as well as other trans and nonbinary journalists who live in and around the city. Enjoy a beverage (non-alcoholic and otherwise) and some bites on us!
Members: Check your membership email for RSVP instructions.
Community members: If you'd like to attend, email Tre'vell: anderson[at]transjournalists[dot]org.
Opportunities Listing
- ProPublica is looking for a two-year Ancil Payne Reporting Fellow to uncover powerful immigration investigative projects from our Washington office. Deadline is Monday.
- The Advocate has a new fellowship program open to early-career journalists, recent grads, and students (rising juniors/seniors) across the U.S. and to nontraditional career applicants.
- Thinking about grad school? NYU has a number of scholarship opportunities to explore.
- Greater Good, the online magazine of the Greater Good Science Center, reports on what they call “the science of a meaningful life.” Here are their pitch guidelines.
- The Shaufler Prize in Journalism is "the premier contest recognizing the best journalism in the country advancing the understanding of issues related to underserved people in society." Win up to $10,000 for your reporting.
- The CERC Migration and Bridging Divides Journalism Fellowship invites experienced journalists to apply for a one-month residency at Toronto Metropolitan University. More details.
- The Peter F. Collier Awards for Ethics in Journalism recognize excellent work in three categories: Student Reporting, Local Reporting, and National/International Reporting. Consider submitting your work.
Check out our jobs listserv for additional opportunities. If you're an active TJA member, you can find a link to the listserv on your member dashboard.
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