Journalist’s Resource was created in 2010 to make it easy for journalism professors to teach both knowledge and practice by creating a central database of research to inform coverage of policy issues. Five years later, Journalist’s Resource serves thousands of educators and journalists across the country, providing a vital bridge between the worlds of research and journalism.
Starting with a handful of studies when the site launched, Journalist’s Resource now includes nearly 1,500 articles that synthesize research from more than 8,000 scholarly studies relevant to newsworthy topics, such as income inequality, school shootings, and gender in the workplace.
The site also offers syllabi for topics taught in journalism schools, such as race, digital media, science reporting, political reporting, and legal reporting. Between mid-2014 and mid-2015, the site saw about 3 million page-views, and email subscribers include more than 20,000 educators and working journalists. Journalist’s Resource has been linked to and cited by The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Slate, The Wall Street Journal and NPR, as well as by small outlets and civic affairs bloggers.
This year, The Boston Globe reported heavily on the city’s potential Olympic bid, working with Journalist’s Resource to use research to inform their audience (and ultimately contribute to critical inquiry into the potential use of public funds). In recent months, New York Times columnists Charles Blow and Paul Krugman have linked to Journalist’s Resource to support points in their articles.
Perhaps even more importantly, college and university classrooms continue to use the site as a teaching tool, influencing a new generation of students who will be more informed and empowered to draw on research to inform their stories. At the recent annual conference for the academic fields of journalism and communications (AEJMC), hundreds of professors expressed gratitude for the site.
