Investigative Reporting
Former Watchdog Writers Group fellow explores agriculture and food sustainability in new book
Author Michael Grunwald shared investigative research and reporting advice for journalists covering science and the environment By Maggie LeBeau To Michael Grunwald, an investigative journalist and author who has published three books, the process of writing a book is “hell.” But being with a cohort of authors in the Watchdog Writers Group, a nonprofit journalism … Continued
Watchdog Writers Group fellow Alec MacGillis shares advice on investigative reporting and how to hold the powerful accountable
The ProPublica reporter discussed his long career in news and investigative reporting, how he builds narratives, finds sources, and draws connections between the different levels of society By Maggie LeBeau Early in his career, newspaper reporter Alec MacGillis took a 33% pay cut and left his job at The Washington Post to tell hard-hitting narrative … Continued
Watchdog Writers Group Fellow Molly O’Toole on narrative storytelling
At a workshop for Missouri School of Journalism students, the fellow with the Watchdog Writers Group shared lessons from her career By Maggie LeBeau COLUMBIA, Mo. (Dec. 11, 2025) — Molly O’Toole says immigration is “the best damn beat in journalism.” O’Toole, a Pulitzer Prize winner and fellow with the Watchdog Writers Group (WWG) — … Continued
Former Watchdog Writers Group fellow publishes book on drug rehab system
By Maggie LeBeau COLUMBIA, Mo. (Dec. 10, 2025) — In August, former Watchdog Writers Group (WWG) fellow Shoshana Walter published her book, Rehab: An American Scandal, after spending more than six years examining drug rehab treatment programs across the country. The book follows four people, all with completely different backgrounds, as they experienced what Walter … Continued
Missouri School of Journalism students win Online Journalism Award for series exposing use of industrial waste in fertilizer
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (Aug. 29, 2025) — A team of students at the Missouri School of Journalism has won the Student Journalism Award from the Online Journalism Awards (OJA), a program of the Online News Association honoring digital storytelling. The winning series, “Waste Land,” was published last year in the Columbia Missourian — … Continued
Missouri School of Journalism’s Watchdog Writers Group announces new fellows and student reporters
L-R: The WWG 2023-2024 class — Alisa Roth, Sarah Smarsh, Mya Frazier, Sophia Anderson, Anna Colleto, Caleb Gayle, Christopher Leonard Authors and students will produce books and articles on immigration, the meatpacking industry, racial segregation in Oklahoma and the ravages of shareholder capitalism on small-town America. The Missouri School of Journalism has selected its fifth … Continued
Elizabeth Lucas named Missouri School of Journalism’s Houston Harte Chair
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (July 25, 2024) — The Missouri School of Journalism today announced that Elizabeth Lucas, MA ’10, formerly senior training director for Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), is the new Houston Harte Chair in Journalism. In this role, effective Aug. 1, she will further develop the School’s investigative and data journalism … Continued
IRE re-launches podcast with Missouri School of Journalism grad student as host
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (June 5, 2024) — Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), a nonprofit organization based at the Missouri School of Journalism that helps journalists train and collaborate, has re-launched its podcast after a four-year hiatus. Hosted by Nakylah Carter, a graduate student at the School of Journalism, the IRE Radio Podcast delves … Continued
Missouri Honor Medal recipients to hold master classes on September 14
The recipients of the 2023 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism will speak about their areas of expertise in a daylong series of master classes on Thursday, Sept. 14. The presentations are free and open to the public. The scheduled times and locations for the master classes are: 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. Drew Sullivan and Paul … Continued
Adam Goldstein earns Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Fellowship
By Austin Fitzgerald COLUMBIA, Mo. (May 1, 2023) — Adam Goldstein, a master’s student at the Missouri School of Journalism, has won the 2023 Smith/Patterson Science Journalism Fellowship, which comes with a $5,000 stipend to support the reporting of a science, health or environmental story anywhere in the world. The news was announced on April … Continued