REAIR: Allison Augustyn of InvestigateWest

NOTE: We're going to an every-other-week schedule in June and July, so check out one of our first episodes ...

This originally aired in August 2020 (hence the references to the Trump Administration).

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On this episode of The Journalism Salute, Mark is joined by Allison Augustyn, the executive director of InvestigateWest, a non-profit journalism studio based in Seattle.

In Allison’s words, InvestigateWest is reporting “for community, with community” using a modern investigative reporting approach. She explains the role that InvestigateWest fills and how the impact of their reporting on the Pacific Northwest is measured.

She provides examples of notable stories (a social justice component to environmental reporting) and the idea of “meeting people where they live.” She also previews an upcoming story running in The Atlantic. Lastly, she offers advice to aspiring investigative reporters and offers her own salute to a journalism organization.

Core quote: “There are economists who have put forth data that shows that for every dollar spent on investigative reporting, it yields $125 in societal good. It’s just that it takes a lot of time and money up front before you get that payoff.”

The Journalism Salute is a podcast intended to spotlight journalism organizations doing prominent work and to counter the notion of journalists as the enemy of the people. It is hosted by Mark Simon. Please subscribe, rate, and review.