Scripps Howard Fund selects University of Memphis for open-source investigative reporting grant

The Scripps Howard Fund, in partnership with the Adam R. Scripps Foundation, will provide a four-year grant of up to $300,000 for the University of Memphis to create an open-source investigative program at its Institute for Public Service Reporting. 

The Institute for Public Service Reporting is a nonprofit investigative newsroom on the university’s campus. The goal of the program is to help journalists with all levels of experience learn how to find, explore and report using publicly available information on the internet (open sources), social media, public databases, maps and videos. The program will include a master’s degree in journalism in open-source investigative reporting.

“We believe so strongly that open-source investigative reporting is vital to the future of journalism that we have decided to fund a second open-source program,” said Mike Canan, senior director of journalism strategies for the Scripps Howard Fund. “The Institute for Public Service Reporting will not only train and mentor the next generation of journalists, but it also will provide investigative journalism for a community that really needs it.”

The Institute, led by director and veteran investigative journalist Marc Perrusquia, will include:

• A one-week immersive open-source investigative boot camp that introduces the research methods that will be used throughout the year-long program. In addition to working journalists, the bootcamp is open to all college-level students, from rising freshmen to graduate students.
• A 12-hour core slate of courses that consists of open-source investigative reporting, social justice writing/reporting, data writing/reporting and advanced multimedia storytelling.
• A 12-week paid practicum at a Memphis-area print, digital or broadcast media outlet. Media partners in the practicum will include outlets in the Memphis area who have partnered with the Institute in the past.

“This grant positions the Institute for Public Service Reporting to expand our award-winning journalism and, just as critically, to sharpen our focus on our mission of mentoring the next generation of journalists,” said Perrusquia. 

The program will offer two options for students: a graduate certificate in open-source investigative journalism, aimed primarily at working professionals who want to hone their skills; and a master’s degree of journalism in open-source investigative reporting, designed primarily for students who are seeking an advanced degree to further or advance their journalism careers.

The program will launch at the University of Memphis in the fall of 2025.

Memphis is the second school to receive an open-source investigative journalism grant from the Fund. Earlier this year, the Fund provided a grant to the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

About the Scripps Howard Fund:

The Scripps Howard Fund, a public charity established by The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP), is dedicated to creating informed and engaged communities through journalism education, childhood literacy and local causes. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Fund is a leader in supporting journalism through award-winning journalism education programs; scholarships, internships and fellowships; funding to advance diversity and inclusion; and support of First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry’s top honors for outstanding journalism. The Fund’s annual “If You Give a Child a Book …” childhood literacy campaign has distributed thousands of new books to children in need across the nation. The Fund partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and support organizations that build thriving communities. The Scripps Howard Fund administers funding for the Scripps Howard Foundation, a private foundation established in 1962 to advance charitable causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company and the Scripps and Howard families.