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The most significant eight months of Robert Tann’s time at CMDI came during the Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship he completed as a senior.

“When you’re afforded the time and opportunity to work on an all-encompassing project, you get to experiment and build a diverse skill set that prepares you for any job,” said Tann (Jour’21). “I learned so much from News21 while building up my confidence as a reporter and a writer.”

Since 2018, more than a dozen CMDI students have participated in the investigative intensive. And alumni credit the unique format of News21��with helping them grow as��storytellers and launch their careers.

“It’s in the name—21st-century news,” said Tann, now a state politics reporter at The Denver Post. “It’s about adapting, being ahead of the curve and integrating other forms of news delivery and media systems.”

Through News21, he and a team of fellow student journalists went on reporting trips to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected for communities in Miami and on Navajo and Hopi land in northeastern Arizona.

The fellowship, hosted by Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, includes a semester-long series of workshops to hone students’ investigative reporting skills before they head to Phoenix for the 10-week program. Many students travel in pursuit of their stories, which are published by the program organizers and sometimes pitched to other news outlets.

Last year’s fellows—Ann Marie Vanderveen (Jour’25) and Jessi Sachs (Jour’26)—had their story��about medical deportations picked up by The Associated Press.

“Students who come to their journalism capstone after completing News21 act more like seasoned reporters, with a better appreciation for doing investigative work,” said Chuck Plunkett, an assistant teaching professor and director of CU News Corps, as well as a��longtime editor.

“Not only do they bring a lot to the table in terms of experience and quality of pitches, but their contributions and peer feedback elevate discussions.”

Robert Tann smiles for a portrait in front of the state Capitol. Photo by Kimberly Coffin.��

The ability to partner with and critique their peers is nurtured within News21’s collaborative environment. Students are encouraged to work in teams and explore different platforms��
to tell their stories.

“Increasingly in journalism,��it’s necessary to work across platforms, particularly in collaboration with colleagues,” said Rebecca Blatt, a senior associate dean at Cronkite who oversees the program. “And since they spend so much time working closely with teammates on these stories, those networks continue into��their careers.”

To this day, Henry Larson (Jour’24) is in contact with many from his cohort. Alongside his reporting partners, he wrote a print story and produced a podcast exploring the Christian right’s evolution that overturned the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion. For the story, they traveled to Virginia and attended a conference hosted by the National Association of Christian Lawmakers.

“News21 makes you a better journalist because it takes you somewhere. When you go on a reporting trip to another part of the country, you have to maximize your time,” said Larson, who reports and produces for NPR’s All Things Considered.

“And it’s wonderful to��make connections with both people who are at your level and the smart editors you’re learning from. There are a number of people from News21 who are in the NPR network.”

Perhaps a surprise benefit to the program is it often affirms students’ passion for journalism as they develop new skills.

“Looking at the data behind the story my team worked on made me realize words couldn’t fully capture the stories I wanted to tell,” said Michaela Herbst (Jour’24). “It really helped me grow as a storyteller because it made me ask critical questions.”

She joined a team investigating in post-Dobbs Massachusetts. As she dug deeper into the story, she learned these crisis centers outnumber abortion clinics 2 to 1, creating confusion for patients seeking abortions and related services. Herbst called the experience a defining moment that pushed her to pursue data journalism, which she’s done for the AP��and KQED; she’s currently an elections researcher at AP.

“CMDI students have taken advantage of getting to��do in-depth reporting in really nuanced, though-ful ways,” Blatt said. “News21 is based here at the��Cronkite school, but it’s built on partnerships with other universities, and CMDI has been such a strong partner for so many years.”

Hannah Stewart graduated in 2019 with a degree in communication. She covers student news at the college.