Conference Schedule

Open house at The Harvard Crimson
14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. | map

Reception

Welcome remarks and introductions

Ann Marie Lipinski, curator of The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard

Reporting from the Front Lines of Conflict at Home and Abroad
A keynote address and conversation

Hannah Allam, a 2009 Nieman Fellow, who covers extremism, political violence and other national security issues as an investigative reporter at ProPublica

Introduction: McKenna McKrell, president, The Harvard Crimson

Q&A

Breakfast and networking

Welcome remarks and presentation

Know Your Rights as a Student Journalist
Are you being unlawfully censored? Press freedom challenges on campus can come in many forms – from university-mandated budget cuts to PR offices that block your access to crucial sources and spokespeople. We’ll discuss your rights at public and private colleges, how to know if what you’re facing is censorship and how to recognize if you’re self-censoring without even knowing it.

Jonathan Gaston-Falk, staff attorney, Student Press Law Center

Introduction: Tilly Robinson, managing editor, The Harvard Crimson

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Choose one:

Breakout I

Using Social Media to Reach Students with News
As more people are getting their news from social media alone, traditional media outlets – especially student newsrooms trying to keep their peers engaged – must adapt to engage their audiences and stay relevant. Join WBZ NewsRadio's Matt Shearer to learn about his highly successful social media presence, and how to rethink traditional storytelling.

Matt Shearer, reporter, WBZ NewsRadio

Breakout II

Write and Edit Like the Pros
How do The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and other major outlets do the everyday word-work that is essential to producing their journalism? Get practical tips and tricks for how to elevate your newspaper’s coverage to look and feel more professional, including how to write ledes that sparkle, craft sharp nut grafs, write analysis that doesn’t veer into opinion, edit for structure and framing while preserving a writer’s voice, and optimize headlines for greatest impact.

2025 Nieman Fellows David Herszenhorn, Russia, Ukraine, East Europe editor at The Washington Post, and Tyrone Beason, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times’ environment, climate, health and science team

Choose one:

Breakout I

How to Navigate the Difficult Interview
Interviews are both a sacred and dynamic space –an important tool for empathetic storytelling but also a place where sources must be held accountable. Learn ways to approach and conduct an interview with a vulnerable – maybe even traumatized – source and how to handle sensitive or controversial topics as a journalist.

2025 Nieman Fellows Mike Shum, a documentary filmmaker who works for “PBS Frontline” and other outlets, and Line Vaaben, an editor and immersive journalist at the Danish daily newspaper Politiken

Breakout II

How to Think Like an Investigative Journalist
Great investigative stories start with curiosity, skepticism and the right tools. In this session, you’ll learn how to spot hidden stories, frame investigations and dig deeper, whether you’re on a tight deadline or working on a long-term project. We’ll cover the essentials: finding strong story ideas, developing sources, leveraging open-source tools, handling pushback and crafting effective requests for comment.

2025 Nieman Fellows Robert Libetti, a filmmaker most recently with The Wall Street Journal, where he led video investigations and documentaries, and Sandrine Rigaud, a French investigative journalist and filmmaker who most recently served as editor-in-chief of Forbidden Stories.

Student presentations
Moderator: Sophie Culpepper, staff writer, Nieman Lab

Final comments and survey