The executive director of Elon News Network will participate in a national reporting project this summer focused on poverty during the pandemic, joining student journalists from across the country.
Like many student journalists, junior Mackenzie Wilkes began reporting on the pandemic in March, as schools and states closed and imposed restrictions to slow its spread. As executive director of Elon News Network, Elon’s student-run news organization, Wilkes wrote about the disparities in COVID-19 cases in Alamance County, how Elon University adjusted classes, and an election in the midst of a global pandemic.
This summer, Wilkes will join student journalists from across the country to report on the pandemic on a national level, participating in the 2021 Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship program, one of the most prestigious student journalism internships in the country. Wilkes and others will join forces to contribute to the program’s 2021 investigation, titled “Poverty and the Pandemic.”
The Carnegie-Knight News21 is a national reporting initiative headquartered at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The program brings top journalism students from across the country to report and produce in-depth multimedia projects for major media outlets, such as The Washington Post, NBC News and USA Today. Elon alumni Victoria Traxler ’20, who reported on the juvenile justice system, and Anton Delgado ’20 and Alex Simon ’17, who reported on natural disasters, are the most recent News21 Fellows from Elon.
While the opportunity to conduct investigative journalism is what drew Wilkes to News21, the journalism and political science double major said the program’s multimedia component also caught her eye. Past final projects have included video, photos and podcasts, in addition to expansive written pieces.
“I’m interested in how we can tell in-depth investigative pieces in an engaging way, that’s not just your traditional print story,” Wilkes said.
As part of the paid summer fellowship, Wilkes and others will participate in a 10-week investigative reporting assignment. Depending on the course of the pandemic, fellows may be able to be on site at the Cronkite School’s digital media complex in Phoenix.
Leading up to the summer program, students participate in a spring seminar led by News21 Executive Editor Jacquee Petchel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and professor of practice at the Cronkite School. The seminar immerses students in the topic that will investigated during the summer and students conduct preliminary reporting.
Wilkes said that between the importance of investigating poverty during the pandemic and the collaborative nature of the program, she is excited to take part in News21 and looks forward to both the spring virtual classes and the summer experience.
“I really like policy, and I like looking at how policy impacts people. I think it’s important to focus on people and what’s happening to them and why it’s happening,” Wilkes said. “Everyone seems so passionate about storytelling and about exploring the subject, too.”