MJ-school announces new affiliation with Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting

To our students:

I am proud to announce a new affiliation for the UNC School of Media and Journalism with the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, an organization dedicated to increasing and retaining reporters and editors of color in the field; and to educating news organizations and journalists on how the inclusion of diverse voices can raise the caliber, impact and visibility of investigative journalism as a means of promoting transparency and good government.

Our campus and our community are made stronger by the presence of the Ida B. Wells Society. I’m grateful that our students and faculty will have the opportunity to work with these seasoned investigative journalists and benefit from the skills and perspectives of media leaders.

We are honored to further elevate the critically important mission of diversifying the media industry and strengthening our democracy through well-researched, courageous storytelling.

My thanks and appreciation to the co-founders — alumna Nikole Hannah-Jones '03 (M.A.), Ron Nixon and Topher Sanders — for their vision in founding the society and for their collaborative efforts to prepare a new home for the society here in Chapel Hill.

Warmly,

Susan King
Dean, UNC School of Media and Journalism

Nikole Hannah-Jones '03 (M.A.)

The New York Times Magazine
Staff writer

Nikole Hannah-Jones ’03 (M.A.) is a domestic correspondent at The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice. She envisioned and helped shape the magazine‘s The 1619 Project, a special project launched in August 2019 examining how the legacy of slavery continues to influence life in the United States. She was a Roy H. Park Fellow as a graduate student from 2001–03 and delivered the MJ-school commencement speech in 2017, the year she was named a MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow.

Ron Nixon

The Associated Press
International investigations editor

Ron Nixon — the international investigations editor at The Associated Press — manages a team of reporters based in London, Cairo, New Delhi, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. Prior to The Associated Press, he was the homeland security correspondent for The New York Times — where he covered border and aviation security, immigration, cybercrime and violent extremism — and worked at The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, with the Investigative Reporters and Editors and at The Roanoke Times.

Topher Sanders

ProPublica
Investigative reporter

Topher Sanders covers race, inequality and the justice system for ProPublica. In 2019, he was part of a team recognized for its coverage of President Donald Trump’s family separation policy with prestigious Peabody and Polk awards, a Pulitzer Prize finalist placement and a Paul Tobenkin Award for “Zero Tolerance.” Prior to ProPublica, Sanders was investigative editor at The Florida Times-Union. His career began at the Montgomery Advertiser in Alabama.