From the Newsroom to the Classroom: CFINR’s Campus Speaker Initiative Gains Momentum

October 15, 2025—The Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s new campus speaker initiative is rapidly expanding across the country, connecting award-winning journalists with college students to discuss objectivity, fairness, and the craft of trustworthy reporting.

Since outreach began in June, more than a dozen journalism schools have accepted or expressed interest in hosting visits from CFINR award winners and finalists, with several events already completed and more scheduled through spring 2026. The program brings working reporters to universities and colleges at no cost to the host institution, covering all travel and lodging expenses.

Each campus visit is tailored to the host’s needs, ranging from keynote forums to classroom drop-ins or Q&A sessions. Journalists discuss topics such as sourcing, verification, transparency, and the ethical judgment calls that shape public trust in their work.

The initiative has already drawn strong participation from both universities and reporters. Middle Tennessee State University’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment hosted Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Cleo Krejci on Sept. 22, where she presented to about 250 students and visited classes in digital media and advanced reporting.

At the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, 2025 finalist Bonita Miyagi of The Villages Daily Sun and 2024 finalist Chris Fulton of the Mountain Home Observer visited Sept. 30 to discuss local accountability reporting and public-records investigations.

The University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is preparing an Oct. 29 forum featuring Curt Hills of The Villages Daily Sun and will host BBC correspondent Anthony Zurcher in November. Additional visits are being planned with the University of Florida, University of North Carolina, High Point University, and the University of Missouri.

Behind the scenes, 14 CFINR awardees and finalists have already volunteered to take part. Between June and August, CFINR reached out to 27 journalism schools; 13 have confirmed participation, seven are pending, and seven more are in early planning stages.

The journalists involved represent a wide range of beats and outlets—from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, BBC News, and The Washington Post to The New York Times, the Guardian, Associated Press, NBC, and CNN. Students who have attended the sessions have heard reporters walk through document-driven investigations, share methods for avoiding confirmation bias, and discuss how to handle corrections transparently. Others have explored how to balance privacy and public interest or navigate career paths while maintaining neutrality and rigor.

Among those participating are Krejci, whose award-winning reporting examined oversight failures in assisted-living facilities; Zurcher, who provides clear analysis of U.S. politics for international audiences; Fleischer, who helped expose the impact of Social Security clawbacks on vulnerable recipients; and Miyagi and Fulton, whose digital and print investigations exemplify accountability journalism at the local level.

Universities can choose the visit format that fits their curriculum—whether a keynote talk, panel discussion, or sequence of class visits. CFINR covers the costs and matches the visiting journalist based on the program’s needs and timing.

Faculty interested in hosting a speaker can contact Rufus Friday at rfriday@cfinr.org or visit cfinr.org/2025-awards-winners and cfinr.org/2024-awards-winners to learn more about the organization’s mission and honorees.