Below is the lineup for our first-ever BINJ Virtual Marathon Open Newsroom & Fundraiser. We’ll be streaming from Facebook and sharing across social media channels and here at binjonline.org.
If you want to support our reporting and other efforts in the local independent journalism space, make a contribution at givetobinj.org. Donations will be matched by a national funder through November and December.
12PM – 12:30PM: Welcome to the BINJ Virtual Marathon Open Newsroom & Fundraiser
Join Editorial Director Chris Faraone as he greets friends of BINJ (you) to our virtual marathon featuring journalists who covered some of our most memorable stories and more. He’ll guide you through recent stories with impact and share some highlights from our past six years of reporting.
12:30PM – 1PM: Learn about how BINJ is working on state-level solutions to the journalism crisis
Join us as BINJ Executive Director Jason Pramas discusses his work on the bill that led to the formation of a state journalism commission in Massachusetts and how the joint efforts of lawmakers and reporters could help improve things around the commonwealth’s struggling local and independent news landscape.
1PM – 1:30PM: Looking Back Before Going Forward: 50 BINJ Articles in 30 Minutes
Join BINJ Editorial Director Chris Faraone as he takes a reporting trip down memory lane and revisits 50 longform features that dedicated Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism reporters have produced in our first six years.
1:30PM – 2PM: BINJ Reporter Jean Trounstine Discusses the Difficulty of the Prison & Parole Beat
As one of the few reporters in Mass who covers our dysfunctional prison and parole systems on a regular basis, well-sourced BINJ reporter Jean Trounstine knows the ins and outs of the Mass Department of Correction like few others. Join her for an inside look at our prisons during COVID-19.
2PM – 2:30PM: Documentary Time: Inside the Mass Department of Correction During the Pandemic
“Deliberate Indifference: COVID-19 in Massachusetts’ Prisons” is a short doc by Mass director Jason Pugatch about the impact that a lack of effective pandemic protocol has had on the Bay State. As a foray into the documentary space that BINJ is increasingly exploring, we distributed the film through online partners and via cable access stations.
2:30PM – 3PM: BINJ Arts Writer C. Shardae Jobson on the Importance of Long Form Arts Reporting
Join us for a discussion with C. Shardae Jobson about spelunking for off-the-beaten-path arts stories on social media and in real life, and as we address the lack of opportunities for music and arts journalists to pursue longform features that explore beneath the surface.
3PM – 3:30PM: Next up for BINJ: Investigating the Privatization of Public Housing in Boston
Get a sneak peak at BINJ Editorial Director Chris Faraone’s upcoming work on this major topic that’s been largely overlooked by Greater Boston media as he reads through notes and drafts from several months of research.
3:30PM – 4PM: From the Field: Protests at the Mary Ellen McCormack Housing Projects in South Boston
Here’s a preview of our upcoming work on the privatization of public housing in Boston, as explained by protesters at a recent demonstration in South Boston at the city’s oldest public housing development.
4PM – 4:30PM: A Preview of the First-Ever BINJ Virtual Vintage Boston Auction
This marathon isn’t the end of our winter fundraising efforts. Keep an eye out for more events as well as our first-ever virtual auction featuring Boston collectibles galore, from vintage Red Sox memorabilia to books signed by local authors.
4:30PM – 5PM: BINJ Writer Cole Rosengren on Recycling Worker Contracts & Reporting Impact
Join BINJ Contributor Cole Rosengren of Waste Dive as he discusses the struggle of recycling workers—who perform extremely dangerous jobs for Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville—to earn a living wage.
5PM: A Giant Thank You and Final Marathon Plea from BINJ Editorial Director Chris Faraone
