In this article for The Poynter Institute, Al Tompkins underscores the importance of journalists covering local jails and suggests several coverage angles that journalists can use to convince readers to care more about incarceration at the local level. In particular, Tompkins highlights a few national issues that intersect with local jails (e.g. fines and fees, bail reform, the opioid crisis) and cites examples of workshops, multimedia feature stories, and documentary films that have successfully altered public perceptions of incarceration.
You can read the full text of the article here.
Creator(s): Al Tompkins, Poynter Institute