The Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the Newmark J-School is launching a project in four states and Puerto Rico to investigate how well state safety net systems will be able to deal with the millions of people who are losing their jobs in the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. It is also running a series of online sessions May 4-6 to help Ravitch alumni cover the fiscal and economic impact of the pandemic.
The Texas Tribune, public radio station WABE in Atlanta, Crain’s Detroit Business, THE CITY in New York, and the Center for Investigative Journalism in Puerto Rico are undertaking efforts to showcase the inadequacy of unemployment insurance, medical insurance, and food assistance. The work will be combined in a larger story for placement in a national news outlet.
The stories and broadcasts are expected to be published in the next two months. Each outlet will receive $5,000 to take part.
The project builds on a previous effort to examine the role of states in ameliorating or exacerbating inequality. The stories produced by that project are available on the Ravitch website.
The safety net project is being led by Greg David, head of the Ravitch Program and director of the Business & Economics Reporting Program at the Newmark J-School. In addition to writing stories for THE CITY, J-School adjunct Cara Eisenpress will comb the collective reporting for the national story.
The online sessions will feature David, Bill Glasgall of the Volcker Alliance, municipal bond expert Matt Fabian of Municipal Market Analytics, pension expert Don Boyd, and the Manhattan Institute’s Steve Malanga. Topics to be covered include budgets and unemployment systems, bonds and federal aid, pensions, and bankruptcy. Each session will be presented twice, at 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The sessions are primarily for alums of the program, although journalists who have been accepted into the Ravitch cohort for July have also been invited to participate. So far, more than 35 people have signed up. Ravitch alums can register by emailing David at greg.david@journalism.cuny.edu.
The Ravitch program is funded by civic leader and former lieutenant governor Richard Ravitch.