Invisible ways reporters signal they can be trusted with high-stakes stories (or can't)

What makes a whistleblower or someone who’s been a victim of a crime or major misdeed willing to come forward to a particular journalist or outlet? On June 18, come hear from the subject of the Washington Post story "'The man who attacked me works in your kitchen’: Victim of serial groper took justice into her own hands," as well as her advocate and the Washington Post journalists they trusted.

Lauren Clark, who was attacked after a jog by a man who was then hired by a restaurant a block away from her apartment, and her advocate Kristin Eliason will talk about what factors they considered when they decided whom to trust with Clark's story, and why. And Amy Brittain and Maura Judkis will discuss what they did to maintain that trust, and about the responsibilities that come with telling a high-stakes story in the public interest.

This National Press Club Journalism Institute program will be held in the Holeman Lounge from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m; the program will begin promptly at 6:30. Registration is required. The cost is $5 for members of the National Press Club and $10 for non-members. Please register below.

About the panelists

Amy Brittain joined the investigative team of The Washington Post in 2013. In 2016, she was part of a team of Post reporters who were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for chronicling fatal shootings by police officers across the country. In 2017, Amy was named a finalist for the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists for her series “Second Chance City,” which exposed lapses in the criminal justice system that led to devastating consequences for victims in the District of Columbia. Before joining The Post, Amy was the winner of the George Polk Award for exposing the rampant use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone by hundreds of police officers in New Jersey.

Maura Judkis is a reporter for The Washington Post, covering culture, food and the arts. She is a 2018 James Beard Award winner for humor, and her work has been honored by the Association of Food Journalists and the Virginia Press Association. Maura has appeared on local and international TV and radio, including MSNBC, CNN, PBS and Al Jazeera. She has also written for U.S. News & World Report, TBD.com, ARTnews, the Washington City Paper and the Onion A.V. Club.

Kristin Eliason is Co-Director of Legal Programs with Network for Victim Recovery of DC, where she, along with Matthew Ornstein, oversees NVRDC's legal programs, trains and supervises staff attorneys, and represents crime victims in criminal prosecutions, Civil Protection Order cases, and Title IX campus grievance procedures. Prior to joining NVRDC, Kristin worked as an attorney in Maryland's Montgomery and Prince George's Counties with House of Ruth Maryland's Protection Order Advocacy and Representation Project where she represented survivors of intimate partner violence in protection and peace order litigation and staffed walk-in legal clinics. Kristin also served as law clerk to Magistrate Judges Janet Albert and Mary Grace Rook with the DC Superior Court. Kristin received her B.A. from the College of William and Mary and her juris doctorate at the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. She is licensed to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

About NPCJI

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement. As the non-profit of the National Press Club, the Institute serves as a beacon for journalism in the public interest.

Contact Julie Moos, executive director of the National Journalism Institute, with any questions at [email protected]