Nation’s Top Journalists Attend Annual Logan Symposium

More than 300 of the country’s leading investigative journalists gathered at UC Berkeley April 1-3 for one of the largest media conferences of its kind in the world. The invitation-only conclave brings together a “who’s who” of top journalists, law enforcement and government officials, and 1st Amendment attorneys to address the critical issues confronting public interest journalism.

The 10th Annual Reva and David Logan Symposium on Investigative Reporting, hosted by the Graduate School of Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program (IRP), drew award-winning talent from the print, TV, radio and New Media worlds to discuss modern techniques to dig into hard-to-pierce topics. Organizations such as The New York Times, ‰”60 Minutes,” The New Yorker, Bloomberg, The Guardian, CBS, ABC and NBC News, Univision and The Intercept were all represented alongside nonprofits such as ProPublica, NPR, The Center for Investigative Reporting, the Marshall Project and the Center for Public Integrity.

Among the notable speakers and attendees were Oscar-winning filmmakers Alex Gibney and Charles Ferguson, the Sundance Institute’s Tabitha Jackson, The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer and Big Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand of the Michael Mann film, “The Insider.”

The conference featured a number of memorable moments, including the appearance of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, recently released from an Iranian prison, who drew thunderous applause from his peers; the surprise reveal by the Center for Public Integrity of the Panama Papers, a real-time, cross-outlet investigation of one of the largest leaks of secret information in history, and a first-hand account of the making of the film ‰”Spotlight” by a producer and a key figure in the film.

Two sons of the late co-founders of the conference, the Reva and David Logan Foundation of Chicago, Jonathan Logan and Richard Logan, who have renewed the family’s longstanding commitment to the IRP and the J-School, attended.

“The 10th Logan Symposium highlighted the creativity and insight that attendees have come to expect from the Investigative Reporting Program and its team, led by Lowell Bergman [the Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism] and directed by Janice Hui,” said Jon Logan.

“This year, inspired panel topics and compelling panelists made for riveting discussion sessions,” he continued. “This, combined with wonderful food, drink, and great weather, created the perfect environment for attendees to debate and collaborate. This weekend demonstrated more than ever that the Logan Symposium is an important link in how investigative reporting strengthens our democracy. The Logan family is very proud of this event and the Investigative Reporting Program.”

Panel discussions delved into investigating the super rich as well as covering the poor. Other panels included reporting on police, corruption, advocacy and cyber security. Media outlets Fusion, Vice News, and AJ+ also pushed storytelling boundaries, for example, by reimagining investigative stories in new ways or on new platforms such as virtual reality.

The first night was capped by a conversation with Boston Globe Editor-at-Large Walter V. Robinson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist played by actor Michael Keaton in the movie “Spotlight,” which chronicled the efforts of the team Robinson led to expose the Catholic Church’s widespread cover-up of sexual misconduct by priests. Robinson was in conversation with one of the film’s producers Blye Faust. Spotlight won the Oscar for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards.

Robinson highlighted how reporters are now empowered to bring investigative techniques to daily stories, assembling enough thoroughly researched information to permit readers to reach conclusions, not just weigh conflicting accounts.

“The new ways of doing things have made investigative reporting more efficient. So even as news organizations are losing resources, reporters are more resourceful,” said Robinson, who now mentors young reporters at The Globe. “It’s an incredibly rewarding experience for any investigative journalist to essentially come and be reenergized to know that so many people are doing such great journalism.”

Major financial supporters on hand included the Ford Foundation, the Reva and David Logan Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Sandler Foundation, McCormick Foundation, and IRP backers Yossie Hollander, Bob Bishop and Ian Isaacs.

The MacArthur Foundation was awarded the annual Markoff Award for its work in supporting investigative reporting. Program Officer Kathy Im accepted the award on its behalf.

J-School speakers included Dean Ed Wasserman, legendary documentarian Jon Else, IRP Director Lowell Bergman and New Media mainstay Jeremy Rue.

In addition to panels and presentations, the symposium featured a mentorship session sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle that matched J-school students with journalists/editors from more than a dozen news organizations. National Investigative Editor for the Associated Press Richard Pienciak, who participated as a mentor, said he himself benefited by attending.

“The intimate setting on campus, the mix of professionals and graduate students, casual lunches that include conversations with members of the Logan family, Lowell Bergman and his staff, the additional conversations and source development deep into the night”all of that leaves me refreshed and inspired to do more and better investigative journalism,” Pienciak said. “The symposium is very special and very important.”

IRP Director Lowell Bergman, founder of the symposium, originally designed the conference to feature top experts, prepared panels, good weather and gourmet food.

Throughout the past decade, he said, people have been hired, deals have been made and future projects conceived, all during the symposium.

“It’s been a great ride because it has both apparently led to the creation of more stories in the public interest as well as getting people employed,” Bergman said. ‰”It’s a conference that I would want to go to. Most are boring.”

“For many of these amazing guests, this is the closest they get to what goes on in a contemporary professional journalism school,” said J-School Dean Ed Wasserman. “It’s gratifying to hear how impressed they are with the students they meet here, and it’s vital to us that the most influential voices in the news business fully understand that what we do is indispensable to the future of journalism.”

By Ted Andersen (’16)