New investigative reporting project documents abortion rights nationwide
ASU-funded initiative allowed 25 journalists to fan out across the country to unearth more stories
Journalists funded by an Arizona State investigative journalism initiative developed a series of documentaries focused on abortion that was released last week.
The project, “America After Roe,” examines the impact of the ruling, which eliminated a federal right to abortion and returned regulation of the procedure to the states – upending almost 50 years of federal precedent. News21 journalists traveled to more than two dozen cities in 14 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Monterrey, Mexico, to report on the decision one year later and its effect on health care, culture, policy and people, according to a news release from the university.
It was part of Carnegie-Knight News21, a national reporting initiative at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. News21 fellows began conducting extensive background research in the spring before arriving in Phoenix this summer to begin a 10-week field reporting fellowship. Their stories – produced in text, video, audio, photos, and graphics – are available for any media outlet. The cohort included 25 fellows from universities across the country.
“This decision had widespread consequences – on health care, of course, but far beyond that,” News21 Executive Editor Pauline Arrillaga said. “Patients and providers nationwide have felt the repercussions of this, but we’re also seeing impacts in statehouses and at polling booths.