Scripps Selects Print Journalists For Second Journalism Journey Initiative Class

E.W. Scripps has placed 13 veteran print journalists across its local and national newsrooms as part of the second cohort of its Google-backed Journalism Journey Initiative, which aims to recruit mid-career journalists and managers in the industry and redeploy their reporting skills for video-driven reporting platforms.

Scripps launched the Journalism Journey Initiative — for which Google has made a multiyear financial commitment to Scripps to underwrite — with the first cohort of six journalists in 2023. After a successful first year of the program, Scripps is expanding the program by funding an additional seven journalists for 2024.

Jim Iovino, program director for the Scripps Journalism Journey Initiative, says: “Year one of the Journalism Journey Initiative at Scripps saw the first group of journalists producing essential coverage, including reporting that led to changes in laws, exposed wrongdoing and went in depth on important local and national issues. Their success is a testament to the incredible amount of expertise in local print newsrooms around the country and what can happen when video-driven newsrooms harness that talent to help tell stories that need to be told.

“It’s why Scripps has made the investment to expand the number of journalists we can help transition from print-to-video reporting. These 13 journalists have the fundamentals, and we’ll be giving them the tools they need to connect with their audiences and communities on visual-based platforms.”

The JJI program will provide extensive training and support, including mentoring, skill development and individual talent coaching. Journalists will be based out of Scripps’ local television stations across the country and national news network Scripps News.

Scripps’ Journalism Journey Initiative second journalist cohort (2024-2025):

• Jasmin Barmore is a neighborhood and community journalist whose work has made national headlines and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Barmore most recently reported for The Detroit Free Press and holds bylines with The Detroit News, BET and The New York Times. She will be working for Scripps’ Detroit ABC affiliate, WXYZ.
• Manuelita Beck has 18 years of experience in digital transformation and content strategy. Beck was most recently the politics editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Previously, she spent seven years at Gannett in several editing and digital roles at the Arizona Republic, USA Today and IndyStar.com. A New Mexico native and Latina, Beck is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is Tábąąhá (Water’s Edge Clan). Beck will work at KNXV, Scripps’ ABC affiliate in Phoenix.
• Maki Becker was born in Japan, grew up in California and has lived around the country, but Buffalo, N.Y., has become her hometown. Becker has been on The Buffalo News staff since 2005. She previously worked at the New York Daily News and The Charlotte Observer. She was also a stringer at the Los Angeles Times. Becker will work at WKBW, Scripps’ ABC affiliate in Buffalo.
• Keith BieryGolick has spent a decade reporting in Cincinnati. In 2018, he was part of a team of reporters that won a Pulitzer Prize for their examination of the region’s opioid epidemic. BieryGolick will work at WCPO, Scripps’ ABC affiliate in Cincinnati.
• Edward Celaya worked previously at the Arizona Daily Star. He started his career as an opinion and editorial writer, covered breaking news and helped develop the first full-time cannabis beat at a major newspaper in Arizona. Celaya will be joining the team at KGUN, the Scripps ABC affiliate in Tucson, Ariz.
• Jennifer Glenfield previously worked for the Tampa Bay Times. As the senior video producer, Glenfield earned a Suncoast Regional Emmy for a digital video series focused on history and culture and was part of the multimedia teams on two Pulitzer Prize-winning investigations. She previously covered social justice issues with Univision’s Fusion Media Group. Glenfield will be joining Scripps News.
• Craig Harris will begin his 33rd year in journalism in 2024. He most recently was editor of the startup The Coronado News, which won two national awards for its investigation of the Tijuana sewage crisis. Harris has worked at seven daily newspapers, including USA Today and The Arizona Republic, where he was a two-time Polk Award winner and was among the lead writers when The Republic was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news. Harris will work at KGTV, Scripps’ ABC station in San Diego.
• Michelle Jarboe has written extensively about real estate and economic development. She previously worked as an enterprise reporter for Crain’s Cleveland Business. Before joining Crain’s, she covered real estate for The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland for more than a decade. She will work at WEWS, Scripps’ ABC affiliate in Cleveland.
• Maria Morales comes from Baltimore Sun Media, where she was a senior content editor. She previously reported on race, culture and social justice issues for The Crisis Magazine and The Afro-American Newspaper. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Los Angeles Business Journal, The Press-Enterprise and a host of magazines. Morales will work at WMAR, Scripps’ ABC affiliate in Baltimore.
• Steve Sebelius was most recently the politics and government editor for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote a weekly political column. He’s also been editor of Las Vegas CityLife, at the time the oldest alternative newsweekly in Las Vegas. Sebelius will work at KTNV, the Scripps ABC affiliate in Las Vegas.
• Taylor Stevens’ career has taken her from homeless camps in Phoenix, Arizona, to the banks of the Great Salt Lake and into southern Mexico to report on the immigration crisis. She recently spent a year and a half working as a freelancer with The Associated Press’ Global Investigations Team on a national project focused on policing practices. She will work as an investigative reporter at KSTU, Scripps’ Fox affiliate in her hometown of Salt Lake City.
• Kadia Tubman is the former managing editor for diversity, equity and inclusion for Insider’s global newsroom. Prior to joining Insider’s editorial leadership team, Tubman was a senior news editor guiding Insider’s breaking news coverage between New York, London and Los Angeles on weekends. Before Insider, she was a national politics reporter at Yahoo News and a Reuters journalist fellow at the University of Oxford. Tubman will join Scripps News.
• Harm Venhuizen most recently worked at The Associated Press, where he was a Report for America corps member covering Wisconsin state government with an emphasis on elections and voting rights. He previously reported on the U.S. military for Military Times. Venhuizen will continue covering Wisconsin politics for WTMJ and WGBA, Scripps’ NBC affiliates in Milwaukee and Green Bay, respectively.