The USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida has hired its own Douglas Soule to be its inaugural First Amendment reporter.
On the First Amendment beat, Soule will work to highlight and explain local issues related to the First Amendment, examining their impact on Floridians and their daily lives, countering disinformation with facts, and producing compelling journalism on what can sometimes seem like abstract concepts.
This position is made possible thanks to funding from the nonpartisan Freedom Forum’s Local Press Initiative and Journalism Funding Partners, a nonprofit that works to increase the depth, diversity and sustainability of local journalism.
Tallahassee Democrat Editor William Hatfield, who manages coverage of state issues for the Network, noted that the Freedom Forum's investment in local and state journalism couldn't have come at a better and more critical time in Florida's history.
"I often reflect and bear it as the greatest responsibility that the Founding Fathers determined journalism as the only profession explicitly named in and protected by the Constitution," said Editor William Hatfield. "So many of the top storylines in Florida right now are intertwined with First Amendment issues, and Doug is committed to finding the truth and championing these critical freedoms with rich storytelling while holding the powerful accountable."
Soule has been with the network since mid-2022 as the statewide government accountability reporter, a position that is now filled by Ana Goñi-Lessan.
Before that, he was a Report for America corps member who covered business and economic development at the West Virginia watchdog news source Mountain State Spotlight. He has served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University's independent student newspaper, where he recited the First Amendment by memory to students at a community event.
He is also already familiar with the Freedom Forum’s principles as a 2016 scholar at the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference.
"I'm thrilled and honored to be covering such an important topic in such a special state," Soule said. "Empowered by the very amendment I'll be reporting on and energized by our great readers and team, I look forward to giving this position my all. The First Amendment intersects with our lives in so many ways, big and small. I'll make sure to stop at each intersection and look both ways."
The funding from the Freedom Forum’s Local Press Initiative and Journalism Funding Partners follows the successful launch of a First Amendment reporting position at the Nashville Tennessean and USA TODAY Network Tennessee.
“Our surveys show Americans overwhelmingly treasure the First Amendment but are conflicted about how it applies today,” says Jan Neuharth, chair and CEO of the Freedom Forum. “Having a reporter devoted to exploring the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition is an exciting way to help bridge the gaps in understanding our essential freedoms.”
Soule can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. He can be found on Twitter at @DouglasSoule.
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June 15, 2023 at 04:12PM
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Meet the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida's first First Amendment reporter - Tallahassee Democrat
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