News and Observer reporters awarded international grant for ‘Are We Safe?’ project

A project created by two reporters for The News & Observer has been awarded an international development grant from the University of Oregon’s Agora Journalism Center.

Government reporter Anna Johnson and legislative reporter Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan received the Engaging Communities grant for their project, “Are We Safe?” The project explores the region’s fears and concerns, from infrastructure to personal safety issues to job security.

The N&O is one of only eight news organizations around the world to receive the grant. Other winners include Spain’s Diario de Navarra; Der Tagesspiegel in Germany; Illinois Public Media; Democracy & Freedom Watch in the country of Georgia; Rue89 Strasbourg, France; The Seattle Globalist; and The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Each news organization will receive more than $11,000 to help fund audience engagement efforts for their projects. The reporters also will travel to workshops in the U.S. and Europe to study how to build connections and trust in the community.

This story was originally published May 20, 2019 at 1:42 PM with the headline "News and Observer reporters awarded international grant for ‘Are We Safe?’ project."