“If you think something’s a story, follow your gut. It probably is.”

“Dig into wider systemic problems. Data journalism is powerful, but always humanize a story with real people who are affected by the statistics.”

Great advice offered by investigative journalists in Connecticut at panel discussion on March 31 sponsored by UConn’s student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the UConn Journalism Department.

Moderated by SPJ president Sara Bedigian and Vice President Dan Stark, the panel featured Jim Haddadin, the investigative editor at Connecticut Public, Andrew Brown, an investigative reporter at The Connecticut Mirror, and Sam Smink, chief investigative reporter at WFSB – Channel 3 Eyewitness News.

The event provided an opportunity for students to network with professionals working in the field of journalism for a non-profit statewide digital site, a local TV news station and a public radio station.

To learn more about the student SPJ chapter at UConn, contact sara.bedigian@uconn.edu.