Q&A: Pro Publica Reporter, Paul Kiel
Paul Kiel, Reporter for Pro Publica
By Joan R. Magee
September 30, 2009
Paul has a hybrid role at Pro Publica, a reporter always, but a sometimes aggregator as well. He has worked in "new media," for many years before Pro Publica, for which he's worked since May 2008.
Q: How did you get your start in journalism? Did you begin in traditional media?
A: I began as an intern for Harper's Magazine and then worked as a stringer for them. Then I blogged for TPMmuckraker, Talking Points Memo’s investigative reporting blog, from 2006 to 2008. [TPM’s coverage of the firings of U.S. attorneys and politicization of the Department of Justice won a George Polk Award for legal reporting.
Q: How can graphics online work in a way that text alone can't? How do you think certain new technology can help the reader understand complicated topics in a way which wasn't possible previously?
A: Certain stories work better with different types of media. For example, right now on the site we have a database detailing the trail of bailout money. You are able to see where [a lot] of TARP (Troubled Asset Rescue Plan) money is going. It helps to understand how it works and just how much money is out there.
Q: Pro Publica is purely web, and according to Mike Webb, your director of communications, there are no plans in the near future to transition to print or have any print representation [like Politico has done]. You do, however, work with a lot of "traditional" media outlets in what Pro Publica calls "partnerships." Can you give some examples of these partnerships, and how you think they benefit both you and the outlet with which you're working at the time?
A: I just completed a two-part series with Marketplace [a radio program put out by American Public Media - check]. It was good for us, and it was good for Marketplace. They get a deep investigation and we get a national media platform and more access to people [in high places.] If I'm working with The Washington Post on a story, it gives me certain access to national politicians who might otherwise not talk to me. It is easier to find politicians if they think they can reach a national audience
Kiel uses platforms like VodPod to talk more about his reporting, and reach a larger audience.
http://vodpod.com/watch/1511808-simon-johnson-paul-kiel-talk-about-bank-bailouts
What was the crux of the Marketplace (and text) story?
We were investing companies that were extracting fees from people in hopes of foreclosure rescue, but company doesn't end up helping after taking a couple grand from these people who are already trying to avoid foreclosure.
Q: Where do you see video on the web going? I notice that Pro Publica is making use of video, but it isn't permeated throughout the site yet. Webb (director of communications for the site) said that you are looking to up your video presence.
A: Often we'll link to a piece that was aired on 60 Minutes or ABC News, but we're not partners [yet.] We are definitely open to video. As an organization, we're not opppsed to it.
His colleague, Sheri Fink, has a prominent video on the site about her piece on questionable practices in hospitals during Hurricane Katrina. Here's the link to it:
