Academics and journalists from across the Midwest gathered in the WKAR studios last month, following a flame sparked by Danielle K. Brown, 1855 Professor of Community and Urban Journalism at Michigan State University.

As a journalist and researcher, Brown’s dedication to unraveling the narratives surrounding Black people, police violence and protests was challenged in the aftermath of the racial reckoning that followed George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, Minnesota. From ground zero in Minnesota, she launched an unflinching and thorough research investigation of the media landscape and community needs. The LIFT Project, with initial funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, officially began in 2022 — collecting data that would help her and her team identify ways to fight mis- and disinformation in and about Black communities.

Danielle K. Brown, 1855 Professor of Community and Urban Journalism, speaks at the LIFT Symposium. Photo by Matthew Ortleib.

Brown’s team sought to meet the dynamic landscape of news coverage — where stories hold the power to shape perceptions and catalyze change — with the might of academia. Those findings and implications for the industry were revealed at the Nov. 2 LIFT Symposium x Neal Shine Lecture, hosted by Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.

“This is an important event for the School of Journalism,” said Tim Vos, professor and director of the J-School. “We seek to be a learning community, and this is an opportunity for learning, for intellectual stimulation, but also a time for reflection and thinking about how we can do our work better.”