meredith cummings

This was originally published Sept. 22, 2018 in the Society of Professional Journalists Quill magazine and its website. I pulled up to my home in Alabama with my car covered in thick bugs and dirt. Its usual cherry-red color was a dream from months before. Glancing at the odometer I felt a sense of accomplishment: I just drove 10,000 miles. The goal of my cross-country trip, dubbed #followmylede on social media and launched during Sunshine Week, was to chronicle journalism in

Here's what I learned. This article was originally published on Medium and other sites. Click on the feature image to see an interactive map. One year ago this week — Sunshine Week — I set out to chronicle journalism in America in 2017 by driving 10,000 miles. As a former full-time journalist turned journalism professor I wanted to step out of my own newsroom experiences and learn. I was interested in holding a mirror up to the journalists who bring us the news every day. “Wh