The latest addition to the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting is Mark Schaver, a veteran Louisville journalist who is specializing in data reporting.Schaver currently is the editor of The Courier-Journal's digital news team. In his new role, Schaver "will use data analysis to mine and scrape public records, unlock information and help tell investigative stories in new and compelling ways," the Center said.The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting is a non-profit investigative newsroom launched earlier this year by Louisville Public Media,which also operates WFPL News, WFPK and WUOL.The Center isled by Brendan McCarthy and also includes R.G. Dunlop, a veteran Louisville investigative reporter.βThese hires represent some of the best and brightest in watchdog journalism in this state,β McCarthy said. βIt's a great start for our ambitious, growing newsroom."The Center has embarked on a national search for two more investigative reporters.Schaver will begin with the Center in late August.In his 25 -year journalism career in Kentucky and North Carolina, he's produced or contributed to stories on racial imbalances on juries, delays in the criminal justice system and the crash of a commuter plane in Lexington. He's contributed to two reporting teams nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.Schaver also built an online project that tracked the media's use of unnamed sources, which gained national media attention from the likes of USA Today and ESPN.com."These are tough times for traditional news organizations, and nonprofits like the Center are stepping in to make sure the public knows the truth about what public and private institutions are doing behind closed doors, and to hold their leaders accountable," Schaver said.
