Outrider Foundation Announces Fellowship in Partnership with USA TODAY and Journalism Funding Partners.
Posting: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
This press release comes to JFP through a reporting partnership with Outrider Foundation and USA TODAY
Outrider Foundation continues to expand its editorial fellowship program with the addition of reporter Davis Winkie at USA TODAY.
Winkie will cover the White House for USA TODAY, focusing on nuclear threats and national security. His work will appear throughout the USA TODAY network and Gannett brands.
Before joining USA TODAY, Winkie was a senior reporter for the independent Military Times family of news magazines. As the publication’s top Army beat reporter, Winkie led editorial partnerships with The Texas Tribune and ProPublica. His investigative work led to significant impact: changes in federal law, policy changes, investigations, senior leader firings, and more. He also previously worked as a researcher for CNN’s editorial fact-checking division, The Row, where he fact-checked and verified attribution for TV scripts, features, digital articles, and longform projects.
Davis Winkle | USA TODAY
Winkie has a master’s degree in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied how the Defense Department influenced Cold War-era Hollywood war movies. He’s also a proud veteran of the Army National Guard and a part-time officer in the Air National Guard, where he received the Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award for Company Grade Officers from the National Guard Association of the U.S. in 2021.
“With generous support from Outrider Foundation, Davis will produce quality reporting providing a mix of enterprise and contextual journalism on the topics of nuclear threats and national security to our readers, viewers, and social media followers,” said Karey Van Hall, USA TODAY’s deputy editor in chief.
Outrider Foundation is a non-political, nonpartisan 501c3 organization that educates the public about nuclear security threats and climate issues with programs and journalism fellowships.
“Winkie’s track record makes him an ideal Outrider fellow,” said Robert K. Elder, President and CEO of Outrider. “We’re looking forward to reading more of his enterprising work and storytelling.”
By partnering with Journalism Funding Partners, a nonprofit that builds connections between grant makers and newsrooms, the fellowship and Winkie’s reporting will engage new audiences through measurable and lasting impact.
“Journalism Funding Partners is thrilled to connect mission-driven funders such as Outrider Foundation with various news organizations to raise awareness on issues affecting our communities. The impact of partnering Outrider with USA TODAY and its national network will benefit millions of Americans,” said Rusty Coats, Executive Director at JFP.
Davis Winkie is the eighth journalist named to Outrider’s fellowship program, including partnerships with The New York Times, Bloomberg Green, TIME magazine, The Guardian US, and the public radio program Science Friday.
About Outrider Foundation: Outrider Foundation supports journalism and multimedia storytelling about nuclear threats and climate change. The foundation partners with creators, thought leaders, and news organizations to explain how smart policy can sustain a safe and livable planet.
About USA TODAY: Since its introduction in 1982, USA TODAY has been a cornerstone of the national media landscape under its recognizable and respected brand. It also serves as the foundation for our newsroom network, which allows for content sharing capabilities across our local and national markets. Through USA TODAY, we deliver high-quality, trusted content with a commitment to balanced, unbiased journalism, where and when consumers want to engage. Across our digital platforms we reach an audience of approximately 79 million unique visitors each month (based on December 2023 ComScore Media Metrix®).
About JFP: Journalism Funding Partners is a 501(c) (3) organization with a mission of strengthening the depth, diversity and sustainability of local news by building and shepherding relationships between funders and local news organizations. JFP manages the funds feeding numerous news initiatives, including more than a dozen Climate reporters in the Southeast, an Equity Desk
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