Casey Smith Email & Phone Number

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Covering Indiana policy and politics, with a focus on education, the environment and the state legislature.

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Covering Indiana policy and politics, with a focus on education, the environment and the state legislature.

Faculty within the School of Journalism teaching introductory courses on journalistic storytelling, media ethics and reporting techniques. Additionally, advanced course instruction delves into state and local political reporting, as well as in-depth and investigative reporting. Courses taught: JOUR 101, JOUR 105, JOUR 311, NEWS 418, CCIM 200, CCIM 210, CCIM 300 and CCIM 400.

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Indianapolis-based watchdog reporter covering elections, with focuses on the state attorney general's race and on U.S. House District 5. During the legislative session, my reporting centered around K-12 funding and the effects of state policies on local districts.

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Member of the 2020-21 Report for America corps covering the Indiana Statehouse for The Associated Press. Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. An initiative of the nonprofit media organization, The GroundTruth Project, it is structured to harness the skills and idealism of an emerging group of journalists plus the creative spirit of local news organizations.

California, United States

Through a collaboration between Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program and The New York Times, I reported on the coronavirus pandemic in California, with a special focus on Santa Clara County. Reporting included daily collection and analysis of county-level data on testing, infection rates and hospital capacity. On-the-ground coverage followed the county's approach to enforcing one of the state's strictest shelter-in-place orders (the story was printed on the front page of the print edition), as well as in-depth reporting on California's zero-bail schedule.

Berkeley, California

I worked as the 2019-20 graduate research fellow at the IRP in Berkeley, California. The primary focus of my work involved in-depth reporting, records requests (via PRAs and FOIA), conducting interviews, database creation and management, and collecting and organizing research for my ongoing projects. My reporting focused on law enforcement malpractice in California, juvenile justice in Louisiana, and industry influences on scientific research. I also led a workshop for up-and-coming investigative journalists, centered around reporting on the assisted living industry. Through the IRP, I was also a reporter for the California Reporting Project — a coalition of more than 30 news organizations across the state gathering and reporting on police misconduct records made newly available by SB 1421 — under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Thomas Peele.

Berkeley, California

One of five graduate student employees at the IRP. I pursued story leads, submitted records requests, conducted interviews, and collected and organized research. Under Lowell Bergman, the IRP’s founder, I also collected and compiled research for in-depth, investigative memos. Additionally, I assisted with day-to-day operations, including putting my InDesign skills to use. I further contributed reporting to the IRP’s California Corruption Project, led by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Thomas Peele.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Summer 2019, I covered news stories in Indianapolis and across the Hooiser state as a Pulliam Fellow. At the news and investigations desks, my reporting explored topics like new police practices and body cameras, a contentious development proposal in the City of Avon (complete with the petitioners’ views, the council’s voting struggles and the ultimate decision to approve the project), an emotional citizenship ceremony, and allegations of animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farms. Additionally, I worked a weekly breaking news shift where I covered everything from local crime and officer-involved shootings to damaging tornadoes and the governor’s reelection announcement. Over the course of the summer, I published more than 50 pieces across IndyStar’s online and print platforms, as well as throughout USA TODAY and its other local news properties.

Oakland, California

At this hyperlocal news site supported by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, I covered all topics relating to science, health and the environment in Oakland, California. Previous stories of mine included reporting on air quality, local health statistics and new state legislation affecting children’s wellness. All stories produced at Oakland North are reported independently and on deadlines.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

From May-August 2018, I worked as a research and reporting intern at the Investigative Reporting Workshop in Washington, D.C. There, I worked under the editorship of Chuck Lewis and Lynne Perri. Half of my time as an intern was spent reporting and writing a long-form investigative piece about the Department of the Interior, and the other half was spent in The Washington Post newsroom where I assisted Kimbriell Kelly with the homicide database project, which was named a 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Explanatory Reporting. Throughout the summer, I was actively submitting and tracking records requests, analyzing documents and data, conducting interviews, and piecing together stories.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

Through a joint internship program at the Investigative Reporting Workshop in Washington, D.C., I assisted The Post’s investigations team on the homicide database project, which was named a 2019 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Explanatory Reporting. Throughout the summer, I was actively submitting and tracking records requests, analyzing documents and data, conducting interviews, and piecing together stories.

Portland, Indiana

Produced stories and photographs for print and online publication. Reporting included interviews with Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and feature pieces on community happenings.

Muncie, Indiana

Oversaw a staff of 75+ students producing 24/7 content for ballstatedaily.com and a 24-page weekly paper. Led special projects and investigations, including in-depth coverage relating to student government, campus crime, local politics, Greek Life, Ball State's Centennial, etc. Also oversaw editorial board pieces as leader of the board. The Daily News is an independent publication recognized at the state and national levels, including with the Associated Collegiate Press’ Pacemaker award, widely considered the most prestigious accolade a college publication can receive.

Muncie, Indiana Area

Oversaw a section of 20+ reporters. Edited and advised all work published under the news section and led award-winning coverage of the 2016 election. Managed print and online content and was responsible for all urgent and breaking news coverage.

Muncie, Indiana Area

Daily reporter focusing on crime, administration and breaking news at Ball State and in the nearby Muncie community.

Muncie, Indiana Area

Wrote and edited park-related content for the NPS digital database on a volunteer basis. Written pieces focused on park history and culture at sites across the United States.

Washington, District Of Columbia

Reported, edited and fact-checked print and online stories as the sole recipient of National Geographic's 2017 summer editorial internship (part of the American Society of Magazine Editors program). Produced more than 30 online articles and wrote three pieces for the print magazine on topics including science, space and the environment.

Indiana

Pitched and wrote original weekly stories on deadline as a college correspondent. Responsible for composing enterprise pieces on topics that included university grade distributions, student technology security and environmental issues. Stories also published on the USA TODAY website and homepage.

Ball State University

I conducted research relating to sexual minority groups alongside Dr. Craig Webster. Through this work, I helped assess sampling methods and developed a survey which was distributed to research participants internationally. Further, I helped code the questionnaire's results and began putting together the data for an academic paper. As a fellow, I completed Collaborative Institutional Training Institute (CITI) training and presented findings in a peer forum.

National Museum Of The American Indian (Nmai), Washington, D.C

During summer 2016, I interned at The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. as a multimedia and research intern. I was responsible for shooting and editing photos and videos before and during events for online packages, and I also monitored and enhanced social media analytics for the museum. A large portion of my summer was also spent conducting research and composing articles for NMAI Magazine and other ongoing multimedia projects at NMAI.

Applied Anthropology Lab

I spent a semester at Ball State as a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) intern for the Applied Anthropology Lab. I assisted with the documentation of funerary objects (mostly lithic artifacts) associated with human remains, catalogued and organized human remains and assisted with tribal repatriation consultations. I also assisted with database entry and digital media work relating to NAGPRA.

Woodworth Complex

Worked as a resident assistant in Woodworth Complex. Promoted the academic and personal development of students in my residence hall community through weekly programs, monthly seminars and other hall activities. Responsibilities included facilitating community development through personal interactions, meetings and activities, as well as utilizing appropriate personnel and procedures to handle crisis, discipline, and duty situations. Received 10-Star Diversity Certification for a year-long Spanish language capstone conducted in the residence hall.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

I spent summer 2015 as a communications and reporting intern at Drum Corps International (DCI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. As an intern, I developed journalistic and social media content for the official DCI website (DCI.org), its social media platforms and various print publications. Throughout the summer, I interviewed and reported on high-profile individuals and events in the DCI realm, working under strict deadlines. Other responsibilities included tracking DCI.org with analytics tools and pitching feature stories to staff. I also helped make daily updates to the website and produced written and alternative form stories online.

Master'S Degree, Journalism, Graduated Summa Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Graduate Research Fellow (Investigative Reporting Program) Master of Journalism from the University.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Journalism/Telecommunications, Graduated Magna Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: The Ball State Daily News, Kappa Tau Alpha, Christian Student Foundation, National Residence Hall Honorary, Phi.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Anthropology, Graduated Magna Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Applied Anthropology Lab, Lambda Alpha Major concentration: Cultural Anthropology Minor: Spanish Honors College.

High School, Core 40 Honors Diploma

Activities and Societies: Newspaper, Marching Band, Hoosier Girls State, National Honors Society Graduated in top 5% of class; AP Scholar.