Recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Journalism Award a Lot of Hard Work Bore Fruit in February 2010 When the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism Was Created

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism IowaWatch.org Annual Report — October 2015 Recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Journalism Award A lot of hard work bore fruit in February 2010 when the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism was created. The 501(c)(3) organization was founded with the ideal that a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization in Iowa could advance the notion that democracy is best served by a vibrant, free press casting a critical eye while examining public matters in depth. In the five-plus years that followed the Center has grown as a provider and promoter of in-depth investigative and public affairs reporting in Iowa, and as mentors to college students who want to learn how to do this kind of journalism at a high, ethical level. Along the way, the Center has published 280 original news stories, the majority by college students; published 65 stories by nonprofit news partners and 15 original databases; launched a weekly radio program; helped produce a documentary; and engaged Iowans in meaningful discussions about issues that impact our lives. Eighty-one newspapers, websites, television or radio stations published or aired an IowaWatch story 1,033 times from January through September 2015. And, we celebrated our fifth anniversary in May 2015, six months after the Iowa Association for Justice honored the Center with its 2014 Excellence in Journalism award. Our mission is threefold: 1. Journalism as public service, with in-depth, thorough and fact-checked investigative reporting of community issues for stories, distributed free via our website and news media partners. 2. Education through working one-on-one with college students on several Iowa campuses who want to do this kind of journalism at a high level, and with impact. 3. Sustainability through raising funds to do this independent journalism, and spending those funds wisely.

This annual report shares our progress in the past year.

Lyle Muller, Executive Director-Editor Journalism As Public Service

Since Oct. 1, 2014, these significant stories have been published at IowaWatch.org and by news partners statewide: o Repeat animal health inspection offenders breeding dogs for sale are allowed to keep the animals after being cited for violations. o Top-selling Iowa Lottery retail locations are in neighborhoods where the median household income is below Iowa’s average. o Many college students deal with hidden illnesses while trying to get an education and graduate. o The severity of toxic algae on Iowa lakes is on the rise. o Iowa’s response to foreign refugees has changed in 40 years. o Some college students face unfair landlord practices, cooked fees, rigged damage deposits they’ll never get back. o No criteria for gauging the success of closing two state mental health institutes existed as the institutes were closed. o Iowa battles to keep young talent in the state. o Iowa newspapers sit in growing piles while the state determines how to preserve them. o Concern exists over elder suicide in Iowa. o Access to adequate health care for African Americans and Latinos difficult in Iowa. 12

IowaWatch stories have been published or aired the past 5 years by: The Gazette (Cedar Rapids) KDEC, Decorah The Courier (Waterloo) WHO-AM, Des Moines The Hawk Eye (Burlington) KOIL, Omaha The Des Moines Register KVFD, Fort Dodge Quad City Times KFJB, Marshalltown The Telegraph Herald KWPC-AM, Muscatine (Dubuque) KCZE-FM, New Hampton Sioux City Journal KRTI-FM, Newton Iowa City Press-Citizen KGLO, Mason City Fort Dodge Messenger KMA-AM/FM, Shenandoah/Clarinda Mason City Globe Gazette KSCJ-AM, Sioux City Storm Lake Pilot Tribune WLTL-FM, LaGrange, Ill. Council Bluffs Nonpareil KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids Daily City Gate (Keokuk) KGAN/KFXA-TV, Cedar Rapids IowaWatch cofounder Stephen Berry and IowaWatch Connection Ames Tribune KWWL-TV, Waterloo radio show host/producer Jeff Stein at KXEL in Waterloo. Iowa State Daily KTIV-TV, Sioux City The Daily Iowan WHO-TV, Des Moines The IowaWatch Connection The Northern Iowan WOI-TV, Des Moines Mount Mercy Times IowaNow.com Audience Engagement Project Dyersville Commercial ABetterIowa.com Cascade Pioneer InvestigativeMidwest.org North Liberty Leader BusinessRecord.com On July 4, 2014, IowaWatch launched the weekly Solon Economist AltoonaHerald.com radio program, The IowaWatch Connection, as a 13- Butler County Tribune Journal Belle Plaine Star Press Union week experiment. Still going more than a year later, Creston News Advertiser Calmar Courier 65 shows had been aired through September 2015. N’West Iowa Review Conrad Record Algona Upper Des Moines Carroll Daily Times Herald Along the way, the program was rewarded in April Newton Daily News Dickinson County News 2015 when its reports won four first-place and two Red Oak Express Keota Eagle second-place Iowa Broadcast News Association Tipton Conservative New Sharon Sun Tama News-Herald Marshalltown Times-Republican awards for broadcast news excellence. Toledo Chronicle Marengo Pioneer-Republican

The Leader (Garner, Britt) The Outlook (Monona) A network of 20 stations aired the reports 917 times Iowa Farmer Today Rockwell City Graphic-Advocate from January through September 2015. Iowa Iowa Falls Times-Citizen Institute for Nonprofit News broadcast veteran Jeff Stein hosts the show, which Creston News Advertiser dmjuice.com you can hear in podcasts at our website, The Corridor Business Journal Patch.com IndianolaDailyRecord.com PublicSource.org IowaWatch.org. The Iowa State Bar Association has Iowa Public Radio Omaha.com supported the program all year and is joined as an WMT-AM, Cedar Rapids Sheffield Press underwriter in October by AARP of Iowa. KXIC-AM, Iowa City Sigourney News Review KXEL-AM, Waterloo Spencer Daily Reporter The project’s mission is to engage Iowans in KASI-AM, Ames The Leader and Kanawha Reporter KCYZ-FM, Ames The Michigan Voice meaningful conversation about issues they face and KSOM-FM, Atlantic Muckrack.com to explore solutions. We collaborated in forums in KCNZ-AM, Cedar Falls Fund for Investigative Journalism Waterloo, Des Moines, Iowa City, Coralville and KCHA-FM, Charles City MidAmerican Publishing papers KROS-AM/FM, Clinton Centro de Periodismo Investigativo North Liberty this past year and more are planned. KSIB-FM, Creston New England Center for KALA-FM, Davenport Investigative Reporting Our stories also have been the basis for other stories, columns, editorials or guest opinions for the audiences of: USA Today Alegent Creighton Health Red Oak Express Bleeding Heartland Prairie City News Change and Media Project KTVO-TV KIMT-TV The Source magazine Early Voting Information Center Little Village website Drake University website Investigate Midwest California Reinvestment Coalition Iowa Labor News Buena Vista University website TreatmentLine.com Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources Stateline.org The Michigan Voice (Pew Charitable Trust) Sustainability at Iowa website The Corridor Business Journal was a partner with IowaWatch for a Kaiser Health News Governor’s Highway Safety July 2015 forum in Coralville about young talent leaving Iowa. Black Christian Network Association Health Education

IowaWatch works with college students as mentors and editors, showing students that journalism they produce can be far more than a class assignment that draws a grade. Students on eight Iowa college campuses collaborated with IowaWatch on journalism projects from Oct. 1, 2014-Sept. 30, 2015 and had impact. Addressing Brain Drain in Iowa: Higher Education’s Hidden Illnesses: A College Media Collaboration A Simpson College Journalism Report

Ten student journalists from seven Iowa colleges For the second year four Simpson College seniors asked graduating seniors on campus a simple in a class taught by communication and media question: Where will you work after college? The studies professor Brian Steffen produced a typical answer – outside of Iowa – led to a May multimedia IowaWatch report as a spring project. 2015 multimedia report published in nine Four Iowa newspapers published their revealing newspapers and which spawned two television report on the hidden illnesses students cope with reports, an Iowa Public Radio report and public while earning a college degree. The reporters, forums in three eastern Iowa cities. Donors Kate Hayden, Steffi Lee, Megan Quick and Ben responding to a Beacon Reader campaign to raise Rodgers, led a one-hour symposium at Simpson stipends for the student journalists busted the goal, on the day the first story in their series published all to the benefit of the students doing the report. at IowaWatch.org: April 21, 2015. Working With Students

Congratulations go to Lu Shen (left in photo), a 2014 University of Iowa graduate whose IowaWatch story about difficulties Chinese students have adapting to life at the university won the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Award for the nation’s best 2014 online news story by a college journalist. Lu continues to produce solid journalism at CNN-Beijing. She is shown here with IowaWatch assistant editor Lauren Mills during a September 2015 Iowa City visit. IowaWatch has relationships as one-on-one mentors and editors for students at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa, Cornell College, Simpson College and Loras College. We also have worked with students at Drake University, Buena Vista University, William Penn University, Mount Mercy University and Grinnell College and have plans to add more to that list. Students at the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University and Loras College helped IowaWatch produce a fall 2014 report on voters’ attitudes about negative campaign ads. This led to a full-scale effort in 2015 and into 2016 involving students and faculty members on 11 Iowa campuses to cover Iowa’s presidential precinct caucus campaign season. For professionals, IowaWatch is providing three webinar training sessions for the Iowa Newspaper Foundation and has done presentations at an Investigative Reporters and Editors Better Watchdog Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin, and a Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION) conference in Chicago in 2015. Sustainability Since October 2011 the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism has provided four grants totaling $375,000 to help the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism operate. Other major supporters have included the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Institute for Nonprofit News; The Gazette Co.; KCRG-TV9; and personal donors. 2015 Budget Projected Expenses Projected Income Donations: Salaries $113,776 Foundations $ 89,500 Freelance 18,130 Media partners 10,000 The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Office expense 6,000 Donations 5,769 Journalism will seek and accept gifts, Travel expense 993 In-Kind/Donated 1,264 grants and sponsorships from Marketing 982 Webinars 1,125 Annual Banquet 3,620 Annual Banquet 5,750 individuals and organizations in any General 4,082 IowaWatch Connection 8,650 amount for the general support of the Conferences 3,585 Grants, contracts 32,382 center’s activities. Acceptance of this Equipment 1,100 New sales/events 25,963 support neither expresses nor implies Bookkeeping 1,290 Interest 124 any voice in editorial decisions beyond Payroll taxes 10,260 the broadly stated mission of Deferred 10,800 Legal 5,840 investigative journalism. We expect that Total $180,297 Total $180,528 most gifts and grants of this type will come from foundations, organizations Financial Summary – IRS 990 and individuals concerned about the Revenue 2014 2013 Contributions, gifts, grants $159,121 $131,323 future of journalism in general and the Program service revenue 35,030 1,863 future of investigative journalism in Investment income 140 216 particular. Adjustments for special events -3,411 -2,072 Total revenue $190,880 $131,330

Expenses 2014 2013 To donate: Salaries and employee benefits $132,765 $127,963 Professional fees/pymt, contractors 1,106 1,095 http://iowawatch.org/fundraising Facilities expenses 6,440 0 Printing, publications, postage 0 591 The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Other expenses 51,179 19,448 Journalism Total expenses $191,490 $149,097 P.O. Box 2178 Net assets or fund balances 2014 2013 Iowa City, IA 52244-2178 Excess or (deficit) for the year $ ( 610) $(17,767) Other changes in net assets/fund bal. 1,006 0 We thank those supporting us this past year

Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The Gazette and KCRG-TV9 Iowa State Bar Association

AARP of Iowa Hills Bank & Trust Co. Iowa Freedom MidwestOne Bank Associated Press Greater Cedar Valley Alliance of Information Council Des Moines Register Community Foundation Institute for Nonprofit News Iowa Newspaper Foundation The Courier (Waterloo) of Johnson County Iowa Association for Justice Kuhl, Phillips, & Jans LLC UnityPoint Health, Des Moines Corridor Business Journal Iowa Broadcasters Association MECCA Services Zephyr Printing Des Moines Downtown Marriott Iowa City Press-Citizen University of Iowa School of Journalism/Mass Communication

Jason Alcorn Anne Duggan Mary Kemen Amalie Nash Joe Sernoe Sara Conrad Baranowski Frank and Gigi Durham Paul Kramer David Perlmutter Irma Simpson Stephen Berry Dan Fletcher Sara Langenberg Nyla Polumbaum Scott Stewart Cheryl Berry John Gruber-Miller Tony Lengeling Judy Polumbaum Mark Smith Jim Bohannon Andy and Dee Hall Jim Malewitz Lisa Rossi Alan Swanson Bill and Dora Brubaker Nora Heaton Brian Mills Peg Schmitz Melissa Tully Jason Brummond Jim Jacobson Forrest Meyer David Schwartz Mary Ungs-Sogaard Dmitri Cherniak Dave and Lynn Jansen Brian Morelli Sid Scott Jennifer Wagner Michael Chibnik Erin Jordan Lyle and Vicki Muller Vanessa Shelton Bob Walker Carolyn Dyer Eric Kelderman James Snyder Alecia Williams