A Watchdog Reporter Focuses on Public Safety
In his first year at Fordham, Jake Shore joined WFUV, the University’s public media station, thinking he could score concert tickets as part of the promotions department staff. He was tapped for news instead.“It was a lot of training, but once I got the hang of it, I really loved it,” says Shore, who also wrote for The Fordham Ram while majoring in journalism and political science.
In 2022, the California native was selected to join Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local news organizations and pays part of their salaries. He’s been covering public safety and criminal justice issues for The Current, a nonprofit investigative news outlet in Savannah, Georgia.
Last year, he dug into the history of a white police officer who had shot and killed a Black man and was placed on administrative leave with pay.
“We found that he had had a bunch of use-of-force reports against him” when he worked as a prison guard, Shore says, and they went unnoticed when he was hired. The Savannah Police Department now requires a more thorough background check of prospective officers.
“I can see the changes I’m writing about,” Shore says, highlighting the importance of local news. “We all have to live here together and we all want to make it a better place, and that’s something I really value.”
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