Covering campaign finance and lobbying: Free webinar from NPCJI on Oct. 20

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Political spending is expected to reach record-breaking heights in the coming year.

Journalists will play a crucial role in informing the public about who and what organizations are funding candidates, ballot measures, and policy debates in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the country.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute and the nonpartisan research group OpenSecrets are hosting an Oct. 20 training on the basics of how to cover campaign finance and lobbying. Registration is open for this one-hour webinar that will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The training will be taught by OpenSecrets' research experts Anna Massoglia, editorial and investigations manager, and Pete Quist, deputy research director.

In this webinar, participants can expect they will:

• Learn how to use the OpenSecrets' national and state databases to identify who and what organizations are contributing to politicians and their campaigns
• Understand the ways that money is funneled into politics, including candidate advocacy groups, political action committees, dark money, and direct donations
• Develop skills to uncover which individuals, companies, labor unions, trade associations, and other organizations spend on lobbying
• Gain story ideas for the national and state politics-in-money angle

About the speakers

Anna Massoglia manages editorial content and investigations at OpenSecrets as well as dark money and foreign influence research. She holds degrees in psychology and political science from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. Massoglia has more than a decade of research, writing and editing experience. She first joined OpenSecrets in 2015 as a political nonprofits researcher.

Pete Quist joined OpenSecrets in the 2021 when The Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in State Politics merged. Quist had been the research director at NIMP since 2013, after serving five years as a researcher. At NIMP, he focused on best practices for disclosure of money in state politics. Before joining the Institute in 2008, Quist spent two years at Project Vote Smart, where he tracked the progress of congressional and state legislation, summarized key bills in plain language, and compiled voting records. Quist earned a bachelor of political science from South Dakota State University.

About the National Press Club Journalism Institute

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.

The Institute depends on grants, foundation funds, and contributions from individuals like you. Your donation today allows the Institute to offer the majority of its programming at no cost.

Contact: Beth Francesco, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club Journalism Institute