On July 20, Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication announced plans to launch a Center for Urban Investigative Reporting.

The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Center for Urban Investigative Reporting will focus exclusively on issues facing Philadelphia and other large, metropolitan cities.

Some of these issues include gun violence, economic equality, education and health disparities, crumbling infrastructure and eroding trust in institutions.

Through the Logan Center, Klein students and faculty will get the opportunity to report on not only these problems, but also potential solutions based on what may have worked in other cities across the nation and around the globe. 

The center will be established thanks to a $1.2 million founding grant from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation of Berkeley, California. 

“Through this generous grant, our students will not only graduate with impressive investigative skills, they will be producing important work while they learn,” Klein College Dean David Boardman, said in a statement. 

Through its journalism Philadelphia Neighborhoods capstone class, students obtain the opportunity to report from different areas of the city that are often overlooked by mainstream media. 

Now, with the launch of the new Center for Urban Investigative Reporting, students will get an additional resource to dig deeper into the multitude of stories within Philadelphia. 

Since the study of communication was formally introduced at Temple in 1927, as well as the study of journalism 40 years later, the department has served as a breeding ground for students who are looking to pursue careers in journalism, communications and other related professions.

In 2017, the school adopted its current name, the Klein College of Media and Communication, named after broadcasting pioneer and Temple University icon, Lew Klein. 

Temple’s journalism program has graduated roughly 6,000 alumni making their mark in the industry.

Dean Boardman described one of the main goals of the new Center for Urban Investigative Reporting as aiming to “redefine investigative reporting so that it is more equitable, inclusive, community-focused and solutions-oriented.”

The work produced within the center will appear on Temple sites, as well as local publications. The college will hire two experienced journalists to teach and work alongside the students. 

“We're thrilled to be partnering with Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication to train smart young journalists in urban investigative reporting, not only to expose problems but also to report on promising solutions that can really make a difference in people's lives," said Jonathan Logan, President of the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, in a statement. 

The center is expected to open by the start of the 2022-23 academic year.