Gina Barton covers federal court, federal agencies and legal issues for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She also has worked at the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune and the Huntington (WV) Herald Dispatch. Gina holds a bachelor’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Indiana University. Gina has won numerous awards for reporting and has given several lectures about sensitivity in media coverage to students and community groups, including the 2005 national convention of the American Society for Public Administration.

Jimmie Briggs, free-lance writer in New York City. Briggs has written on the struggles of young people in difficult circumstances, including child soldiers in battlegrounds around the world. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, Village Voice, New York Times Magazine and George.

Gretel Daugherty, photojournalist in Colorado. Daugherty has worked for the Denver Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Associated Press. She has been active in reporting on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in fighting for the rights of military veterans who suffer from PTSD.

Laura Jackson, producer-in-residence for WHYY, a public-television station in Philadelphia. Jackson has produced documentaries on economic justice for women, rehabilitation for first-time offenders in a county jail, and efforts to improve the quality of life in violent neighborhoods.

Penny Cockerell, correspondent for the Associated Press and former staff reporter for the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City. Cockerell has covered tornadoes, murder and mayhem on the police beat, the Columbine High School shootings, the Texas A&M bonfire tragedy, and the Oklahoma City bombing and subsequent trials of two defendants.

Elaine Silvestrini, formerly with the Asbury Park Press, presently a reporter with the Tampa Tribune, where she covers the federal court beat. Silvestrini has covered criminal trials, a program to help sexual-assault victims negotiate the medical and legal systems, and the impact of emotional trauma on the family of a young woman killed by a drunk driver.