Ohio

Jo Ingles

| Rebekah Jones

The Press Cohort (Ohio)

Jo Ingles (Ohio)

Jo Ingles covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and most recently, the COVID pandemic. Jo has looked at the data, asked tough questions of state leaders and has explained the various facets of the pandemic for listeners and viewers.

After working for more than a decade at WOSU-AM, Jo was hired by the Bureau in 1999. Her work has been featured on national networks such as National Public Radio, Marketplace, the Great Lakes Radio Consortium and the BBC. She is often a guest on radio talk shows heard on Ohio’s public radio stations. In addition, she’s a regular guest on WOSU-TV’s “Columbus on the Record” and WBNS-TV’s “Face the State.” Jo also writes for respected publications such as Columbus Monthly and Reuters News Service.

She has won many awards for her work across all of those platforms. She is currently the president of the Ohio Radio and TV Correspondents Association, a past board member for the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association and a past president for the Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters. Jo also works as an instructor at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Here are some of Jo’s articles covering COVID-19:

Why New COVID Death Total Is So High | The Statehouse News BureauThe state’s coronavirus website shows 752 deaths since Tuesday, the last time the numbers updated. But Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud says 428 of those are Ohioans who died out of state.www.statenews.org
Ohio Is Changing The Way It Handles COVID-19 Death Data | The Statehouse News BureauDr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the chief medical officer for ODH, used a diagram to explain the current reconciliation process, which involved the agency’s employees taking steps to speed up the reporting of the death numbers.www.statenews.org
DeWine Gives Hint Of When Mask Mandate, Other Health Orders Will Be Lifted | The Statehouse News BureauA year after the Arnold Sports Festival became the first major event canceled because of coronavirus, DeWine says Ohioans have made great progress by wearing masks, social distancing, and getting vaccines.www.statenews.org
The Whys And Hows Behind The Metrics For Lifting Health Orders | The Statehouse News BureauGov. Mike DeWine says he’ll lift the mask mandates and other health orders when Ohio’s coronavirus cases drop to 50 cases per 100,000 Ohioans over a twowww.statenews.org
More Ohioans Are Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccines | The Statehouse News BureauStarting Thursday, more Ohioans will be eligible for COVID vaccines. That’s because nearly a half a million more doses will be available this week.www.statenews.org
Federal Mass Vaccination Site Coming To Cleveland | The Statehouse News BureauGov. Mike DeWine says he’s excited about the new clinics because they will allow more people to be vaccinated quickly. “Mass vaccination clinics have always been part of our plan, but adequate supply is necessary for larger sites, so it was crucial that we first established local provider sites in all 88 counties to ensure that every citizen in every community has a provider nearby,” said …www.statenews.org

A few words from those who nominated Jo Ingles:

“Jo has continued thru her Twitter feed and on radio/television to post data and relevant news about the pandemic. I am most familiar with her Twitter postings geared toward understanding the raw data. “

Click here to follow Jo on Twitter
Read Jo’s Statehouse News profile and stories here

Karen Kasler

| Rebekah Jones

The Press Cohort (Ohio)

Karen Kasler (Ohio)

Karen Kasler manages a team of four journalists who cover the Ohio Statehouse for the state’s public radio and TV stations.

Every single member of Karen’s team was nominated more than once, a testament to her ability to not only analyze and communicate complex data regarding COVID-19, but also to build and lead a team that does data journalism right.

“The idea that I’m doing calculations and dealing with stats and data – and enjoying it – would STUN my high school math teachers,” Karen joked, noting how much work went into giving the numbers and then telling the stories behind those numbers.

She’s been tracking confirmed cases and deaths since March 9, 2020, investigating issues related to data integrity within the state. She covers everything from schools, to nursing home deaths, to vaccination issues, and changes in state policy.

She posts a data update for Ohio to her Twitter page every day at about 2 PM CT, as soon as the state’s data comes out.

“Through radio and TV stories, we’ve talked to doctors and experts about COVID deniers and nursing home staff rejecting the vaccine, to families devastated by loss and workers who can’t get unemployment benefits, and to struggling business owners and to lawmakers about public safety versus the push to “open up Ohio”.

Her stories always put data front and center, adjacent to the scientific and political voices swirling around information access and transparency.

“I’ve been tracking nursing homes for a while,” she said. “At one point, more than 70% of deaths were in those facilities. The state hasn’t made it easy because they count deaths before April 15 and after April 15 separately.”

“Since I’m a broadcast journalist, I have to make all the data simple for a listening/viewing audience. So here’s how I highlight the most important data on hospitalizations/testing/vaccines from the state’s website:”

“One other thing about Ohio,” Karen added, circling back to the issues of government leaning into anti-science radicals posing as experts or even journalists.

“While our governor was initially aggressive about shutdowns, he’s gotten pushback from his fellow Republicans in the legislature – some of whom are straight-up conspiracy theorists. They’re enabled by this guy (Jack Windsor). As the pandemic started, he ran a wedding venue. He suddenly decided he was an “investigative journalist” and infiltrated the governor’s daily press conferences – much to the frustration of actual journalists.”

Karen’s teammates who have been nominated include Andy Chow, Jo Ingles, and Dan Konik.

Karen Kasler (left), Jo Ingles (center) and Andy Chow (right) were all nominated as COVID-19 Data Heroes for their work with the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau.

A few words from those who nominated Karen and her team:

“Karen Kasler manages a team of truly talented individuals. I don’t know if she has a background in statistics or math, but she has managed to make sense of all these numbers for us. She doesn’t just throw the numbers at us like some people – she puts them in context so we understand what they mean for our lives. And she has mentored two people that could equally be considered for your award. But as the leader, you have to nominate Ms. Kasler!”

“Andy has done an exemplary job, along with colleagues Jo Ingles and Karen Kasler, providing data and analysis on the coronavirus crisis in Ohio, as well as how it affects listeners’ lives. His deep involvement with the issue has made him a trusted household name around the state.”

“Jo has continued thru her Twitter feed and on radio/television to post data and relevant news about the pandemic. I am most familiar with her Twitter postings geared toward understanding the raw data. “

Click here to visit Karen’s Twitter