Sources: Andy Nelson, 785-532-3958, nelsona@k-state.edu;
and Dante Chinni, 202-302-2209, dantechinni@gmail.com
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-2535.
News release prepared by: Emily Vietti, 785-532-2535, evietti@k-state.edu

Friday, Jan. 21, 2011

JOURNALIST TO SPEAK AT K-STATE ABOUT STITCHING TOGETHER U.S. TRENDS THROUGH REPORTING PROJECT PATCHWORK NATION

MANHATTAN -- Dante Chinni, director of Patchwork Nation, will deliver the "State of the Patchwork Nation" Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Kansas State University.

Patchwork Nation is a reporting project that takes data from all 3,141 counties in the United States, analyzes the characteristics of the people living there and divides them into 12 different community types. Then the data is used to explore the trends that shape the nation.

Chinni's speech, which will take place the day after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Town Hall in the Leadership Studies Building. The event is free and open to the public.

"This is a great opportunity for students, faculty and the Manhattan community to hear from a noteworthy journalist and keen observer of the nation," said Andy Nelson, K-State journalism and mass communications instructor.

The speech will explain what Patchwork Nation's reporting efforts from across the United States say about the current economic, social and political landscape. Chinni will also discuss the implications of Patchwork Nation's findings for the 2012 presidential campaign and election.

Patchwork Nation won a 2009 Knight-Batten Award for journalistic innovation. The project works in collaboration with "NewsHour" on PBS and other journalistic programs and is funded by the Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.