Abigail Beck, a junior majoring in journalism and minoring in political science at Arizona State University, is the eighth recipient of the Don Bolles/Arizona Republic News 21 Fellowship.
The fellowship was created in 2016 in memory of Bolles, a Republic investigative reporter who was mortally wounded when a dynamite bomb exploded under his car on June 2, 1976. He died 11 days later after three of his limbs were amputated to stave off infection.
In 2019, Republic investigative reporter Richard Ruelas examined Bolles’ death and some of his unfinished work in a podcast, “Rediscovering: Don Bolles, Murdered Arizona Journalist.“
Each summer, a senior or graduate student has the opportunity to participate in a full-time investigative project through ASU’s News 21 program. The student receives a $15,000 stipend to cover travel and other expenses.
This summer’s project tackles the state of democracy in America and examines potential hurdles leading up to the 2024 election.
Fellows spent 15 weeks this spring conducting research before heading to Phoenix for their 10-week field reporting fellowship. Their final stories — to be produced in text, video, audio, photos and graphics — will be shared with national media outlets for publication.