Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting welcomes Rhema Bland as new director

Going the extra mile was always a step familiar to Rhema Bland, who as a young Black journalist often felt overlooked and underestimated. 

Bland, who started her investigative journalism career at the Pensacola News Journal, saw many of her stories given to higher-up reporters. 

“I would start off doing the breaking news story and then it would always get taken over, get sent to the top guys — the white guys — and one day I was just like ‘No, this story is not going to get taken away from me,’” Bland said. 

Now, as the newly appointed director of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting housed at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Bland said she feels humbled by the responsibility of leading an organization dedicated to building up journalists of color in a field she found difficult to break into.

The organization is named for Ida B. Wells, whose investigative work exposed the truth about lynchings nationally and broadened the field of investigative journalism to include Black women like herself. 

Nikole Hannah-Jones, Ron Nixon, Corey Johnson and Topher Sanders, all prominent, award-winning journalists, co-founded the Ida B. Wells Society in 2016.  

The society strives to diversify the ranks of investigative reporters and editors, positions from which journalists of color have often been excluded. Because investigative reporters are highly skilled and can often spend months on one story, the field of investigative reporting can be an exclusive area to pursue. 

Previous to Bland’s appointment, Susan Leath, who directs the Hussman Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media, served as the interim director of the Ida B. Wells Society. 

Together with the founders, the dean and the assistant dean of the Hussman School, Leath said there was a national, year-long search for a permanent director position for the Society. 

“Our search for director was thorough,” Leath said. “We’re certain that Rhema has the moxie to help our industry to create more diversity in journalism, specifically the ranks of investigative reporters and editors, who help citizens see what is truly happening in America.” 

Dean of the Hussman School Susan King agreed, emphasizing Bland’s experience, skillset and personal understanding were all contributing factors to her selection. 

“She knows what it's like to be a journalist of color who sometimes can’t break through in the newsroom,” King said. “To have ambition and feel like you’re not being heard. She also has executive experience and knows what it’s like to work with journalism students.”

Bland started her career in journalism as a courthouse reporter, before finding jobs in broadcasting, print and teaching. After working as a production assistant and producer at CBS, she moved into print news, reporting from papers in Florida. 

Before applying for the Ida B. Wells Society directorial position, Bland served as a student media adviser and director at both Florida Gulf Coast University and East Carolina University. 

As director of the Society, Bland said she will help the founders carry out their vision and ideas for scholarship programs, trainings and more. 

But she said her personal goals are to expand the sense of community within the organization, allowing more journalists of color to connect with each other. 

“One of the things we’re going to be working on is revamping our website and just creating more of a digital community environment, and that’s something that I’m feeling very strong about because it’s so needed,” she said. “I can say from firsthand experience, for journalists of color or women of color who are journalists, just that sense of community can make all the difference.”

Devonte Richardson, a former journalism student of Bland’s at Florida Gulf Coast University, said a lot of journalists get ahead based on personal connections, which journalists of color don’t always have access to. 

“Journalism is a very hard business to crack into,” Richardson said. “If you have people higher up than you that have already been in that type of field and can at least help you get a little head start, it would be a big help.” 

Besides being able to work alongside many of her role models, such as Hannah-Jones, Bland said she is excited to see a project this unprecedented come to life at a time when the country is finally facing a racial reckoning.

“We are at this place where the iron is hot for this, people are looking for this, newsrooms are having to deal with things that for a long time they just kind of pushed to the side,” Bland said. “Now there’s kind of this groundswell where people are finally saying ‘No, we’re not going to just accept this anymore, we’re not going to accept being pushed to the side.’”

Bland said she is looking forward to working with journalism students who are just starting their careers. She also said she feels the outreach with young journalists is part of the reason the society’s work is so important to her. 

“There’s nothing like that feeling when you all finally see ‘Oh my god, this has an impact, what I do matters, and I can do this,’" Bland said. "And so to see more Black and brown journalists get that feeling and get that confidence — it means the world to me."

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