THE OTHER PUBLIC RECORDS: USING HISTORICAL ARCHIVES TO DO JOURNALISM

Wednesday, December 2, 2026 from 3 to 4:15 p.m.
Lee Hills Hall, 715 Elm Street, Columbia, MO 65211. Room 303
and Zoom

Olivia Paschal is a journalist, writer, and historian. Her book “Something in the Water,” under contract with FSG, chronicles the rise of Walmart and Tyson in northwest Arkansas, the nation, and the world, arguing that the modern economy has roots in the Ozarks hills. 

In this workshop, Paschal will walk you through the process of consulting public and private archives to supplement reporting work, particularly in long, historically engaged projects. She will discuss the process of requesting aid, finding records, and thinking about how to use them in narrative structure and as a jumping-off point for reporting. 

Suggested Reading:

“Who Owns the Mountains?”