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The truth will set them free
New journalist-in-residence makes strides to free the innocent
by Shana D. Lebowitz
Features Editor
Features | 9/25/07
Posted online at 9:34 PM EST on 9/24/07
/ Last updated at 5:39 PM EST on 9/24/07
In 1989, Shawn Drumgold was convicted of the murder of 12-year-old Tiffany Moore and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But in 2003, Drumgold was released from prison, largely thanks to Dick Lehr, an award-winning investigative reporter for the Boston Globe who uncovered evidence that proved Drumgold had been wrongfully convicted.
This June, Lehr joined the University's Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism as a journalist-in-residence with the Justice Brandeis Innocence Project. Lehr will also be assisting Schuster Institute's co-founder and director, Florence Graves, in finding a new associate director for the project after Pamela Cytrynbaum left last year to teach in Oregon. Lehr, who teaches a journalism course at Boston University, will remain in the position until December.
Lehr worked for nearly 20 years as a reporter for the Boston Globe and has won several awards for his investigative reporting. Yet he describes the beginning of his journalistic career as casual, almost accidental. During high school in New England and his undergraduate studies at Harvard College, Lehr wrote for student newspapers, but says he never seriously considered pursuing journalism professionally until after college.
"I didn't know it was a passion," he confesses.
After he graduated, Lehr moved to Connecticut, and his future in journalism really got its start. Lehr met two recent graduates of Yale University and the University of Virginia who were starting their own newspaper in the town of Old Lyme. They were looking to hire a reporter for their Old Lyme Gazette, Lehr says, and they hired him almost instantly. Lehr says this first job as a reporter made it "really click" that he wanted to become a professional journalist.
"We were trying to make a difference in small communities," he recalls.
After working for this original publication, Lehr went on to work for two years for the Hartford Courant.
But in 2003, Drumgold was released from prison, largely thanks to Dick Lehr, an award-winning investigative reporter for the Boston Globe who uncovered evidence that proved Drumgold had been wrongfully convicted.
This June, Lehr joined the University's Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism as a journalist-in-residence with the Justice Brandeis Innocence Project. Lehr will also be assisting Schuster Institute's co-founder and director, Florence Graves, in finding a new associate director for the project after Pamela Cytrynbaum left last year to teach in Oregon. Lehr, who teaches a journalism course at Boston University, will remain in the position until December.
Lehr worked for nearly 20 years as a reporter for the Boston Globe and has won several awards for his investigative reporting. Yet he describes the beginning of his journalistic career as casual, almost accidental. During high school in New England and his undergraduate studies at Harvard College, Lehr wrote for student newspapers, but says he never seriously considered pursuing journalism professionally until after college.
"I didn't know it was a passion," he confesses.
After he graduated, Lehr moved to Connecticut, and his future in journalism really got its start. Lehr met two recent graduates of Yale University and the University of Virginia who were starting their own newspaper in the town of Old Lyme. They were looking to hire a reporter for their Old Lyme Gazette, Lehr says, and they hired him almost instantly. Lehr says this first job as a reporter made it "really click" that he wanted to become a professional journalist.
"We were trying to make a difference in small communities," he recalls.
After working for this original publication, Lehr went on to work for two years for the Hartford Courant.
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April Lloyd
posted 10/12/07 @ 2:55 PM EST
Ive been trying to research projects who investigate cases of inmates who say they are wrongly acused. I came acrossed this site and I think this article is wonderful. (Continued…)
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