“My real goal when I left the newspaper,” Marshall said, “was to find a way to cover coastal issues better. I retired from the Picayune; I didn’t retire from journalism.
“I wanted to find a way to give coast issues as much visibility as possible. I think that I have the access to decision-makers and the background to do good reporting on it. The future of the culture of this state hangs on it.
Marshall is engaged in what he called the new age of “multi-platform journalism.” No longer will a journalist stay in one medium. One person will work in television, radio, the Internet and traditional print media.
“This is what has happened in my profession,” he explains.
He runs the coastal desk for The Lens, a non-profit reporting service whose product can be used by any media without charge. Funding comes from foundations and individuals.
The plan is for Marshall to develop a team of interns — journalism students from Loyola and LSU, who will receive academic credit (and maybe some financial reward) for covering the many agency meetings and public hearings on coastal issues, many of which have been going uncovered since the reductions in area news staffs.
Marshall will manage the team, and will also be doing some in-depth reporting on large coastal issues. Besides interns, Marshall expects to use stringers, regular reporters paid by the piece.
At the time of the trip with Mendoza, Marshall was also cooperating in developing a 15-part, eight-minute radio series on the coastal crisis. Five pieces were planned to run on consecutive days on National Public Radio, followed by one piece a week for five more weeks and then by five pieces once a month.
He also continues his long-term association with Field & Stream magazine, writing on major conservation issues several times a year for the print magazine and twice weekly for their Web site.
Marshall is also committed to teaching journalism at the Media Summer Program at the University of Urbino in Urbino, Italy.
