Meet the 2020-21 Report for America Corps Members

This year’s Report for America corps was chosen after a highly selective national competition that drew more than 1,800 applications. The 225 journalists who were selected for this year’s corps are eager to deliver trustworthy, accurate local news to communities across our nation. More about the process here.

 

Alaska Anchorage Daily News Annie Berman Healthcare  in Alaska
Alaska KCAW Erin McKinstry Sitka and surrounding communities
Ariz. KAWC Colorado River Public Media Andrea Perez Balderrama Latino communities
Ariz. The Arizona Republic Megan Taros African-American and Latino communities in South Phoenix
Calif. CALmatters Jackie Botts Poverty 
Calif. Berkeleyside’s Oakland newsroom Ricky Rodas Immigrant businesses in Oakland
Calif. inewsource Camille von Kaenel Growth and development in San Diego County’s backcountry
Calif. Long Beach Post Crystal Niebla West Long Beach
Calif. Long Beach Post Sebastian Echeverry North Long Beach
Calif. Mission Local Annika Hom Unequal services in Mission District of SF
Calif. Redding Record Searchlight Nada Atieh Education, childhood trauma and the achievement gap
Calif. Sacramento Bee Kimberly Bojórquez Latino communities in the Sacramento area
Calif. Sacramento Bee Ashley Wong Asian-American issues in the Sacramento area
Calif. San Jose Mercury News Laurence Du Sault  Childhood poverty in California
Calif. The Desert Sun Maria Sestito Seniors in the Palm Springs area
Calif. The Desert Sun Amanda Ulrich Native American issues in Coachella Valley
Calif. The Fresno Bee Nadia Lopez Latino issues in Fresno and the region
Calif. The Fresno Bee Manuela Tobias Childhood poverty in California’s Central Valley
Calif. The Mendocino Voice Lana Cohen The effect of environmental regulation on salmon runs, wildfires and the regional  economy.
Calif. The Modesto Bee Kristina Karisch Economic development in Stanislaus County and the Northern San Joaquin Valley
Calif. The Modesto Bee ChrisAnna Mink Children’s health in the Central Valley
Calif. Ventura County Star Shivani Patel Equity in education  in the county
Calif. Voice of OC Brandon Pho Coverage of cities in North Central Orange County
Calif. Associated Press Data Camille Fassett State-by-state data journalism to serve legislative Reporters nationwide
Colo. Associated Press CO Patricia Nieberg Colorado state legislature, with special focus on public health
Colo. Ouray County Plaindealer Liz Teitz Housing among the working class in Ouray County
Conn. Connecticut Public Brenda Leon Latino communities
Conn. Connecticut Public Ali Oshinskie The Naugatuck River Valley, especially blue-collar families
Conn. The Connecticut Mirror Yehyun Kim Photojournalism, especially in communities of color
Conn. The Connecticut Mirror Kelan Lyons Mental health and criminal justice
Del. Delaware Public Media Roman Battaglia State and local elections
D.C. DCist Dee Dwyer Photojournalism involving minority communities in Wards 7 and 8 in D.C.
D.C. DCist Aja Beckham Community coverage in Wards 7 and 8 in D.C.
Fla. El Nuevo Herald Syra Ortiz Blanes Presidential election through a local Hispanic/Latino prism
Fla. El Nuevo Herald Lautaro Grinspan Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican and other Latino communities
Fla. Miami Herald Yadira Lopez Economic mobility in Dade County
Fla. Spectrum News 13 Molly Duerig Central Florida’s housing crisis
Fla. Tampa Bay Times Bailey LeFever Seniors
Ga. Ledger-Enquirer Madeleine Cook Photography, post-covid recovery in Columbus, GA
Ga. Ledger-Enquirer Adrienne Underwood Post-COVID economic and health recovery in Columbus, GA
Hawaii Honolulu Civil Beat Kevin Knodell Military and veterans affairs in the state
Hawaii Honolulu Civil Beat Lorin Eleni Gill Public health disparities among Native Hawaiians
Idaho Boise State Public Radio Rachel Cohen Twin Falls and Blaine County
Idaho Post Register Kyle Pfannenstiel Rural healthcare in the state
Ill. Belleville News-Democrat Megan Valley K-12 education
Ill. Belleville News-Democrat DeAsia Sutgrey East St. Louis, Ill.
Ill. Block Club Chicago Jake Wittich Lakeview/Boystown/Lincoln Park areas of Chicago, home to the largest population of the city’s LGBTQ community.
Ill. Block Club Chicago Pascal Sabino Austin and North Lawndale neighborhoods on the West Side of Chicago
Ill. Capitol News Illinois Raymon Troncoso Illinois statehouse, especially legislation and issues that affect minority communities
Ill. Chicago Sun Times Anthony Vazquez Photojournalism of South and West sides of Chicago
Ill. Chicago Sun-Times Manny Ramos South and West Chicago
Ill.  The Chicago Reporter/Univisión Rita Oreguera Minority communities outside Chicago 
Ill. The Daily Herald Milton “Trey” Arline Lake County
Ill. WNIJ Northern Public Radio Juanpablo Ramirez Substandard housing and police relations in northern Illinois
Ill. WNIJ Northern Public Radio Yvonne Boose Community issues in northern Illinois
Ind. Associated Press IN Casey Smith Indiana state legislature, local elections, education funding
Iowa Iowa Public Radio Kassidy Arena Iowa statehouse, especially issues affecting underserved populations
Kan. Associated Press KS Andy Tsubasa Field Kansas legislature, especially the disintegration of public services
Kan. The Community Voice Jazzlyn Johnson African-American communities in Kansas City
Kan. Wichita Eagle Megan Stringer Issues facing the working class  
Kan. Wichita Eagle Sarah Spoon Climate change in the Wichita and the midwest
Ky. Associated Press KY Piper Hudspeth Blackburn  Kentucky state legislature, especially issues affecting Appalachia
Ky. Cincinnati Enquirer Julia Fair Government watchdog reporting in Northern Kentucky
Ky. Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting Graham Ambrose Youth, social services and legislative accountability
Ky. Lexington Herald Leader Silas Walker Photojournalist for rural communities throughout the state
Ky. Lexington Herald-Leader Alex Acquisto Health care in eastern and southern Kentucky
Ky. Northern Kentucky Tribune, Kentucky Forward, Kentucky Center Maridith Yahl A solutions approach to healthcare in the state
Ky. WFPL News Louisville 89.3 John Boyle Southern Indiana
La. The Times-Picayune and The Advocate Emily Woodruff Public health in south Louisiana
La. WWNO 89.9 FM New Orleans Public Radio Paul Braun Statehouse reporting in Baton Rouge
Maine Pine Tree Watch  Katie Brown Statewide energy and environmental issues 
Maine Pine Tree Watch  Samantha Hogan State legislature and education
Maine Pine Tree Watch Rose Lundy Healthcare watchdog, post-COVID-19
Md. Baltimore Sun Tatyana Turner African-American neighborhoods in the city
Md. Baltimore Sun Stephanie Garcia Latino neighborhoods in the city
Md. Capital Gazette Heather Mongilio Military affairs, covering the U.S. Naval Academy and Fort Meade
Md. Maryland Matters–Elections Bennett Leckrone State elections, money and ethics
Md. Maryland Matters–Health Elizabeth Shwe Health policy, including status of asbestos victims
Md. Technical.ly Donte Kirby Winners and losers in the tech economy in Baltimore
Md. WYPR 88.1 FM Your Public Radio Corporation Sarah Kim Baltimore’s housing crisis
Mass. Bay State Banner Morgan Mullings State legislature and Boston’s African-American communities
Mass. The Berkshire Eagle Daniel Jin Legislation  affecting rural western Massachusetts
Mass. WCAI Eve Zuckoff Climate change impact in Cape Cod and the state’s southern shore
Mich. Associated Press MI Anna Nichols Michigan legislature, especially infrastructure policies, U.S. House races
Mich. Detroit Free Press Nushrat Rahman Economic mobility in Detroit
Mich. Detroit Free Press Angie Jackson Formerly incarcerated citizens re-entering the community
Mich. Detroit Free Press/Politifact Clara Hendrickson Fact-checking of Michigan politicians during election season and beyond
Mich. FlintBeat.com Katie Kanazawich Photojournalism, especially efforts to restore Flint
Mich. Traverse City Record-Eagle Kaye LaFond Using public data to tell stories of local and state issues and trends
Minn. Associated Press MN Mohammed Ibrahim Minnesota legislature, especially energy and environmental policy
Minn. Sahan Journal Jaida Grey Eagle Photojournalist focusing on Hmong, Somali and Latino communities in Minnesota
Minn. Sahan Journal Becky Dernbach Education of Hmong, Somali, Latino and other immigrant students in the state
Minn. Sahan Journal Hibah Ansari Immigration policy, especially affecting the Hmong, Somali and Latino communities in Minnesota
Minn. Star Tribune Zoe Jackson Issues of concern to younger voters
Minn. Twin Cities Public Television Kyeland Jackson Causes, effects and solutions to racial disparities in Minnesota
Miss. Associated Press MS Leah Willingham Mississippi state legislature, especially actions affecting the poor
Miss. Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting Shirley Smith Watchdog reporting 
Miss. Sun Herald Isabelle Taft Vietnamese and African American neighborhoods in Biloxi, MS
Mo. Kansas City PBS Jacob Douglas Rural issues in Missouri
Mo. Kansas City PBS Catherine Hoffman COVID-19 coverage and healthcare
Mo. St Louis Public Radio Eric Schmid Metro East area in Illinois
Mo. The Beacon Brittany Callan Environment and  health
Mo. The Kansas City Star Humera Lodhi A team approach to coverage of gun violence in the city
Mo. The Kansas City Star Jelani Gibson A team approach to coverage of gun violence
Mo. The Kansas City Star Kaitlin Washburn A team approach to coverage of gun violence
Mont. Associated Press MT Iris Samuels Gubernatorial and Congressional elections, plus state policy issues in Montana
Mont. Montana Free Press Chris Aadland Native American issues in the state
Mont. Yellowstone Public Radio Kaitlyn Nicholas Native American issues
Mont. Yellowstone Public Radio Kevin Trevellyan Montana statehouse
Nev. Associated Press NV Sam Metz Nevada state legislature, especially water, education and health care
Nev. KUNR Public Radio Lucia Starbuck Education and Latino communities in Reno
Nev. Las Vegas Review-Journal Jonathan Ng Non-profit and charity sector in the city  
N.H. Concord Monitor Teddy Rosenbluth Seniors and health care issues in the state
N.H. Concord Monitor Eileen O’Grady Watchdog reporting on state and local education issues
N.M. Albuquerque Journal Theresa Davis Water resources in New Mexico
N.M. Associated Press NM Cedar Attanasio New Mexico state legislature, with a focus on education and poverty
N.M. Las Cruces Sun-News Miranda Cyr Public education in Las Cruces
N.M. New Mexico In Depth Shaun Griswold Urban Native Americans in Albuquerque
N.M. Santa Fe Reporter Katherine Lewin Santa Fe’s Southside
N.M. Searchlight New Mexico Julia Sclafani Healthcare, including mental healthcare, for the state’s poorest residents
N.Y. City Limits  Nicole Javorsky Climate change and its implications for New York City
N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle Natalia Rodriguez Medina Puerto Rican community in Rochester
N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle Adria Walker Public education in the “last in nation” district in Rochester
N.Y. Spectrum News Buffalo Camalot Todd Mental health issues in western New York State
N.Y. The City Eileen Grench Juvenile justice in the Bronx
N.Y. The Haitian Times Samuel Bojarski Brooklyn’s Haitian community
N.C. Associated Press NC Bryan Anderson North Carolina state legislature, especially health care, education and prisons
N.C. Carolina Public Press Jordan Wilkie Voting systems and election fraud in North Carolina
N.C. La Noticia, Inc Zila Sanchez Affordable housing around Charlotte
N.C. North Carolina Health News Inc. Hannah Critchfield Maternal health, prison health 
N.C. The Charlotte Observer Devna Bose The status of poor and minority communities in prosperous Charlotte
N.C. The Charlotte Observer Lauren Lindstrom Affordable housing crisis in Charlotte
N.C. The News & Observer Ben Sessoms The pandemic’s effects on housing, gentrification and related issues
N.C. The News & Observer Sophie Kasakove Post-Covid economic recovery
N.C. The News & Observer Adam Wagner Watchdog reporting about Hurricane Florence recovery
N.C. WFAE 90.7 / La Noticia (Joint Application) Laura Brache Field Charlotte’s growing Latino community
N.C. WFAE Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Digital Public Library of America Alex Watts Local government in Charlotte
N.C. WFAE Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Digital Public Library of America Dante Miller Unique partnership using both radio and Wikipedia to fill news deserts 
N.D. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Adam Willis North Dakota business issues; elections
N.D. The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Michelle Griffith The fall and rise of rural America, as seen through a North Dakota lens
Ohio Associated Press OH Farnoush Amiri Ohio legislature, especially opioid settlements
Ohio Mahoning Matters Ellen Wagner Watchdog reporting related to the decline in city services in Youngstown
Ohio Spectrum Columbus OH Pete Grieve Public health in Columbus
Ohio The Akron Beacon Journal Seyma Bayram Minority communities around Akron
Ohio The Columbus Dispatch Ceili Doyle Rural issues in central Ohio
Ohio The Devil Strip Abbey Marshall Effect of economic forces on moderate and low income residents
Ohio The Devil Strip H.L. Comeriato Healthcare in Akron
Ohio Cleveland.com Conor Morris Poverty in Cleveland 
Ohio WCPO Monique John Gentrification
Ohio WYSO Public Radio Chris Welter Climate change and environmental issues
Okla. KOSU Seth Bodine Agriculture and rural issues
Okla. Oklahoma Watch Supriya Sridhar Blight in northeast Oklahoma City
Okla. Oklahoma Watch Keaton Ross The state’s prison system
Ore. Associated Press OR Sara Cline Oregon state legislature, with special focus on the tech boom and the crisis in housing affordability
Ore. Herald and News Alex Schwartz Endangered species, water rights and other issues associated with a dam removal
Ore. Willamette Week Latisha Jensen Minority communities in the city
Pa. WITF Anthony Orozco Latino communities in Reading, Lebanon and elsewhere
Pa. WITF Alanna Elder Local Latino angle on elections
Pa. Technical.ly Michael Butler Winners and losers in the tech economy in Philadelphia
P.R. Centro de Periodismo Investigativo Jose Encarnación The education crisis
P.R. Centro de Periodismo Investigativo Rafael René Diaz Torres Watchdog reporting on recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
P.R. Centro De Periodismo Investigativo Victor L. Rodriguez-Velazquez Watchdog reporting on recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico
R.I. The Public’s Radio Antonia Ayres-Brown Race and poverty in Newport, R.I.
S.C. Associated Press SC Michelle Liu South Carolina state legislature, especially problems caused by climate change
S.C. The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News Mary Norkol Homelessness in Horry County
S.C. The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C. Tobie Perkins Chester County, S.C.
S.C. The Island Packet Kate Hidalgo Bellows Hilton Head’s working class
S.C. The Island Packet Sam Ogozalek Development issues in Jasper County, SC
S.C. The State Media Company Rebecca Liebson Public housing and the Columbia Housing Authority
S.D. South Dakota Public Broadcasting Richard Two Bulls Ethnic communities, including Native Americans
Tenn. Chattanooga Times Free Press Wyatt Massey Local coverage of religion
Tenn. MLK50: Justice Through Journalism F. Amanda Tugade Poverty, power and public policy in Memphis and Shelby County
Tenn. WPLN / Nashville Public Radio Samantha Max Criminal justice in Nashville
Texas Associated Press TX Acacia Coronado State legislature and the politics of climate change
Texas Dallas Morning News Brooklynn Cooper South Dallas
Texas Fort Worth Star-Telegram Haley Samsel Environmental issues caused by rapid economic development
Texas Fort Worth Star-Telegram Kailey Broussard Accountability reporting for the city of Arlington
Texas KUT Riane Roldan Costs and benefits of suburban growth in Williamson County
Texas KUT Allyson Ortegon Hays County and the strains of rapid development
Texas San Antonio Express-News Brandon Lingle Political dysfunction in suburban towns
Texas Texas Newsroom/ KERA Mallory Falk Border and immigration issues in El Paso
Texas Texas Newsroom/ KERA Keren Carrión Visual journalist exploring Dallas-Fort Worth and news deserts in ex-urban and rural Texas
Texas Texas Newsroom/ KERA Alejandra Martinez Impact of COVID-19 and its economic fallout on marginalized communities
Texas Texas Newsroom/ KERA Sara Ernst  Health disparities related to income and other factors in Houston area
Texas Texas Public Radio Maria Mendez Business issues in Laredo and other border areas
Texas Texas Public Radio Dominic Walsh Texas Hill Country
Texas The Victoria Advocate Mark Rosenberg Rural counties surrounding Victoria
Texas The Victoria Advocate Ciara McCarthy Rural healthcare
Utah Associated Press UT Sophia Eppolito Utah state legislature, religion and  government
Utah KUER/NPR Utah Kate Groetzinger Indigenous issues in southern Utah
Utah KUER / NPR Utah Lexi Peery Washington County
Utah KUER / NPR Utah David Fuchs Energy issues
Utah Salt Lake Tribune Zak Podmore San Juan County
Utah Salt Lake Tribune Becky Jacobs Women’s issues
Utah The Spectrum Joan Meiners Growth-related issues in Cedar City
Utah The Spectrum K. Sophie Will National parks
Vt. Vermont Public Radio Anna Van Dine Deeper issues revealed by coronavirus 
Vt. VTDigger.org Emma Cotton Southern Vermont
Va. Rappahannock News & Foothills Forum Rachel Needham The changing nature of public services in northern Virginia
Wash. The Daily Herald Ian Davis-Leonard Working-class issues, including housing and healthcare, in Snohomish County
Wash. The News Tribune Abbie Shull The Joint Base Lewis-McChord military installation
Wash. The Olympian Brandon Block Homelessness
Wash. The Spokesman-Review Laurel Demkovich State legislature
Wash. The Spokesman-Review Orion Donovan-Smith A Washington, D.C.-based beat, policies affecting the Northwest
Wash. The Spokesman-Review Arielle Dreher Public health in eastern Washington State
W.Va. 100 Days in Appalachia Christopher Jones White supremacy groups in Appalachia
W.Va. Mountain State Spotlight Amelia Ferrell Knisely Poverty in West Virginia
W.Va. Mountain State Spotlight Douglas Soule In-depth business and economic coverage  in West Virginia as part of a new Enterprise Hub
W.Va. Mountain State Spotlight Lauren Peace Public health threats as part of a new Enterprise Hub
W.Va. Mountain State Spotlight Lucas Manfield Data-based articles as part of a new Enterprise Hub
W.Va. West Virginia Public Broadcasting Emily Allen State government and southern West Virginia
Wis. Green Bay Press-Gazette Frank Vaisvilas Native American issues in Green Bay and Wisconsin
Wis. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sarah Volpenhein Hmong, Native American and other under-covered ethnic communities
Wis. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jessica Rodriguez Latino neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s south side
Wis. Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service PrincessSafiya Byers Health, minority businesses, religion
Wis. Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service Matthew Martinez Housing
Wis. Spectrum Milwaukee Maddie Burakoff Public health in Milwaukee
Wis. Wausau Daily Herald Renee Hickman Population loss and its effects
Wis. Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Phoebe Petrovic Criminal justice misconduct
Wyo. Buffalo Bulletin Jessi Dodge Photojournalism in the Buffalo  area
Wyo. Buffalo Bulletin Mara Abbott Local energy industry in Johnson County
Wyo. Wyoming Public Media Savannah Maher Wind River Reservation