Claire Rush reports on state government for The Associated Press in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining the AP, Rush lived in France for nine years. She worked for France 24 television and Radio France Internationale, state-funded international news broadcasters, in various roles—news desk reporter, anchor and producer. Fluent in French, Rush earned a master’s degree in journalism from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she double majored in geography and French. Rush loves maps and cooking.
Beat: Oregon statehouse
These journalists have a passion for breaking news and state politics and policy to cover state government. Reporting to a field news editor with a dotted line to the state government editor, they seek to consistently break news and show the impact that policy decisions have on the lives of citizens. They’re self-starters who are comfortable with data sets and freedom of information requests, and also with moving swiftly among topics such as technology, elections, voting laws, inequality, health care, cryptocurrency, education and law enforcement. They know how to find a story at the local level but are comfortable writing it for a broad audience in ways that resonate in a state or community, or around the world. They work in multiple media formats, and have a demonstrated track record of inclusive storytelling. They must have the ability and willingness to work any shift, including at night and on weekends, or as coverage demands, as The AP is a 24/7 operation.