Marissa Greene covers faith and religion in Tarrant County, Texas, for the Fort Worth Report. Previously, Greene was an audience fellow for The Texas Tribune, where she wrote an explanatory article about the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and produced Instagram and Twitter posts ahead of the state’s midterm elections. Greene got her start in journalism at Austin Community College, where she spearheaded the college’s student media organization. She reported how Winter Storm Uri underscored power concerns for an Asian American community as an Austin PBS intern. Her love for local reporting led her to internships with Austin and Dallas NPR member stations. She’s a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and has been the co-host and a producer of “Hi, How Are You?” a music and mental health podcast.
Beat: Faith
This reporter covers Tarrant County’s rich religious tapestry, writing stories that incorporate faith, culture, politics and community. The county is home to multiple large churches, a growing and vocal evangelical community, and one of the largest seminaries in the world. The reporter examines the role of faith-based schools and nonprofits in filling needs that government agencies may have done in the past. They look at how faith leaders influence local and national elections, influencing everything from city councils to what books school boards allow in campus libraries. They look at trends in worship, particularly among younger populations. And they also do traditional “religion” stories, highlighting interesting leaders and congregations of all faiths, broadening the concepts of religion in an area that has grown exponentially more diverse in the past three decades. In a county that has at least 1,700 churches, there is both a hunger and a need for well-reported, thoughtful coverage that helps put religion in context.