Michigan

Planet Detroit

Planet Detroit is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom with a mission to produce quality climate, equity, health and environment journalism in the public interest that centers grassroots voices, holds power accountable, spotlights solutions and serves the community.

Traverse City Record-Eagle

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is northern Michigan's largest news outlet, operating print and digital publications, including a daily print edition, a quarterly magazine and two podcasts. The Record-Eagle has a strong history of strong watchdog reporting complemented by artful narrative writing. Our newsroom is situated in downtown Traverse City, but serves a five-county core coverage area as well as broad, growing sections of news desert in northern Michigan.

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Free Press primarily covers three counties in southeast Michigan, including robust coverage of the city of Detroit. Founded in 1831, it’s the oldest business in Detroit. The Detroit Free Press has earned 10 Pulitzer Prizes in its history, including one for exposing lies and corruption in the administration of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Its role is to serve as watchdog and community convener.

Eric Guzmán

Eric Guzmán covers the youth sports culture in Detroit for the Detroit Free Press. Prior to joining the Free Press newsroom, Guzmán did freelance work with El Central Hispanic Newspaper, covering the events and happenings in the Southwest Detroit Community. He's also done work in the podcast space covering sports, music and pop culture. Guzmán earned his Bachelor's in Journalism from The University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2019 and has strong ambitions on achieving a fruitful career in multimedia.

Michael Symonds

Michael Symonds tackles the rural meets metro beat at WMUK 102.1 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Symonds started his journalistic career as staff reporter with the Western Herald covering news and community, and cultural issues and events on Western Michigan University’s campus. After this position, Symonds worked as the lead Community & Culture reporter for the Western Herald. In addition to this, he worked as a general assignment staff reporter for WMUK 102.1 FM covering life in Southwest Michigan and hosted the talk show Stupid Questions on 89.1 WIDR FM, where he interviewed myriad guests including political experts and registered student organization leaders. Symonds graduated from Western Michigan University in 2023 with a bachelor's in journalism and digital media.

WMUK-FM

WMUK is southwest Michigan's only locally-owned public radio service. Based in Kalamazoo, we serve the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek metro area as well as the Lake Michigan shoreline, fruit belt and south-central communities of our region. Our mission is to tell stories that engage listeners across our coverage area and beyond. We look past the crime blotter for news we haven't seen anyone else report and turn it into sound-rich features and fresh newscast spots.

Hunter McLaren

Hunter McLaren covers the city of Hastings, Michigan and surrounding Barry County communities for The Hastings Banner. McLaren has reported for Michigan’s MLive.com news site, covering breaking news and community stories, including NASCAR races at the Michigan International Speedway. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Central Michigan University. There, he worked as a reporter, photographer and associate editor of Central Michigan Life, the student paper. McLaren’s reporting has taken him to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Jennifer Brookland

Jennifer Brookland reports on child welfare in Michigan for the Detroit Free Press. Prior to joining the Free Press, she reported on military and veterans’ affairs and produced a daily talk show highlighting local and statewide issues for North Carolina Public Radio. She has also spent seven years freelancing. Brookland began her career as a special agent with the U.S. Air Force, where she led felony-level criminal investigations and was deployed to the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and a master’s from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Brookland says that she vaguely remembers enjoying traveling, reading and theater but adds that she spends most of her time now trying to convince her three kids that she’s in charge.

Joseph Cappelletti

Joey Cappelletti is the state government reporter for The Associated Press in Lansing, Michigan. Before joining the AP, he was a reporter at two newspapers in central and eastern Oregon, where he wrote multiple investigative pieces that were published throughout the state. Cappelletti holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in international studies from the University of Oregon. While there, he was an opinion writer for the student paper, and hosted a radio show, interviewing local musicians, leaders and athletes.

Malak Silmi

Malak Silmi covers city and government affairs for Outlier Media, a nonprofit service journalism organization based in Detroit, Michigan. Previously, she was a digital reporter for the San Antonio Express-News in Texas, covering trends and breaking news. Silmi holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international studies from Wayne State University, where she was a reporter and news editor of the student paper, The South End. She has interned at Michigan public radio, and participated in The New York Times Student Journalism Institute. Shortly after graduating in 2020, Silmi reported for Outlier Media, providing updates on COVID-19 guidelines, elections and other topics, with information in both English and Arabic. For fun, she enjoys traveling, reading and enjoying the outdoors (when it’s warm).