Trisha Ahmed is a Statehouse reporter in Minnesota for The Associated Press. Ahmed recently completed her master’s degree in journalism at the University of Maryland, where she also worked as an investigative and data reporter at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. She was part of a team that won an award from Investigative Reporters & Editors, along with the Innovator of the Year Award from the News Leaders Association, for uncovering how newspapers contributed to racial terror lynchings in the United States. Ahmed has worked at CNN as a digital production assistant, and before that, she was a field interviewer for poverty and inequality research labs in Maryland and California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Beat: Minnesota 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.