Alabama

Gabriella Chavez

Gabriella Chavez covers growth and development on the Gulf Coast of Alabama for Gulf Coast Media. Chavez graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an outside concentration in public health and health sciences. During her senior year, Chavez worked on an international reporting project in Costa Rica, where she explored the limits of ecotourism, focusing on the intersections between tourists and animals. Her journalism career began in college, where she reported for WUFT News and the Independent Florida Alligator, the university’s independent, student-run paper. As the El Caimán reporter, she covered the Hispanic and Latino community beat, reporting on issues affecting local Latinx populations, including cultural events, education, immigration and local policy. At WUFT News, she covered stories on science, environment and weather in North Central Florida. Chavez was born in Miami, Florida, was raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and is fluent in Spanish. Outside of the newsroom, she enjoys reading and running.

Vahini Shori

Before joining WBHM, Vahini Shori was a graduate student at Columbia Journalism School, where she reported on arts, culture, ethics, and criminal justice. Her love for audio blossomed while working at Kaleidoscope, a podcast studio based in New York, where she helped produce narrative documentaries on Amazonian chocolate, Afghan musicians, and turbulent space missions. She graduated from Rutgers University with degrees in Political Science and Critical Intelligence. As a proud New Jerseyan, “The Sopranos” is her comfort show. Vahini enjoys reading, creating Spotify playlists, and learning new recipes.

Gulf Coast Media

Gulf Coast Media publishes four newspapers in coastal Baldwin County, Alabama. Three are more than 100 years old. GCM is in Alabama’s fastest-growing county, where beaches attract tourists by the millions. Evolution is innate at GCM. Our print and digital products, harnessed with hyper-local reporting, aim to strengthen bonds at a grassroots level. Helping people – multi-generational residents, newcomers and visitors – feel connected to their home or haven through informative, thoughtful and fun storytelling leads the reins.

WBHM 90.3

Birmingham-based WBHM serves a city that is home to a vibrant arts community and a nationally-recognized culinary scene. There are auto parts manufacturers and chicken processing plants. Farms dot Alabama’s rural landscape. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a major research institution. Hispanics make up a growing share of our area. WBHM is the lead station for the Gulf States Newsroom.

Safiyah Riddle

Safiyah Riddle’s reporting has appeared in Reuters, THE CITY, WNYC, Chicago Crain’s Business, Chalkbeat and more. Riddle won the Silurians Press Club’s Dennis Dugan award for her reporting on environmental contamination in New York City’s public housing. Her story about failed desegregation efforts in New York schools, which was part of a nine-part series, earned the 2023 Shaufler Prize in the student category. Riddle holds a master's degree in economic reporting from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where she also concentrated in data and audio journalism. Most recently, Riddle was a fellow for This American Life, where she contributed reporting about a range of issues, including congressional elections and gun violence in schools. Raised in New York City, Riddle enjoys distance swimming in Brooklyn’s beaches (sometimes even in the winter).

The Associated Press – Alabama

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate and unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Alaina Bookman

Alaina Bookman covers violence prevention in Birmingham, Alabama, for AL.com. Raised in Dallas, she developed an interest in social activism during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. After moving to pursue her bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, she fell in love with the city's commitment to justice and tolerance. She covered social issues affecting the Black community. She also worked at the UT Austin Benson Latin American Collection as an AKA scholar Black diaspora archive intern, assisting in processing the Miss Black Austin Pageant collection. She also interned with the public affairs team at the university's College of Liberal Arts, where she wrote press releases and articles for Life and Letters Magazine.

AL.com

AL.com is the largest digital news site in Alabama, and one of the nation’s largest local news sites. It is part of the Alabama Media Group, which also operates social brand “It’s a Southern Thing,” “This is Alabama,” “People of Alabama” and the millennial-focused news brand “Reckon.” Alabama Media Group is part of Advance Local. Content for AL.com comes from three Advance Local newspapers: The Mobile Press Register, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times. The staff includes 75 reporters, editors, social producers and videographers.

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson is a multimedia journalist covering Mississippi’s George and Greene counties for WKRG, a CBS affiliate based in Mobile, Alabama. Johnson previously worked as an associate producer for Gray Television’s national investigative unit, and was a reporter and supervising producer for KOMU, mid-Missouri’s NBC affiliate. Johnson’s work as a reporter for two community newspapers in Wauseon, Ohio, his hometown, was recognized by the National Press Club. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he’s a member of the university’s prestigious Rollins Society for having served impoverished communities throughout Missouri, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Peru and Thailand. An Eagle Scout, he enjoys biking, camping, canoeing and hiking.

Sarah Swetlik

Sarah Swetlik is a Statehouse reporter focusing on gender and politics for AL.com, which reports on news across Alabama. Prior to this, Swetlik covered public policy for Fresh Take Georgia, a digital news service at the Center for Sustainable Journalism in Kennesaw, Georgia. Her coverage has been featured by The Associated Press, U.S. News & World Report, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Her passion for humanity-centered storytelling has allowed her to highlight struggles such as metro Atlanta’s housing crisis and resource disparities impacting Georgia’s most vulnerable. Swetlik, a Georgia native, earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kennesaw State University in 2021.