Michigan

Daniel Schoenherr

Daniel Schoenherr is a multimedia reporter and recent graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism. Before joining Cadillac News, he reported for the Detroit Free Press through the American Communities Project, covering the cultural, socioeconomic and political shifts impacting working-class Michigan. At Bridge Michigan, he tracked municipal opioid settlement spending and helped uncover $90 million in unspent funds. Inspired by Bridge’s nonprofit funding model, he created and led a new role at the student-run State News—newsletter director—spearheading donation campaigns that raised thousands. Most recently, he contributed statewide reporting to more than a dozen Michigan news outlets through Capital News Service. Schoenherr first found his passion for local journalism as news director of WSDP Plymouth, where he kept the metro Detroit community informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside the newsroom, he explores trails and waterways by foot, bike and kayak.

Cadillac News

The Cadillac News is a family-owned newspaper that has covered Wexford, Missaukee, Osceola and eastern Lake County for more than 150 years. The Cadillac News works to provide the community with the knowledge to make informed decisions in their daily life.

Isabelle Tavares

Isabelle Tavares covers environmental and public health impacts in Southwest Detroit at Planet Detroit. Before that, she spent two years in the Santo Domingo art scene exploring her heritage and making films about her experience as a Dominican-American. Her interest in film was spurred by her work as an associate archival producer for a PBS docu-series about public health. She holds a master’s degree in magazine, news, and digital journalism from Syracuse University, where she reported on the food apartheid. This reporting came after her time in Cuba learning climate resilience strategies from rural and urban farmers. In 2019, she wrote data-driven lifestyle articles for Reader's Digest as an intern with the American Society of Magazine Editors. She is co-editor of Clearline Magazine, a Detroit-based environmental textile art publication.

Kathryn DePauw

Kathryn DePauw covers Indigenous and tribal communities in Northern Michigan for the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Before this, she editor-in-chief for the White Pine Press, Northwestern Michigan College’s newspaper. There, she earned awards for her photojournalism and reporting on local stories, COVID-19, and the 2020 election. In 2022, the Michigan College Press Association named her the Janet Nellis Mendler Student Journalist of the Year. DePauw earned a degree in freshwater studies and has worked with many local nonprofits as a water quality monitor, geographic information systems specialist, and digital content creator. She was awarded the 2021 Student Environmentalist of the Year award from the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council for establishing a chloride monitoring program.

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.