TV / VIDEO

Daniel O’Connor

Daniel O’Connor covers rural government at Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor. Dan studied at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism for two years before his move to Maine. Working alongside his master’s program, he covered corporate behavior, trade and tariffs as a business reporter for pet industry publication GlobalPETS, wrote consumer stories for The U.S. Sun, and freelanced political news for New Jersey Monitor. Dan is a 2023 graduate of Seton Hall University, where he served as the editor of The Setonian, building out award-winning datasets to track COVID on campus for the student newspaper. While there, he reported from New Jersey’s state capitol as an intern at Politico. Becoming a corps member has brought him back to his roots; he got his start at his high school paper covering small-town budget meetings.

Sophia Kalakailo

Before joining City Bureau, Sophia Kalakailo reported on the Ypsilanti, Michigan area for MLive. She covered homelessness, dire conditions in one of the city’s largest apartment complexes, excessive flooding in predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods and raids of pro-Palestine protesters’ homes in late April. As a college freshman, she served as the news editor for Eastern Michigan University’s student newspaper, The Eastern Echo. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in documentary film from Michigan State University. As an editor at The State News, she oversaw an investigation revealing allegations that one Title IX executive slowed crucial civil rights and sexual misconduct investigations. Interning at the nonprofit newsroom Bridge Michigan and the statewide NPR station Michigan Public, Kalakailo covered misinformation and cultural divides over the state’s reintroduced wolf population. She also followed the late Dr. Robert Anderson sexual abuse scandal at the University of Michigan and the unionization of Starbucks workers across the state.

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.

Russell Sun Eagle

Prior to joining Crosswinds News, Russell traveled the state of Oklahoma capturing stories of Indigenous athletes. In 2021, he created the Okie Podcast, showcasing indigenous actors, athletes, comedians, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, and musicians from across the United States. Russell attended the Institute of American Indian Arts, studying Cinematic Arts. Russell won host of the year in 2023, and best documentary short award at the Will Rogers Motion Picture Festival in 2024. He loves creating and learning, working on his passion projects, and helping people in any way he can.

Jake Kincaid

Jake Kincaid is an investigative reporter at inewsource covering the impact of federal policy in San Diego. Before moving to San Diego, he reported from across the U.S. and Latin America covering misconduct by prosecutors in Ohio that left innocent people in jail for decades, abuse of political prisoners in Nicaragua, the impact of U.S foreign policy on the Colombian peace process and the failure of the coroner system in the U.S to accurately count COVID-19 deaths in rural areas. His reporting won National Headliner awards and he was an Overseas Press Club fellow with Reuters in Mexico City. His work has appeared in National Public Radio, The Guardian, USA Today, The Miami Herald and Univision. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School in the Toni Stabile Investigative program and was an investigative reporter at Columbia Journalism Investigations. Jake speaks fluent Spanish. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, surfing and salsa dancing.

Adam Smith-Perez

Prior to joining Investigative Post, Smith-Perez produced podcasts, fact-checked and reported for The Nation. Smith-Perez has also worked extensively as a freelance fact-checker for several outlets, including Mother Jones, Ambrook Research, Noema Magazine, and HarperCollins. He started his journalism career reporting on COVID's impact on immigrant communities in his hometown of Boston, where he worked for an immigrant and refugee advocacy non-profit writing newsletters. As a student at Columbia Journalism School, Smith-Perez reported more extensively on the housing and overdose crisis. Following his graduation, he hosted and produced a segment about Hepatitis C for VICE News, and was a fellow at the Columbia Age Boom Academy, where he honed his reporting and research skills on the aging, housing and health beats. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists, and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

inewsource

inewsource is a nonprofit newsroom serving San Diego since 2009 with investigative reporting that safeguards community interests and holds power to account. Through its signature Documenters program, inewsource trains and pays community members to attend public meetings and take notes. inewsource prioritizes innovation, including interactive and illustrated storytelling across platforms, and is the only local member of the Trust Project. Through various media partners, inewsource publishes its journalism on the web, social media, radio and television for local, state and national audiences.

WUSF

WUSF is the NPR station for the Tampa Bay region; we are committed to providing accurate, honest journalism that helps the public understand the community and the world. Our journalists are independent, curious, and respectful. As a newsroom, we are committed to listening and engaging with the community to provide journalism that reflects the place we call home. This addition to the newsroom will be supported by the entire team as well as two senior editors who can guide and coach this new talent.

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

At the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, our mission is to provide the news and information people in southeast Washington need to make informed decisions about their health, safety and economic well-being. Our 11 journalists deliver news via unionbulletin.com, a three-day print newspaper and social media. We are part of The Seattle Times Co., which believes decisions about the U-B and local are best made by the people who live and work here in the community.

Tampa Bay Times

The Tampa Bay Times, winner of 14 Pulitzer Prizes, is Florida’s largest newspaper and a trusted source for news. As a locally owned and independent media organization, the Times also operates tampabay.com. In addition to its flagship publication, the company publishes the free weekly tbt* Weekend and Bay magazine, offering comprehensive coverage of local news, entertainment and lifestyles. The Times now employs 80 full-time journalists — each dedicated to delivering impactful, in-depth reporting.