Like many news organizations, ProPublica is committed to increasing its own diversity. But we also deeply believe in bolstering diversity in investigative journalism more broadly, in part through our Emerging Reporters Program.
The program, now in its fourth year, aims to eliminate financial barriers to pursuing investigative journalism for students from underrepresented backgrounds. In addition to a stipend, the reporters receive mentorship and trips to conferences and our New York City newsroom. Our past Emerging Reporters have gone on to work at The Atlantic, Vox, The New Yorker and other publications.
We are very excited to announce our Emerging Reporters for the 2018-19 school year, who were selected by ProPublica staffers from a competitive pool. They are:
Ethan Bakuli
Ethan is a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he is co-editor of the Rebirth Project, a digital campus publication focused on telling stories affecting students of color. He also interns for New England Public Radio’s Media Lab podcast, where he works with local high school students to develop their audio storytelling skills. Ethan is interested in investigating housing discrimination in western Massachusetts, where he grew up.
Twitter: @BakuliEthan
Andrew Jones
Drew is a senior studying print journalism at the University of Houston. Last year, he completed an editorial fellowship at Houstonia magazine and worked as the campus editor of the student-run newspaper, The Daily Cougar. Drew was a recipient of a ProPublica Diversity Scholarship in 2018 and used it to attend the NABJ conference in Detroit.
Twitter: @drewkjones
Jodi-Ann Malarbe
Jodi is Brooklyn-born and raised rising senior at CUNY Brooklyn College. This past summer she completed a six-week intensive program with the CUNY Pipeline Program, enhancing her knowledge in graduate-level teaching and advancing the research she is pursuing for her thesis paper on the intersectional oppression black women face within America’s policing and justice systems.
Twitter: @jodimalarbe
Brian Muñoz
Brian is a senior studying journalism at Southern Illinois University, where he serves as the editor in chief of the university’s 103-year-old student publication, the Daily Egyptian. Last summer, he interned with The Arizona Republic, and he has also worked with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to report on issues in Native American education. Brian is a member of the Eddie Adams Workshop XXXI class, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Press Photographers Association.
Twitter: @BrianMMunoz
Briana Rice
Briana is a senior at the University of Cincinnati, where she is the life and arts editor for the student newspaper, The News Record. She also works as a digital producer and assignment editor for Fox19 NOW. She was chosen as a Columbia Fellow for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Excellence in Journalism Conference. Briana spent the past summer interning with The Cincinnati Enquirer and working on two investigative podcasts, Aftermath and Accused. She is interested in covering race, education and social issues.
Twitter: @BriRiceWrites