ProPublica announced today that Talia Buford will be joining ProPublica as a reporter covering disparities in environmental impacts. She will start on April 10.
Buford comes to ProPublica from The Center for Public Integrity, where her investigative work has mostly focused on the Environmental Protection Agency's lackluster enforcement of federal civil rights law. In an award-winning series titled “Environmental Justice, Denied,” she and her co-authors showed how the EPA routinely dismissed or ignored complaints of environmental discrimination, leaving communities harmed by pollution, pesticides and more without recourse.
Buford was previously an energy reporter for POLITICO Pro, where she covered natural gas, specializing in the Keystone XL pipeline, hydraulic fracking and arctic drilling. She also authored the daily Afternoon Energy newsletter, as well as the Pro Report, an email summarizing the day’s policy news. Buford started her career at The Providence Journal as a criminal justice and municipal reporter. She earned a master’s degree in the study of law from Georgetown University Law Center and studied print journalism at Hampton University.
Among other honors, Buford’s work has been recognized by Columbia Journalism School, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio Television Digital News Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Foundation.
“ProPublica is the gold standard for impactful investigative journalism, and I’m honored to join this world-class newsroom,” Buford said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the team, and excited to tell stories that center environmental issues impacting vulnerable groups.”
“With her expertise in the Keystone XL pipeline and civil rights law, not to mention being a native of Flint, Michigan, Talia is an authority on some of today’s most urgent environmental issues,” said Robin Fields, ProPublica’s managing editor. “We look forward to bringing her accountability reporting talents, on what is often a life-or-death matter, to our growing team.”
