AZCIR welcomes new investigative reporters

 

I’m thrilled to announce and introduce you to AZCIR’s newest investigative reporters, Hannah Bassett and Brendon Derr. Both started this week. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to send them a hello or give them a follow on social media. Though they’ve only been with us a few days, Hannah and Brendon are already tackling several exciting projects you can expect to read in the coming weeks and months. Share Tweet Forward   Hannah Bassett Twitter: @hannahebassett Email: hannah.bassett@azcir.org Hannah joins AZCIR as our new Report for America corps member, with a beat focused on data-driven health reporting. The position, funded in part by RFA, is also made possible thanks to generous support from Vitalyst Health Foundation. Hannah will use her expertise in data journalism to report about health disparities across Arizona’s urban and rural communities, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations that are disproportionately impacted when systems don’t work as they should. Prior to joining AZCIR, Hannah covered topics ranging from reproductive health care to criminal justice in California. She also has experience writing about public health, immigration and press freedom, in her previous work with the federal government and in the nonprofit sector. Hannah has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Tufts University and recently earned a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University.   Brendon Derr Twitter: @BCDerr Email: brendon.derr@azcir.org Brendon joins AZCIR as our newsroom’s new Roy W. Howard Fellow. The yearlong investigative reporting fellowship, open to graduates from the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at ASU and the University of Maryland, is supported by the Scripps Howard Fund to honor legendary journalist Roy W. Howard. AZCIR is one of five newsrooms to host fellows for the coming year. Although Brendon’s beat will span various AZCIR coverage areas, often with a focus on data, he’ll also contribute to AZCIR’s ongoing reporting about the growing influence of extremist ideologies. Brendon’s previous experience in data-driven journalism has focused on topics ranging from child sexual abuse cases in Indian Country, which he explored as a reporter for the Howard Center for Investigative Reporting at ASU’s Cronkite School, to collaborative reporting with a team of journalists as part of The New York Times’ COVID-tracking effort, which won the newsroom a Pulitzer Prize in public service journalism. After earning a master’s degree in investigative journalism from ASU’s Cronkite School, Brendon most recently worked as a data reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

I’m grateful for the funding from Report for America, Vitalyst Health Foundation and the Scripps Howard Fund that helps make these positions possible. As our most loyal readers and donors, please know that your support is just as critical to keeping our newsroom strong. I hope you’ll consider supporting the rest of these reporter salaries, by making either a one-time donation today or a monthly recurring gift to support them (and our newsroom) in the long term. HELP FUND AZCIR REPORTERS TODAY! Thanks, as always, for following and supporting our work. With gratitude, Brandon Quester Executive Director and Editor Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting