Hi, I'm Anna, a University of Missouri graduate with a degree in journalism. I'm now in the final year of earning a Master's degree in data journalism. 

Selected work

Patching up the gap: Moms in prison reconnect with their kids during family visits (link)(PDF)

For the Columbia Missourian; May 4, 2024

How I reported it: I was put in touch with Syreta Toson, a formerly incarcerated woman, by another member of the community who expressed an interest in sharing her story and more information about the PATCH program. I chatted with Syreta, her son, Isiah, and Barb Burton, the director of PATCH, about the relationship the Tosons were able to build through the PATCH program. 

I opted for sensitive, primarily people-first language in this story, avoiding words like "inmate" and "felon;" as the Marshall Project points out, these labels often consign formerly incarcerated people to be defined by the crime they committed forever, rather than who they have or still could become after. I also paid close attention to the lede of the story, opting to avoid opening with a crime scene that, though it may have captured an audience's attention, would have highlighted a low point in this story that my source has since worked to overcome and grow from. 

 I also incorporated data from the Prison Policy Initiative to help gauge the need for PATCH's transportation services in particular.  

Amid rising college closures, students, higher education experts talk financial 'red flags' (link)(PDF)

For Missouri Business Alert; November 9, 2024

How I reported it: I've always been a bit curious and apprehensive about very small, private colleges where no one ever appears to be on campus, especially when those schools announce record enrollment, new programs, new scholarships, etc. after the closure of Fontbonne University in St. Louis, I wanted to dig into the phenomenon of college closures a bit more from the student perspective. I was able to find some useful data to illustrate why experiencing college closures is such a problem for students, and what they should be looking out for as they begin applying or prepare to apply to schools. I also got to take an advance look at a list of midwestern schools at risk for financial insolvency compiled by The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis.

Local nonprofits see area residents grappling with food insecurity (link) (PDF)

For the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald; August 4, 2024

How I reported it: my work with Mizzou's on-campus food pantry has made me aware of the recent growth of food insecurity due, at least in part, to the recent growth of inflation. As I reported this story, however, I discovered that local residents were also being impacted by changes to government programs including Summer EBT, SNAP and Social Security, and that some struggled with finding various other poverty resources in the area. 

It can be easy to see one statistic and attribute it to another: high inflation = high food insecurity, for example. However, I wanted to dive a little deeper to understand what else was going on in the lives of the folks who use local food resources. In the end, I discovered another variable - the number of variables - that make it more difficult for local people to make ends meet or even to access the help they need to succeed, despite its being available. 

Dubuque teen wins at first U.S. Hobby Horse Championships (link)(PDF)

For the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald; August 17, 2024

How I reported it: my editor assigned this story after a tip from Gwen's dad, Chris Maiers. Everyone in the newsroom was a little apprehensive at first after looking up what "hobby horsing" is, but after going to the Maier's home I found this was one of my favorite stories that I reported and wrote during my summer at the Telegraph-Herald! It's pretty rare to see a 15-year-old with such direction, and learning about hobby horsing was actually such a joy! The one thing I didn't want to do in my story was open Gwen up to more bullying at school, so I made sure to note the diligent practice and artistry of the sport and avoid taking a patronizing tone or incorporating any overly corny horse puns. 

  MO spends millions on abortion alternatives. Could the federal government crack down? (link)(PDF) 

For the Kansas City Star; May 21, 2024

How I reported it: when I report on policy, I'm always looking to cover not only what the issues are today, but also what the issues are going to be tomorrow. As a result, I stay up to date - if not ahead - of new developments in both the public and private sectors to find points of conflict early and report them out so readers know what's coming next. When I noticed a perennial earmark in Missouri's budget worth millions could run afoul of a proposed federal rule, I wanted to highlight that disparity in time for readers to weigh in on the budget-making process.

 Boone Health to cut 26 jobs, shutter home care and hospice divisions (link)(PDF) 

For the the Columbia Missourian; November 2, 2022

How I reported it: I was assigned this breaking news story after Boone Health released a press release detailing plans to suddenly shutter it's home care and hospice division. I wrote the breaking news piece of this story while Dan Mika, a reporter in the investigative reporting class, added the quote from Boone Health's CEO as a part of a longer investigative story about Boone Health's finances that was ongoing. Through this story, I got to break important news with serious implications for the Columbia community while also hearing a little bit about the team's efforts on the longer story. This taught me a new way to think about breaking news; as a part of longer, ongoing coverage with multiple reporters contributing rather than a one-off that doesn't continuously follow-up on an important issue. 

Just over a year after regulatory changes, local anti-addiction treatments developing (link)(PDF) 

For the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald; August 5, 2024

How I reported it: with the anniversary of regulatory changes that made it easier for primary care doctors and nurse practitioners to prescribe medication-assisted treatment coming up, I wanted to check in with local health providers to see what, if anything, had changed for local folks struggling with opioid use disorder. While I was really looking to get in touch with local doctors making a big difference, I actually discovered that little had changed at all. Instead of scrapping the story, I wanted to dig into why those changes weren't successful in expanding treatment options.