SOJC grad lands News21 journalism fellowship

portrait of Peyton Brooks
Peyton Brooks, who graduated from the UO School of Journalism and Communication in early 2023, was selected to be a fellow in the Carnegie-Knight News21 fellowship. She said she is looking forward to expanding her toolkit as a journalist as she focuses more on visual journalism during the fellowship.

At the one-year anniversary of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, 25 journalists from universities across the United States have gathered at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication to embark on a national project examining the impact of the case that eliminated a constitutional right to abortion. Peyton Brooks, a 2023 graduate of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, is one of 26 journalists selected from a pool of 400 for the prestigious Carnegie-Knight News21 journalism fellowship.

“I was lucky enough to be nominated by my university because I was graduating a term early. I knew of the program, and I knew how beneficial it would be to my career growth, so the decision was easy,” said Brooks. “I'm looking forward to expanding my toolkit as a journalist by focusing more on visual journalism during this experience. I am also looking forward to maintaining friendships with the other fellows that I am going through this experience with.”

Representing nine universities, the 2023 Carnegie-Knight News21 fellows are examining how this monumental decision has gone beyond abortion bans and courthouse battles to more broadly affect health care, culture, policy and people.

“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has had ripple effects across the nation — in communities large and small, and in red states and blue,” said Pauline Arrillaga, a professor of practice and executive director of the Carnegie-Knight News21 program housed at the Cronkite School. “Our multiformat team will be traveling all across the U.S. this summer to document what’s happening, with a goal of helping the public better understand how this is playing out on the ground and in individuals’ lives.”

The journalism fellowship program

The fellows spent 15 weeks this spring conducting extensive background research before heading to Phoenix last month to begin their 10-week field reporting fellowship on the project, called “America After Roe.” Their final stories — to be produced in text, video, audio, photos and graphics — will be shared with national media outlets for publication.

Previous News21 projects have taken on topics including police reform, COVID-19, extremist groups and juvenile justice, and past publication partners include The Washington Post, NBC News, The Associated Press and USA Today.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provides core support for the program. Individual fellows are supported by their universities as well as a variety of foundations, news organizations and philanthropic partners that include the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Hearst Foundations, The Arizona Republic/azcentral, Gray Television and more.

Journalism fellowship members

In addition to Brooks, the fellows in this summer’s News21 program are:

  • Alex Appel, Arizona State University, Inasmuch Foundation Fellow
  • Morgan Casey, Arizona State University, Don Bolles/Arizona Republic Fellow
  • Francesca D’Annunzio, Arizona State University, Inasmuch Foundation Fellow
  • Naomi Delkamiller, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Howard G. Buffett Foundation Fellow
  • Jenna Ebbers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Howard G. Buffett Foundation Fellow
  • Morgan Fischer, Arizona State University, Hearst Foundation Fellow
  • Tori Gantz, Arizona State University, Hearst Foundation Fellow
  • Jordan Gerard, Arizona State University, Hearst Foundation Fellow
  • Elise Catrion Gregg, Florida International University
  • Michaela Herbst, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Cassidey Kavathas, St. Bonaventure University
  • Maddy Keyes, University of Oklahoma, Inasmuch Foundation Fellow
  • Henry Larson, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Mingson Lau, Arizona State University, Howard G. Buffett Foundation Fellow
  • Marien López-Medina, University of Oklahoma, Inasmuch Foundation Fellow
  • Trilce Estrada Olvera, Arizona State University, Howard G. Buffett Foundation Fellow
  • Kevin Palomino, University of Oklahoma, Inasmuch Foundation Fellow
  • April Michelle Pierdant, University of North Texas, Gray Television Fellow
  • Deanna Pistono, Arizona State University, Hearst Foundation Fellow
  • Jada Respress, Ohio Wesleyan University
  • Joshua Shimkus, Arizona State University, Hearst Foundation Fellow
  • Noel Lyn Smith, Arizona State University, Inasmuch Foundation Fellow
  • Shelby Rae Wills, Arizona State University, Howard G. Buffett Foundation Fellow
  • Joseph Kual Zakaria, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Howard G. Buffett Foundation Fellow
group photo of News21 students, taken from a high angle
The 2023 Carnegie-Knight News21 fellows, including the School of Journalism and Communication’s graduate Peyton Brooks (back row, left), are examining the impacts of the reversal of Roe v. Wade. More than 400 individuals were interviewed from communities and neighborhoods in over two dozen American cities. Last summer, News21 journalists produced “In Pursuit,” which examined police reform and accountability across the country.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation joined forces in 2005 to launch News21 journalism fellowship as a cornerstone of the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education.

Carnegie-Knight News21 students have won countless awards for their work, including Hearst Journalism Awards, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and Student Edward R. Murrow Awards as well as recognitions from leading journalism organizations such as Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Online News Association, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Society of Professional Journalists.