Investigate Midwest has welcomed two new summer interns.
Caspar Dowdy joins Investigate Midwest as a reporting intern through the Scripps Howard Fund's nonprofit newsroom internship program.
Paloma Sanchez-McGee joins our newsroom as an audience engagement intern through the Dow Jones News Fund.
Both interns are supported in part by the Gary Marx Journalism Fund.
A student at the University of Missouri studying journalism and environmental science, Caspar is interested in rural reporting, with a particular focus on agriculture, science and environmental issues.
Previously, Caspar reported for the Edwardsville Intelligencer, a community newspaper in southern Illinois, and KBIA, a public radio station in central Missouri. His work has also appeared on NPR.
Paloma Sanchez-McGee, originally from Fort Worth, Texas, is Investigate Midwest's audience engagement intern. She’s a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
While at Nebraska, Paloma served as digital director of the Daily Nebraskan and worked on a long-form reporting project examining nitrate contamination in the state's groundwater, where she explored efforts to address nitrate pollution and its potential health impacts.
This summer, Paloma will work closely with our newsroom’s assistant editor and audience engagement manager to strengthen the newsroom's digital presence, support event planning and track the impact of our journalism. She will also help produce newsletters and coordinate media outreach.
With both interns on board, our newsroom continues to invest in the next generation of journalists.
"The work we do doesn't happen in a vacuum. It takes strong reporting, meaningful audience engagement and a commitment to serving the public," said Lauren Cross, assistant editor and audience engagement manager for Investigate Midwest. "Caspar and Paloma bring curiosity, talent and a real interest in helping people better understand the issues affecting agriculture and rural communities. We're excited to help them grow as journalists while contributing to the work we do every day."
See what they're working on
Follow Investigate Midwest for updates on Caspar and Paloma as they contribute to our newsroom's reporting, audience engagement and community outreach.
