Your Public Radio (WYPR), Baltimore’s NPR news station, welcomes Zshekinah Collier to its award-winning newsroom starting on June 1, 2022 as part of Report for America (RFA), the national service program that places emerging journalists into local news organizations to report on under-covered issues and communities. Collier will report on education in Baltimore.
Collier is currently a producer for the weekly talk show “Disrupted,” on Connecticut Public Radio, where she was previously a radio production and storytelling intern. In 2021, Collier was a member of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting’s inaugural summer internship program where she gained training, mentorship, and experience as a member of USA Today’s investigative team. While there, she contributed to coverage of the Capital riots and the media organization’s Title IX investigation. She was also an editorial intern at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists through the Emma Bowen Foundation Fellowship. Collier received her B.A in Justice and Law with a minor in Communication from American University in 2020. While at American University, she was co-editor-in-chief of The Blackprint, a student-run online and print publication covering issues affecting students of color, news, and pop culture. After graduation, Collier covered local events as a freelancer in her hometown of New Haven, Connecticut.
“I am thrilled to be welcoming another rising journalist to our news team. Zshekinah will bring a diverse and fresh perspective on this much-needed coverage of education,” said Danyell Irby, WYPR’s executive director of news.
Collier is the second RFA reporter to join the WYPR newsroom; Sarah Y. Kim, who joined the newsroom covering health and housing issues, is currently in her second year of reporting and will be staying on for a third year. Kim’s reporting has earned her several industry awards including the Chesapeake Associated Press award, Outstanding Specialty Reporting for “New Study Shows Exclusion of Blacks in Genomic Research.”
WYPR’s ability to participate in the Report for America program for a third year in a row is supported by the Anthony Brandon Fellowship Fund, named in honor of Anthony “Tony” Brandon, the former president and general manager of WYPR. The Fund was established in 2019 by WYPR's Board of Directors with support from friends and benefactors of the station in honor of Brandon's 17 years of service to WYPR and Baltimore.
About Your Public Radio
Your Public Radio serves Baltimore, Central Maryland and beyond. NPR station WYPR was founded in 2002 by local community members. It is an independent licensee with a diverse Board of Directors consisting of Maryland residents. In addition to airing national and international radio features, WYPR excels in local programming including its news, public affairs and cultural programs, and in 2021, Your Public Radio acquired WTMD 89.7 FM, preserving its award-winning music discovery format and expanding Your Public Radio programming for the community. WYPR is located at 88.1 FM on the radio dial and at 2216 N. Charles Street in Baltimore. WTMD is located at 89.7 FM on the radio dial and at 1 Olympic Plaza in Towson. As listener-supported radio stations, all contributions to the stations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. For more information, visit www.wypr.org or www.wtmd.org.
About Report for America
Report for America is a national service program that places talented emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities. Launched in 2017, Report for America is creating a new, sustainable system that provides Americans with the information they need to improve their communities, hold powerful institutions accountable, and rebuild trust in the media. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization with an established track record of training and supporting teams of emerging journalists around the world, including the recent launch of Report for the World in partnership with local newsrooms in India and Nigeria. To learn more about Report for America and its efforts to strengthen communities through public service journalism, please visit www.reportforamerica.org.