Bennett Leckrone Email & Phone Number

United States

Annapolis, Maryland, United States

Covering local and state governments, elections and ethics for Maryland Matters via Report for America.

Washington, District Of Columbia

Helped to maintain a crowdsourced list of colleges fall plans in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Wrote breaking news, analysis and contributed to long-term projects.

Athens, Ohio

Led a team of 21 staffers and managing editorial content, digital content and design for the first student-produced regional magazine in the country.

Parkersburg, West Virginia Area

Led special projects and investigations as an editor at The Post. Managed FOIA requests, research, writing and fact-checking and led workshops for student journalists writing long-form articles. Helped develop a variety of projects, like an interactive salary guide and a special climate change edition.

Produced long-form articles with an emphasis on Appalachia and opioids. Topics included redevelopment in former coal towns, how emergency workers cope with the opioid epidemic, drug courts and prison reformation.

Covered a variety of beats as a student news writer, including city council, local and state government, Appalachian issues and regional development. Wrote a mix of breaking news on deadline, spot news, features and follow-up stories.

Led a team of copy editors and checked stories for spelling, grammar and AP Style prior to publication.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Area

Worked across teams to produce digital news coverage in Pennsylvania's capital. Wrote daily breaking news in addition to focused beats on state politics and policy, local governments and public transportation.

Dayton, Ohio Area

Wrote general assignment stories at the Dayton Daily News, producing digital-first stories on a deadline. Later worked as a contributing writer, writing local interest stories and reports on state legislation.

Columbus, Ohio Area

Wrote about legislation and government in Ohio's capital as part of the Scripps Statehouse News Bureau. Built up source relations with legislators, covered sessions and committees with all the responsibilities of a full-time statehouse reporter. Also produced a front-page investigation into how Ohio's school funding formula impacted rural school districts.

Dayton, Ohio Area

Wrote local interest stories and attended events around Troy, Ohio, included festivals and the local county fair. Also shadowed reporters reporting on crime and courts in Miami County, Ohio.