WATCHDOG WRITERS GROUP TEAM

The Teams
Class of 2024 – 2025

THE FELLOW

Alisa Roth

FELLOW

Molly O’Toole

Molly O’Toole is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, working on “The Route,” a nonfiction book on global migration through the Americas to the United States.

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THE STUDENT

Emma Flannery

Emma Flannery

Emma Flannery is a senior studying journalism at the University of Missouri.

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THE FELLOW

Sarah Smarsh

FELLOW

Alec MacGillis

Alec MacGillis is a reporter at ProPublica, where his focus in recent years has included gun violence, economic inequality and the post-pandemic crisis in public education.

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THE STUDENT

Sarah Smarsh

Egan Ward

Egan Ward is a senior journalism student at the University of Missouri.

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THE FELLOW

Caleb Gayle

FELLOW

Caleb Gayle

Caleb Gayle is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and a professor at Northeastern University.

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THE STUDENT

Anna Colletto

Anna Colletto

Anna Colletto is a junior studying journalism and political science at the University of Missouri.

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THE FELLOW

Ted Genoways

FELLOW

Ted Genoways

Ted Genoways is a two-time James Beard Award winner and author of six books, including Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico (W.W. Norton, May 2025).

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THE STUDENT

Bryan Chou

Bryan Chou

Bryan Chou is a second-year Master’s student at the University of Missouri studying data and investigative reporting.

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THE FELLOW

Mya Frazier

FELLOW

Mya Frazier

Mya Frazier is writing a book that expands on her recent investigation for The New York Times Magazine into America’s housing crisis and the credit reporting system. During the fellowship, she will research the relationship between class mobility and the credit system.

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THE STUDENT

Paige Gerling

Paige Gerling

Paige Gerling is a senior at the University of Missouri studying journalism and political science.

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The Teams
Class of 2023

THE FELLOW

Caleb Gayle

FELLOW

Caleb Gayle

Caleb Gayle is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and a professor at Northeastern University.

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THE STUDENT

Anna Colletto

Anna Colletto

Anna Colletto is a junior studying journalism and political science at the University of Missouri.

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THE FELLOW

Sarah Smarsh

FELLOW

Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who has covered socioeconomic class, politics and public
 policy for The New York Times, National Geographic, Harper’s, and many other
publications.

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THE STUDENT

Sarah Smarsh

Jocelyn Heimsoth

Jocelyn Heimsoth is a senior at the University of Missouri double-majoring in Journalism and Environmental Science, studying environmental journalism.

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THE FELLOW

Alisa Roth

FELLOW

Alisa Roth

Alisa Roth is a contributor to Marketplace, NPR, and other outlets, who specializes in mental health, criminal justice and other social policy issues.

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THE STUDENTS

Claudia Rivera-Cotto

Sophia Anderson

Sophia is a sophomore at the University of Missouri studying journalism and sociology.

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Claudia Rivera-Cotto

Evy Lewis

Evy Lewis is a senior at the University of Missouri double-majoring in journalism and English.

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THE FELLOW

WWG-Frazier Photo

FELLOW

Mya Frazier

Mya Frazier is writing a book that expands on her recent investigation for The New York Times Magazine into America’s housing crisis and the credit reporting system. During the fellowship, she will research the relationship between class mobility and the credit system.

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THE STUDENT

ValerieHS

Valerie Nava

Valerie Nava is a second year M.A. student in the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

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The Teams
Class of 2022

THE FELLOW

Sarah Smarsh

FELLOW

Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who has covered socioeconomic class, politics and public
 policy for The New York Times, National Geographic, Harper’s, and many other
publications.

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THE STUDENT

Mavis Chan

Mavis Chan

Mavis Chan is a senior majoring in journalism and
 political science at the University of Missouri.

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THE FELLOW

Alisa Roth

FELLOW

Alisa Roth

Alisa Roth is a contributor to Marketplace, NPR, and other outlets, who specializes in mental health, criminal justice and other social policy issues.

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THE STUDENT

Teghan Simonton

Teghan Simonton

Teghan Simonton is a graduate student at the University of Missouri studying investigative reporting.

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THE FELLOW

Chris Leonard

DIRECTOR

Christopher Leonard

Executive Director
of the WWG

Writing a book about a company at the heart of American political and economic affairs.

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THE STUDENT

Regan Mertz

Regan Mertz

Regan Mertz is a graduate student studying Documentary and Photojournalism at the Missouri School of Journalism.

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THE FELLOW

FELLOW

Michael Grunwald

Michael Grunwald is working on a book for Simon & Schuster about how to feed the world without frying the world. It’s about the food we eat, the farms that make the food, the forests that get cleared to make room for the farms, and the search for technological and political solutions that can prevent us from eating the earth.

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THE STUDENT

Jana Rose Schleis

Jana Rose Schleis

Jana Rose Schleis is a second year M.A. student in the Missouri School of Journalism. She’s studying investigative journalism, government reporting and public policy.

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THE FELLOW

WWG-Frazier Photo

FELLOW

Mya Frazier

Mya Frazier is writing a book that expands on her recent investigation for The New York Times Magazine into America’s housing crisis and the credit reporting system. During the fellowship, she will research the relationship between class mobility and the credit system.

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THE STUDENTS

Beatrice Bankauskaite

Beatrice Bankauskaite

Beatrice Bankauskaite is a Fulbright grantee and a graduate student at the University of Missouri studying documentary and photojournalism.

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Claudia Rivera-Cotto

Claudia Rivera-Cotto

Claudia Rivera-Cotto is a graduate student at the University of Missouri in data and investigative journalism.

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THE FELLOW

FELLOW

Shoshana Walter

Shoshana Walter is writing a book that builds on her award-winning reporting for Reveal on unpaid work camps masquerading as rehab. Her book, “Untreated,” will chronicle the many problems plaguing the country’s addiction treatment system, how it got this way and how we could do better for the millions of people in the US struggling with addiction.

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THE STUDENT

Kelly Dereuck

Kelly Dereuck

Kelly Dereuck is a graduate student researching the use of public records to report on private equity.

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The Teams
Class of 2021

THE FELLOW

FELLOW

Michael Grunwald

Michael Grunwald is working on a book for Simon & Schuster about how to feed the world without frying the world. It’s about the food we eat, the farms that make the food, the forests that get cleared to make room for the farms, and the search for technological and political solutions that can prevent us from eating the earth.

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THE STUDENT

Mark Ossolinski

Ossolinski is working with Grunwald to investigate the relationship between agribusiness and climate change.

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THE FELLOW

FELLOW

Shoshana Walter

Shoshana Walter is writing a book that builds on her award-winning reporting for Reveal on unpaid work camps masquerading as rehab. Her book, “Untreated,” will chronicle the many problems plaguing the country’s addiction treatment system, how it got this way and how we could do better for the millions of people in the US struggling with addiction.

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THE STUDENT

Cianna Morales

Morales is working with Shoshana Walter to investigate the shrouded rehab industry that has grown up around America’s opioid epidemic.

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The Teams
Class of 2020

THE FELLOW

Pamela Colloff

Pamela Colloff

Staff writer, New York Times Magazine
and Senior Reporter at ProPublica

Writing a book about the criminal justice system and jailhouse informants.

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THE STUDENT

STEVEN GARRISON

Steven Garrison

Working with Pamela Colloff to investigate the criminal justice system in Missouri and
other states.

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THE FELLOW

PATRICIA “P.J.” HUFFSTUTTER

Patricia “P.J.” Huffstutter

Agribusiness Reporter
at Reuters News

Writing a book about the farm debt crisis in rural America.

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THE STUDENT

PENG “FION” CHEN

Peng “Fion” Chen

Working with P.J. Huffstutter to build a unique, searchable database of farm debt and loan defaults across America.

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THE FELLOW

John Eligon

New York Times National Correspondent

Developing a book project about the Black Lives Matter movement.

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THE STUDENT

Eligon’s student reporter will be assigned in the fall of 2020.

THE FELLOW

Chris Leonard

Christopher Leonard

Executive Director
of the WWG

Writing a book about the Federal Reserve Bank and the American economy.

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THE STUDENT

Kelly Dereuck

Kelly Dereuck

Working with Christopher Leonard to research the modern history
of U.S. banks.

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How to get involved

Learn more about our fellowship program

Learn more about donating to WWG

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Recent Stories

Watch here for new stories regularly.

“The Unequal Effects of School Closings”

Alec MacGillis
The New Yorker/ProPublica, August 2024

“Black, Evangelical and Torn”

Caleb Gayle
New York Times Magazine, March 2023

“The Out Crowd”

Molly O’Toole
This American Life, November 2019