Maggie Amacher

Passionate about storytelling and current affairs, I am focused on developing my skills in news writing, with a particular interest in political journalism. I am eager to utilize my research, writing and critical thinking skills to produce insightful and impactful news coverage.

My Published Work

National Press Club Journalism Institute

Journalism Institute •

How 5 journalists tackled health inequities across the US - Journalism Institute

Covering public health isn’t just about reporting on the science. It’s about earning trust, navigating risks, and elevating voices that are too often ignored.


Five journalists experienced doing so firsthand during the inaugural Public Health Reporting Fellowship from the Institute and the Common Health Coalition.


Over six months, the fellows explored urgent and underreported public health challenges from emerging infectious diseases to the isolation of older adults across rural areas, immi...
Journalism Institute •

Vanishing public data: How journalists can fight back - Journalism Institute

Across the U.S., environmental reporters are facing an increasingly difficult challenge: the disappearance of public data. Government records that once detailed scientific data — such as climate change and extreme weather risks — are being removed or made harder to find, often without explanation.


For journalists who depend on these datasets to tell stories, this is more than a nuisance. It’s a threat to their work.


To adapt, many are turning to new resources. Some now rely on internationa...
Journalism Institute •

'The lights will go out': Public broadcasters brace for federal cuts - Journalism Institute

Congress is closing in on a major decision about public media funding, threatening the future of PBS, NPR, and hundreds of local stations that rely on federal support to stay on the air.


Early Thursday morning, the Senate passed the rescissions package, a bill that would eliminate $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The package also contains deep cuts to international aid programs, including $7.9 billion aimed at combating issues like famine and diseas...
Journalism Institute •

Pressing On: Los Angeles journalists face violence, push for accountability - Journalism Institute

When journalist Ben Camacho set out to cover protests in Paramount, California, he did not expect to become a part of the story he was reporting. But that’s what happened after he was shot twice by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on June 7.


“As a reporter of color, there’s this dynamic where I’m out there on the field and I look like the majority of people that are protesting … there’s this kind of other layer that I feel,” said Camacho, co-founder of The Southlander, during a Freedom o...
Journalism Institute •

Texas Tribune photography director on ethics and empathy in visual journalism - Journalism Institute

Images often convey impact more immediately and powerfully than words, but with that power comes the responsibility to report ethically, especially in the wake of mass casualty events like the recent Texas floods. Visual journalists must navigate difficult decisions about what to show, what to hold back, and how to treat survivors and victims with respect.

John Jordan, deputy director of photography at the Texas Tribune, spoke with the Institute about the critical choices photojournalists face...
Journalism Institute •

Journalists offer strategies to combat misinformation - Journalism Institute

To fight misinformation, journalists must prioritize accuracy, ask sharper questions, and make their reporting process more transparent. That was the core message from a discussion hosted by the Poynter Institute on Wednesday, July 2, in which reporters shared practical advice for navigating today’s fast-changing information landscape.


“Moments of Truth” brought together Chris Wallace, an award-winning broadcast journalist whose past roles include CNN, Fox News, and NBC; Tia Mitchell, the Atl...
Journalism Institute •

Balancing expression and impartiality in the newsroom: A Q&A with SPJ’s ethics chair - Journalism Institute

After ABC’s Terry Moran was suspended over a social media post, questions around how journalists balance personal expression with professional impartiality — especially in today’s hyper-partisan environment — have resurfaced.

Michael Koretzky, Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee chairman, has watched those boundaries bend and evolve for decades.


The Institute spoke with Koretzky about how journalists can navigate today’s polarized landscape and why saying nothing might be t...
Journalism Institute •

Ohio’s newspapers remain tax exempt, sparking look at how other states are sustaining local journalism - Journalism Institute

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday vetoed a proposed tax on newspapers and their production materials, aligning Ohio with a growing number of states taking steps to protect local journalism. 


DeWine’s veto, issued alongside his signing of Ohio House Bill 96, preserved existing sales tax exemptions for newspapers, print advertising materials, and printing equipment. This tax exemption has been in place for 90 years.


“Newspapers serve a critical role in our society to inform the public about im...
Journalism Institute •

How the Trans Journalists Association and MuckRock are using FOIA to track trans rights - Journalism Institute

To track how executive orders affecting transgender people are being enforced nationwide, the Trans Journalists Association and MuckRock have partnered to file hundreds of public records requests from federal, state, and local agencies.


Nearly two months into the project, they have submitted 247 open records requests — and received just 42 responses from state governments.


The Institute spoke with Kae Petrin (pictured) ,co-executive director of TJA, about the strategy behind the project an...
Journalism Institute •

‘Go where the people are’: A local journalist’s guide to reporting LGBTQ+ stories - Journalism Institute

With LGBTQ+ funding being cut, resources dwindling, and civil rights under attack, journalists must work hard to connect sweeping national policies to local lived experiences within the LGBTQ+ community.


“It’s important to let readers know, especially in a community that has a significant LGBTQ+ population, hey, this is going on,” said Bill Canacci, regional features editor for Asbury Park Press/Gannett NJ.


On June 17 the Institute hosted a panel of experts who shared advice for localizing...
Journalism Institute •

A journalist’s guide to protest safety - Journalism Institute

As protests continue in Los Angeles against ICE raids, journalists must know how to stay safe. In recent days, members of the press covering these demonstrations have faced violence from law enforcement, including being struck by rubber bullets and exposed to tear gas.


According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 27 journalists have been attacked by law enforcement while covering the protests between June 6 and June 8.


“We really need to think about creating a culture of safety collect...

The Post

Hocking Hills Garment Center weaves jobs, sustaina •

Hocking Hills Garment Center weaves jobs, sustainability into Southeast Ohio

Athens native Betsy Franjola repurposed a decommissioned Catholic church in Buchtel, Ohio, into the Hocking Hills Garment Center, a sustainable, community-oriented manufacturing facility.

The center opened in October 2024 with Franjola’s idea to help create meaningful jobs in the community.
Franjola has over 20 years of experience in the industry, starting her career in print and fabric development working for brands such as The Limited and Tommy Hilfiger.
“I lov...
Athens plastic bag ban faces legal challenge - The •

Athens plastic bag ban faces legal challenge

An Athens City ordinance, which took effect on Jan. 1, prohibits local businesses within Athens City limits from providing single-use plastic bags. Businesses that violate the rule face a $150 fine.
According to a previous Post report, the legislation, championed by Athens ReThink Plastics, a local organization, was developed in collaboration with Councilmember Alan Swank, D-4th Ward, following his election in 2021.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office filed a laws...
ODNR tests for water contamination in Athens Count •

ODNR tests for water contamination in Athens County

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources initiated plans to conduct well water testing in the eastern part of Athens County for potential contamination after discovering toxic waste from four fracking waste injection wells that might have spread underground.
Rather than conducting the testing internally, ODNR called for proposals from third-party organizations. Two companies–ATC Group Services LLC and Patriot Engineering and Environmental Inc.–submitted bids.

The...
Fracking now allowed in Ohio state parks, wildlife •

Fracking now allowed in Ohio state parks, wildlife areas

The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission declared its decision to allow fracking in Ohio state parks and wildlife areas owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, or ODNR, on Nov. 15.
The commission allowed oil and gas development underneath Salt Fork State Park and two other state-owned wildlife areas – Valley Run Wildlife Area and Zepernick Wildlife Area. 

Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is the process of fracturing underground bedrock and i...

Ohio Magazine

Christina Musgrave Brings Joy to Everyday Cooking Through Her Debut Cookbook, ‘Tasting Every Day’

For Christina Musgrave, food has always meant connection. Growing up in a large family, she learned early on that good meals bring people together. That sense of community and comfort now drives her work as the founder of Tasting With Tina, a popular food blog known for easy, flavorful weeknight recipes.After leaving her career in tech consulting during the pandemic to pursue cooking full time, Musgrave built a brand centered around making home cooking joyful and accessible. Her debut cookbook,...

Hayes Home Restoration Brings New Life to a Presidential Landmark

For more than 150 years, the home of Rutherford B. Hayes has stood as the centerpiece of Spiegel Grove in Fremont, captivating visitors with its stately presence and rich presidential history. Now, thanks to a $708,000 grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation, the residence is undergoing its most significant restoration in more than a decade.“It is just an exquisite example of 19th-century architecture,” says Christie Weininger, executive director of the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. “…...

See ‘Recall. Reframe. Respond. The Art of Paul Scott’ at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Sept./Oct. 2025
BY Maggie Amacher | “Picturesque Views, Newburg Hudson River, Dredging,” from the series “Cumbrian Blue(s),” New American Scenery, 2022, Paul Scott, Courtesy of Paul Scott and Ferrin Contemporary, © 2022 Paul Scott; Photo Credit: Paul Scott Blue-and-white China may evoke memories of a grandmother’s cabinet or a dusty shelf in a thrift store, but when British artist Paul Scott reworks traditional tran...

New 3,000-Acre Nature Preserve Coming to Appalachian Ohio

In northern Athens County and southern Morgan County, sandstone ridges rise above wooded land, and streams slip through shaded valleys. This stretch of Appalachian woodland feels endless and untouched, and now, nearly 3,000 acres of it will become officially protected land.In one of the largest private land protection efforts by nonprofit organizations in Ohio’s history, the Athens Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy have announced the creation of Joy Valley Nature Preserve, a parcel of land...

Other Publications

Using FOIA to Track Trans Rights in Trump’s America

To track how US President Donald Trump’s executive orders affecting transgender people are being enforced across the country, the Trans Journalists Association and the nonprofit, collaborative news site MuckRock partnered to file hundreds of public records requests from federal, state, and local agencies.
Nearly two months into the project, they have submitted 247 open records requests — and received just 42 responses from state governments.
The National Press Club Journalism Institute spoke wit...
Freedom of the Press •

Pressing on: LA journalists face violence and push for accountability

Camacho shared his story alongside three other journalists during “Reporting under fire: Protests and press freedom in Los Angeles,” an event spotlighting a growing crisis in California’s streets and newsrooms.

Despite having a press badge and camera around his neck, Camacho was hit in the knee and then in the elbow with “less-lethal” projectiles. The pain sent him into shock, screaming and scrambling for cover. The injuries left him unable to work for a week, with lingering pain in his knee an...