Grist leadership is pleased to announce four hires to the editorial team.
In June, Tik Root joined Grist as a senior staff writer on the decarbonization beat, covering everything from electric vehicles to clean energy to climate policy. Root began his career in Yemen, and has since reported from nearly a dozen countries. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, National Geographic, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Harper’s, and the BBC, among other outlets. Root holds a B.A. from Middlebury College and a M.A. in Science, Health, and Environment journalism from Columbia University. He is based in Vermont.
In July, Anita Hofschneider joined Grist as a senior staff writer on the Indigenous Affairs desk, focusing on climate and environmental issues in the Pacific region and beyond. Hofschneider is a Chamorro journalist based in Honolulu who spent most of the last decade at Honolulu Civil Beat, where she won more than two dozen awards for her local and regional reporting. She previously wrote for The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal after graduating from Harvard College with honors. She was born and raised in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
This month, Grist also added two more regional reporters to its growing network with local NPR stations in Georgia, Illinois, and Michigan.
In partnership with WBEZ, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco will cover climate change, energy, and the environment in Illinois. Previously, Ramirez-Franco was an environmental reporter at WNIJ, where he covered wildlife and the environment. He also worked as the Illinois reporter for Harvest Public Media and the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk. His work has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition, as well as WBUR’s Here and Now. Ramirez-Franco has also worked with StoryCorps, City Bureau, the Third Coast International Audio Festival, and In These Times magazine. He graduated from Knox College, where he studied Latin American history. He is from northern Illinois, where he currently resides.
“We’re very excited about Juanpablo joining the WBEZ newsroom as part of a yearslong partnership with Grist,” said Natalie Moore, editor of Race, Class & Communities desk. “Illinois and the Midwest region are experiencing changes that will impact generations, and having Juanpablo and the support of Grist will help us to greatly elevate and expand essential coverage around climate change and environmental justice.”
In conjunction with Interlochen Public Radio, Izzy Ross will cover ecosystems, energy, and climate solutions for communities in Northern Michigan. She has spent the past five years at KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska, as a reporter and news director. She led the annual Bristol Bay Fisheries Report, a daily show for thousands of commercial fishermen. She also collaborated with other radio stations across the state and reported for Alaska’s Energy Desk. Ross grew up in the Hudson Valley, New York. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in Government and spent a year reporting on stand-up comedy in Berlin on a Fulbright Journalism Fellowship.
“Izzy’s presence in our newsroom, and our partnership with Grist, will further deepen our coverage of climate change in the Great Lakes region,” said IPR news director Ed Ronco. “I’m so glad Izzy’s part of our team, and particularly excited for the solutions-focused reporting that will result from working with Grist. The Great Lakes have a fifth of the world’s fresh water. Understanding how climate change affects this region, and what’s being done about it, is crucial for all of us.”
These latest additions signify Grist’s continued commitment to reaching new audiences, particularly in areas often ignored by national media, and deepening its coverage of climate, environmental justice, and solutions stories across the United States and the globe.
“We’re thrilled to welcome such a talented group of journalists to our newsroom,” said Grist executive editor Katherine Bagley. “Each one comes from a unique background, with diverse skills, lived experiences, and deep beat expertise on climate and environmental issues. Their work will continue to help Grist produce conversation-leading, impactful, and inclusive reporting on one of the biggest issues of our time.”
