At Verite News, our diverse and talented team brings together a wealth of experience and expertise from various backgrounds, ensuring that we cover every angle of the stories that impact our communities. We are committed to providing comprehensive, accurate, and unbiased reporting that empowers our readers with the information they need to understand the world around them. We believe in the power of storytelling to foster understanding and drive change, and we are passionate about shining a light on issues that affect the residents of New Orleans.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
David Francis
David Francis is the retired Executive Vice President and Publisher of NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, working for NOLA Media Group and its predecessor, The Times-Picayune, for more than 24 years.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Terry Baquet
Terry Baquet is a 28-year veteran of NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and a lifelong New Orleanian. He served as Sunday Editor and was the Page 1 Editor during the paper’s Katrina coverage which won two Pulitzer Prizes in breaking news and public service.
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Drew Costley
Veteran journalist Drew Costley (they/them/theirs) first joined Verite News to cover a variety of topics with a focus on health, climate and environmental inequity. Before coming to Verite, they reported on climate and environmental justice, health inequities, science and the transgender community for The Associated Press.
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Michelle Liu
Experienced reporter Michelle Liu worked previously for The Associated Press in South Carolina and was an inaugural corps member with the Report for America initiative. She also covered statewide criminal justice issues for Mississippi Today, Verite’s sister newsroom, from 2018 to 2020.
MANAGING EDITOR
Charles Maldonado
Charles Maldonado comes to Verite from The Lens, an award-winning nonprofit investigative news website founded in New Orleans in 2009. Charles worked at The Lens for more than nine years, serving as a reporter and editor.
Reporters
Tristan Baurick
Tristan Baurick is a senior reporter focusing on climate change and the environment. Before joining Verite in 2024, Baurick was a coastal and environment reporter at The Times-Picayune | Nola.com.
Katie Jane Fernelius
Katie Jane Fernelius reports on the local government for Verite. Prior to joining Verite, she was a longtime freelance journalist and producer. Over the course of her career, she’s reported for and worked with The Guardian, BBC World Service, The Appeal, Quartz, The Nation, The Assembly, In These Times, INDY Week, and other outlets.
Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
Before joining Verite, Bobbi-Jeanne Misick reported on people behind bars in immigration detention centers and prisons in the Gulf South as a senior reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between NPR, WWNO in New Orleans, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama and MPB-Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson.
Richard A. Webster
Experienced investigative reporter Rich Webster joins Verite after spending the past two and a half years as a member of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. He investigated allegations of abuse against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and claims of racial and economic inequities within Louisiana’s Road Home recovery program following Hurricane Katrina.
Newsroom Fellows
We proudly support the next generation of journalists through our Newsroom Fellows program. Our fellows are emerging talents who bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and a deep commitment to journalistic excellence. The fellows work alongside our seasoned journalists, gaining invaluable experience and honing their skills in a dynamic and supportive environment. They are involved in every aspect of the newsroom, from researching and reporting to writing and editing. Meet the fellows who are shaping the future of news.
John Gray
John Gray is a recent graduate of Morehouse College, with a degree in Political Science and a minor in journalism. Gray has a passion for investigative journalism and social justice. He has worked with the Atlanta Falcons media team and reported on various happenings throughout Atlanta as a college student. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Gray has a diverse set of skills attained from various experiences.
Arielle Robinson
Arielle Robinson comes to Verite News from Atlanta, Georgia. She was recently part of ProPublica’s 2023-24 cohort of Emerging Reporter fellows and has freelanced for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Cobb County Courier. Robinson previously interned at CNN’s The Row, working alongside CNN editors and researchers to fact-check news.
Safura Syed
Safura Syed is a Metro Detroit native and graduate of the University of Michigan, holding dual degrees in creative writing and ecology and evolutionary biology. Syed worked on The Michigan Daily and served as the managing editor for Michigan in Color. She has previously interned at WDIV, a Detroit-based NBC broadcast affiliate. Passionate about storytelling and the environment, Syed aims to investigate inequities related to climate and race.