The Trace today shares some happy news of its own: Tali Woodward starts this week as deputy editor.
“I’m delighted to be joining a talented group of journalists covering one of the most critical issues facing the country,” says Tali. “The Trace has done so much good work in its first three years. I can’t wait to see what this scrappy and dedicated team will accomplish next.”
Tali comes to The Trace from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, where she was the director of the Master of Arts program. In that role, she guided more than 40 students each term — most of them reporters with years of professional experience — as they produced ambitious feature articles on complex and challenging subjects. A story she edited at Columbia was a finalist for a 2014 National Magazine award. Others were published by The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New Republic, and This American Life.
At the journalism school, Tali created and taught courses about reporting techniques, interviewing, and business changes in journalism. Earlier in her career, she covered politics, education, and health care at the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She has also worked as a freelancer, editing books and writing for publications including Newsweek, New York, and National Geographic.
“Tali has a special knack for leading journalists to their best work, and a deep commitment to public interest journalism. Her decision to join The Trace represents a big step in the growth and evolution of our nonprofit newsroom,” says James Burnett, The Trace’s editorial director and managing director.
As deputy editor, Tali will coach The Trace’s investigative reporters as they bring transparency and accountability to the causes and consequences of — and potential solutions to — gun violence. Tali will also work with The Trace’s editors to expand its growing ranks of media partners and pioneer digital story forms, while identifying overlooked dimensions of the issue. Recent and forthcoming Trace collaborations include projects with social-listening platforms, hyperlocal news organizations, and youth journalism programs, to name a few.
About the Trace
The Trace is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization, and the only media outlet dedicated to full-time and in-depth reporting on America’s gun violence crisis. Since our launch in June 2015, we have partnered with more than 60 national and local media organizations, including The New Yorker, BuzzFeed, USA Today, Politico Magazine, Huffington Post, WNYC, Tampa Bay Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times, and Teen Vogue. Our stories increase the public’s knowledge and understanding of the issue and spur action by policymakers, researchers, and law enforcement.
