Meet the 10 journalists on Trusting News’ 2026 journalist advisory committee.
Meet Trusting News’ 2026 journalist advisory committee
We’re excited to announce the stellar group of journalists who will join Trusting News’ 2026 journalist advisory committee. This group will give feedback and guidance to help ensure Trusting News remains useful and responsive to real industry needs.
Last year, we formalized the ways we regularly hear from journalists by establishing our inaugural newsroom advisory committee. We’re pleased to continue this advisory committee in 2026, but with a slight tweak to the title to note that we have representation from journalists working in newsrooms and independent creator journalists.
Our goal with the committee is to have a dedicated group of folks from across the industry to help keep us plugged into what support is needed, and give us candid, constructive feedback and ideas about how Trusting News can be most helpful. We also hope staying in closer touch with our team will be useful to our members and help them reach their own goals around trust and credibility.
We’ve convened this group of journalists from our wide network that spans geography, platform, business model and coverage type.
Meet the 2026 journalist advisory committee
Alex Cooper believes in making journalism accessible. His work has focused on reporting on underrepresented communities and how newsrooms can best engage with them. He was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate, the oldest LGBTQ+ news magazine in the U.S., where he grew its audience and expanded its product suite. He began his journalism career with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. He earned his B.A. at the College of William and Mary and his M.A. at the Central European University.
Abby Hamblin is the Guides Editor and an audience specialist at The San Diego Union-Tribune, where she has worked for 10 years. Her resume in local news includes government reporter, opinion editor, editorial board member, audience engagement editor and producer. And she also occasionally teaches Intro to Journalism or Media Law and Ethics at Point Loma Nazarene University. Currently, her work focuses on digital publishing strategy and reader engagement.
Zaki Barak Hamid leads the Community Engagement department at KUOW Public Radio in Seattle, whose main goal is to facilitate connections between the various communities of the Puget Sound area and the content division, so that KUOW’s news coverage is more holistic and informed by listeners’ needs. His favorite programs include initiatives that facilitate understanding between people who might disagree with each other, such as StoryCorp’s One Small Step. A Palestinian immigrant from Jordan, Zaki’s curiosity and passion for community connections have guided him throughout his career.
Ashlyn Lipori-Russie is an Emmy-nominated independent journalist dedicated to helping people build a healthier relationship with news and technology. She is the creator of Ask Ashlyn, a text-based news service that helps people stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Ashlyn’s diverse background spans investigative, broadcast, and digital news, as well as content management and strategic communications. Her work focuses on media literacy, digital well-being, and helping people understand how news and social media actually work. Based on her own experiences with doomscrolling and social media overwhelm, Ashlyn guides people to be better informed about what they see online.
Elliot Njus is a director of content at The Oregonian/OregonLive, where he oversees breaking news, business news and features, as well as newsroom development. He spent his career at The Oregonian reporting on housing, transportation and the regional economy, and as an editor building the newsroom’s business coverage and audio department. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Laura McCallum edits the Minnesota Life team and immigration coverage at the Minnesota Star Tribune, after four years as Politics & Government Editor there. Prior to the Star Tribune, she spent nearly 27 years at Minnesota Public Radio News.
Dalila-Johari Paul is Capital B’s national editor, overseeing politics, education, climate, criminal justice, and rural coverage. She also leads national newsroom editorial partnerships, including solutions and rural journalism initiatives. Her editorial career spans decades, including roles at CNN, The Guardian, CNBC, The Star-Ledger, and the Hartford Courant. She started her career behind-the-scenes in TV news in New York City.
Seth Prince is the University of Oklahoma’s Student Media director and OU Daily adviser. Since 2014, he’s helped the newsroom where he worked as a student accelerate its digital transformation, become the leading news source for OU and Norman and further its legacy as a collegiate media pacesetter. Previously, he worked at The Oregonian in Portland for 14 years, rising from intern to sports editor.
Ross Terrell is the managing editor of The Oklahoma Eagle. His career in journalism has included stops at Axios, WABE in Atlanta and KUER in Salt Lake City. He’s from Atlanta and went to school at the University of Missouri where he received a journalism degree. When he’s not working, you can find him rooting for the Atlanta Falcons and Hawks.
Kate Winkle is an award-winning digital media leader with more than a decade of experience directing content strategy and executing investigative projects. She’s passionate about building audience trust through exceptional multimedia storytelling, collaborative newsroom practices and ethical AI tool experimentation. Her cross-platform perspective emphasizes how newsrooms can responsibly innovate while strengthening community relationships. Kate previously worked as digital director at KXAN in Austin, Texas; supervising EP of BorderReport.com; and news producer in Anchorage, Alaska. She’s based in San Francisco.
At Trusting News, we learn how people decide what news to trust and turn that knowledge into actionable strategies for journalists. We train and empower journalists to take responsibility for demonstrating credibility and actively earning trust through transparency and engagement. Learn more about our work, vision and team. Subscribe to our Trust Tips newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
