Molly joined Capitol News Illinois in July 2023. Most recently, she worked as a reporter for Lee Enterprises, on its Midwest Public Service Journalism team and for The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale. In that role, Molly exposed poor living conditions and mismanagement of a housing authority in Cairo, Illinois, that resulted in a federal takeover and the relocation of about 400 people. In 2022, Molly and Capitol News Illinois Reporter Beth Hundsdorfer won the domestic print award in the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights journalism contest for a series of stories exposing patient abuse inside a state-run developmental center. Molly is also an assistant professor of journalism at Southern Illinois University and a distinguished fellow with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network.

WHEN SHE’S NOT WORKING WITH CNI: Molly is the mother of twin boy toddlers, so when she’s not reporting or teaching, she’s probably cooking dino nuggets, cleaning Play-Doh out of the couch, refereeing wrestling matches between tiny superheroes and cuddling with two of her favorite humans.

WHY SHE JOINED CNI: “I love the mission of this nonprofit news organization. It provides critical coverage of the legislative process and executive leaders. Capitol News Illinois also understands the importance of state government reporting that extends well beyond the Capitol Dome. It has hired a team of reporters who live across the state and whose jobs are to examine how well state policies are serving people and their communities.”  

WHAT SHE WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT CNI: We are a compassionate group of reporters, editors and producers committed to bringing our audience exhaustive coverage of their state government. 

WHERE SHE SEES CNI IN THE FUTURE: “Capitol News Illinois feels like something special. I see us continuing to grow our staff and the reach of our coverage. We’re building a newsroom that is committed to the ideals of diversity, fairness and a dogged pursuit of the truth. We’re also expanding the number of opportunities available to college students to write and report for CNI. The news organization already plays a major role in the Illinois media landscape. I see that role expanding even more into the future.” 

Learn more about the Capitol News Illinois Team