Eleanor McCrary

Background

About Eleanor McCrary

Once I knew I wanted to be a writer, I was ready to go all-in. At 17 years old, I began my own freelance writing business. Before I graduated high school, I was writing podcast scripts for New York Times best-selling author Chris Guillebeau. I went on to earn both my bachelor's and master's in journalism in the span of 4.5 years. In my undergraduate degree, I focused on convergence-investigative reporting. My capstone project was a three-month deep dive into Missouri LGBTQ+ healthcare, where I uncovered both gaps in access and resources for people to utilize. For my master's degree, I specialized in data reporting, despite never understanding coding easily. I knew data could unlock stories I could have never dreamed of before, and I’ve never been afraid of a challenge. Although data reporting required a completely new set of skills, I ended up finishing my degree with a 3.9/4.0 GPA.I've also had my work published at several news organizations, including USA TODAY, the Courier Journal, the Columbia Missourian, KBIA, KOMU and the Global Journalist. My reporting has taken me around the country, from covering the devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky to my current role as a climate fact-check reporter at USA TODAY's Washington Bureau.