Greetings and salutations,

My name is Kaitlin Washburn and I am an investigative journalism student at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. This semester, I am a public life reporter for the Columbia Missourian, a daily morning newspaper for the city of Columbia and the University of Missouri and is run by journalism school’s faculty.

My beat focuses on covering city and county government for the city of Columbia and Boone County. I cover municipal meetings, public policy and community issues. It’s an important beat that serves to keep residents informed about their government’s practices and encourages them to get involved in local politics.