Paige Cornwell is a health, law, and education reporter at The Seattle Times, known for her incisive coverage of public health crises, corporate accountability, and community resilience. With a career rooted in breaking news and investigative journalism, she has documented events ranging from the Oso mudslide to Boeing’s 737 Max litigation, always prioritizing the intersection of systemic failures and human impact.
Paige Cornwell began her career at The Seattle Times as a night breaking news reporter, where she honed her ability to distill complex events into clear, urgent narratives[2]. Her early work covering K-12 education and the Eastside suburbs of Seattle established her knack for connecting systemic issues to human stories—a skill that would define her later investigations. Over time, her reporting expanded to include public health emergencies, legal accountability, and disaster response, often focusing on how institutions impact vulnerable communities.
Cornwell’s reporting on the 2014 Oso mudslide combined visceral storytelling with rigorous accountability journalism. She documented the immediate aftermath, including rescue efforts and community grief, while also probing the long-term environmental and regulatory failures that contributed to the disaster. Her articles revealed how outdated landslide risk maps and lax zoning laws put residents in harm’s way, prompting statewide calls for reform[2]. This work exemplified her commitment to balancing human interest with investigative depth.
This profile, though not authored by Cornwell, highlights her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. It details her creation of a GoFundMe that raised over $82,000 for furloughed journalists, showcasing her dedication to supporting the media industry during crises. The initiative underscored her belief in community solidarity and practical problem-solving—a theme that permeates her reporting on public health and labor issues[5].
Cornwell’s coverage of Boeing’s legal battles following the 2019 crash demonstrated her ability to decode complex corporate litigation for general audiences. She emphasized the human toll of the disaster while analyzing Boeing’s safety oversight failures and their broader implications for aviation regulation. Her reporting provided a template for holding powerful industries accountable without losing sight of individual stories[4][9].
Cornwell’s reporting often exposes how institutional gaps exacerbate crises, as seen in her COVID-19 nursing home coverage and mudslide investigations. Pitches should highlight underreported systemic vulnerabilities—e.g., gaps in disaster preparedness or inequities in healthcare access. For example, a story on rural hospital closures would align with her interest in infrastructure’s impact on community health.
Her Boeing coverage reveals a focus on how legal outcomes affect both corporations and victims. Pitches should explore lesser-known cases where corporate settlements set industry precedents or fail to address root causes. Avoid generic legal updates; instead, highlight cases with clear human stakes, such as environmental litigation tied to public health.
Cornwell’s GoFundMe initiative and community-centric reporting indicate a strong interest in localized solutions. Stories about innovative grassroots efforts—e.g., mutual aid networks during disasters or community-led education reforms—will resonate. Emphasize tangible outcomes and individual narratives, as seen in her mudslide survivor interviews.
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