Automobile Journalistsin the USA

Aarian Marshall is a staff writer at WIRED who stands out for covering how cars, software, and policy collide. She writes on transportation systems and cities, from the auto industry to broader mobility systems. Before WIRED, she reported on cities and urban policy for The Atlantic’s CityLab. Her beat runs from electric vehicles, fuel prices, tariffs, and car-buying decisions to autonomous vehicles, robotaxis, and software-defined cars. She reports with a systems view, linking policy shifts, technical failures, and urban life to what happens on streets, in repair shops, and at the pump.

Adrian Leung writes engineering-led coverage of Chinese electric vehicles and performance cars for CarNewsChina. He focuses on new energy vehicles, battery systems, powertrains, electric platforms, high-end domestic brands, and track-ready models, and he explains technical details in plain language for non-specialist readers. His reporting treats new models as hardware and systems stories, with precise figures on range, battery capacity, chassis layout, motor outputs, weight, and acceleration. He also covers the Chinese auto industry’s finances and technology roadmap, including sector profits, vehicle volumes, and solid-state battery timelines. His background in Electrical and Computer Engineering shows in the way he writes about vehicle electronics and battery management.

Al Pefley is a television news reporter for CBS12 News whose work centers on how laws, law enforcement and local decisions shape everyday life for drivers and other residents. He reports in a general assignment role but returns often to transportation, public safety and pocketbook issues, treating driving as a point where policy, disability and policing intersect. His coverage includes driver-focused laws, fuel and tax policy, crime, policing and internal affairs findings, with a consistent focus on accountability and concrete consequences for people’s wallets, safety and trust in institutions. He explains county gas tax debates, campaign positions on teacher pay, property crime and retail theft in short, clear segments. Pefley works primarily on the scene, using live or recorded field reporting and interview-driven pieces to show what happened, why it matters and what comes next.

Aliza Savira focuses on the hidden financial costs of owning modern cars, especially how insurance can undermine expected savings. She writes about automobiles for MSN, looking at new technology and electric vehicles through everyday ownership rather than showroom appeal. Her work highlights the gap between promises of cheaper running costs and the full financial picture of owning a vehicle. In electric vehicle coverage, she treats insurance premiums as a key ownership problem that can erode long-term value. She stays close to practical questions drivers face, such as which recurring costs matter most after purchase. She reports on how insurance structures and premium levels interact with new automotive technology. Her beat is consumer-focused automobile reporting, with a clear, utilitarian lens on ownership experience, recurring expenses, and risk, rather than lifestyle or performance.

Arno van den Brink covers professional motocross and off-road motorcycles for MX Vice. His work is most distinct for its race-weekend focus and its mix of result-led reporting, video, and technical bike coverage. He writes race reports, short video pieces, and launch features that track the riders, the finishing order, and the machinery behind the results. His coverage spans MXGP events, US races such as High Point, and model stories like the Beta RX MY 2027. He reports in a factual, event-driven style, with clear attention to bike specs, chassis updates, and how current motocross machines are set up to perform on track. This makes his work useful for readers who want both the race outcome and the technical details that explain it.

Bob Martin is the reporter readers turn to when collisions, road disruptions and vehicle-related emergencies become significant public events. He covers automobiles, transportation incidents and local public affairs for The Laconia Daily Sun. Car wreck coverage is a core part of his reporting load, with numerous crash stories from the Lakes Region ranking among the top-read articles online in a 2025 year-in-review. His bylines also appear in a ride-alerts news feed tied to the paper. Martin reports on vehicle culture events such as antique motorcycle rides, focusing on turnout, mood and participant voices. He covers municipal leadership changes, recreation policy debates and city leadership seminars on ethics, bullying and crisis response. He also writes community features, including youth profiles, keeping automobiles, public safety and everyday community experience closely linked.

Ben Shimkus reports on how carmakers’ business decisions, new vehicles, and emerging technologies reshape the auto industry and the wider economy. He is a reporter on the Business Insider business news desk, where he writes about cars, transportation, retail, and jobs. He focuses on automakers’ EV bets, production strategy, repair markets, charging infrastructure, and AI in manufacturing. His reporting links product launches, timelines, and investment risk to practical effects for companies and workers. He has covered Rivian’s R2 launch plan, GM’s faster EV development, automakers teaming up at the New York Auto Show, and AI spending in business. Before Business Insider, he worked as a money and automotive reporter and built a publication’s first vehicle review section. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone and other outlets.

Breana Noble is an auto and business reporter at The Detroit News whose coverage stands out for linking automaker sales figures, consumer trends and macroeconomic shocks to show how boardroom decisions shape vehicle demand, fuel prices and the shift to electric vehicles. She reports on major automakers, especially large manufacturers such as Ford Motor Co, treating quarterly and annual sales numbers as a starting point for deeper stories on corporate strategy, plant locations and trade rules like the USMCA. She writes reported business pieces that blend specific data, analysis and expert voices, including work on misjudged EV adoption timelines, structural barriers to EV uptake, and how fuel prices reflect geopolitics and shipping routes. She also covers consumer rankings and enthusiast culture, highlighting reliability lists, fuel economy priorities and the emotional ties between buyers, brands and high-profile models.

Caroline Petrow-Cohen follows how new transportation technologies and fuel markets reshape companies, workers and the wider economy. She is a business reporter at the Los Angeles Times covering electric vehicles and aviation, with an emphasis on corporate decisions at moments of stress or transition. She reports on electric vehicle makers under pressure, focusing on hiring, plant activity and strategic pivots and showing how workforce cuts, market share shifts and new models affect engineers, factory workers and early adopters. Her aviation coverage connects jet fuel storage, refining and demand to airline operations, summer travel risk and emerging flying car services, explaining what is real and what is experimental. She also reports on electric, self-driving freight trucks, fast-fashion retail collapse, disaster-hit businesses and local economies, grounding complex business and technology stories in everyday jobs, streets and communities.

Charles Morris stands out for covering electric transport as a working system, not just a product line. He is a journalist and author for Charged EVs, where he writes fast news and longer analysis. He has covered the evolution of electric cars, commercial fleets, batteries and charging for more than a decade. His real beat is infrastructure for work vehicles, especially charging networks for trucks, fleets and robotaxis. He reports on deployments, public investment, acquisitions and depot-scale projects, and he often ties vehicle launches to range, charging and duty cycles. He also writes about battery chemistry, energy strategy, charge management for large EV fleets, corporate moves by oil majors and reviews of technical EV books.

Christopher Robbins stands out for linking transportation policy to safety, showing how car-centric decisions make streets and transit dangerous. He is a longtime Streetsblog writer, and his work for Streetsblog USA and its city verticals covers road design, traffic enforcement, and political power through everyday travel by car, foot, and transit. He is also co-founder and editor of Hell Gate, where he reports on city and state politics, public services, and institutions with a strong focus on accountability. His work has appeared in Streetsblog, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. He writes in a direct, unsentimental style and uses data and clear policy detail to explain how streets and systems are run.

Claire O'Neil is a journalist and weekend morning anchor at WEAR-TV who treats automobile and transportation coverage as a public safety, communication and accessibility issue. She focuses on how new laws and programs reshape the experience of drivers and law enforcement, especially people who need extra support on the road. Her report on Florida’s “blue envelope” program explains how a state law is meant to help officers quickly identify autistic drivers and communicate during traffic stops. She emphasizes the mechanics of policy, enforcement and safety initiatives, and what they mean in real traffic situations. Her anchoring role demands clear, concise explanations, and she brings that broadcast-ready tone to her field reporting. She previously worked as a multimedia journalist for other local television news outlets, building skill in visual storytelling and short, structured segments on daily issues.

Cláudio Afonso is an electric vehicle specialist who leads fast, data-led coverage of the global EV industry, with a focus on stock-sensitive news on brands such as Nio, Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, XPeng and BYD. He is the founder and main editorial voice at EV, a news blog dedicated to the sector and owned by CARBA, launched in 2021 and relaunched after a pause in April 2024. His work tracks how production, delivery and insurance data, analyst research and policy developments shape listed EV makers. He reports closely on Chinese manufacturers, using factory output, registrations, store openings and regulatory approvals to read brand momentum and expansion. At EV he drives breaking news, exclusive analysis, interviews and structured monitoring of key companies, and also edits deeper pieces on leadership changes, technology roll-outs and capital markets expectations across autonomous and electric driving.

Cláudio Afonso is the founder and lead writer of EV, a news blog dedicated to the global electric vehicle industry, where he tracks the same models, executives and markets over long arcs. He focuses on the automobile beat through the lens of electric mobility, treating Nio, Lucid, Tesla and their ecosystems as one interconnected story. His Nio coverage centers on the ES8 SUV, following launches, new configurations and delivery milestones, using concrete dates, ranges and model designations to show how seating layouts, pricing and output sustain demand and underpin growth. He adds a corporate and geopolitical layer with Lucid, covering executive changes, production delays and Middle East fleet adoption of models like the Gravity SUV. His Tesla reporting follows Full Self‑Driving (Supervised) approvals and regulatory language. As founder of EV and CARBA, he combines editorial work, business development and a daily EV newsletter to maintain near‑daily, numbers‑driven coverage.

Darren Moss stands out for turning technical car updates into plain, practical guidance. He is deputy editor at What Car?, where he covers mainstream family cars, SUVs and working vehicles, with a focus on electric and electrified models, range, value, usability, payload and running costs. He also fronts coverage of large SUVs and commercial vehicles, including the Ineos Fusilier and the Duster Commercial, and has written comparative features on luxury SUVs. His work includes written tests, video explainers and awards coverage, where he strips back marketing language and keeps the reporting clear, consumer-focused and grounded in real-world use.

Dave Kinchen is a FOX 2 Detroit reporter known for signature coverage of the auto industry and organized labor, including union actions and the UAW’s historic strike targeting all three major Detroit automakers. He focuses on how vehicles intersect with labor negotiations, corporate decisions, consumer protection, crime, and daily life, following the impact of auto industry developments on workers, drivers, households, and local businesses. His reporting tracks union strategy, company responses, and economic stakes as both industrial and community stories. He also covers consumer issues such as gas price investigations, treating the pump as a key point of fairness for motorists when regulators step in. A recurring strand of his work links crime and public safety to vehicles, as well as local development decisions that shape the built environment around drivers and residents.

Dave McQuilling is a senior automotive writer at AutoNotion who treats cars as a mix of engineering, software, and long-term household economics rather than just machines or status symbols. He focuses on lifetime cost of ownership, the technology under the skin, and how industry decisions show up in everyday driving. His electric-vehicle work breaks down battery replacement anxiety with long-horizon cost comparisons, using concrete numbers and time frames. He regularly explains the software and systems inside modern cars, linking legacy tech brands to current in-car platforms. He also covers factory lines, supply chains, and global competition, and writes service pieces on car camping and muscle cars. His bylines include Digital Trends, Autoblog, The Manual, SlashGear, The Gentleman Racer, and Guessing Headlights, often on automotive, technology, food, AR, VR, and AI.

David Conway stands out for tracking how business conditions, sales trends and policy decisions shape the recreational boating industry, using both market data and dealer sentiment. He is a senior editor at Soundings Trade Only, where he has covered the recreational marine industry for more than 20 years. His beat is the business side of boating, focusing on manufacturers, dealers, and the wider ecosystem of marine products and services. He reports on boat sales, registration data and market forecasts across segments such as freshwater fishboats, pontoons, saltwater fishing models and aluminum fishing boats. His stories mix surveys, dealer outlooks and on-the-ground reporting on how businesses manage demand, inventory and changing customer preferences, as well as industry news, corporate moves, leadership changes, emerging technologies, dealer profiles and pathways into marine careers.

Dennis Chung tracks the future of motorcycles through paperwork and product launches. He is an experienced online editor covering powersports and automotive developments for Motorcycle.com. His core beat is the document trail behind new machines, reading patents, trademarks, corporate filings, and earnings reports to find “treasures” that reveal upcoming platforms, technologies, model names, and industry shifts. He turns technical and financial records into clear, structured news about future products, segment moves, and brand strategy. Chung also covers new and upcoming motorcycles once they are ready to be shown, moving from mechanical package and specifications into design, intended use, and place in the lineup. His stories stay close to the documents, focus on technical detail over lifestyle, and speak directly to riders and industry watchers looking for early, grounded insight on where manufacturers are headed next.

Devin Trubey combines breaking transportation news with practical weather coverage, focusing on how road conditions, storms and public safety issues change the way people move through their day. She reports for KTVU FOX 2 as an anchor, reporter and forecaster, often working live on-scene to turn fast, visual developments into clear explanations of what happened and what it means for commuters. Her beat includes serious crashes, roadway emergencies, carjackings, reckless driving, street racing, car theft and infrastructure problems, treated as public-safety stories tied to broader patterns of behavior and vehicle access. She reconstructs incidents using surveillance video, witness interviews and law enforcement briefings, and always notes traffic flow, transit detours and closures. Trubey also covers marathons, festivals, sports training camps and car shows as transportation challenges, a lens she has applied since earlier work on local leadership changes and community events. She studied broadcast journalism and sport management at Washington State University.

Douglas Charles is a senior editor at BroBible with two decades of reporting on the strange, unsettling edges of sports, science, pop culture, and cars. He treats automobiles and driving tech as arenas where risk, spectacle, and questionable human behavior collide, extending that coverage into specialist automotive outlets. His beat centers on car technology, car culture, unexplained phenomena, and grim real-world stories that push everyday life toward horror or awe. He writes about hacks like using miniature doll heads to trick Tesla’s driver-monitoring system, headless skeletons in archaeological digs, haunting documentaries about mental health, human remains discovered in ordinary homes, and extreme theme-park rides. His reporting favors stark imagery, clear cause-and-effect, tight narratives, and “why” and “how” questions, making complex safety systems, science, and uncanny events accessible without technical jargon.

Eli Brand is an Emmy-winning television reporter at WSOC-TV with an automobile-centered beat that tracks how rules of the road, traffic enforcement and driving environments shape daily life behind the wheel. He reports on city decisions and on-the-ground scenes, connecting policy, safety and infrastructure to what ordinary drivers see at intersections, corridors and gas stations. His coverage of red light cameras returning after a 20-year gap shows how he frames enforcement technology through concrete pilot programs and the practical consequences for commuters. In another piece, he turns a $250,000 lottery win into a story grounded in a familiar roadside gas station, using automobile-adjacent spaces as stages for community stories. Brand joined WSOC-TV in April 2024 and brings experience in fast-moving daily and live reporting from past roles at other local television stations.

Evert Nelson blends visual storytelling with feature reporting on how people move, ride and gather around vehicles. He is chief photojournalist and creative lead at The Topeka Capital-Journal, with coverage centered on the culture, businesses and communities that form around motorcycles, cars and local roads. His recent work on motorcycle and riding culture highlights places and experiences that matter to riders, using images and narrative detail. He documents maintenance and customization of bikes and practical upgrades to their cockpits. He also covers hands-on automotive projects, showing the physical work of reviving older vehicles and major mechanical tasks as step-by-step stories. Alongside this, he reports on sports and events through immersive photo-led coverage. His role mixes staff photography, feature storytelling and cross-platform content that connects the paper’s visual reporting with its online galleries.

Gene covers the shifting intersection of Tesla, SpaceX and the wider electric vehicle market, treating Tesla as the hub of a Musk-led ecosystem where capital structure and potential mergers shape products and strategy. He reports on Tesla–SpaceX–xAI as one strategic story, taking speculation about a Tesla–SpaceX tie-up and increased Tesla share purchases as serious business questions grounded in sourced internal conversations, analyst probability estimates and prediction market odds. His beat sits at the junction of autos, public markets and policy, with attention to valuations, access to capital and regulatory structures. A lifelong car obsessive, he keeps Tesla’s core vehicle programs and EV market performance central, always placing Tesla models in the broader EV landscape. Gene writes news and analysis for Teslarati, building on reported sourcing, financial and legal documents, and named commentary to package complex, multi-company maneuvers into clear narratives.

George Armitage stands out for linking new-car news, enthusiast driving stories and electric-vehicle coverage, using a workshop and showroom background to keep his focus on how cars work and what they are like to own. He is a content editor across Auto Express and its dedicated EV brand, DrivingElectric, where he edits and writes news, reviews and features. His beat covers new car launches and facelifts, electric and plug-in hybrid models, classic performance benchmarks and the transition to electrified motoring. He explains key design and specification changes in clear, functional language, placing each model in the wider motoring landscape. His enthusiast pieces revisit compact performance cars and set them in historical and engineering context. Across both combustion and electric coverage, he reports with a practical, mechanics-first, buyer-aware approach rather than a lifestyle tone.

George East brings a motorsport sensibility to electric vehicle reporting, treating EVs as cars first, with full attention to performance, character, and driver engagement. He is a car writer and presenter for EV Powered, working across its magazine, podcast, video, and other channels. His core beat is electric performance cars, hot hatches, and premium saloons and SUVs, alongside mainstream new EVs and commercial and urban logistics vehicles. He covers models like the Hyundai Staria Electric, Fiat 600e, and decisions around cars such as the Mercedes EQE, focusing on use case, range, and brand strategy. East also reports on commercial EVs and city delivery fleets, testing how electric platforms work in real-world duty cycles. Outside EV Powered he writes on motorsport and performance-led stories for outlets including TopSpeed, The Guardian, Jalopnik, The Autopian, and Tazio.

GuruFocus News is a house byline at the investment research masthead GuruFocus that delivers rapid, data-heavy coverage of public markets with a focus on how corporate events and filings affect valuation. It specializes in autos, treating automakers as financial assets and writing about Tesla, Ford, General Motors and Li Auto as stocks first and manufacturers second. The beat spans major automakers, auto retailers and auto-focused lenders, tracking earnings, capital structure, loan books and market positioning. Coverage emphasizes GF Value, P/E and EV/EBITDA multiples, earnings surprises and premium-to-intrinsic-value gaps to show when the market is overpaying or underpricing risk. Cross-sector pieces follow themes such as AI, robotics and manufacturing shifts when they shape auto demand or supply chains, staying rooted in balance sheets, cash flows and insider or guru trades.

J. William “Bill” Moore treats the global shift to electric vehicles as a technology and energy story, not just a transport beat. He is publisher and editor in chief of EV World, a specialist outlet he founded and has led for many years. His coverage tracks electric vehicle adoption curves, market dynamics, and policy implications, including pieces such as “EVs Outpace Growth Predictions” and reports on EV growth in markets like Uruguay. He follows how legacy automakers and new entrants respond to faster-than-expected EV uptake, from major groups restructuring around electric drivetrains to startup models like the Rivian R1T. He also highlights commercial, fleet, and specialty vehicle electrification, from electric haul trucks for mines to revived formats like the Morris electric J-Type. A former member of the clergy, he brings a long-view, values-oriented lens to this system-level industry transition.

Jackson Stoever is a general assignment reporter for News 9 who focuses on how transportation, traffic and major events intersect with safety, economics and community life. He reports where roads, vehicles and public spaces meet crime, weather and large-scale gatherings. He covers transportation-heavy events, including shifts in turnout and travel patterns shaped by costs and financial pressure on attendees. His reporting from parades and public celebrations connects crowd and vehicle flow to local planning and safety. He regularly covers roadside crime, suspicious deaths, armed robberies, impaired driving and serious crashes, emphasizing what investigators know and how incidents affect people moving through the area. He also reports on weather, snow cleanup, road conditions, traffic cameras and license-plate-reading systems. Before News 9, he reported for an NBC-affiliated station serving Vermont and northern New York with work carried in CNN’s regional feed.

James Mayse focuses on how traffic, roads, and automobiles tie into safety, law, and local government decisions. He reports for the Messenger-Inquirer on the intersection of transportation, public safety, and city governance, tracking how policy and infrastructure changes affect everyday travel. His work centers on speed limits, signage, enforcement, crash histories, and how specific stretches of road are managed. He follows serious crashes into the criminal and civil courts, connecting collision mechanics with investigations, charges, and legal theories. He covers emergency communications systems, explaining how technology, infrastructure, and funding shape first responders’ work. He also reports on community events, addiction treatment access, and local institutions when they intersect with public safety and civic infrastructure. His stories use concrete detail and clear explanations to show how local systems function or fail for motorists and residents.

Jamie L. LaReau stands out for treating Detroit’s biggest automakers as complex global businesses, not consumer brands. She is the senior autos writer at the Detroit Free Press, with work appearing under the USA TODAY umbrella, and has more than a decade of prior auto industry reporting experience. She covers how Ford and General Motors navigate technology, manufacturing, labor and policy shifts, focusing on tariffs, trade rules, plant and headquarters overhauls, and executive strategy. Her reporting tracks the transition to electric and hybrid vehicles, including platforms, logo changes, marketing campaigns and changing vehicle segments. She explains how boardroom decisions, real estate moves, and cost pressures shape product plans, pricing and jobs. She relies on executives, analysts, sales data and forecasts to link internal corporate decisions to market, regulatory and technology forces.

Janaki Jitchotvisut is a managing editor at RideApart who treats motorcycle and scooter recalls as a core beat, not a side note. She focuses on safety campaigns, do-not-ride advisories, and stop sale notices, translating regulatory and technical language into clear, practical steps for riders. She reports as a daily news desk writer who understands how bikes work and how people live with them. Her coverage also includes hands-on reviews of electric and utility motorcycles, with attention to durability, usability, and real-world tasks. She returns to key machines over time to see how they perform in different conditions. In features on motorcycle culture, exhibits, and legacy riders, she highlights concrete stories and underrepresented figures, connecting modern riders with the history and meaning of motorcycling.

Jared Rosenholtz examines how automakers balance enthusiast appeal, manufacturing strategy, and everyday value across the modern car market. He covers new vehicles and industry developments for Motor1 and other digital outlets, and serves as editor-at-large at CarBuzz. His beat includes future products like compact pickups, premium SUVs, performance EVs, and affordable feature-rich cars. He focuses on why specific products, platforms, and segments matter, tracing links between factory locations, tariffs, product roadmaps, and what drivers experience on the road. His reporting on Toyota’s Maverick-style pickup and Land Rover SUV production emphasizes business cases and trade realities. He also tracks how EVs reshape enthusiasm, and tests entry-level models with the same attention as high-end vehicles. Across outlets, he combines hands-on testing, segment knowledge, and clear explanations for both enthusiasts and practical shoppers.

Jeff Piorkowski is a community beat reporter who focuses on how suburban government decisions reshape streets, traffic flow and everyday access to businesses and public spaces. He reports for The Plain Dealer’s digital home, following city councils, mayors and public administrators in eastern suburbs such as Beachwood, Pepper Pike and Richmond Heights. His core coverage tracks road projects, intersections and shared infrastructure, explaining lane changes, safety measures, project timelines, funding decisions and what residents can expect during construction. He reports on rezonings, property sales, redevelopment proposals and major institutional moves, showing how they alter traffic patterns, entrances and key corridors. Piorkowski also covers public safety and police initiatives along these routes, plus features on schools and nonprofits that sit on them. His work uses straightforward, report-first prose rooted in city documents, meeting proceedings and interviews with local officials.

Jenna Blount reports on the automobile and mobility beat for the Clinton Herald, treating cars, electric bicycles and other vehicles as part of a single local system that residents navigate every day. She focuses on how vehicles and newer forms of mobility intersect with everyday life and public safety. Her work ties individual road incidents to the decisions and reactions of local officials, keeping attention on both the people affected and the policies that shape their streets. She uses specific collisions, including an electric bicycle striking a 7-year-old girl, to show how a single event can test existing rules and prompt calls for tighter oversight or better infrastructure. She writes in plain, direct language that keeps the human impact visible while she tracks how authorities respond and what is likely to change on the ground.

Joey Klender is a senior transportation writer at Teslarati. He stands out for covering Tesla, Elon Musk, and the wider electric mobility and SpaceX world through legal fights, regulation, production, markets, and real-world vehicle behavior. Since August 2019, he has reported on Full Self-Driving, anti-Musk protests, factory and output questions, investor moves, Tesla Cybercab sightings, Starlink launches, and how Tesla features work in daily use. He also covers EV brands such as Rivian and energy products like Solar and Tesla Powerwall. His reporting is grounded in company filings, court proceedings, factory developments, and on-the-ground incidents, and he turns technical and corporate moves into clear stories about impact on drivers, investors, and the industry.

John Holland is a long-tenured reporter at The Modesto Bee whose coverage ties how people move, work and gather to public decisions that shape daily routines. He focuses on agriculture, transportation and general assignment news, using clear, practical reporting to show what rules, projects and community efforts mean in everyday terms. He explains how residents can respond to proposals on school speed limits, changes to local roads and bridges, and other mobility issues, with attention to routes, funding and timelines. Agriculture is a core beat, with stories on how growers respond to shifts in water, climate, regulations and markets. He also covers community institutions, culture and “Names of Note,” and contributes breaking news. He has worked at The Modesto Bee since 2000 after earlier roles at other newspapers.

Jordan Fitzgerald is a markets reporter who covers the intersection of stock trading and high-profile transportation companies, with a deep focus on Tesla, SpaceX and major US automakers. He works at Bloomberg across its markets and capital-markets coverage, including stories carried on Bloomberg Law and syndicated to other business outlets. His beat centers on how earnings results, capital spending plans and IPOs move valuations and trading in these stocks. He tracks Tesla’s share price, analyst shifts, AI and robotics capex plans and how comments from Wall Street leaders shape sentiment around Elon Musk-linked firms. He reports on SpaceX’s record IPO, post-offering rallies and pullbacks, and ties SpaceX’s valuation to Tesla’s inside the broader Musk stock universe. He also covers automaker earnings, buybacks and analyst reactions, using concise, data-driven, real-time reports focused on price moves and market signals.

Justin Marcus Smith writes legal news and analysis for VitalLaw, and his most distinctive trait is a case-first antitrust beat that focuses on how courts actually apply market power, pleading standards, market definition, and procedure. He covers antitrust and competition issues across consumer products, technology platforms, online marketplaces, industrial and agricultural supply chains, and transportation-related services, with automobile and vehicle-related markets as one part of that wider landscape. His reporting includes disputes involving an online boat sale service, turkey producers, a drip irrigation equipment manufacturer, SAP and Teradata, Cisco Systems, Peloton, Google, and Blue Cross-related litigation. He writes in a concise, court-centered format that tracks dispositive motions, class certification, transfers, appellate rulings, and other strategic litigation moves, showing why some complaints survive and others do not.

Justin W Coffey links motorcycle machines, racing, and regional markets to show where the sport and industry are heading. He covers motorcycles for RideApart, moving between news, reviews, and longer features. He writes racing news on organized competition and broadcasting, focusing on how media, pricing, and international access change what fans can watch and how. He reviews touring, sport-touring, off-road, and competition-focused bikes through long-distance and hard-use testing, tying technical details to real riding scenarios. His features trace how riding cultures and markets shift through specific events and regions, from ATV weekends to fast-growing motorcycle markets. Across his work he highlights technical and performance details, using clear mechanical explanations and practical examples to show what riders will feel and why a given bike, series, or trend matters.

Justine Lofton is a Northern Michigan travel, outdoor recreation and breaking news reporter for the statewide digital outlet MLive, known for showing how people experience the region’s landscapes, small towns and attractions in real time. She focuses on where people go and what they will find there, from shipwreck sites off Lake Michigan beaches to new trailheads and scenic overlooks. She reports on public lands, trails, lakeshores and shoreline projects, explaining how infrastructure, closures and improvements affect access and safety. Her breaking news work covers business changes and incidents that intersect with tourism, manufacturing and daily life. Lofton works across written stories and short-form video, using practical detail, specific locations and visuals from the field to help readers and viewers plan real visits and understand how Northern Michigan’s parks, forests, waters and small-town destinations are changing.

Kerry Kavanaugh is an investigative anchor who uses her own experience and human examples to show how systems and policies affect safety, health, and access to basic services. She works as an anchor and investigative reporter at Boston 25 News, often under the 25 Investigates banner. Her reporting focuses on transportation failures like wrong-way drivers and road safety technology, treating cars as a point of contact with decisions made by transportation agencies. She also investigates environmental health risks such as PFAS “forever chemicals,” even testing her own blood to show invisible exposure. She covers families, schools, libraries, and advocacy groups as part of the same ecosystem as agencies and legislatures. A regional Murrow and Emmy award-winning journalist, she anchors newscasts, fronts long-form accountability pieces, serves on the board of Resolve New England, and is a member of IRE and NICAR.

Khalil Maycock is a Local 4 News reporter whose work centers on how cars, bikes and everyday mobility intersect with safety, trust and accountability in local life. He reports on car-related incidents, pedestrian protections and infrastructure problems through the experiences of residents directly affected by them. He focuses on street safety projects, proposed rules for e-bikes and bicycles, and how communities manage risks where cars, e-bikes and pedestrians share the same space. He covers car-related assaults, stolen vehicles and housing issues such as unsafe apartments, using vivid first-hand accounts to examine responsibility, compensation and policy. His stories track inspection failures, privacy lapses and mishandled records to show how institutions affect daily movement and safety. Before joining Local 4 News, he reported for other local television newsrooms on community issues and incidents that demanded clear, concise explanations.

Kristen Lee brings enthusiast depth and practical clarity to her work as senior features editor at MotorTrend, where she turns complex car lineups into straightforward guidance for everyday buyers and committed car fans. She has built her career entirely in automotive media, with previous roles at Road & Track, Jalopnik, Business Insider, and The Drive. Her beat is new-vehicle coverage with multiple trims, powertrain choices, and equipment packages, focusing on trim guides, buying advice, and features about how cars fit into people’s lives. She writes for readers making real purchase decisions, concentrating on equipment, value, and use cases and framing stories around clear questions and concrete recommendations. In addition to writing and editing, she appears on-camera in video reviews and discussion formats and as a guest voice on automotive podcasts and television segments.

Land Line Media focuses on how trucking rules, paperwork and regulatory decisions land on working truck drivers and small motor carriers. Its shared staff byline delivers news and analysis that turn policy changes, enforcement trends and industry initiatives into plain language for people who run and drive commercial trucks. Coverage centers on regulation and entry barriers for motor carriers, licensing, safety history and accountability for small trucking businesses. The outlet tracks paperwork and day-to-day administrative burdens on truckers, treating every rule or process change as a workflow story. It follows long-running compliance disputes for car haulers, documenting confusion between written rules and roadside enforcement. Land Line Media also covers environmental and emissions initiatives, linking cleaner truck standards to engine technology, retrofits, costs and compliance timelines for owner-operators and small fleets.

Lauren Kostiuk stands out for transportation and infrastructure reporting tied to crime, consumer protection, and local policy. She is an award-winning reporter at Local 4, which she joined in April 2025 after several years in Midwest newsrooms, including WTHR in Indianapolis and WRSP/WCCU in Champaign. Her coverage follows metro Detroit roads, gas prices, parking rules, carjackings, violent crime trends, and other issues that affect daily life. She also reports on breaking news, politics, community issues, and consumer problems such as gas station practices, road maintenance, and neighborhood disputes. Her work is field-based and practical. She builds stories around specific roads, intersections, and public complaints, and she gives close attention to what residents, victims, families, and officials say needs to change.

Lora Kolodny is a tech reporter at CNBC’s digital operation whose distinct focus is on Tesla, SpaceX, new vehicle technology and climate-focused transportation, especially companies led by Elon Musk. She covers the automobile beat through technology, safety, regulation and environmental impact, with safety and compliance as central themes. Her reporting tracks accidents, defects, investigations, production targets, factory expansion, recalls, legal disputes and strategic moves across the Musk ecosystem. She explains complex Tesla news in broadcast and live formats for general audiences. Beyond Tesla, she covers electric vehicles, charging, climate tech hardware, emissions policy, SpaceX launches and climate tech firms in an industrial and environmental context. She also reports on big tech layoffs, emerging AI and automation. Earlier she covered startups and venture capital at major business and tech publications and wrote for general-interest and environmental outlets.

Lucas Bell is an automotive journalist and associate editor at Road & Track who treats electric vehicles as a business and policy story as much as a product story. He focuses on the modern car industry, with emphasis on EVs, manufacturer strategy, and the business mechanics behind new models and deals. His recent work tracks Rivian’s push from niche to volume production, using trucks, SUVs, lease offers, and production targets to explain corporate ambitions and consumer impact. He also covers EV policy, tax credits, and incentive programs, tying legislative proposals and government subsidies directly to affordability and demand. Across Road & Track and other enthusiast outlets such as Car and Driver, he specializes in news and analysis on manufacturing, executive statements, and financial terms, writing concise, fact-driven pieces for readers who follow the industry side of cars.

Mike Cerullo focuses on how laws, public safety policy, and severe weather intersect with life on the road for NBC 10 News. He follows the chain from legislation and emergency response to the practical impact on drivers, pedestrians, and local communities. He spends significant time on accountability reporting where driving behavior and the legal system meet, examining consequences, deterrence, and how tougher penalties are meant to change conduct behind the wheel. He also covers how storms and extreme weather affect transportation networks, treating vehicles and road equipment as central characters in the story. Beyond transportation, he reports on public health rules and institutional responsibility in shared spaces. As a multimedia journalist, he uses on-the-ground reporting, clear language, official records, and direct interviews to show how government and institutional decisions shape everyday movement and safety.

Mack Hogan is editor in chief of InsideEVs and an automotive journalist who treats electric vehicles as products to be measured and lived with, not just symbols in a policy debate. He leads an EV-focused newsroom that moves between technical specs, driving impressions, and the business stakes of the transition. His reporting on cars like Tesla’s Cybercab starts with primary documents and hard numbers, using data on battery size, weight, power, and range to explain performance and efficiency. He writes blunt, first-person columns on legacy automakers’ EV strategies and probes executive claims about demand and market direction. A regular voice on the InsideEVs Plugged-In Podcast, he talks through EV and autonomous-vehicle stories in plain, conversational terms. His current role builds on years of performance and luxury car reviewing at major outlets including CNBC, Jalopnik, and Road & Track.

Marcus Reed treats every Tesla software and Full Self-Driving release as a version-level story about what it changes for owners in daily use, tracking specific builds like FSD v14.3.4 and Tesla Software 2026.14.6.10 from first detection through fleet rollout. He is lead editor for Tesla and FSD coverage at BASENOR and holds a parallel lead editor role at another electric-vehicle news outlet, built on a background in automotive engineering. Reed’s beat is Tesla software releases, FSD rollouts, over-the-air changes, pricing, availability, and regional rollouts. He reports close to data from fleet trackers and early owners, focusing on concrete changes, status messages, version strings, timing thresholds, and regulatory steps. His work is owner-focused, with clear, directive headlines and explainers centered on what happened, what it means in practice, and what owners should do now.

Matt Hardigree turns car industry business stories into sharp, readable news that treats sales figures and corporate strategy as front-line automotive coverage. He is publisher of The Autopian and a regular writer on the masthead, focusing on business, news, and oddball station wagons. His coverage combines enthusiasm for specific vehicles with close attention to how they perform in the market and what that signals for the wider industry. He builds stories around concrete numbers and direct quotes from sales leadership, translating unfamiliar metrics into plain language while keeping the focus on shoppers and dealers. He writes straight news pieces that foreground what is changing and why it matters for how vehicles are bought and sold. Before this, he was editor-in-chief of Jalopnik, where he oversaw a major redesign and a more reader-driven experience.

Melanie Hooks is an events-focused journalist and Events Coordinator at Colorado Boulevard Newspaper, distinct for using automotive happenings and transportation history as entry points into stories about community life. She covers car rallies, parades, and travel-themed gatherings as civic occasions that reveal local culture, history, and public space, emphasizing what attendees will see, do, and experience. Her beat extends to arts, books, and library-centered events, including readings, anthology launches, summer programs, and café-based literary nights, with clear service details so readers can participate. She also reports on cultural exhibitions and historical themes, such as diaspora art shows and archival looks at past Black-owned businesses, tying events to broader narratives of heritage and identity. A seasoned writer and theater reviewer and editor, she favors straightforward prose, scene-based leads, and concise previews that foreground who, what, when, where, and why an event matters now.

Melissa Krull is a multimedia reporter who covers transportation, tourism and local infrastructure through a practical, human-centered lens. She focuses on how fuel prices, road travel and transportation costs shape tourism, leisure activity and the health of local businesses, treating automobile issues as part of broader economic and quality-of-life questions. Her reporting connects gasoline prices, trip planning and regional visitor numbers to the fortunes of attractions and hospitality businesses in tourism-dependent communities. Beyond travel, she examines how transportation realities influence access to essential services, including workforce gaps, school bus driver shortages and rural healthcare expansion. Krull’s work on local rezoning and policy decisions shows how land use rules, traffic patterns and road conditions affect congestion, parking, safety and mobility. She reports in the field, centering interviews with drivers, business owners, parents, patients and local officials.

Michaela Galligan covers how growth, infrastructure and policy affect daily life, with a sharp focus on transportation safety, traffic, development and the travel impact of weather. She reports for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Her beat centers on road design, traffic volumes, regional planning and development projects, especially where they shape safety on local roads, congestion, access and commuter travel. She uses rankings, studies, official data, crash numbers and expert commentary, and she often ties those sources to specific intersections, highways and commercial corridors. Her work also covers new commercial and mixed-use projects, approvals and timelines, and how they change traffic flows around nearby neighborhoods. She writes in plain terms and keeps the reporting close to the ground.

Michelle Lewis covers the electric vehicle and clean energy transition through the lens of how people actually drive, charge, and power their cars. She is a clean energy and EV specialist at Electrek, where she reports on electric vehicles, charging, real-world range, fleets, and the power systems that support them. Her work turns technical subjects like charging behavior, grid-scale renewables, and battery swapping into practical news for a general audience, grounded in data, scientific studies, and policy. She connects the automobile beat to cities, utilities, and renewable power adoption, treating electricity procurement as a core climate tool. Her background includes roles at Fast Company, The Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and other technology and climate outlets. She writes reported news and explainers in plain language, with clear, practical takeaways for drivers, taxpayers, and policymakers.

Natalie Mooney links automobile and transportation coverage directly to everyday safety, showing how roads, cameras, and traffic systems affect people on the ground. She is a reporter and multimedia journalist for Spectrum News 1, focused on traffic enforcement, driving conditions, and the way street infrastructure shapes daily life. Her work covers school zone speed cameras, storm coverage from the road, and neighborhood traffic traditions, with a steady focus on clear, practical detail. She explains school zone camera programs as both public safety tools and daily constraints, breaking down how, when, and where enforcement works for drivers. She reports storms live from the field, tying weather to real-time road safety and mobility. She also explores how unusual traffic signals and intersections become local symbols, broadening her automobile beat into a view of streets as shared public spaces.

Nehal Malik focuses on Tesla’s software stack and Full Self-Driving, treating software updates, regulatory scrutiny, and product decisions as core news about how Tesla vehicles work in the real world. He currently reports on Tesla and the wider electric vehicle market, explaining how software, regulation, and hardware shape the cars people drive. His beat includes FSD rollouts, autonomy features, service and maintenance tools, hardware accessories like the Cybertruck off-road light bar, and smaller ownership details such as in-car easter eggs. He reads technical filings, regulatory documents, and software release notes closely, then spells out what they mean for everyday drivers, technicians, and Tesla’s competitive position, with a recurring focus on how policy, hardware eligibility, and business models define access to Tesla’s most advanced features.

Neil Abt is a senior editor at Truck News and a veteran journalist with 30 years of experience in reporting and public relations. He takes a systems view of trucking, focusing on how regulation, safety technology, licensing rules, and freight markets shape day-to-day operations for fleets and drivers. He covers FMCSA and related agencies, commercial driver licensing, cargo theft, intelligent speed assist, ELD compliance, truck tonnage, and the cost impact of the federal excise tax. He also brings a long-view lens to trucking history and public perception. His reporting is data-driven and practical, built on rule text, failure rates, index values, and direct operational consequences.

Nicholas Fogleman stands out for detailed public safety reporting that ties crashes, police action and local government decisions to their effects on residents. He reports for the Denver Gazette, with a focus on South Denver and Douglas County. His beat centers on South metro public safety and law enforcement, and he also covers growth, housing, development disputes, courts and education. He has reported on an Englewood motorcycle fatality, a Colorado state trooper arrested on sexual assault charges, a man who died in Denver Sheriff Department custody, a Douglas County task force on development regulations, an affordable housing project tied to public school employees, and a former STEM Highlands Ranch teacher sentenced for sexually exploiting a child. He writes in a restrained, factual style, using officials, charging documents and public records to explain who is accountable and what happens next.

Penny Kmitt is a reporter for CBS News Boston whose beat centers on automobiles and transportation, with a focus on how big stories land in ordinary lives. She works on air and across digital platforms and uses community voices to frame news, from major events to daily city life. Her reporting is fast, visual, and centered on the people affected. She has covered national stories at length, including the Richneck Elementary School shooting and the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Her work also covers how sporting events change routines, streets, traffic, and public spaces, and she regularly brings in firsthand accounts from residents, drivers, and business owners.

Rob Stumpf focuses on what goes wrong as the electric vehicle transition unfolds, zeroing in on failing companies, contentious incentives, and everyday headaches for owners. He reports for InsideEVs, writing news stories and newsletter pieces on technology developments, policy changes, and industry performance. His work covers startup moves, over-the-air software failures, charging and hydrogen infrastructure problems, and reliability issues with vehicles like the Rivian R1T, R1S, Toyota Mirai, and Ford Mustang Mach-E. He tracks EV policy deadlines, tax credits, public opinion shifts, and executive warnings about the industry’s direction. He also contributes to the Critical Materials newsletter on charging hardware, global EV profits, and weekly industry digests, while covering new technologies and startups alongside prominent EV failures.

Robbie Bacon focuses on how motorcycle product launches, pricing and culture fit together, linking new machines, limited editions and gear to the wider market and to brand heritage. He writes motorcycle industry news and features for RideApart, covering launches, special model lineups and “modern classic” and anniversary collections across manufacturers. His real beat is new bikes, pricing moves and motorcycle lifestyle, with detailed breakdowns of specifications, features, variants and one-year runs, and clear value judgments on who each product is for and what the price represents. He also reports on apparel collaborations and racing documentaries as part of the same ecosystem. A former full-time commerce writer at The Drive, with work on Car Bibles and Bike Buyers Guide, he brings buying-guide discipline and market analysis to every story.

Sean Dolan tracks how prices, policy and local infrastructure shape daily life in Idaho, with a focus on gas at the pump, state budgets, legislative elections and regional landmarks. He treats fuel as the core expense of owning and using a car, using local examples to show how transportation costs affect households, businesses and food prices. His work connects fuel, tariffs and supply chains to food inflation and the cost of groceries. At the Times-News he has covered Shoshone Falls road construction and access, using text and images to show how infrastructure changes affect tourism. At Idaho Education News he reports on Magic Valley politics, K-12 schools, the College of Southern Idaho, legislative primaries, budget writers and recession concerns. A multimedia, source-driven reporter, he relies on named institutions, on-the-record voices and clear descriptions of events and costs.

Sean Mahoney stands out for reporting on how roads, design and human behavior combine to create risk. He is a weekend anchor and reporter for KOLD News 13. His beat covers transportation, road safety, crashes, pedestrians, cyclists, dangerous corridors and enforcement trends. He uses data, official statistics and on-the-ground reporting to explain why some streets are more dangerous than others and how speed, lighting, crosswalk placement and road layout shape safety. He also covers high-impact public safety incidents, including missing persons cases and major investigations, with attention to how law enforcement, first responders and transportation agencies respond.

Shannon Becker is a breaking news reporter for KOAM News Now and Joplin News First. His distinct beat is cars, roads, traffic, crashes, and public safety. He covers classic-car rallies, road conditions, weather effects on drivers, crime scenes, and retail traffic, often treating vehicles and the road as part of the main story. He is known as a highly sourced reporter who regularly breaks crime stories before other outlets. He reports live from the scene, uses video, and posts continuous updates on social platforms. His work includes the Hemmings Great Race on Route 66, Big 3 Stories of the week, and live coverage of hazardous driving conditions and roadside incidents.

Stephen Rivers reports at the point where cars meet money, technology, and power, focusing on how everyday driving collides with surveillance, fraud, and wider economic and defense trends. He is an associate editor at the masthead and writes news, analysis, and reader-driven features with a close eye on hidden systems that affect buyers long after they leave the showroom. He covers cars as data-gathering devices, license plate camera networks, and local fights over vendors and privacy. He reports on deceptive dealership practices, cloned dealer sites, and enforcement actions as systemic consumer risk. He tracks automaker strategy, industry shifts into defense work, and the jobs and policy they shape. Rivers also covers performance, culture, offbeat enthusiast stories, and opinion-driven features that invite readers to steer automotive coverage. His past repair shop and autocross experience informs his clear, technical reporting and earlier work for outlets such as HotCars.

Suvrat Kothari stands out for tracking the battery and charging details that decide whether EVs work in daily life. He is a staff writer at InsideEVs and was formerly a senior correspondent at Evo India magazine. His beat covers EV batteries, charging speed, infrastructure, range, and the business of electrification. He reports on battery breakthroughs, range retention, fast-charging hardware, charging networks, and automaker strategy. His work often turns lab results and prototype programs into plain terms for drivers and automakers, with concrete focus on usable range, safety, reliability, cost of ownership, and how charging and battery choices shape real-world EV adoption.

Tabor Brewster is a multimedia journalist focused on how automotive culture overlaps with local civic life. They report for Beverly Press and Park Labrea News, centering live automotive events and curated car showcases where design, heritage and commerce meet. Their coverage of the Concours d’Elegance on Rodeo Drive treats classic and luxury cars as part of the street’s public face and ties “The Mother Road” mythology to contemporary urban identity. Brewster also reports on city council candidates and local decision-making, using direct quotes and close reading of platforms to show how policy affects streets, businesses and events. Through weekly headline roundups, they move across beats from municipal coverage to local services and shops, presenting short segments and companion video and social posts that guide audiences through the outlet’s broader news agenda.

Tiffany Acosta is the “ultimate Arizona reporter” at The Arizona Republic, blending service journalism with a sense of fun to show how people experience the state by car. She covers driving, gas prices, road trips, roadside attractions, small towns, celestial events, desert wildlife and only-in-Arizona destinations. Her stories treat highways, remote bars, snakes, javelinas, festivals and night-sky events as parts of one driving landscape, focusing on access, cost, routes, timing and what readers will find when they arrive. She writes practical guides on Buc-ee’s pump prices, remote bar closures, snake safety and where to see full moons, and she helps people plan weekend trips and events. She also creates explainer videos and social clips that turn questions about animals, pop culture openings and cowboy culture into clear, usable checklists for drivers and hikers.

Travis Fant is a video-led dirt bike journalist and content producer who heads the video department at Dirt Bike Magazine, where he focuses on immersive coverage of off-road motorcycles and two-stroke performance. He is closely tied to Dirt Bike Magazine’s Two-Stroke Tuesday and Project Builds, showcasing custom machines like his Minesweeper 2005 Yamaha YZ250 and tribute builds such as a 2007 Yamaha YZ250 echoing Jeremy McGrath’s Chaparral Yamaha. He reports on both project bikes and race events, including the Two-Stroke World Championship-winning Yamaha YZ300 and the Ironman round of the Grand National Cross Country series. His work centers on detailed, race-pace video, strong camera placement, clear views of the bike, and audio that highlights engine sound across Japanese and European motocross and off-road machines.

Vanessa Gongora tells stories from the perspective of people living with the consequences of traffic decisions, public safety policies, and neighborhood change. As a multimedia journalist and Westside reporter for KGUN 9, she focuses on how roads, enforcement, and local institutions shape daily life. Her transportation coverage centers on traffic enforcement, crash patterns, and dangerous intersections, including proposals to bring red light cameras and photo radar back to busy crossroads. She also reports on stray desert gunfire hitting homes, domestic violence, and other threats to safety inside neighborhoods. Her beat includes community support for veterans, families with limited resources, and small family-run businesses, often through short video explainers and on-the-road features. She handles live public-safety coverage from crime scenes to federal offices, keeping a close feedback loop with residents she invites to share story ideas.

William Thornton is a business reporter who treats Alabama’s auto industry as an economic engine, not a consumer beat. He covers how major automakers and their suppliers shape the state’s economy, workforce and communities, tying specific models on the line to investment decisions, jobs and long-term shifts in manufacturing. He tracks production rankings, plant milestones, new model allocations and auto-related projects, showing how corporate strategy, technology and industrial policy translate into payrolls and skills needs. His reporting follows electric vehicles, automation, advanced manufacturing and supply chain changes as they move through local plants and logistics networks. Thornton is a business reporter for the Birmingham News and its sister publications, drawing on decades of experience covering local government, education and courts to ground his auto coverage in public records, economic context and worker impact.

Evan Casey is a general assignment reporter for Wisconsin Public Radio who uses transportation rules and street conditions as a practical lens on local governance and public order. He covers the greater Milwaukee area and southeast Wisconsin through daily news, features and multimedia storytelling. His beat centers on how local rules, infrastructure and public programs affect everyday life, with recurring work on transportation, parking, stadium crowds and street-level enforcement. He has reported on communities weighing restrictions on e-scooters and e-bikes, a new Milwaukee parking ticket policy, protest gatherings outside a federal building, food aid uncertainty and the role of major league baseball stadiums as civic spaces. His reporting relies on street-level scenes, resident testimony, short video and clear, accessible language to show how policy decisions play out in public spaces.