Kaitlin Washburn

Kaitlin Washburn is a general assignment reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, covering diverse topics including healthcare, public policy, and social issues. She previously served as a gun violence reporter for The Kansas City Star (2020-2022), where she focused on legislative impacts, community trauma, and systemic factors driving firearm violence in Missouri. Her investigative work earned statewide recognition, including coverage of intimate partner violence intersections and youth suicide prevention efforts. Before that, she reported on agriculture in California’s Central Valley for The Sun-Gazette (2019-2020), examining labor practices, regulatory impacts, and economic disparities. A University of Missouri journalism graduate with an investigative reporting emphasis, she interned at The Oregonian, The Morning Call, and the Center for Responsive Politics, where she covered campaign finance and government accountability. She currently leads the Association of Health Care Journalists’ firearm violence and trauma beat, providing resources to journalists on evidence-based reporting. Her work combines data analysis with human-centered storytelling, often highlighting marginalized communities and systemic inequities.