Rylee Kirk

I am an award-winning journalist currently working in Syracuse, N.Y. for Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard as a breaking news reporter with a focus on public safety.

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No two days at the paper are the same. As I listen to the police scanner I am writing profiles of our latest homicide victim, covering press conferences, examining possible police brutality and digging into local records. 

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Luckily, when I have a bigger story my paper takes me off the daily news cycle and allows me to flex my investigative muscles. Numerous of my investigations have revealed child protective service workers failing to intervene in neglect and abuse cases, leading to deaths that could have been prevented. I've also investigated legal loopholes in the transportation guidelines involving migrant workers and done countless quick-turn investigations on policing policies. 

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My work at Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has earned me multiple awards. I've received the Distinguished Breaking News Coverage and Distinguished Investigative Reporting awards from the New York News Publisher's Association. From the Syracuse Press Club I've won the Best Multimedia Story, Best Print Spot News, Best Breaking News. In 2022 I also received the Newcomer Award.

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In August of 2021, I graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University with a Master's of Investigative Journalism. During my time in Arizona, I completed a group investigation into child sex abuse in Indian Country entitled "Little Victims Everywhere." We worked on the piece for three months and it ran on the AP Wire and was published in the Washington Post, Toronto Star, and Indian Country Today. While at the Cronkite School, I was a national politics intern for The Arizona Republic and worked as a graduate assistant in the Digital Audience Lab.​

 

 In May 2020, I graduated Cum Laude from Mercer University in Macon Georgia with a Bachelor's in journalism and minors in French, history, and media studies. While at Mercer I was extremely involved with the student paper, The Cluster and also worked as a preceptor for two years, earning the title Preceptor Scholar. ​

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In my free time, I enjoy traveling and have been to Canada, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala. I also love spending time in a hammock with a good book, and camping.