Katie Jane Fernelius is a senior reporter at Verite News in New Orleans, covering the local government. She is interested in governance and Southern economics – and how the two effect poverty and inequity.

You can follow her reporting on Instagram and TikTok. She also writes a newsletter on occasion.

Her journalism can be found in The Guardian, Oxford American, The Nation, The New Republic, The Assembly, The Appeal, In These Times, and other outlets.

She’s also produced multiple podcast series and documentaries, including a radio feature for the BBC World Service and Sundance about a private city in Lagos, Nigeria. Her most recent project was the series A Field Guide to Gay Animals, which was an official selection of the 2024 Tribeca Festival.