VNN expands with more media partners nationwide

(TULSA, Okla.) Verified News Network (VNN) announced they are partnering with more journalists and affiliates this November. VNN Michigan and VNN Alabama will be online in December 2020. These new partnerships expand VNN’s journalist count to six, with a goal of having journalists in every state in the next five years. The social news media network has also partnered with new affiliate “Big If True”, a fellow Oklahoma Media Center member. Read on to learn more about each new partner. Rachael Schuit | VNN Michigan Rachael Schuit is thrilled to be joining VNN to cover her home state of Michigan. Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Rachael has spent her whole life living in the mitten. She graduated from Central Michigan University with both her undergraduate and graduate degree. She started her journalism career at WILX-TV in Lansing, Michigan as a producer and reporter. Most recently she spent two years as a reporter at Upnorthlive In Traverse City. The stories she’s covered range from the opioid crisis, erosion along the great lakes, local government politics and COVID-19. Rachael has a passion for meeting new people and sharing their stories. If you have a great story idea, she would love to hear from you. In her spare time Rachael enjoys hiking, going to the beach, traveling to different Michigan towns, reading, and cooking. Jasmin Washington | VNN Alabama Jasmin Washington was born and raised in Northport, Alabama. She earned her degree in journalism at Stillman College, where she wrote for her school's newspaper. While in college, Jasmin also interned for WVUA 23 at the University of Alabama, and freelanced for The Tuscaloosa Newspaper. Upon graduation, Jasmin was a contributing writer for Sports Radio America. She launched her own media company Jazzy's Media Production shortly after. Big If True | Oklahoma Big If True is a 501(c)(3) news nonprofit based in Oklahoma City. They’re currently focused on stories that examine how low-income Americans have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Before starting Big If True, founder and editor Mollie Bryant was an investigative reporter for Oklahoma Watch and The Clarion-Ledger in Mississippi, where her work spurred an overhaul of state campaign finance laws. Before that, she was an education and enterprise reporter for the Amarillo Globe-News in Texas, where her investigative stories led to changes in the local police department, including the testing of one of the largest rape kit backlogs in the state. If you are interested in partnering with VNN, email bharlow@verifiednews.network.