Caroline Preston
What I do: I help oversee Hechinger’s journalism, focusing in particular on K-12 education. I also write our newsletter on climate change and education.
My background: I grew up in Washington, D.C., and started my journalism career there, first as a writer at a now-defunct National Journal Group publication called U.N. Wire and then as a reporter with The Chronicle of Philanthropy. In 2013, I moved to New York for a job as a features editor with the website of Al Jazeera America, where I worked with writers all over the world. After Al Jazeera’s U.S. operation closed, I wrote a story for The Hechinger Report on kids in foster care trying to get an education. In 2017, I joined the news organization as a senior editor, responsible for both writing and editing stories. Some of my favorite reporting experiences have included embedding in a school for kids in foster care, following four middle schoolers through the travails of pandemic learning and leading a nine-part series on how climate change is reshaping education. In 2022, I became a deputy managing editor, and I’ve been Hechinger’s managing editor since 2023.
Journalistic ethics: I work to ensure that our stories are fair, nuanced and accurate. When we do make an error in a story, we immediately correct it. I do not accept gifts or favors from sources or potential sources. I adhere to Hechinger’s ethics code and to the code of ethics of the Society for Professional Journalists, whose principles include seeking truth, minimizing harm and being accountable and transparent.
Phone: 212-870-8965
Signal: CarolineP.83
BlueSky: @carolinepreston.bsky.social
X: @cpreston
