Home Author Pages My Work Resume Contact

About Me

Hi! My name is Caroline and I'm a journalist based in Los Angeles, CA. I'm currently a reporting fellow for the Los Angeles Times.

I've previously worked for Politico, the Tampa Bay Times and the Dallas Morning News. I graduated in 2022 from Duke University, where I covered North Carolina politics and local news for The 9th Street Journal and INDY Week. 

I'm a member of NLGJA and have experience in breaking news, beat reporting and feature writing. Explore my portfolio to see my work! 

Recent Articles

Los Angeles Times •

L.A. influencers, businesses live or die on TikTok's algorithm. Now they fear for the future

Brandon Hurst is known as Brandon the Plant Guy on TikTok.

Brandon Hurst has built a loyal social media following and a growing business selling plants on TikTok, where a mysterious algorithm combined with the right content can let users amass thousands of followers.

Hurst, who’s based in the San Fernando Valley, sold 20,000 plants in three years while running his business on Instagram. After expanding the business he launched in 2020 to TikTok Shop, an e-commerce platform integrated into the
Los Angeles Times •

California college campuses become lightning rods for pro-Palestinian protests

A pro-Palestinian protester waves a flag while attending a demonstration next to an encampment at UC Irvine.

Pro-Palestinian protesters, who are demanding divestment from Israel and an end to the country’s military actions in Gaza, have set up several new tent encampments at colleges and universities across California this week.

Tensions have escalated and arrests have been made as protesters continue to stake out areas on the campuses of UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Occidental College, Sacramento
Los Angeles Times •

L.A. sees a surge of billboards for personal injury lawyers. You'll never guess why

Among the myriad side effects of the pandemic: a surge in billboards and bus ads for personal injury law firms.

They seem to have sprouted all over Los Angeles.

Morgan & Morgan’s blue-and-yellow billboards proudly declare “Size Matters,” Jacob Emrani’s ads with red cursive writing direct readers to CallJacob.com, and Pirnia Law’s silhouette designs say, “We didn’t meet by accident.” Billboards and bus ads for personal injury law firms have become a bigger part of the landscape.

Along with the
Los Angeles Times •

USC students protest the 'silencing' of valedictorian with cancellation of speech

USC students and pro-Palestinian activists march silently on campus Thursday to denounce what they say is the ‘institutional silencing’ of Asna Tabassum. The valedictorian’s graduation speech has been canceled.

USC students, faculty and pro-Palestinian protesters responded to a call to action Thursday to fight back against what they say is the “institutional silencing” of valedictorian Asna Tabassum.

“Let her speak! Let her speak!” the crowd of hundreds chanted, a few holding up signs bearing
Los Angeles Times •

'Scammed on the worst day of my life': Pet owners say cremation service took their money, ghosted them

Robert Balog holds an image of his late cat, Stewie, in his home in Van Nuys.

On a Monday night in early March, Robert Balog and a friend made the hour-and-a-half drive from Van Nuys to Oxnard to meet an elusive man in a Best Buy parking lot.

The man, 35-year-old Anthony Nuñez Jr. of Oxnard, emerged from an old-model red Ford Ranger and handed Balog a thick black bag. Inside were the decaying remains of Balog’s beloved pet, a short-hair American tabby cat named Stewie.

Balog drove Stewie home
Los Angeles Times •

Iris Apfel, beloved style icon whose fame peaked in her 90s, dies at 102

Iris Apfel, the beloved fashion icon and interior designer whose eccentric style inspired individuality, creativity and joy, has died, according to a post on her official Instagram account. She was 102.

Known for her bold accessories, oversize round glasses and “totally mad” outfits, Apfel never let age slow her down. She was 84 when the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art launched an exhibition showcasing her extensive collection of garments and costume jewelry, earning her glo
Los Angeles Times •

Council lifts ban on vending near Hollywood Bowl, other popular L.A. locations

Jorge Cruz and his son Luis, 5, gather with street vendors and supporters on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2022 to demonstrate against L.A.’s ban on vending in popular locations.

With nearly 100 street vendors sitting in the audience, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to lift bans on vending in seven high-traffic areas across the city, including the Hollywood Bowl and Dodger Stadium.

The no-vending zones were established by a 2018 ordinance that decriminalized street vending elsewhere i
Los Angeles Times •

L.A. tenants awaiting emergency rental assistance receive eviction protection

The Los Angeles City Council moved to protect tenants who are waiting for emergency rental assistance from being evicted. Above, City Hall.

The Los Angeles City Council adopted an ordinance Friday that prevents the eviction of tenants who are waiting to receive from the city.

The vote came one day after the deadline to pay rent debt accumulated during the .

More than 3,200 residents have been approved for the United to House L.A. Emergency Renters Assistance Program, which provides up to six
Los Angeles Times •

An algae bloom devastated sea mammals last year. L.A. wants to improve its rescue efforts

Marine mammals are penned in as they recuperate at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro in 2023.

A nightmarish scene unfolded in the summer of 2023 across Los Angeles County beaches as hundreds of sick marine mammals washed ashore and became stranded in the sand. Beachgoers witnessed animals seizing, foaming at the mouth and dying due to a toxic algae bloom.

City leaders and residents scrambled to help as the nonprofit in San Pedro worked to rescue and rehabilitate ill seals, sea lions a