Jasmine Hilton joins The Washington Post’s Metro desk to cover criminal justice

Announcement from Local Editor Mike Semel, Deputy Local Editor Monica Norton, Criminal Justice Editor Lynh Bui and Assignment Editor Maria Glod:

We are thrilled to announce that Jasmine Hilton is joining Metro on the criminal justice team.

Jasmine started at The Post last summer as an intern covering breaking news, crime and courts. Ever since, Jasmine has made herself an essential member of the cops pod. When three children died in a house fire in Hillcrest Heights, she not only went to the scene for the breaking daily story but also stuck with the family through the week to cover the heartbreaking vigil for the children. She has an eye for detail that can make powerful pieces, demonstrated in the on-deadline story covering the funeral of D.C.’s youngest homicide victim last year, 6-year-old Nyiah Courtney. And she recently tackled how local emergency departments have been coping with long ambulance waits at hospitals amid the latest COVID surge.

Jasmine has proven she can research deeply, report on the ground and make endless calls to find the important next-day story. After helping with the breaking news of a fatal shooting at a D.C. flag football game, Jasmine earned the trust of the community and wrote a broader feature about the teams affected by the violence. In her deep dive on the summer of protests at Nellie’s Sports Bar, Jasmine went beyond the anger in the community after a Black woman was dragged down the stairs by security in June and dug into broader concerns of gentrification and safe spaces for the LGBTQ community citywide.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Bowie, Maryland, Jasmine graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. During her time there, she served as special projects editor and managing editor of the student-run news organization, The Lantern. She has previously interned at NBC News4 Washington WRC-TV and Politico. Outside work, she enjoys walking her cockapoo, Graham, and browsing used bookstores for hours.