Jenny Gathright joins The Washington Post’s Local desk to cover D.C. City Hall

Jenny, who has been reporting for The Post on contract since May, is a gifted reporter who immediately impressed us with her ability to land scoops. She will work closely with Meagan Flynn, who also covers City Hall, and Michael Brice-Saddler, who recently moved into a new role on the local politics and government team covering the District’s politics and people from outside the Wilson Building.

Since her arrival on the Local desk, Jenny has covered the failures of D.C.'s 911 system, the city's steep drop in homicides, the police shooting of a violence interrupter, the advocacy efforts of new moms in jail and the latest developments in an unfolding bribery scandal in which a sitting D.C. council member has been indicted on charges that he took money in exchange for steering city contracts.

Jenny began her journalism career at NPR, where she started on the music team and ultimately gravitated toward news. After working as a producer at NPR, she spent five years covering the District for NPR-affiliate station WAMU 88.5, with a focus on criminal justice. Highlights of her sharp coverage include data-driven dives into how much overtime D.C. police officers worked, leading them to significantly out-earn their bosses and the mayor, a look at understaffing at the city’s pretrial detention facility, leaving youths locked up beyond legal limits, and an examination of deaths at the D.C. jail.

Outside of work, Jenny is an avid runner, biker and swimmer who enjoys training for triathlons, doting on her newest baby nephew and conducting in-depth analysis of reality television. She grew up in the DMV, hailing from neighboring Montgomery County, which makes her a lifelong (and long-suffering) Wizards fan. Her first correspondence with The Post was in elementary school, when she wrote a letter asking if KidsPost could please publish more often.

Please join us in congratulating Jenny, who starts immediately.