Simmerdeep Kaur

My portfolio.

Wrote a long-form narrative story about the journey of two exiled women journalists as they fly across the world in an attempt to escape the Taliban’s extremist rule and save their lives, but at the cost of never being able to go back home.
Collected and analyzed data from the Committee to Protect Journalists to find out the total number of journalists executed in Afghanistan, and compared this number to journalist killings in other countries.
Created a map showcasing Khwaga Ghani’s entire journey - from Kabul to California.

Wrote a profile story about Marlena Robbins, a doctoral student at UC Berkeley, who's working on making psychedelics assisted therapy more accessible to indigenous communities.
Also made an augmented reality component as a fun interactive multimedia element to induce more engagement.
Created the AR experience using Blippar software. At the end of the story, there is a QR code for readers to scan. It takes you to a forest setting and provides information on the various types of psychedelic mushrooms growing in different parts of the US.

Investigated police data as a part of the data team at the California Reporting Project, also known as CRP. The project is a multi-newsroom coalition formed to research and report on law enforcement documents that became public after lawmakers passed the landmark "Right to Know Act" in 2018.
Examined the paperwork in DocumentCloud and annotated instances that stood out in CRP’s database, along with answering questions like "names of officers involved," "was lethal force used by an officer," "did the incident result in the death of the subject."
Conducted completeness checks using Python in a Jupyter Lab notebook to make sure each agency has sent over all the required documents.
Filed FOIA'S using MuckRock in case of a missing document.
The research was used to publish this piece about police brutality in The Guardian. A version of the story also aired at KQED.

Covered a story about the impacts of last year’s heat wave on international students at Berkeley. The extreme weather took a toll on the academic front for many due to escalated anxiety levels induced by insufficient sleep, reduced concentration and physical distress.
The story captures the struggles of international students at UCB and, at the same time, shines a light on the bigger picture of climate change.
During the reporting process, I interviewed students from different parts of the world, making sure to include the international student experience from different angles.
Also interviewed doctors and academic experts on the subject.

Covered this story when the Oakland City Council decided to end its eviction moratorium. I talked to city council members, tenants and landlords, and attended council meetings.
The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to sunset the COVID-19 eviction moratorium on July 15, introducing a comprehensive ordinance that combined the expiration with permanent tenant protections. Authored by Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and Council President Pro Tempore Dan Kalb, the ordinance addressed housing instability, drawing both support and opposition.
Tenant concerns about potential evictions clashed with landlords seeking resolution for outstanding debts.

Reported a cultural story when Alameda County celebrated its 15th annual Lunar New Year event with a heartwarming return to in-person festivities at Lincoln Hall. The program was the first since the pandemic lockdown in 2020. It featured five traditional performances that beautifully showcased the diverse Asian communities in the Bay Area.
Approximately 400 attendees, predominantly children from eight schools, gathered in person, while students from nine other schools joined virtually.
I interviewed Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, some performers and the school children and teachers. I also took pictures of the various performances throughout the event, as can be seen in the coverage.

As a part of my job as the news editor at the Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs Office at UC Berkeley, I wrote a spotlight story on Dr. Koning Shen.
Shen is researching how the aging of mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, leads to diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, among others.
This is one of the many spotlights I regularly write and edit for the VSPA at UC Berkeley.