Noah Baustin

Noah Baustin

Alumni

Noah Baustin is a journalist and audio producer originally from Northampton, Massachusetts. He is in the class of ’22 at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism where he is studying data journalism, investigative reporting, and audio production. Noah currently works as a freelance reporter for the New York Times Graphics Desk, where he is supporting a long-term data-driven project tracking the arrests that resulted from the January 6 Capitol riot. During school, Noah’s focus has been reporting on law enforcement. He reported on police misconduct as a data researcher for KQED. He also covered the Oakland Police Department for The San Francisco Chronicle, the UC Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program, and Oakland North, the school’s digital publication. Noah was the Open Source Investigative Intern at The San Francisco Chronicle last summer. Before school, Noah also worked as a producer for American Public Media’s Field Work podcast and interned for WBUR’s Endless Thread podcast. Noah got his start in journalism in 2016, when his love of audio storytelling motivated him to pick up a mic, start recording interviews in his community, and self-produce a local podcast. Since then, Noah has worked as a freelancer and his work has been published by KQED, The San Francisco Chronicle, New England Public Radio, The Oaklandside, Berkeleyside, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Greenfield Recorder, and more. He has covered everything from local government to agriculture to the arts. Noah’s background is in food and agriculture. He worked on vegetable and dairy farms throughout his teens and early 20’s. He studied food systems at NYU for undergrad and his first professional jobs were in that field, first for the Massachusetts Food Policy Council and later for a non profit that supported farms across his native western Massachusetts. His first journalism job was writing the weekly agriculture column for his hometown newspaper, the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Clips and Published Work

Oakland’s Illegal Trash-Dumping Crisis is Worse Than Ever. Here’s Why. San Francisco Chronicle, August 2021. The Oakland Police Department Says it is Underfunded. Is That True? San Francisco Chronicle, August 2021. Dozens of Oakland Police Officers Collect 6-Figure Overtime Payments, Straining City’s Budget KQED, May 2021. Roaming in caravans, burglars overwhelmed Oakland’s cannabis industry in 2020 The Oaklandside, December 2020. Sudanese Refugee Family Watches Revolution From Afar New England Public Radio, July 2019. Leaving the Bunker: Pioneer Valley Roller Derby Searching for a New Track New England Public Radio, September 2019. Amid challenges, Barstow’s Farm still taking the long view Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 2020

EDUCATION

  • University of California, Berkeley
    M.J. Journalism
    2022

  • New York University
    B.A. Food Systems
    2016

EMPLOYERS

  • New York Times - Freelance Reporter, Graphics Desk (Sept 2021 - present)

  • San Francisco Chronicle - Open Source Investigative Intern
    (June 2021 - August 2021)

  • UC Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program - Research Assistant
    (Jan 2021 - August 2021)

  • KQED - Data Researcher
    (March 2021 - June 2021)

  • American Public Media - Producer, Field Work Podcast
    (Oct 2019 - Apr 2020)

  • WBUR - Intern, Endless Thread Podcast
    (June 2019 - Oct 2019)

  • Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) - Communications Coordinator
    (Oct 2017 - Aug 2020)

  • Massachusetts Food Policy Council - Intern
    (June 2017 - Oct 2017)

AWARDS & HONORS

  • 2021 Pete Wilson Scholarship Recipient
    Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA)

  • NYU Honors Scholar

  • NYU Gallatin College Dean's Award for Graduating Seniors

  • Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society