Kirstin Garriss is an award-winning investigative journalist turned public relations and communications strategist and media training coach with more than 14 years of newsroom experience covering national politics at both the local and national levels.

 

​​In her current role, Kirstin oversees public relations and
marketing for the journalism nonprofit, URL Collective, elevating its program’s impact, increasing awareness of the Collective’s services and programs, and strengthening the organization’s visibility. She also supports URL Media, a national network of 65+ multicultural newsrooms, by amplifying publisher stories through strategic placement in local, regional, and national media outlets. Kirstin is also responsible for crafting compelling press releases, creative media assets, and customized media trainings.

 

Most recently, Kirstin served as a Washington Correspondent for Cox Media Group, covering the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, and national politics for over a dozen local TV and radio stations nationwide. Her reporting expertise included election security, federal policy, transportation, healthcare, and consumer trends. Kirstin was also a 2023 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow. She is also the creator of Here’s the Deal with KG, a Substack and TikTok series where she breaks down major national headlines into smart, engaging explainers that resonate with audiences across various platforms.

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Her work has appeared in The Guardian and EBONY Magazine, and she has won regional and national awards for coverage of race relations and redlining, including a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and a NABJ Salute to Excellence Award. Kirstin has reported in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Hagerstown, Maryland.

 

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the Online News Association (ONA), and the National and Washington Associations of Black Journalists (NABJ and WABJ).