Michigan Public has appointed Zena Issa as its new Criminal Justice Reporter, returning to the NPR affiliate after previously contributing to its newsroom, Stateside program, and digital platforms. Her first day in the new role was May 6.
Issa interned in the newsroom and played a key role in the station’s award-winning voter education initiatives, Voter Voices and What the Vote. Both projects earned honors from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcast Excellence Awards.
Her background also includes reporting as a multimedia journalist for WLNS-TV in Lansing, internships with WDIV-TV in Detroit and WBAL-TV in Baltimore as part of the Emma Bowen Fellowship, and extensive social media production, including field reporting on TikTok. Issa is also fluent in Arabic.
Issa’s reporting will focus on criminal justice issues impacting both youth and adults across the state. The position is funded by a grant from the Public Welfare Foundation, which supports journalism that advances justice reform across the US.
