Jonathan Franklin
Jonathan Franklin is a digital reporter on the News desk covering general assignment and breaking national news.
For the last few years, Franklin has been reporting and covering a broad spectrum of local and national news in the nation's capital. Prior to NPR, he served as a digital multiskilled journalist for the TEGNA-owned CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., WUSA. While at WUSA, Franklin covered and reported on some of the major stories over the last two years – the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Black/African American community, D.C.'s racial protests and demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
A scan of Franklin's byline will find hundreds of local breaking news stories, engaging ledes and well-calibrated anecdotes that center the individuals and communities in service of the journalism he's pursuing.
Prior to WUSA, Jonathan produced and reported for various ABC and CW affiliates across the country and was a freelance multimedia journalist for The Washington Informer in Washington, D.C. He began his journalism career at WDCW in Washington.
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Franklin earned his master's degree in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast and digital journalism from Georgetown University and his undergraduate degrees in English, Humanities and African/African American Studies from Wofford College.
Franklin is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., both the National and Washington Associations of Black Journalists, Online News Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
In his spare time, Franklin enjoys traveling to new cities and countries, watching movies, reading a good novel, and all alongside his favorite pastime: brunch.
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It is unclear why the suggested rule was not released by its intended deadline. But a spokesperson for the federal agency told NPR that its implementation "continues to be a high priority." -
The bill which was previously passed in the House in 2019 and 2022 but blocked in the Senate, aims to end race-based hair discrimination in schools and workplaces. -
Twyla Stallworth, a woman from Andalusia, Ala., filed a federal lawsuit against the city, its police department and Grant Barton, the police officer involved in the incident. -
In a complaint to the airline, Pamela Hill-Veal, a retired judge, says that while on a Chicago-to-Phoenix flight, a flight attendant berated her and accused her of slamming the lavatory door. -
Nakala Murry spoke exclusively to NPR about a petition that references the May 2023 shooting of Aderrien Murry. She said the move "caught her off guard." -
Rachel Crandall-Crocker, the founder of International Transgender Day of Visibility, said organizing has taught her one invaluable lesson: "You do not have to be perfect to change the world." -
A Baltimore bridge serving as a vital highway artery collapsed early Tuesday after a nearly 1,000-foot-long container ship crashed into it, sending several people into the frigid water below. -
During the sentencing, Judge David Carpenter suspended Russell's two six-month sentences, saying it would be a "waste of government resources" to put her in jail for her crime. -
The holiday-inspired mugs were sold online and in stores such as Target and Walmart from November 2023 through January 2024. The injuries included severe burns, blisters and cuts on hands and fingers. -
The multiple Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter discusses Cowboy Carter and the moment that inspired her to delve into country music. Beyoncé's eighth studio album was released Friday.
