Amanda J. Crawford, Lecturer

Amanda J. Crawford is an award-winning journalist whose writing has appeared in major newspapers and magazines nationwide. Crawford most recently worked as a political reporter for The Arizona Republic, where she covered state agencies, the state legislature and several political campaigns and wrote a political column and blog. She has done major investigative and enterprise reporting, including significant projects on prisons, health care, lobbying and polygamy. She has won several major state journalism awards and in 2007 was a finalist for the prestigious Livingston award, which recognizes the best journalism in the nation by reporters under 35.

Prior to joining the Republic in 2003, Crawford worked at The (Baltimore) Sun as a metro reporter covering the state capitol. She also worked as a business reporter at The Sun and in the Washington, D.C., bureau of People magazine. Her articles have appeared in many other publications, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, Foresight Magazine (Japan), Teen People, College Park Magazine, The Bureau of National Affairs’ Daily Labor Report and Living History Magazine.

Crawford graduated with honors from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1998 with a degree in journalism and was named “The Outstanding News-Editorial Graduate.” She serves on the board of directors of First Amendment Funding Inc., which runs The Best of the West Journalism Contest, and lives in Central Phoenix.