Author: Matthew Franck

Former professional journalist and current amateur artist. Read about my career below. Click menu above to see my art. . . . .

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has devoted considerable energy in the past several months on the heroin epidemic. Reporter Jesse Bogan and photographer David Carson combed the streets of St. Louis to describe the drug's broad reach. A mass killer: St. Louis heroin deaths hit a new high A follow-up piece by the same duo looks … Continue reading Heroin and St. Louis →

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Nancy Cambria and photographer Laurie Skrivan spent months exploring the hidden toll that poverty and related stress exacts on children. I was the lead editor of the project, which appeared in print as a special 10-page section.

The shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2014 became perhaps the biggest news story I've directly been associated with in my career. As deputy metro editor for the Post-Dispatch, I help lead coverage by nearly 50 journalists who have produced hundreds of stories and … Continue reading Ferguson coverage →

Few Missouri Supreme Court rulings have had the kind of impact as one issued in June 2013 on a decades-old but largely untested Missouri statute. Now that law -- which allows students in unaccredited school districts to transfer to better schools -- must be enforced. It's a ruling that prompted nearly 2,600 students from Riverview … Continue reading School transfers →

In my seven years as an editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, my team of reporters has won numerous awards for reporting on a wide range of topics. Some examples: BOSNIA: In 2013, reporter Doug Moore marked the 20th anniversary of the relocation of thousands of Bosnians to St. Louis. AFGHANISTAN: IN 2013, reporter Jesse Bogan … Continue reading Projects I’ve edited →

For three years, one of my roles at the Post-Dispatch has been to edit religion coverage. I've had the pleasure to work with talented reporters such as Tim Townsend. Their reporting has ventured beyond the institutions of faith, delving into the intimacies of how belief is lived. CHURCH MERGER Here Jesse Bogan offers a look at … Continue reading Religion editing →

I pride myself in explanatory journalism that makes the arcane clear. And in my career I've tackled some complex issues, such as embryonic stem cell research and school funding formulas. Some examples: . STEM CELL COVERAGE In 2006 voters in Missouri were presented with a constitutional amendment to protect certain forms of stem cell research. … Continue reading News analysis →

For four years I covered the Missouri Legislature, a beat that means writing about almost everything under the sun. Examples of my work writing on politics and policy: . . PROFILE: Here I use a profile of a key House leader to get at a far broader story: the shift in political climate that has … Continue reading State capital reporting →

Education policy is important to me. For the past 18 years I have rarely strayed far from it, both from the political and classroom angles. Here are some examples: . Charter Schools Much of my energies, both as a reporter and editor, have focused on school choice and charter schools in particular. They interest me … Continue reading Education reporting →