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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So far, nearly 80% of California residents have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. The extended statewide mask mandate is set to expire on Feb. 15.
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The new recommendation for adolescents age 12-17 came hours after a panel of CDC advisers voted in favor of it. The boosters should be given five months after initial immunization.
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The Australian Border Force said the top-ranked tennis player "failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled."
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Those who contracted COVID-19 can end their isolation after five days while continuing to wear a well-fitting mask for an additional five days, according to the agency.
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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers are both taped at New York City's 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Meyers' show has been canceled for the rest of this week.
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Thousands of residents in three communities near Denver were ordered to evacuate Thursday as wind-fueled wildfires engulfed parts of the area, scorching hundreds of homes and buildings.
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The CDC revised its guidance Thursday, as 91 cruise ships are under investigation for COVID outbreaks onboard. Most cruise lines require adult passengers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
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Many major retailers and fast-food chains have announced they will be closed. A few, however, will stay open for customers.
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Investigators said inspections of trash compactors from Walmart stores over the last six years found dozens of items classified as either hazardous waste or customer records with personal information.
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Underscoring its high transmissibility, in a week, omicron went from a 12.6% share of new COVID infections in the U.S. to a dominant 73.2%, according to the CDC's latest estimates.