Enterprise and education reporter Ally Markovich is leaving Berkeleyside to further her education in journalism.
Markovich has been accepted into the Columbia Journalism School Master of Arts Politics Concentration and will enter a one-year program for mid-career journalists focused on long-form writing. Berkeleyside helped Markovich hone her feature and investigative journalism skills, and she is ready to take those talents to the next level.
“I feel so lucky to have landed at Berkeleyside, the rare local newsroom that supports deep-dive reporting,” Markovich said. “The experiences I had, and mentorship I received at Berkeleyside lay the foundation for the kind of feature and investigative reporting I want to pursue in the rest of my career.”
Markovich was a teacher before she decided to pursue journalism and began to report stories for Berkeleyside and its sister newsroom, The Oaklandside, in 2020. She joined the Berkeleyside newsroom in December 2021. Her investigative reporting chops quickly became apparent with a series of stories revealing how Berkeley High administrators failed to protect generations of students who accused a teacher of sexual misconduct.
“While we are sad to see Ally leave Berkeleyside, we share her excitement as she embarks on this next chapter,” said Pamela Turntine, Berkeleyside Editor-in-Chief. “She leaves behind a body of work that reflects the discipline of a teacher and the doggedness of a seasoned journalist. I will miss her enthusiasm toward her craft and desire to improve.”
Markovich has showcased her passion for data-driven stories, investigative journalism and narrative writing, producing exceptional work that transcended her education beat. From her data-driven census story to her exploration of the history and culture surrounding Indian and Mortar Rocks, her contributions have been invaluable.
In 2022, Markovich’s commitment to speaking truth to power earned her the prestigious James Madison Award from the Society of Professional Journalists Northern California chapter for the series of stories she wrote about sexual misconduct at Berkeley High. She also received SPJ’s Outstanding Emerging Journalist award, among other honors.
Markovich has shown a particular interest in and adeptness for long-form writing, pulling together deep archival and academic research and insightful data analysis. The result is work steeped in history and context, pointing toward effective action. Last year, she wrote about the persistence of the racial achievement gap in the Berkeley school district, for which she interviewed key district figures from past decades, found and analyzed a Stanford study that identified Berkeley as having the second-largest gap in the nation, and gave a history of academic debates about the problem dating back to the 19th century. District leaders cited her reporting as crucial to their understanding as they seek to narrow the achievement gap.
Managing Editor Zac Farber has been Markovich’s primary editor for the past three years.
“A tenacious, versatile and curious journalist, Ally has made her mark on Berkeley — telling complex stories with depth and nuance, illuminating the inner workings of the school district and holding its leaders accountable, turning swim instructors and water tower historians into local legends, and changing how we see everything from the academic achievement gap to potholes to lobster claws,” Farber said. “We wish her the best in New York and are excited to see what she writes next.”
Before she embarks on her yearlong master’s program, Markovich is planning on traveling to war-torn Ukraine, where she was born and lived as a child, and exploring writing a book about her experiences.
Markovich will begin the master’s program at Columbia in August. Today is her last day at Berkeleyside.