Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, working hard in cold temperatures and yelling to be heard over machinery contributed to high rates of COVID-19 infections in meatpacking plants, especially early in the pandemic. The federal agencies charged with overseeing meat plants and their workers — the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor — failed to collaborate […]
Author Archives: Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest
Madison McVan is from Pflugerville, Texas, where she discovered her love for journalism while working at her high school newspaper.
She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2020 with degrees in Journalism and Latin American studies. While attending Mizzou, she covered the Missouri legislature for the Columbia Missourian and interned at the Liberty Hill Independent, a community newspaper outside of Austin, Texas. After graduating, she participated in the Missouri Information Corps, reporting on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on workers in high-risk industries, and freelanced for various outlets. She joined Investigate Midwest in January 2021.
McVan spends her time outside of work volunteering as an English teacher and interpreter, watching football and trying to stay warm in the Minnesota weather.
Honors: Honorable Mention, Investigative Reporting, 2021 Best in Business Awards; participant in 2022 "Reporting the U.S. Workplace" workshop at CUNY
Professional memberships: Investigative Reporters and Editors; The Association for LGBTQ Journalists; North American Agricultural Journalists
