UGA journalism student named Planet Forward Correspondent

Editor’s Note: The piece was originally written by Mackenzie Blanco and published on The Red & Black website.

Planet Forward, an environmental storytelling project hosted by the Georgia Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, announced in September that University of Georgia fourth-year journalism student Marley Hinrichs will be one of 13 Planet Forward Correspondents for 2026-27.

Planet Forward gives students hands-on experience in a wide range of mediums, including environmental and ethical storytelling. This year’s cohort is composed of 13 students from 12 schools across 10 U.S. states and the United Kingdom.

“When I started my … reporting capstone last semester, I was honestly feeling pretty burnt out with reporting. I honestly didn’t think I was going to pursue it at all,” Hinrichs said. “Then I took sustainability reporting…that just really reminded me how I can make an impact in this field.”

With a recommendation from her multimedia sustainability reporting professor Ralitsa Vassileva, experience from Chicago digital media outlet Just N Life and a portfolio with a range of stories, Hinrichs earned the correspondent position with an eagerness to represent UGA in a new light on a national stage.

“I’m the only student [from] Georgia, so it’s super cool to be able to highlight the things that my institution, that I love very much, is able to do,” Hinrichs said. “… Being able to highlight initiatives and research that is unique is really awesome.”

Vassileva focuses her Reporting 4 course on sustainability and allows students to use different platforms to tell stories that are appealing to all audiences. This course allowed Hinrichs to seek her interests in environmental and social issues by utilizing visual and audio storytelling as well.

After Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication dean Charles Davis reached out to Vassileva about the Planet Forward correspondent opportunity, she turned to Hinrichs due to her unique passions beyond the curriculum.

“Marley struck me as a person who really knew about sustainability,” Vassileva said. “She seemed to have an interest beyond this class, that she wanted to keep working on environmental issues and social issues”

Recently, Hinrichs began writing her first story in partnership with Planet Forward, which highlights UGA’s Green Labs. Throughout this program, Hinrichs will produce four stories and attend the Planet Forward summit in Washington, D.C. to participate in storytelling workshops and panels.

“It’s intimidating in the way that it’s the good kind of intimidating where it’s like, the pressure is on,” Hinrichs said. “… It’s the type of opportunity that I think is really pushing me to know the type of work I can produce.”

Ultimately, Hinrichs hopes to create media that motivates individuals to empathize with the people around them, care more for the physical world and the environmental issues that come about.

Author: Mackenzie Blanco