About Model D
Detroit Community News
Model D covers the people, organizations, and ideas moving Detroit forward. From small businesses to big projects, we cover the work happening on the ground to drive meaningful change. This is Detroit community news you won’t read anywhere else.
We are committed to solutions journalism that reflects lived experience, builds understanding, and strengthens connection. Our Detroit community news uncovers how communities are responding to real challenges — practical solutions, local leadership, entrepreneurs, and community organizations working to improve quality of life and expand opportunity.
Informed, engaged communities depend on open access to local information. All of our content is free and accessible, with no paywall.
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Our Team
Kyla Wright, Managing Editor
A Michigan native pursuing her Ph.D. in Information and Media at Michigan State University, Kyla brings deep roots and commitment to telling stories that shape the communities she serves. Her journalism journey spans newsrooms and brands throughout Detroit. She has reported for the Detroit Free Press, served as Brand Journalist for the Ilitch Companies, and freelanced for ESSENCE, Refinery29, and other national publications. A graduate of Hampton University and Syracuse University, where she earned degrees in journalism, Kyla’s work centers on media representations of Black women and bridging literacy and journalism for K-12 students. When she’s not editing or researching, Kyla can be found cheering on the Lions, advocating for mental health awareness, or working with young people to discover their voices through journalism.
Contributors:
Patrick Dunn, Sarah Williams, Erin Marie Miller, Greg Tasker, Melinda Clynes, Ellen Piligian, Kahn Santori Davison, Blake Woodruff, Layla McMurtrie, and Genevieve Fox.
Photography Contributors:
Nick Hagen, David Lewinski, Doug Coombe, Joe Powers, Steve Koss, Valaurian Waller, Rosa Maria Zamarron
Awards
From the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Detroit Chapter’s 2023 Excellence in Journalism awards:
– 1st in Education Reporting – Sarah Williams, Rosa Maria Zamarrón, Mayté Penman, Biba Adams, Sarah Spohn for the Early Education Matters series.
– 4th in Consumer/Watchdog/
– 4th in Social Media Strategy – Mike Galbraith, Nick Hagen for our Street View: Detroit Corridors series.
– 4th in Feature reporting – Sarah Williams, Nick Hagen for Shakespeare in Prison program offers far more than an escape.
From the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Detroit Chapter’s 2022 Excellence in Journalism awards:
– Feature Photography (Print Class C): First Place – Nick Hagen for the way he captured mastercraftsman Carlos Nielbock in Model D, which judges praised for a talented display of using depth of field.
– Portrait Photography (Print Class C): First Place – David Lewinski for his photograph of Metro Detroit veterans sharing perspectives on Afghanistan.
– Social Media Strategy (Digital): First Place – Mike Galbraith for his innovative style with Model D’s Instagram Explorer series.
– Consumer/Watchdog/Investigative Reporting: Second Place – Jane Simons, for her insights into how Detroit development can avoid pushing out older adults.
Third place – David Sands, for his powerful story about Detroit’s eviction crisis.
– Feature Reporting: Fourth Place – Barb Pert Templeton for her meaningful coverage of the way staffing shortages solutions offers a chance for more inclusivity.
– Health Reporting: Fourth Place – Sarah Williams for her in-depth reporting on the impact of masks on our deaf communities.
– Newsletter Strategy: Second Place – Biba Adams, Kate Roff, Mike Galbraith, Nina Ignaczak, and Dorothy Hernandez for their relevant and on-point creation of weekly newsletters.
– Portrait Photography: Second Place – Joe Powers for the way he captured Detroit baking entrepreneur Ruth Bell.
Fourth Place – David Lewinski for the way he captured Detroit homeowners in the wake of flooding.
From the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Detroit Chapter’s 2020 Excellence in Journalism awards:
- First place, community/local news reporting – Kate Roff, Melinda Clynes, Ellen Piligian, Greg Tasker, and Erin Miller for their reporting in Model D’s ‘Building Communities’ series;
- Second place, consumer/watchdog/investigative reporting – Kate Roff for her story covering minority contractors in Detroit;
- Third place, feature reporting – Kate Roff for her reporting in Model D’s ‘Detroit Innovation’ series;
- Honorable mention, feature reporting – Dorothy Hernandez for her story chronicling key places and moments in Detroit’s racial history.
About Issue Media Group
Vital journalism moving communities forward
Model D is part of the Issue Media Group family of publications.
Issue Media Group (IMG) is a national network of locally focused publications advancing community transformation through solutions-oriented journalism.
Across our markets, we report on the people, organizations, and practical responses addressing real challenges — sharing insights that communities can learn from and build on.
As the parent company of this publication, IMG provides the editorial framework, infrastructure, and cross-market collaboration that strengthen local impact.
Founded in 2005 in Detroit, IMG partners with mission-aligned organizations across the public, private, nonprofit, and grassroots sectors through an underwriting model of publishing. Our journalists engage directly with residents and stakeholders through ongoing listening sessions, ensuring that our reporting is community-informed, trust-building, and grounded in lived experience.
IMG’s journalism has been recognized and supported by national media and civic organizations, including the Knight Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network, Columbia Journalism Review, INC Magazine, Ground Source, and the Society for Professional Journalists.
