Aliana Mediratta
Hello!

Aliana
Mediratta

I'm a journalist covering politics and institutions to help readers understand and engage with the world around them. Currently, I cover City Hall in New Orleans for Verite News, an award-winning non-profit.

Previously, I managed a team of writers and editors at WashU's independent student-run newspaper, where I won multiple journalism awards and now act as a member of the board. I've also written for WashU's campus publication and the Palo Alto Weekly.

When I'm not in the field reporting, you can usually find me running, playing the guitar, or going to the movies.

Awards

  • 2025Gregory Freeman Award for Outstanding Career Achievement in Journalism
  • 2024Missouri College Media Association — First Place, In-Depth Reporting
  • 2023Missouri College Media Association — First Place, In-Depth Reporting & First Place, Investigative Reporting

My Articles

My work includes political scoops, data-driven investigations, and breaking stories on government accountability, police surveillance, and labor disputes. I also write features that profile the people and places behind the news.

Featured

Best of
Verite News
Federal shutdown to pause SNAP benefits, causing concerns about food insecurity
Verite News
Is the NOPD breaking the law by using tips from Project NOLA? Depends who you ask.
Verite News
Tulane police officers quit their jobs. Now the school is suing them for tens of thousands of dollars.

Verite News

Newsroom Fellow · 2025 – present
Crescent City ID services temporarily halted after staff laid off
Friedman vs McCarron: Two former Giarrusso staffers vie for his council seat
Councilmember Joe Giarrusso says goodbye to elected life after eight years in City Hall
Miscommunication from city officials about district boundaries causes confusion over fall election
'It's a lifeline to the city': Locals and commuters make use of later hours on Canal Street Ferry
What Was Lost: Neighborhood schools

Student Life Newspaper

Managing News Editor · 2022 – 2025
Professor no longer teaching organic chemistry amidst allegations of inappropriate touching
Over 100 arrests made during police crackdown on pro-Palestine encampment
Dreading the lasts: Fontbonne community reckons with closure
24 Hours in Bear's Den: The Challenge No One Asked For
Title IX limitations decrease autonomy for fraternities when penalizing members
Review of WU expungement policy reveals stricter standards on cheating than sexual assault

Other Publications

Editorial Intern · 2022, 2025
RVs on Weeks Street in East Palo Alto
Palo Alto Weekly
East Palo Alto to tow RVs and expand housing options
Gaelen Clayton
The Source — WashU
Class Acts: Gaelen Clayton
WashU students with St. Louis children
The Source — WashU
From brain science to basketball: WashU students engage and educate St. Louis children

Essays

Personal writing
Essay
"I want to feel like I am being changed"
Finding meaning in art, my internal struggle against over-analysis, and media I love
Essay
On mental toughness
Memoir takeaways, the purpose of pain, and my newfound interest in running
Essay
A collection of creative nonfiction essays
Three essays about baby photos, rabbits, and a road trip

My Photography

After moving to New Orleans, I was immediately struck by how much you can learn about the city's history by paying attention to its architecture. My reporting has taken me all across the city and I often found myself interested in the stories behind each neighborhood's churches. Some are well known and attended while others are tucked quietly away, but most of them have anchored their block for generations. This project aims to capture some of the beautiful details of those buildings.

01
St. Charles Baptist
Pastor Marc showed me around the 101-year-old church, where he has worked for half a decade. It's a massive, mazelike building — I got lost twice on my way to his office — and there are a number of rooms sitting off to the side in various states of repair. We went up to the now-defunct belltower, where you can see pieces of the suburban Uptown skyline, which conveniently serves as the location of a cell tower that grants the church free wifi. Restoration projects are frequent, as are gently-phrased requests for restoration donations, mostly in the main building, since other additions were built in the 50s and 60s. But alongside the waterworn plaster, half-removed to reveal original brick, are other relics to remind you that people have been worshipping and celebrating at 7100 St. Charles since the early 1900s. An organ with keys colored by age, historic photos displayed proudly on the walls, and ornately carved molding depicting dragons and baby angels.
02
Coming Soon
In progress
The next chapter of this project is in progress.

On Air

I regularly join an anchor at the Fox 8 studio to break down one of my stories for their morning audience. Here's a look at some recent segments.

Canal Street ferry extends nighttime hours
Fox 8 · July 23, 2025
More appearances

Don't be
a stranger

Got a story tip, a freelance opportunity, or just want to say hello? I'd love to hear from you.

A few things about me...