Hey there. I’m Casey Quackenbush, a New York-based freelance journalist. I write about politics and democratic struggles, mostly. You can find my work in New York Magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, and more.

Until Covid, I was based in Hong Kong for three years, first as a reporter with Time magazine covering Asia-Pacific, where I wrote a cover story on the drought in Australia and profiled Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The Hong Kong protests dominated my work when I turned freelance in 2019. I spent most of 2020 on the road, first in Australia writing about the bushfires, and then later the U.S. covering the election in the run up to January 6th.

I also publish a Substack called Contra Post.

I’ve reported from the Australian outback, Chinese kitchens, the shadow of Mount Everest, the Yukon River, and cheese farms in the Alps. This site is a selection of my favorites.

I’m available for written assignments, radio/TV interviews, and public speaking engagements. Get in touch:

Twitter: @caseyquack

Instagram: @casey.quack

Photo by Pierre Crosby

EDUCATION

Global Journalist Security — Hostile Environment & First Aid Training

Rory Peck Trust — Trauma & Resilience Workshop         

University of Pennsylvania B.A. in history, minor in journalistic writing

PUBLICATION LIST

New York Magazine, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Time magazine, Al Jazeera, Nieman Reports, New York Observer, Aperture, T: The New York Times Style Magazine

AWARDS & HONORS

Pulitzer Center Reporting Grant || July 2021

The Washington Post || In Alaska, Homes Must Evolve to Survive Climate Change

Mirror Award || June 2021

For best story on media coverage of 2020 presidential election

Nieman Reports || Without a Campaign to Cover, Reporters Shift to Covering the Voting Process Itself [Spring 2020 cover]

Parker Prize, 2nd Place || April 2017

Awarded to best newspaper or magazine article, feature story, exposé or other piece of investigative journalism     

TIME || Living Without an Identity: Undocumented Children in Hong Kong                 

Nora Magid Prize, Finalist || February 2017

For senior who shows exceptional ability in writing & reporting              

Terry B. Heled Travel Grant || March 2016

TIME || The FDA Softens its Stance on Microbes and Mold in Cheese Fabrication

Michael Silver Writing Award || Dec 2015

Honors outstanding student writing in The Daily Pennsylvanian