BENEDICTO ESCAJEDO, Irene

Academic training

University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, Aug 2021 – May 2023
Master’s in Journalism. Specialization in investigative and data reporting and narrative writing.

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia Madrid / Washington DC Oct 2015 – Sep 2016
Master’s in International Journalism. Thesis on President Obama's migration policies management.

Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona Barcelona Sep 2011 – Jun 2015
Bachelor’s in Journalism. Graduated with honors. Extraordinary Prize for my thesis on Peace Journalism.

Professional experience

Journalism Experience

El Periódico, Staff writer Barcelona, Jan 2024 – present

● Specialized in U.S. politics, covering the Trump administration with special focus on its European impact,
including migration, trade and international conflicts.
● Covering breaking news worldwide, including the Gaza and Ukraine wars and current developments in the
U.S., Latin America, Asia, and Africa including politics, economy, natural disasters, etc.
● Pitching data-driven, in-depth multimedia projects to work in collaboration with the graphics department.

Storydata, Researcher (freelance contract) Barcelona, Jan 2024 – present

● Data analysis, research and fact-checking for media outlets and other organizations that need to process
large databases and extract compelling narratives. StoryData is Barcelona-based data journalism start-up.
Investigative Reporting Program, UC Berkeley, Data Reporter Berkeley, Aug 2021 – present
● Built and fact-checked databases on police violence, digitized public records and filed records requests.
● Analyzed police reports of use of violence, interviewed family members of victims of police violence.
● Currently working on a story about maternal mortality in the U.S.

Tech Reporter (intern). Forbes New York, Jun 2023 – Sept 2023

● Reporting on breaking news about tech and VC, with a focus on AI. Contributing to the 30Under30 list.
● Pitching, reporting and writing enterprise stories with an investigative edge.

Buzzfeed News, Investigations Reporter London, UK, May 2022 – Aug 2022

● Reported and wrote investigative stories around the Ukraine war, including a long-form investigation on
how Russia was deporting Ukrainian children and giving them up for adoption to Russian parents, and
about the labor exploitation of refugees by the tourism sector in Spain.
●
● Analyzed data and did additional reporting for the second part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Xinjiang
series’, which exposed how China built internment camps detaining thousands of hundreds of Muslims.
● Supported the New York desk overnight from Europe with breaking news coverage such as the shooting at
the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

New York Times, Freelance Contributor San Francisco, CA Jan 2023 – March 2023
● Covered the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, CA. January 2023.
● Contributing writer to the California Today Newsletter, February 2023.

Oakland North, Climate Reporter Berkeley, CA, Aug 2021 – May 2021
● Covered the wildfire beat, public policies and government response to underserved communities.
● Investigation published with Bay City News about the lack of fire prevention accountability in Berkeley.

Radio Nacional de España (RNE) and Publico newspaper, Special Envoy Jun 2018 – Sept 2020

● Reported live on air/ wrote dozens of interviews, articles and reports analyzing European politics: Yellow
Vest crisis from Paris, Brexit from London, and the European Union Elections from Brussels.

EFE News Service, U.S. Correspondent Washington D.C., Nov 2015 – Aug 2016

● Covered the 2016 presidential campaign and primaries, reported from the White House and Congress.
● Shot and edited video stories, recorded radio chronicles and took photos.
● Delivered over 400 print stories, of which dozens were breaking news. Bylines at The Washington Post.

Agencia EFE, TV Reporter Barcelona, Nov 2014 – Aug 2015

● Reported regional elections and the most important national political stories of the day.

● Wrote arts, culture and social stories with international impact.

Cronica Global, Business Reporter Barcelona, Sep 2016 – Feb 2017

● Covered macroeconomics (employment, inflation, consumer price index) and quarterly earnings.
● Pitched and developed stories about Spanish startups, entrepreneurship and successful business stories.

Economia Digital, Sports Reporter (intern) Barcelona, Jun 2014– Nov 2015

● Covered the business of sports, including the soccer transfer market and sports federations impacted by
the economic crisis and the special coverage of the 2014 Basketball World Cup in Barcelona.

Teaching Experience

Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Guest Professor Barcelona, Sept 2019 – February 2025

● Taught one workshop yearly (2019-2025) on fact-checking and disinformation, verification, media trust
and data journalism foundations to undergraduate and graduate students (teaching remotely some years)

StoryData, Guest lecturer Barcelona, January 2025
● Teaching workshops on Critical Thinking to high school students through the EduCaixa program of

Fundación la Caixa.
Uppsala University, Guest Professor Uppsala, Sweden (remote), Nov 2022

● Masterclass on crossborder reporting and international journalism with undergraduate students (3rd and 4th
year of their bachelors) with an opening lecture and a practical writing workshop.

Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Guest Professor Perú (remote), Oct 2021

● Masterclass ‘From ‘Fake News’ to Data Journalism. Verification for credibility’ to a local organization of
Peruvian Journalists.