Meet the Lexington Herald-Leader’s new service journalism reporter
The Herald-Leader welcomed a new reporter to its team last week.
Casey Sebastiano, a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky, joined the staff as a service journalism reporter, producing practical, audience-focused stories and explainers — letting readers know where to go, what to do, what to know and how to navigate everyday life in the Lexington area.
Casey is from Nutley, New Jersey, and grew up there and in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. At UK, she was the managing editor of the student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, and a news editor and co-founder of The Watchdog, an independent student-founded news site with a mission to produce in-depth journalism told through a multimedia lens. Casey also completed an internship at Metro Philadelphia, writing breaking news, features and sports stories on deadline.
At the Kernel, she chronicled the criminal cases of three men charged with raping and strangling two UK women, and the sentencing of a former UK student convicted of assaulting a student desk clerk at the college. Casey also covered a gubernatorial election and a presidential election while at the Kernel, and a local Lexington election for The Watchdog.
In her role as a service journalist, Casey will write about things important to the daily lives of Lexington residents. What’s so great about Publix, the massive grocery chain quickly expanding in the region? Casey explains. What do you need to know if you’re attending the Railbird music festival this weekend in Lexington? Casey’s on it. How are invasive species affecting the ecology of the area? She’s looking into that too.
Casey already has a list of stories planned, but she’d love to hear from you and answer questions you have about life in Lexington. You can email her at casey.sebastiano@herald-leader.com.
