Darren Nichols on Muck Rack

Darren Nichols

Verified
Southfield
As seen in: Detroit Free Press, The New York Times, USA Today, Yahoo News, High School on SI, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, Detroit News, TRIB Live, Andscape, NewsBreak and
Covers:  I can write about a variety of topics, as I have covered a wide-array of issues. However, I have covered politics/government issues extensively. I also have a background in sports.
Doesn't Cover: There are few issues I'm not willing to tackle.
News junkie, sports guy, award-winning journalist, current @freep contributing columnist and stroke survivor. Owner of DNICK Media.

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Darren Nichols’s Biography

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Darren A. Nichols, 47, is an award-winning journalist, who is seeking to combine his varying interests in the industry.

Nichols has spent the majority of his career as a longtime reporter at The Detroit News. For more than 20 years, Nichols has been on the frontlines, outlining Detroit's issues in City Hall covering every mayor since Coleman Young. That spans five mayoral administrations.

Among the topics Nichols has covered included the launch and subsequent aftermath of the Kwame Kilpatrick …

Darren Nichols’s Journalist Portfolio

The Muslim "Bernie Clone" Running for Governor in Trump Country

The Muslim "Bernie Clone" Running for Governor in Trump Country

A 33-year-old progressive is building grassroots support in red areas of Michigan. "Listening to him speak ga…

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NFL kneelers deserve equal treatment, opportunities

NFL kneelers deserve equal treatment, opportunities

Coach and teacher Derek Atlas says he won't be watching the NFL this season, the first time in years. Despite…

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M-1 RAIL Construction Creates a Model for Local and Minority Business Inclusion

M-1 RAIL Construction Creates a Model for Local and Minority Business Inclusion

Three years ago, Tarolyn Buckles’ firm, Onyx Enterprise, Inc., had just two employees and a dream to lead a m…

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Choosing to win

Choosing to win

In Sept. 2014, I was in a downtown Detroit hospital room after a massive stroke when my mind finds peace in a…

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Dozens of Appointees make $100k

Dozens of Appointees make $100k

Mayor Mike Duggan is paying nearly half of his appointees salaries of more than $100,000 a yea…

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Articles

After Toledo shooting, canceled prom looks painfully wise | Opinion

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By Darren Nichols 
| Detroit Free Press
After a Toledo festival shooting injured 12, Clintondale’s canceled prom looks less like overreaction and more like the painful caution required when gun threats shadow public events. Darren A. Nichols Contributing columnist June 10, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET to hear this story Saturday night’s mass shooting in Toledo is a stark reminder that authorities cannot take too many precautions to keep people safe. A police presence cannot deter the small number of young people who want to cause trouble.
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Man's KKK flag antagonized Grosse Pointe family. They sued. | Opinion

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By Darren Nichols 
| Detroit Free Press
Darren A. Nichols May 14, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET It's been an arduous five-year process, but JeDonna Dinges is finally getting some relief. Back in 2021, Dinges' neighbor, Ryan Wilde, hung a Ku Klux Klan flag in his window facing her Grosse Pointe Park home. The police said nothing could be done, and the neighbor's actions didn't meet what was, at the time, the standard for charges of ethnic intimidation.
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Detroit 'teen takeovers' aren't a problem. Lack of options is. | Opinion

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By Darren Nichols 
| Detroit Free Press
Darren A. Nichols April 22, 2026, 6:07 a.m. ET Over the past weeks, there’s been a lot of talk about the “teen takeovers” that have been going on downtown. On two recent weekends in downtown Detroit, teenagers gathered for a teen takeover, an event that’s similar to a flash mob. Responding to posts on social media, dozens of young people gathered in Campus Martius, and went into businesses, occasionally causing havoc.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

My first internship was ar The Michigan Chronicle, two weeks after graduating from high school. Professionally, The Detroit News.

How is social media changing news?

Social media is making the output of news much faster. When done right, the masses can get accurate, credible news in real time. The drawback is jumping the gun on stories before all of the facts are verified.

What does it mean to be a journalist?

The most fundamental portion of being a journalist is holding public officials accountable, while making stories relevant to people. If stories don't mean anything to people, it's simply wasted space on a page.

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