Phaedra Trethan on Muck Rack

Phaedra Trethan

Verified
(She/Her)
New Jersey, Philadelphia
As seen in: USA Today, MSN, MSN Singapore, Yahoo Entertainment, Yahoo Life, Golfweek, Yahoo Canada, Yahoo News, Yahoo News UK, Yahoo Singapore, Aol and
Covers:  Poverty, urban renewal, opiate/opioid addiction, education, economic development, crime, race, social justice, quality of life, violence, history/historic preservation, religion, politics.
Journalist. Seamhead. Cartoon connoisseur. Longtime @cpsj, former @phillyinquirer, now @USATODAY

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Phaedra Trethan’s Biography

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I'm a senior reporter on USA Today's Nation team.
In my 24 years in journalism, I've had the privilege of interviewing millionaires and homeless people. I've written about people struggling with opiate addiction and those on the front lines of the epidemic. I've talked to far too many people who've known the unspeakable heartbreak of losing their children, whether to war or overdoses or to the all-too-ordinary violence of an American inner city. I've interviewed Civil Rights icon John Lewis, c…

Phaedra Trethan’s Journalist Portfolio

Needle exchange returns to Camden, but few use its services

Needle exchange returns to Camden, but few use its services

CAMDEN - It's a cold, blustery January day, but John "JB" Brown doesn't really seem to mind. Bundled up in a …

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Memoir captures what it's like growing up poor, gay, black in Camden

Memoir captures what it's like growing up poor, gay, black in Camden

CAMDEN - Darnell Moore's book, "No Ashes in the Fire," isn't just about Camden. It is Camden. It's the heat c…

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Anguish, anger over condition of Camden cemetery

Anguish, anger over condition of Camden cemetery

CORRECTION: Abdul Jabbar Wyatt's paternal grandmother is buried next to him. An earlier version of this story…

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Mom heard shots that killed Camden teen

Mom heard shots that killed Camden teen

CAMDEN - Taisha Mercado said she heard the gunshots that killed her son, but police on the scene late Thursda…

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Philly: Pope hopes, portable potties

Philly: Pope hopes, portable potties

If there's one thing pilgrims going to see Pope Francis say Mass in Philadelphia needn't worry about, it's wh…

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Trethan: Newsroom hotel tells a different story

Trethan: Newsroom hotel tells a different story

"This newsroom-themed hotel is a dream or a nightmare, depending on how much you like your work." That was a …

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Articles

Across the USA, celebrations, fireworks for America's 250th Original

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By Karissa Waddick Verified, Phaedra Trethan Verified, Jeanine Santucci Verified
| USA Today Verified
July 5, 2026, 11:15 a.m. ET While people across Palm Beach County on Saturday celebrated our country's 250th birthday, from the 4th on Flagler in West Palm Beach, to the boat race in Lake Worth Beach, to celebrations from Jupiter to the Glades to Boca Raton, there were parties across the nation.
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People sing 'Happy Birthday' to America in Philadelphia

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By Phaedra Trethan Verified
| Aol Verified
People sing 'Happy Birthday' to America in Philadelphia Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY Sat, July 4, 2026 at 7:28 PM UTC People sing 'Happy Birthday' to America in Philadelphia A group sang "Happy Birthday" to the United States on July 4 outside of Philadelphia's historic Independence Hall.
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National Mall evacuated due to weather before Trump's speech: USA 250 updates

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By Karissa Waddick Verified, Phaedra Trethan Verified, Jeanine Santucci Verified, Mike Stunson Verified, Amethyst Martinez Verified, Bailey Allen, Kaitlyn McCormick Verified, Bart Jansen Verified, Christopher Cann Verified, Josh Meyer Verified, Noe Padilla Verified, Eduardo Cuevas Verified, Paris Barraza Verified
| Yahoo Verified
Happy birthday, America! It's a hot one. A record-setting heat wave has plunged tens of millions of Americans in much of the eastern half of the country into heat advisories and warnings, as the country marks its 250th anniversary with massive parades, firework shows, concerts and barbecues. But the heat, forecast to reach the high 90s and triple digits in the East, with higher feels-like temperatures due to humidity, has already thrown a wrench into Fourth of July and anniversary festivities.
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See all 4,846 licensed articles (11,448 Total)

Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

I was an editorial assistant at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes, when I was a teenager and into my early 20s.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Gus, the city editor at the Baltimore Sun during the final season of "The Wire." He's profane, smart, funny and sweats the details.
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