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Ruby Topalian

(She/Her)
Berlin, Germany, East Coast United States
As seen in: The Guardian, NBC News, KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City, OK), Columbia Daily Spectator, Oklahoma Watch, Trinity News
Covers:  International and U.S. politics, U.S. criminal justice, U.S. education, Irish and U.S. college campus issues.
Fulbright Journalism Fellow, Geopolitics @DeutscheWelle | was @nbcinvestigates @POLITICO @OklahomaWatch | Tips? ruby.topalian@dw.com |🇦🇲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
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For $50 million, a College of Dental Medicine building could've been named after Jeffrey Epstein....

For $50 million, a College of Dental Medicine building could've been named after Jeffrey Epstein....

For $50 million, a College of Dental Medicine building could've been named after Jeffrey Epstein. Columbia of…

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Fundraisers warn of 'catastrophic' drop in donations to Gaza since ceasefire

Fundraisers warn of 'catastrophic' drop in donations to Gaza since ceasefire

'The world thinks Palestinians don't need help any more,' aid organiser says, despite desperate need as winte…

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Pay or Your Son Dies: Oklahoma inmates’ families extorted by inside gangs

Pay or Your Son Dies: Oklahoma inmates’ families extorted by inside gangs

This investigation was the first in the country to uncover the extortion of families across Oklahoma by gangs…

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Report: Families extorted by gangs inside Oklahoma prisons

Report: Families extorted by gangs inside Oklahoma prisons

This is a televised interview I appeared in to discuss my investigation that uncovered an extortion scheme in…

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Ex-prison guard, shot six times, hails FCC push to allow cellphone jamming behind bars

Ex-prison guard, shot six times, hails FCC push to allow cellphone jamming behind bars

Robert Johnson, a former South Carolina prison officer, was shot six times in a hit ordered through an inmate…

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'Power corrupts': Mahmood Mamdani on Politics, Power, and the Making of the Ugandan State - Colum...

'Power corrupts': Mahmood Mamdani on Politics, Power, and the Making of the Ugandan State - Colum...

This was Columbia Daily Spectator's first interview with Mahmood Mamdani.

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Tax Credit Program Sparks Statewide Surge in Private School Tuition

Tax Credit Program Sparks Statewide Surge in Private School Tuition

My analysis of 171 private school websites and interviews with school administrators revealed that about 20% …

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After Cleveland Clinic expanded to Florida, patients say surprise fees followed

After Cleveland Clinic expanded to Florida, patients say surprise fees followed

I contributed substantial reporting to this piece about hospitals across the country charging “facility fees,…

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The Fight for Funding: How Federal Cuts Are Reshaping Research at Columbia - Columbia Daily Spect...

The Fight for Funding: How Federal Cuts Are Reshaping Research at Columbia - Columbia Daily Spect...

This investigation unpacked the effects of federal funding cuts to university science research on labs at Col…

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Mount Sinai Morningside hospital nurses join citywide strike over benefits cuts, workplace violen...

Mount Sinai Morningside hospital nurses join citywide strike over benefits cuts, workplace violen...

After the city's leading hospital systems rejected the demands of the New York State Nurses Association, a un…

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Anything Goes: Parental Tax Credit Program Has No Standards for Accreditation

Anything Goes: Parental Tax Credit Program Has No Standards for Accreditation

State regulators didn't vet accreditors for private schools to qualify for the Parental Choice Tax Credit pro…

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As Columbia slashes Ph.D. Core Curriculum teaching positions, doctoral students scramble academic...

As Columbia slashes Ph.D. Core Curriculum teaching positions, doctoral students scramble academic...

Backgrounded every Core Curriculum instructor for fall 2025 to confirm that no doctoral candidates are teachi…

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Voters Oust Embattled Sheriff in McCurtain County

Voters Oust Embattled Sheriff in McCurtain County

This was my coverage of the controversial McCurtain County sheriff primary elections. Then Sheriff Kevin Clar…

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Cities Addressing Emergencies with More Mental Health Professionals

Cities Addressing Emergencies with More Mental Health Professionals

The state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Police Department became the subject of a Departme…

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The Slow Death: Azerbaijan’s Armenian Genocide

The Slow Death: Azerbaijan’s Armenian Genocide

The most-viewed and liked piece in Trinity News' digital history (30k Twitter views in 24 hours).

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Oklahoma's Most Violent Prison to End State Contract

Oklahoma's Most Violent Prison to End State Contract

A quick-turn piece covering the closure of Oklahoma's last remaining private prison, Lawton Correctional Faci…

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'Guilty until proven innocent': Inside the fight between doctors and insurance companies over 'do...

'Guilty until proven innocent': Inside the fight between doctors and insurance companies over 'do...

I helped with reporting on this story, locating doctors, assisting with interviews, and retrieving documentat…

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The USSR flag and student communism: a controversial combination

The USSR flag and student communism: a controversial combination

After the USSR flag was flown at the college club fair, this piece highlights the reactions of Eastern Europe…

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“Not sick enough”: Irish universities and public facilities failing to treat eating disorders

“Not sick enough”: Irish universities and public facilities failing to treat eating disorders

This investigation unpacks the failures of Irish universities in addressing the eating disorder crisis affect…

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112,783 student interactions, 80 employees: Inside the Academic Registry

112,783 student interactions, 80 employees: Inside the Academic Registry

The Academic Registry is widely disliked by students across campus who perceive it as sluggish and dysfunctio…

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