👋🏻 My name is Cherry Salazar.
I am a multi-awarded investigative data and multimedia journalist, currently based in New York.
Tips? || Signal: @cmgsalazar.01
Currently
I am a freelance investigative and data journalist, digging into systems operating out of public view and following the trail of harm from spreadsheets to actual lives. Open to new opportunities.
Previously
I analyzed and visualized data for Civic News Company, where I collaborated with national and local reporters covering education, voting rights, and public health. I also recently earned my M.A. in Journalism degree, with a GPA of 3.9, at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. I specialized in business and economics reporting and served as the founding president of the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) pilot and graduate‑only student chapter.
At the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism — Asia’s first nonprofit investigative newsroom — I reported on elections (campaign finance, procurement, and social media and disinformation), energy transition, and attacks on press freedom. As the organization’s sole multimedia reporter, I also created graphics, short videos, podcasts, and social media templates. Before that, I produced award‑winning documentaries for ABS‑CBN Corporation, the Philippines’ largest media network until it was forced off the air by the Duterte administration in 2020.
Elsewhere
I gave a talk about creative sourcing to navigate data dearth, constrained environments, and limited resources at the 2025 Computation + Journalism Symposium in Florida. My reporting in Manila has also been featured in the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s guide on investigative reporting, and I was invited to be a judge for the 2025 Association of International Broadcasting (AIB) Awards.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of State invited me to join a cohort of 20 international journalists for its Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, a professional exchange program in which participants are nominated by U.S. embassies worldwide and undergo a rigorous two-year vetting process.
Outside of journalism, I enjoy opera, doodling, and parks. I also like little treats. :)