Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist with over 20 years of experience specializing in religion reporting and media entrepreneurship. She has worked as a multimedia journalist for news publications across the Southwest and Northeast regions of the U.S. She is the executive director and founder of FāVS.News (formerly SpokaneFAVS.com), an innovative digital startup covering religion news and commentary in the Spokane, Washington area. She also writes for national religion news publications and serves as a reporter and columnist for the Spokesman-Review.
Her award-winning reporting highlights diverse religious experiences and spans topics from religious extremism to Christian-Muslim relations. Simmons has reported aboard cargo ships, on police chases, and in disaster zones worldwide. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, Religious Communicators Council, LION Publishers and other organizations.
Simmons’ research focuses on the intersection of journalism, religion and technology. She is the communications manager on a $5 million, mixed-methods study investigating the impact of COVID-19 on congregations across the U.S. The multi-year project examines pandemic-related innovations in congregational life.
At Murrow, she teaches a variety of journalism classes, including newswriting, religion reporting, multimedia journalism and public affairs.