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Henrick Karoliszyn, an award-winning journalist, private investigator and accomplished long-form writer with extensive experience in media and complex investigations, has joined The Defender as an investigative reporter.
Karoliszyn joins The Defender after six years as a full-time investigator at the law firm Phelps Dunbar, where he worked on multimillion-dollar maritime litigation and led investigations across the Gulf Coast and London.
Before entering the legal field, he built a distinguished journalism career covering criminal justice, public policy, healthcare, energy and national breaking news.
“Henrick’s track record in deep-dive investigative journalism, combined with his experience in the legal field makes him an ideal addition to The Defender editorial team as we expand our reporting — especially in the area of exposing corporate and government agency corruption and its direct effect on the health of vulnerable children,” said Katherine Paul, editor-in-chief.
“We’re thrilled that Henrick has joined our accomplished editorial team, including senior reporters Brenda Baletti, Suzanne Burdick and Michael Nevradakis, and Associate Editor Jill Erzen,” Paul added.
“I’m ecstatic to join an incredibly accomplished newsroom,” Karoliszyn said. He added:
“Investigative journalism has always been my passion because it gives reporters the opportunity to pursue truth without shortcuts, hold powerful institutions accountable, and tell stories that can genuinely impact people’s lives. I’m excited to bring both my investigative experience and reporting background to The Defender.”
Karoliszyn most recently worked as a staff writer for New Orleans CityBusiness, where he produced long-form reporting on law, health care policy and energy.
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Earlier in his career, he served as a national correspondent for the New York Daily News from 2008 to 2013, covered the criminal justice beat for The Wall Street Journal and worked as a staff writer for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.
His freelance reporting and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Aeon Magazine, The Crime Report, the New York Post and “Rolling Stone Cover to Cover: The First 40 Years,” among other publications.
Karoliszyn has earned journalism honors from The Society of Silurians, the National Association of Black Journalists, Wesleyan University and the National Headliner Awards program.
He has also received prestigious fellowships, including the Kiplinger Fellowship in Public Affairs Journalism at The Ohio State University, the Journalist Law School fellowship at LMU Loyola Law School, and fellowships through John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Langeloth Foundation.
Karoliszyn earned a Doctor of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California. At USC he focused his research on secondary trauma, developing a mental health toolkit for independent journalists called the Freelance Frontier. He also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in communications from New York University.
If you have any story ideas, you can reach Henrick at [email protected].
