About Daria

email: darlocher [at] gmail [dot] com

My name is Daria Locher. From interviewing journalists assaulted by police to writing a submission to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, I combine digital fluency, creative storytelling, and rigorous research to create impactful campaigns and drive change.

I am open to independent projects and seeking full-time employment in research, editing, or digital content writing. If you are interested in my skillset, please reach out via email: darlocher [at] gmail [dot] com.

Please find below an overview of my education, work experience, published work, skills and languages. You can find my graphic design and data analysis and visualization portfolio here.

Work experience and published work

2022-2024

Audience Engagement Associate

Committee to Protect Journalists

Responsibilities:

Write and distribute CPJ’s weekly newsletter, and tripled its subscriber list in under a year.
Responsible for all day-to-day social media execution and outreach on CPJ’s global social channels — packaging CPJ web content for social, including data, daily news, special reports, video, and audio.
Develop consistent branding on digital and print products, including with partner organizations.
Oversee CPJ’s regional social media accounts and email blasts, and provide digital assistance to program teams.
Monitor and respond to mentions, conversations, and queries about CPJ online and via email.
Track CPJ's website, social media, and email analytics; help develop and implement CPJ’s digital strategy.
In March 2023, launched a click-to-tweet campaign on Twitter for imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich, which reached over 500k users.

Published work:

The Torch weekly newsletter (2022 – 2024) including Year in review 2022, Reflecting on what CPJ is grateful for in 2023, Year in review 2023, Journalists to cover record election year in 2024, Internet shutdowns during elections threaten press freedom, and Journalists still surveilled around the world ahead of Data Privacy Day.
Advocacy campaign pages, including Missing Not Forgotten and Campaign Against Impunity.
Journalist safety graphics, including a set of Protest Safety graphic cards, instructions about how to use CPJ’s WhatsApp chatbot, and resources for covering 2024 elections and protecting personal data.

Please find selected graphic design and data visualization work from this position at this link.

2021-2022

Internship, Writers at Risk Initiative

PEN America

Responsibilities:

Tracked developing free-expression stories and keep case research on the website and in the extensive “Writers at Risk” database updated.
Operating within often quick timelines, wrote press releases, social media copy and key messages for presentations. In major reports written by the team, supplemented research, drafted sections, corrected citations and fact-checked.
Other team priorities as needed.

Published work:

Research for Freedom to Write Index 2021, drafted the section "Languishing Behind Bars: Long-term Imprisonments and Life Sentences"
Submission to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Iranian writers Baktash Abtin, Reza Khandan Mahabadi, Keyvan Bajan, and Arash Ganji
Press release: Colombian Journalist Surveilled, Stalked by Her Government Security Detail Assigned to Protect Her (10/28/21)
Press release: As Threats Escalate Against Narges Mohammadi, PEN America Calls For Her Immediate Release from Iranian Prison on Unjust Charges (6/9/2022)
Press release: PEN America and International Publishers Association Joint Statement: Myanmar’s Closing of Third Publishing House Appears to Represent a New Onslaught Against Literary and Creative Content (6/7/2022)

2021-2022

Creative Coordinator

International Free Expression Project

Responsibilities:

Handled logistics for public events, manage the website, social media, blog and a team of creators.
Developed and execute new initatives for the nonprofit, represent the organization at events and serve as an advisor and decision-maker second to the founder/CEO.
In May 2021, I designed the physical exhibit “Faces of Free Expression.”

Published work:

Visionaries Changemaker: Zoe Titus, February 21, 2022
International Advisory Board Member Mai Khoi honored with Four Freedoms Award, February 14, 2022
One month later: Pittsburgh Faces of Free Expression Exhibit, June 9, 2021
The State of Artistic Freedom 2021: Report by Freemuse, June 3, 2021
Our Four Initiatives, May 24, 2021

2020-2021

Intern

Rock the Vote

Responsibilities:

Maintained outward-facing communications; creating video, graphic, and textual social media content; collected, coordinated 2021 local election information across several spreadsheets.
In 2020, I compiled political endorsements for a tool used by over 85,000 voters.

Published work:

Law Enforcement in Washington D.C.: An Explainer (April 2021)
Bloody Sunday Anniversary: An Explainer (March 2021)
Impeachment: An Explainer (January 2020)
The 25th Amendment: An Explainer (January 2020)
An Explainer: The 2020 Georgia Senate Runoff Elections (December 2020)

2020

Contributing Reporter

U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

Responsibilities:

Researched, conducted interviews, and wrote several cases a week in this catalogue of press freedom violations in the U.S. and particularly alongside the George Floyd protests and November election protests.

Published work (Dates reflect the incident date, not writing/publication date):

Two Sacramento Bee journalists hit from behind, their equipment damaged and stolen, while covering protests, May 31, 2020
Des Moines Register reporter hit with pepper spray in face after repeatedly identifying as press, June 1, 2020
Russian freelance journalist arrested while covering protests in Brooklyn, June 2, 2020
July: Journalists threatened with arrest while reporting from protests across the nation, July 1, 2020
Student reporter detained while covering Richmond protest, July 26, 2020
Photographer hit with pepper ball during Rochester protest, September 2020
Journalist caught in chemical irritants and threatened with arrest while covering Rochester protests, September 4, 2020
Democrat and Chronicle photographers hit with pepper balls while covering protests in Rochester, September 5, 2020
Rochester journalists caught in sprays of less-lethal munitions while covering Daniel Prude protests, September 5, 2020
Contributed to June: While reporting from protests across the nation, journalists tear-gassed, threatened, June 2020
Contributed to August: While reporting from protests across the country, journalists pepper sprayed, threatened, August 2020

2021-2022

Journalism Intern

The Borgen Project

Responsibilities:

Wrote weekly online articles, fundraised over $700, called my representatives in Congress weekly in support of global poverty alleviation legislation.

Published work:

Eight Facts about Education in Swaziland (July 2019)
What is the NGO Innovation Award? (August 2019)
7 Annual Races Against Global Poverty (August 2019)
Wowowee and Pity Poverty on Television (August 2019)
How Popes Helped End International Conflict (September 2019)
Exploiting Poverty Hurts African Economies (October 2019)
VisionSpring Supports Women While Spreading Sight (November 2019)

2020

Intern

Transparency International, Moscow

I covered sextortion in the NGO's international newsletter, researching and writing several articles in Russian. The text of these newsletters can be provided upon request.

Positions without published work:

2019-2020

Educational Consultant; Head of Social Media

Hermiona Education

I designed and executed lesson plans with 10- to 17-year- olds on standardized tests including the SAT and SSAT; and I ran multiple advertising campaigns; scheduled, executed, delegated updates on Facebook, Instagram, website through Wix; created social media graphic designs.

2019

Assistant Instructor

Washington University in St. Louis

I was a Teacher's Assistant (also called an Assistant Instructor) for the course Quantitative Political Methodology. In this course, required for the Political Science major at my university, students learn to use R to analyze large datasets, focusing on the American Panel Survey (TAPS) dataset. In this position, I hosted a weekly two-hour study hall and graded exams and problem sets.

2020

Podcast Production Assistant

R&R Labs

Supported the production team with guest outreach and interview scheduling and writing research briefs on future guests.

2017-2019

Research Assistantships

Washington University in St. Louis

Two separate positions:

Digital Humanities Research Assistantship (2017 - 2018): I read, indexed, and analyzed 18th century French handwritten masonic ritual texts for performance theorist Pannill Camp.
Political Science Research Assistantship (2018 - 2019): I complied an Excel dataset of top US mayors' demography, social media, and electoral success for political scientist Betsy Sinclair. Find the final, published work here.

Freelance work, independent projects

2023-Present

Marketing and Research Associate

Split Aces Consulting

Conduct marketing research, copywriting, landscape analysis, and social media strategy design.
Design slide decks to communicate research to clients.
Clients include Oceana, American Psychological Foundation, National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and Stateless Fashion Design & Consulting.

2024-Present

2024 Elections Researcher

BallotReady

Conduct online research of 2024 election information to develop develop comprehensive, statewide voting guides.
Research focuses included accessibility of early and absentee voting mechanisms; county-level election logistics in Ohio and Nebraska.
Contact local board of elections to confirm and validate research.

2024

Expected Vote Election Night Analyst

Associated Press

Monitor and adjust turnout predictions during vote tabulation during primary and general election nights.
Expected vote election night manager for Connecticut and New York for the 2024 general election.

2019-Present

Editing, Social Media Analysis, Videography, Translation

Freelance Consulting Work

Book editing for independent author (2024–Present): Developmental edit, line edit, copy edit, and proofread a 150-page book on art education by Ruby Decker, elementary school teacher and mentor teacher.
Videography for Nelstudios wedding photographer (2023-Present): Capture videography and audio, and perform video editing. In April 2024, conducted a digital marketing analysis of social media strategy and competitors.
Translation services for independent author (2019): Working on a film for the screenwriter Natalya Knyazkina (Наталя Князькина) entitled "The Price of Impossible" (Цена невозможного), I translated 16 pages from Russian to English while maintaining the idiomatic and emotional integrity of the original content.

2019

Speaker

American Center in Moscow

Designed and presented 90-minute-long weekly presentations and discussions on media literacy to inspire critical news consumption and facilitate cross-cultural dialog
Prepared resource materials, responded to questions, and taught participants how to evaluate media by themselves.

2019

Founder, Head of Communications

Title Mine

Title Mine was a student-run activist movement keeping the university’s Title IX investigations accountable to federal laws.
Emceed the 500+ person rally in 2018
Grew a 1000+ email list, which I wrote weekly newsletters to
Designed promotional graphics
Cultivated relationships with media.

2017-2020

Washington University Political Review

Transcending WUSTL’s Ignorance (Winter ‘17)
Bridging the Boundary of History (Oct ‘18)
A Photographic Recollection (Dec ‘18)
Russia’s Very Own Search Engine, Yandex (Feb ‘19)
The #metoo movement as a desire path (May ‘20)

“The Rise of Left Wing Populism in Greece: How Powerful is Syriza, Really?”. Pangea, Greens Farms Academy 8/17

Education

2016-2020

B.A.

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Washington University in St. Louis

I graduated with a B.A. in International and Area Studies, concentrating in Global Cultural Studies and Russia; and a second major in Political Science. GPA 3.70, Dean's list.
Activities and Awards: Varsity Diving (2016-18); Model UN Travel Team; AOII, Order of Omega (2018)
IAS Outstanding Thesis Award 2020 for my thesis, "Winged out of Woe from Wit: The Entrance of Literary Phrases into Russia’s Oral History."

2019

Semester abroad

Moscow, Russia

National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE)

I spent a semester living with a host family with a language pledge, and I took several courses including Russian history, Russian politics, and Journalism.
During this time, I was project member at HSE’s Political Anticorruption Planning-Educational Lab, working on a project tracking sexual health policies in Ukrainian universities; I also worked with Transparency International (see below) and volunteered with the American Center of the US Embassy.

2018

Summer intensive program

Middlebury, VT, USA

Middlebury College —Davis School of Russian

I participated in this intensive, 8-week summer program with a language pledge. In addition to my coursework, I was a part of the Russian theater and literature clubs. Final grade A-.