Rooted is Investigate Midwest's monthly members-only newsletter. As a donor who gives at least $60 a year, you receive an inside look at what our newsroom is working on, Q&As with reporters and more. Thank you — we're happy you're here.
Aug. 5, 2026
I wanted to update you on some happenings behind the scenes here at Investigate Midwest.
In staffing news, Ben Felder, our editor in chief, has moved on to a new role with a national news outlet. Ben has done award-winning work here — first as a strong investigative reporter, and then as our first-ever editor in chief.
He will be missed, and we wish him best of luck on this new chapter in his professional career.
And while we search for our next editor in chief, the newsroom will be in very good hands with Mc Nelly Torres, who will be stepping in as interim editor.
Mc Nelly is an award-winning independent investigative journalist and former editor at the Center for Public Integrity, where she led an award-winning team investigating inequality. She was part of a team that produced 40 Acres and a Lie, a groundbreaking investigation about the government’s failed promise of land to formerly enslaved people that was a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for explanatory reporting.
The project was a collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity, Reveal and Mother Jones and has been honored with multiple awards including a 2025 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, Philip Meyer Journalism Award, the Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards, Global Investigative Journalism Network Sigma Award and a national Edward R. Murrow award.
“I’m delighted and honored to serve as interim editor at such a critical time for journalism and investigative journalism,” Torres said. “Investigate Midwest has a talented staff and I’m looking forward to supporting the great work they produce covering big agribusiness and institutions.”
Mc Nelly also serves as vice president on our Board of Directors.
We’re excited to have Mc Nelly lead the reporting team during this time, and I am personally grateful for her partnership, which allows me to conduct a thorough search. Speaking of, if you know someone who might be a good fit, please feel free to share the job posting on our website.
Lastly, we’re working on our next virtual event. This one will be for members only (that’s you!) and will feature small farmers sharing their own stories of navigating Big Ag’s narrative and the very real challenges that come with it. Stay tuned — more to come on this soon.
As always, thank you for your support and for reading Investigate Midwest. If you have any questions or just want to chat, please feel free to email me directly.
— Erin Orr
executive director
Investigate Midwest
