David Ferrara: Reporter

Telling stories.

I'm a reporter on The Cincinnati Enquirer's Breaking team, covering the news of the day across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Born and raised in Connecticut, I moved down South to study economics and philosophy at Clemson University. I found my start in journalism at the campus newspaper, The Tiger, where I served as editor-in-chief for two years.

My work at The Tiger led me to be named the Collegiate Journalist of the Year by the South Carolina Press Association. After graduation, I reported for The Post and Courier in Greenville, writing breaking news, politics and enterprise.

Making a difference.

While I was editor-in-chief of The Tiger, I rebuilt the organization from the ground up by implementing a new training program, operations model and start-to-finish workflow that continues to bring success. Under my leadership, the newspaper was awarded the best college newspaper in South Carolina for the first time in eight years.

Similarly, in over a year at The Post and Courier, I stepped beyond my job description. I developed a public records templating and tracking tool used by reporters across the state, launched an elections results interactive viewer for the 2024 statewide primary, among other projects. My own curiosity fuels me to tell new stories and take new approaches.

Selected Clips

Long-term enterprise

Nov. 30, 2025

Cincinnati police's $4.8M drone program takes off. How does the eye in the sky work?

After Cincinnati police launched an innovative drone program, I was curious how the drones were being used. When I saw that the department was publishing its flight paths through an online dashboard, I dove into the data to learn more.

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Long-term enterprise

Sept. 29, 2024

Still in the dark: 10 years after Tucker Hipps’ death, hazing is still alive at SC universities

This project was the culmination of a monthslong investigation into college hazing in South Carolina. It tells the story through the lens of Tucker Hipps, a 19-year-old Clemson student who died during an early morning fraternity run in 2014.

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Breaking news coverage

Sept. 20, 2024

South Carolina's Freddie Owens killed by lethal injection, first execution in 13 years

I was one of three media witnesses inside the death chamber as South Carolina put Freddie Owens to death. My report reflects what I saw, the research I did ahead of the execution and the conversations I had with lawyers, the families of the victims and others.

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Short-term enterprise

July 10, 2024

SC man accused of impersonating a lawyer in multiple courts. That's not the only fiction we found.

Call it like the TV show Suits but without the corporate grandeur. And replace NYC with Upstate SC. A local man was charged with impersonating a lawyer after taking on real cases, with real defendants. After several interviews and digs through records, I broke the story nobody else had.

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Selected Awards

Valuable and Engaging Content

Quarterly Awards, April 2024
The Post and Courier

Journalist of the Year

Collegiate Contest, 2023
South Carolina Press Association

First Place, General Excellence

Collegiate Contest, 2023, The Tiger
South Carolina Press Association

First Place, Website

Collegiate Contest, 2023
South Carolina Press Association

First Place, Use of Social Media

Collegiate Contest, 2023
South Carolina Press Association

First Place, Specialty Page Design

Collegiate Contest, 2022
South Carolina Press Association