UGA alumna Shelby Israel joins Appen Media staff

Appen Media Group announced Jan. 11 that Shelby Israel will join its staff as a reporter. Israel will cover local government and public safety in Forsyth County and the City of Alpharetta. She will report to Carl Appen, director of content and development, and be based in Alpharetta.

“Shelby is a magnificent addition to our newsroom,” Appen said in a statement. “She has sharp news judgement and experience leading a quick-moving staff. She’ll bring a lot of fuel for the fire of our developing team.”

Israel graduated from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication in December 2022 with a minor area of study in English. During her time at UGA, Israel served as a contributor, campus news editor and editor-in-chief at The Red & Black, as well as news intern at Flagpole Magazine.

“I have always wanted to write,” Israel said. “Before, it was a creative pursuit, but through experimentation with my major at UGA, I found that I could still write while contributing to something important. I love local news and community-driven stories, and I am excited to cover the news scenes of Forsyth and Alpharetta.”

Israel takes the position as Appen reporter Alex Popp moves to cover the Perimeter.