Ken Ward Jr

Ken Ward Jr. is an investigative journalist whose in-depth coverage of the coal, chemical and natural gas industries in West Virginia is exposing the true economic, social, and health impacts of industrial abuse on Appalachian residents and communities. As a staff writer for the Charleston Gazette-Mail for more than twenty-five years, Ward fearlessly reports on worker safety violations, environmental hazards, and corporate malfeasance of regional coal and chemical companies. Ken Ward received a B.S. (1990) from West Virginia University. He has been affiliated with the Charleston Gazette-Mail since 1991. He is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Society of Environmental Journalists and, in 2017, he was named a member of the newly launched ProPublica Local Reporting Network.