Esther Sun is a Hearst fellow at the Albany Times Union covering New York state government and politics.
Esther has covered local news and city government at the San Jose Mercury News, local news at the Sacramento Bee, national and trending news at NBC’s TODAY, and global press freedom at Voice of America. She also has freelance bylines in the New York Amsterdam News and the Nation. As city news editor at the Columbia Daily Spectator, she managed metro reporting on West Harlem and Morningside Heights and broke multiple stories on the evictions of historic preschools that made national headlines—the media attention contributed to the reversal of one eviction decision. She also has editorial experience at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Politics and Society Institute in Jordan.
Outside of journalism, Esther has received Columbia’s Academy of American Poets prize, its George Edward Woodberry prize, and the Oxbelly fellowship for her poetry.
Originally from the Bay Area, Esther graduated from Columbia University as a John Jay Scholar and with urban studies departmental honors. She spent a semester studying and working in Amman.
San Jose Mercury News: "Sunnyvale plans a makeover in the form of ‘Village Centers’ — but displaced businesses face a difficult future"
San Jose Mercury News: "Former Milpitas city manager loses termination suit against city"
Sacramento Bee: "‘This life is really temporary’: From Muslim to Buddhist, how Sacramento cares for the dead"
Sacramento Bee: "Sacramento promised to require community benefits from developers. Has the city followed through?"
San Jose Mercury News: "Trump administration sues California over egg prices, farm animal welfare laws"
Sacramento Bee: "Sacramento is building more community gardens. Who will take care of them?"