Madeline fening
cincinnati-based journalist
I’ve spent the past six years reporting on the forces reshaping American life from the desk of an alt-weekly publication in Cincinnati, Ohio. At Cincinnati CityBeat, I’ve covered the political ascent of JD Vance, the fight over drag performances in Ohio and the medical realities behind attacks on gender-affirming care.
This wide-ranging, community-focused work has earned more than a dozen awards and nominations from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, Cleveland Press Club and Association of Alternative Newsmedia.
My guiding instinct on every beat is to look beyond the headline and ask what a story reveals about the country, its people and the forces pushing it in a new direction.
Welcome to the ice age: Inside Butler County’s Jail for ICE Detainees
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Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has nearly 60 immigrant detainees in his jail, and more than 50 former detainees speaking out about the last time he opened his doors to ICE.
Elegy: The many myths of jd vance
"Elegy: The Many Myths of JD Vance” is a 6-part limited-series podcast from hosts Ashley Paul & Madeline Fening detailing then-Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance’s ascent from Middletown “hillbilly" to the top of the National Republican ticket.
Vance’s winding journey from self-proclaimed “hillbilly” to vice presidential nominee suggests a man still in search of a purpose
Elegy: A Framework and Campaign in Crisis, the JD Vance Story
Missing in Plain Sight: The Inequity Behind Cincinnati’s ‘North Fairmount Jane Doe’
As investigators confront the mystique surrounding a recent dismemberment case, advocates say the threats facing Black women are no mystery
Despite having been granted asylum in 2018, the burden was placed on Ayman Soliman — an imam who comforted dying children and their families at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital — to prove he’s not a terrorist.
Welcome to the ICE Age: The Weaving of a Terrorist Narrative
The Pride Issue: How Transgender Kids Navigate Ohio’s Hostile Politics, While Still Remaining Kids
Plus, medical experts tell CityBeat how gender-affirming medical care works, and why it saves lives.
Welcome to the ICE Age: Economic Impacts of Immigrant Arrests Felt by East Price Hill Small Businesses
With the help of a translator, I spoke with business owners along Warsaw Avenue following ICE arrests in a Kroger parking lot. The message was consistent across the board: anxiety is high and business is down.
Welcome to the ICE Age: Cincinnati Family Ordered to Leave U.S. After Teen’s ICE Arrest
Just days after ICE arrested 19-year-old Emerson Colindres, his mother and teenage sister were ordered to leave the U.S. within 30 days.
Rural Queen: What Performers in an LGBTQ+ Dive Bar in Monroe Think About the Latest Drag Satanic-Panic
“When you start infringing on people’s rights, their beliefs and what they enjoy doing, then we go back 50 years, and the gay community is not going to stand for that.”
Welcome to the ICE Age: Trump’s Crackdown Splits Families, Experts Offer Tips for Choosing an Immigration Attorney
In CityBeat‘s first bilingual cover story, immigration attorneys and activists tell CityBeat there are ways to weather the ICE storm.
Behind the Quest to Identify Thousands of Bodies Buried Beneath a West Price Hill Park
In CityBeat’s inaugural Death Issue, I examine the stories behind Cincinnati’s 26-acre Potter’s Field.
A Race Against Time: The Hidden Cruelty of Ohio’s 24-Hour Waiting Period Abortion Rule
The abortion rule is meant to give patients time to think about their choice, but lawyers tell CityBeat it takes more choices away from patients.
Evendale Police said officers could only give the neo-Nazi demonstrators in Lincoln Heights a “minor misdemeanor traffic charge” but they didn’t. CityBeat spoke with a UC Law professor about why it’s really hard to arrest a Nazi in the United States.
When Can Police Arrest Nazis for Being Nazis?
Breaking Down the “Parental Rights” Argument Against Ohio’s Abortion Amendment
Parents are already the gatekeepers to gender-affirming care for their kids in the state of Ohio.
Drag Pageants Can Launch a Queen’s Career, But Ohio Lawmakers are Threatening the Drag Economy
Drag queens and kings respond to Ohio’s proposed drag ban during the biggest night of the year at Cincinnati’s “friendliest little gay bar.”
Supporters say House Bill 249 is about protecting kids. Critics say it’s a thinly veiled culture war that endangers free expression and queer life. Here’s what’s actually in the bill, and what it could mean.