How This Reporter Is Fulfilling Her Childhood Dream at the AJC

Lots of kids dream about what they want to be when they grow up, but not many end up doing exactly that. Morayo Ogunbayo may be one of the few who did.  

By the time Morayo was 10, she knew she wanted to be a journalist. 

“I’ve always enjoyed writing and talking to people,” she said. 

Today, Morayo is the health and wellness reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (part of the Cox family of businesses).

Here, Morayo talks about starting her career in journalism and how she made her childhood dream come true at the AJC. 

From news intern to full-time reporter 

With a journalism degree, the classroom is only half the story. The rest is written out in the field, through internships, assignments and hands-on learning.  

Morayo understood that early on and was eager to gain real-world experience while attending Penn State University. She completed a summer internship at the San Francisco Chronicle and spent a semester in Los Angeles working on a series of editorial internships.  

Back in Atlanta, Morayo’s mom — who had been with the AJC’s parent company, Cox Enterprises, for a few years — encouraged her to look at the publication’s internship program. Morayo took her mom’s advice and applied. 

“She’s definitely always been someone who supported me working here,” Morayo said. 

In 2022, she joined the newsroom as a revenue content intern during the summer before her senior year. During her internship, Morayo sharpened her writing skills as she learned to cover trending health, wellness and lifestyle topics in a quick-turn, deadline-driven environment. 

“I learned how to have many projects going on at once: I was reporting on a lot of different stories that were all coming out quickly,” she recalled. “I think it taught me a lot about organization and quicker, clean writing.” 

Morayo also got to see up close how the newsroom was changing and growing, thanks to the support and investment from Cox. 

“I was excited to be part of a bustling company that wanted to use resources to help their city and leave a mark in a new way,” she said. 

During her senior year, Morayo kept the AJC in mind as she planned her next steps. Ultimately, she landed an entry-level reporting job at CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta shortly after graduating in 2023.  

“It was a really good experience,” Morayo said. “I got to cover the Trump court trial in Georgia and that sort of stuff.” 

But Morayo never stopped thinking about the AJC, and when she saw a job opening with the revenue content team — the same team she worked with as an intern — she didn’t hesitate to apply. 

Writing a new chapter at the AJC 

In August 2024, Morayo was officially back at the AJC as a digital content producer. She was happy to return to a newsroom where she could focus on local stories again.  

“My last job was exciting, but I really missed the slower pace and goals of local journalism,” she said. “That was the main reason I wanted to come back to the AJC — and Cox is a great family company.” 

In early 2025, Morayo stepped into a new role as a health and wellness reporter, a move that aligned closely with her interests. Morayo has always been passionate about health and wellness and even minored in sustainability leadership in college. 

“I really liked the idea of science journalism,” she said. “That was what I always said I wanted to write about: science and the environment. Since wellness has become a bigger industry in journalism, it was something I always really loved the idea of doing.” 

Covering health and wellness at the AJC has given Morayo the flexibility to explore a wide range of stories and angles as a reporter, from access to mental health resources to autism therapy to cybersecurity for children. 

“There are a lot more things that touch wellness that I hadn’t originally considered,” Morayo said. 

One of her favorite stories focused on the common questions women are asking themselves about motherhood and how it affects their life. 

“I think it touched on something a lot of young women care about,” Morayo said. "I was really happy with how that turned out.” 

Looking back on her post-grad career, Morayo said she’s learned a lot. 

“I think I’ve grown a lot as a reporter,” she said. “My writing and interviewing skills have gotten stronger.” 

So, what’s next for Morayo? 

“I honestly just want to keep writing really great stories that I’m excited about,” she said. “I’m really happy in my role right now, and I just want to keep doing better and better journalism over the next year.” 

Learn more about career opportunities at the AJC and join our Talent Community today!