ABOUT US
The Alabama Reflector is an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in our state. We look at the problems affecting Alabamians, and search for solutions. We connect readers with the decisions made in the hallways of the State House and try to give a voice to those outside it. We write stories about people in power and men and women on the margins. We hope to reflect what our home is, and what it could be.
We do not run ads. We do not maintain paywalls. Our coverage is free to share and publish under the Creative Commons license. For information about republishing, email [email protected].
If you wish to submit a commentary, please see the guidelines on our submission page.
Alabama Reflector is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Reflector retains full editorial independence.
Brian Lyman
Editor
Brian Lyman has covered Alabama government since 2006. He has worked at the Montgomery Advertiser; the Press-Register and The Anniston Star, and reported on many issues, from the death penalty to climate change to Alabama history. Lyman has won awards from the Associated Press and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights. He lives in Auburn with his wife Julie and their three children.
Ralph Chapoco
Senior Reporter
Ralph Chapoco is a senior reporter for the Alabama Reflector. Prior to that, he was the political watchdog reporter for Florida Today, covering local politicians and the impact their policies have on the community. Chapoco has more than eight years of experience as a journalist dating back to 2014. He began as an education reporter for a year and half for the Rio Grande Sun in New Mexico and the North Platte Telegraph in North Platte, Nebraska. Afterward, he spent more than three years at the Washington County Daily News as the local political journalist. He obtained a master's degree from the University of Missouri, focusing on data journalism and business reporting before working at the Arizona Republic for a year supporting the reporters on the homelessness and housing insecurity team with their data needs.
Alander Rocha
Reporter
Alander Rocha is a journalist covering government, policy and healthcare in the state of Alabama. He previously worked for the Red & Black, Georgia's student newspaper and hosted The Athens Frontline, a podcast focused on health issues affecting Northeast Georgia. He also reported for Kaiser Health News and covered community health workers' successful efforts to vaccinate refugees in an Atlanta suburb. Rocha is a Tulane and Georgia alumnus and served in the Peace Corp in Ecuador before he caught the journalism bug. He lives in Montgomery with his partner, Chris, and their four dogs, Miss Lily, Cortez, Melvyn and Tater Tot.
Jemma Stephenson
Reporter
Jemma Stephenson is the education reporter for the Alabama Reflector, and covers state government and schools. She is a graduate of Smith College and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and previously worked as the children and education reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. She was a reporting fellow for the Education Writers Association in 2022.