
Maya Fawaz
Hays County ReporterWhat I do at KUT
Where most reporters have a certain beat they focus on, my reporting includes a little bit of everything: education, politics, the environment, business and housing. My coverage area is also vast, I travel frequently across San Marcos, Kyle, Buda, Wimberley and Dripping Springs.
I love what I do and the ever-changing nature of my beat, but it frustrates me to know I can’t cover everything. I try my best to bring attention to what’s most important to the communities in Hays County and will always lend an ear to someone willing to chat. I work hard to keep people at the heart of every story I tell, whether it be on the air or on our website.
My experience
I was labeled an “excessive talker” in every classroom growing up, often having to be moved away from friends and exiled to the other side of classrooms — where I inevitably would strike up a new conversation with a stranger. I got accepted into the University of Texas at Austin and didn’t know what would come next. All I knew was I loved telling stories and was obsessed with learning languages. I took a journalism class, which led to another, and yet another.
I graduated with a bachelor’s in Journalism, a minor in French and with a first-level Arabic class under my belt. I produced an investigative podcast under our student-run audio production house called Crooked Power, a five-episode series reported entirely in Spanish. It followed a family of journalists in Ecuador as they fought for a free press amid a national controversy in 2011.
I freelanced for a while, editing and producing podcasts, until I landed an internship at KUT. I was given a chance to stick around as a part-time general assignment reporter and, to my delight and surprise, was hired as the Hays County reporter in January 2023.
Journalistic ethics
I care more about covering the news fairly and with context than to be the first reporter to break the news. I believe in producing accurate stories while treating sources with compassion and care. At the end of the day, reporters are people, with our own opinions and beliefs. I take great care to not let my own experiences and opinions impact my reporting.
-
Un pabellón de comida y un mercado junto a la autopista 183 suelen estar abarrotados los fines de semana. Pero el negocio se ha resentido desde que el presidente Trump emitió órdenes ejecutivas para reprimir la inmigración ilegal.
-
The demonstration is part of a nationwide protest against the conservative plan to enact sweeping change within the federal government.
-
A food pavilion and flea market off Highway 183 are usually packed on weekends. But business has suffered ever since President Trump issued executive orders cracking down on illegal immigration.
-
The popular spot in Wimberley will likely be closed for swimming for the fourth year in a row.
-
The school board unanimously approved a partnership with developer Upward Communities to build 300 single-family homes offered to staff at rent below the market rate.
-
A medida que San Marcos crece, también lo hace su consumo de agua. La ciudad está tratando de traer más agua y hacer hincapié en la conservación para mantenerse al día con la demanda.
-
As San Marcos grows, so does its water use. The city is looking to bring in more water and emphasize conservation to keep up with demand.
-
The park expanded by 3,073 acres at a time when officials say people are going to Texas parks more than ever before.
-
Austin saw a wintery mix overnight, and it wasn't all snow.
-
Esta semana se verá un poco diferente de la primera ola de frío Austin vio este año. Las temperaturas se mantendrán más frías durante más tiempo y caerán bajo cero todas las noches de esta semana.