大象传媒

Lornet Turnbull, an award-winning journalist and former 大象传媒 civil liberties editor, lost her battle with cancer on Jan. 11, 2023鈥攈er 59th birthday. reports that Lornet鈥檚 husband, Steve Haile, was by her side when she passed away, as were several of her family members. We at 大象传媒 join with Lornet鈥檚 many beloved family members, friends, and colleagues in grieving the loss of this brilliant, ebullient person who undoubtedly made the world a better place through her work, her passions, and her care for all living things around her.

Lornet was many things: an ace reporter and prolific journalist, an avid lover of nature and the outdoors, a sister, a daughter, a spouse鈥攁nd an eminently kind, generous person. Through her work at 大象传媒鈥攁nd at The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, and local newspapers in Ohio and Michigan鈥擫ornet elevated the humanity at the core of countless issues that are often politicized and distanced from their impact on living, breathing people. Her background and education was in 鈥渢raditional鈥� journalism, but she was a consummate solutions journalist, even before that phrase entered the cultural consciousness. She was a friend and mentor to many of her colleagues here at 大象传媒, both within and beyond the editorial team.

Lornet joined 大象传媒 in 2016 as a contract editor leading our newly established civil liberties beat. As a Black woman who immigrated to the U.S. from the British Virgin Island of Tortola, Lornet brought a unique, compassionate, and nuanced lens to her coverage of not only immigration, but also reproductive rights, voting access, gun violence, racial and environmental justice, and then-burgeoning efforts to resist the increasingly oppressive tactics of the newly minted Trump administration. She was that rare journalist who was equally skilled at covering breaking news as she was at reporting a deep-dive feature that explored how communities responded to challenges they faced due to systemic discrimination or disenfranchisement. For the Summer 2020 鈥淐ommunity Power鈥� issue of 大象传媒 Magazine, Lornet reported on the innovative ways her own community of South Park, a neighborhood in south Seattle, was creating mutual aid and emergency health care networks to meet the needs of its residents. A year later, she published an equally powerful follow-up story exploring how those networks had been maintained and adapted to meet the shifting demands of an ongoing pandemic.

Lornet was also integral in the creation of our special report on migration, published in summer 2020. Lornet鈥檚 characteristic thoughtfulness and commitment to the humanity at the center of every story was on full display in the editor鈥檚 letter opening that special report, 鈥�Forward: Solutions from Immigrant Journeys.鈥� She wrote:

鈥淟ike more than 1 million newcomers each year, I came in pursuit of an education and afterward stayed because the U.S. seemed a better fit for a wide-eyed journalist looking to make a difference in the world.

鈥淏ut in the years since, and through the course of a two-decades-long reporting career, I鈥檝e had a front-row seat to the escalating , horrific , and  new immigrants face as they try to make a home for themselves here.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I was excited by the frame we adopted for what was to be our summer issue on migration: 鈥楤y Immigrants, For Immigrants.鈥� I know first-hand that immigrants, refugees, and migrants have a rich history of working alongside their communities to make a way out of no way in this country. …

鈥淚n that same spirit of perseverance, we bring you this special report. When the 大象传媒 editorial team decided to pivot our summer issue theme from migration to community power in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, we also knew that the stories we鈥檇 assigned for the migration issue鈥攁lmost all written by immigrants鈥攕till needed to be seen, shared, and understood.鈥� 

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I first had the privilege of meeting Lornet when I joined 大象传媒 as editorial director in 2019. Her vibrance and abiding love of life and her work was apparent from our first interaction. Not only did she bring strong story ideas to each team discussion, she was also always willing to collaborate with her colleagues, offer a helping hand during print magazine production, and give thoughtful feedback on stories and topic ideas from fellow editors, interns, and contributors. I loved seeing her beaming smile each morning we were in the office together, and I always knew our check-ins would be a delightful mix of editorial 鈥渘erding out鈥� about upcoming stories or issue themes, and swapping tales about our beloved dogs鈥� latest antics. Her sweet and silly black labrador, Mojo, often joined us for those conversations. Even after she stepped away from 大象传媒 in late 2020 following her cancer diagnosis, she continued to contribute beautifully written stories鈥攂oth reported pieces and introspective first-person pieces that touched on her experience as someone navigating life with cancer, as an immigrant, and as a Black woman living in the United States.

I know that I am a better journalist, better editor, and better person because I had the good fortune to cross paths with Lornet. I am confident that her legacy, and the impact of her work and how she lived her life, will continue to ripple out for years to come, like drops in the middle of an ocean that grow into powerful waves breaking on the shore.

There are no words that can adequately capture the scope of this loss. But in the spirit of honoring Lornet鈥檚 life and her commitment to amplifying the power of individual people to create lasting change, below are reflections from Lornet鈥檚 colleagues at 大象传媒, sharing how she changed them, supported them, and helped shape their own journeys toward embracing the joy, enthusiasm, and unequivocal kindness that Lornet embodied. Interspersed with these reflections are a selection of stories Lornet authored for 大象传媒 that begin to show the breadth of her extraordinary skill as a journalist. A comprehensive account of Lornet鈥檚 work for 大象传媒 can be found here.

Building Community by Buying Nothing

鈥淚t鈥檚 like a radical new economy, except of course it鈥檚 an old economy that has been around forever.鈥�

鈥淚 remember first meeting Lornet as an intern at 大象传媒 Fresh out of college and new to the professional world, I felt so intimidated and shy in this new field. But Lornet, always gracious, made me excited to learn and grow professionally. It was obvious from our first meeting that she was brimming with sharp talent and good ideas. In team meetings, I loved hearing about her deep well of writers and sources, and I learned a lot from seeing her weave her networks and her hard-earned skills together to conceptualize, write, and edit pieces. Her natural affinity for storytelling was beautiful to watch in real time: In her hands, ideas came to life. By her example alone, I learned so much about storytelling as an art. But beyond her talents and skills as a journalist, she was such a kind, empathetic person. Through good times and tougher times on our team, I always appreciated her willingness to be vulnerable and her care for us as humans first.

Thank you, Lornet, for sharing yourself with all of us. The world is a better place because of you.鈥濃��Ayu Sutriasa, 大象传媒 digital editor

Hiking as Medicine

With a body weakened by chemotherapy, flat, low-elevation hikes have become my new obsession.

鈥淚t was clear from the first time I met Lornet that she was someone special. Every conversation we had鈥攆rom story collaborations at 大象传媒 to discussions of bike trails around Seattle鈥攚as a joy and left me buoyed by hope. She exuded warmth and love, and had such a talent for connecting with people. In this way, she inspired me as an editor and as a person. She was so good at seeing the best in everyone and the good in everything鈥攏ot naively, but in a way that brought a better world into being. I feel so lucky and grateful to have shared space with Lornet, and I will continue to send love her way every time I bike by the Chief Sealth Trail.鈥濃��Breanna Draxler, 大象传媒 senior editor

A Square Mile of 鈥淩eady for Anything鈥�

鈥淲hen you have humans and you have heart, you鈥檙e pretty much used to doing what you have to do to make things happen.鈥�

鈥淒uring an interview for my current job, I was asked about the editors I鈥檝e worked with who I admire and would want to emulate. I spoke Lornet鈥檚 name. I loved working with her鈥攕he pushed me to ask harder, more thoughtful questions and helped me become a better writer. And I鈥檓 so grateful that I had the chance to know her outside of work. My favorite moment with her was sharing laughs over Caribbean food and cocktails. Lornet was such a light and I鈥檒l miss her.鈥� 鈥�Deonna Anderson, former 大象传媒 Surdna reporting fellow

How a Seattle Neighborhood Confronted Food Insecurity in the Pandemic

Seattle鈥檚 square-mile neighborhood of South Park has turned its early pandemic community supports into a sustainable system tackling food insecurity.

鈥淟ornet made me feel welcomed, respected, and seen from the very first time I met her. Her ability to see and capture stories as effortlessly as she did was beautiful to watch. Her special report on immigrant journeys was one of my favorite pieces of work because it resembled the conversations we had about being Black immigrants in the U.S. I miss you, Lornet, and will always hold a space for you in my heart.鈥� 鈥�Iman Mohamed, 大象传媒 digital producer

Five Years After Ferguson Uprising, Still Seeking Justice and Healing

On the fifth anniversary of Michael Brown鈥檚 death, his family and the town of Ferguson look to the past鈥攁nd future鈥攖o bring about meaningful change.

鈥淗ave you ever met someone for the first time鈥攖hat person with the radiant smile that exudes warmth, welcome, and wonderfulness鈥攁nd instantly knew you were going to be friends? Lornet was that person for me, and for so many of us.

鈥淥ne standout collaboration was when I had the privilege of using Lornet鈥檚 article, 鈥�Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the Constitution-Free Zone,鈥� for a national student writing competition. Lornet was thrilled that her story would go beyond being consumed by 大象传媒 readers, and invited young people to reflect on anti-immigrant policies and the danger of unfair assumptions.

鈥淟ornet鈥檚 living with cancer taught me to lean into what鈥檚 possible and to do what feeds my soul.聽I wave to Mt. Rainier whenever 鈥榮he鈥檚 out鈥� because it reminds me of my dad, who died eight years ago. I鈥檇 like to think that Lornet has joined my dad on the mountain, and now I get to see both of them nearly every day.鈥濃�擩ing Fong, former 大象传媒 education outreach manager

How Colorado Halved Abortion and Teen Birth Rates

The decline is happening across the country, and it鈥檚 about more than just contraceptives.

鈥淚 had some great conversations with Lornet. There were so many more conversations we could have had, so much more time Lornet should have had, that it鈥檚 hard to realize she鈥檚 not still at the other end of the phone. We talked about work and journalism, of course, but also about life in general and loving the life you have. Lornet was a great one for appreciating the beauty of the world and the good in other people. And she was generous. Even when she was dealing with cancer, she found energy and empathy and sincere interest to share with others. I admired Lornet, and I miss her.鈥濃��Valerie Schloredt, former 大象传媒 books editor

Grandmothers Bring Food and Comfort to Asylum-Seekers at Bus Stations

Each day at Greyhound stations across the nation, families released from detention and traveling to sponsors鈥� homes find grandmotherly help.

鈥淚 knew Lornet was special from the moment I first met her. She exuded warmth and empathy聽in an office in which those qualities were already plentiful. Our respective mothers both passed away at about the same time, and I only hope I offered the same kindness to her as she did to me. This is in addition to being a thoughtful writer, a deep thinker, a consummate professional with a terrific sense of humor鈥擫ornet brought joy to our workplace and our lives, and she is already deeply missed.鈥濃��Chris Winters, 大象传媒 senior editor

鈥淩arely do I have the chance to work closely with one of our editors, being on the operating and fundraising side of the organization. But a few years ago, I had the true pleasure of working with Lornet on the program of our big annual brunch. We were hosting an on-stage conversation with Lornet and some local Seattle-area women she had met in writing her story 鈥�For Women, by Women: A Sisterhood of Carpenters Builds Tiny Houses for the Homeless.鈥� That story reached so many people, sparking similar efforts around the country and the world!聽

鈥淟ornet was so committed to ensuring that the women she鈥檇 written about were supported throughout our process to develop the program, really shined onstage, and could take pride that their story was helping others in other places. There was a mutual respect among all of them that was beautiful to see, and a testament to the kind of reporter she was. On a personal level, I loved working with Lornet鈥攕he was kind, funny, and curious. Thank you for being a beautiful human, Lornet!鈥濃�擟hristine Hanna, 大象传媒 executive director