About
Owen McCarthy is a journalist with experience covering higher education, politics, business and finance.
He most recently covered distressed debt as a reporting intern for Bloomberg News.
McCarthy won several awards for his investigative work at The State News, Michigan State University’s student newspaper.
He is a former Dow Jones News Fund Reporting Intern at Michigan’s paper of record, The Detroit News. Over the 12-week internship, he had 13 front page bylines, and published 49 articles in total, across several coverage areas. McCarthy has also reported for MIRS in Lansing, Michigan, and Compass in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Clips
Bloomberg News clips
Mounting Data-Center Backlash Across US Has Companies Turning to Green Debt
Mamdani’s Rent Freeze Heaps Pressure on a Teetering CMBS Deal
Gaming Bonds Lose Allure as Threat From Prediction Markets Grows
Three Years After Its Debt Restructuring, Carvana is the Posterchild of LMEs
In-depth/news
MSU president’s childhood friend serving in $300K ‘Senior Advisor’ role
The State News – Oct. 14, 2025
Nassar supervisor’s history of ‘inappropriate’ conduct was an open secret, documents reveal
The State News – Sept. 23, 2024
MSU trustees rubber stamp millions in research contracts with conflicts of interest
The State News – May 5, 2025
The Detroit News – Aug. 19, 2025
MSU investigating ex-vice president over records snooping
The State News – March 13, 2025
The Detroit News – July 11, 2025
Recordings, texts show how student lost trust in embattled MSU trustees
The State News – April 16, 2024
MSU board members wanted separation from administration during Nassar scandal
The State News – Sept. 26, 2024
Inside MSU’s strategic response to Trump’s attack on higher education
The State News – Sept. 9, 2025
U.S. Rep Tom Barrett asking MSU to adopted contested antisemitism definition
The State News – Nov. 4, 2025
For MSU, Nassar scandal was a ‘war’ to be won
The State News – Sept. 22, 2024
MSU: Dean accused of plagiarism, targeted by DEI opponents, ‘exonerated’
The State News – Jan. 23, 2025
Features
The Detroit News – July 4, 2025
The Detroit News – June 26, 2025
The Detroit News – Aug. 28, 2025
MSU investigated Larry Nassar in 1999 over gymnast blood testing
The State News – Dec. 9, 2024
Compass – July 5, 2024
The State News – Oct. 18, 2024
Compass – July 30, 2024
Magazine
‘Doing bag, f—— around’: Inside the MSU ‘burnerverse’
The State News – March 18, 2026
Growing share of students receiving test accommodations for ‘invisible disabilities’
The State News – April 29, 2026
Board members have ‘serious concerns’ about MSU’s top lawyer
The State News – April 11, 2026
Dailies/breaking news
Faculty senators protest Trustee Denno over meeting absences
The State News – April 11, 2025
Michigan health insurers request double-digit premium hikes for 2026
The Detroit News – July 15, 2025
Sources: MSU self-reported Tucker recruiting violations to NCAA
The State News – May 1, 2025
MSU doubles down on DEI defense amid Trump administration hostility
The State News – Feb. 7, 2025