Alexandra Rockey Fleming

I N D E P E N D E N T J O U R N A L I S T

I'm interested in journalism with a purpose and I focus on mental health, social justice, animal welfare, and crime in my work.

With 1,200+ bylined pieces, my writing has appeared in People magazine, the Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, the Today Show digital, and O magazine. Among many news events, I've covered the Abu Ghraib prison abuse; 9/11; the 2010 Haiti earthquake; the Charleston church, Virginia Tech, and Uvalde tragedies; and the inaugurations of Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

As the American field producer for several Scandinavian public TV broadcasters, I contribute to stories and docs that bring trending news to Europe with features on politics, business, and culture.

My first book -- Full of Heart, with J.R. Martinez -- was a New York Times bestseller. I'm a member of the Washington Post Talent Network. My awards include the Dateline Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Health Writing Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

I'm represented by Robert Guinsler of Sterling Lord Literistic, New York.

alexafleming@gmail.com

Portfolio
PEOPLE Magazine
07/29/2024
Learn From Our Tragedy

After Laura Beck's 18-month-old son died in a hot car - like dozens of other kids each year - her husband blamed himself and then died by suicide. Now she fights to protect other families.

People Magazine
04/08/2022
Faces of the Fentanyl Epidemic

Stronger, fatal opioids online or on the street ended these 1010 lives. Inside the loss—and the fight to stop the surge

People Magazine
08/20/2020
Parents of 10 Give 'Great Life' to 6 Adopted with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

"We figured, if we're already doing this for one kid, what difference will another one make?" says parent and teacher Josh Dougherty Everyone has seen children's tantrums, but when first-time parents Alicia and Josh Dougherty welcomed 4-year-old foster child Alex into their home, they soon learned that his were titanic by any standards.

Hyperion Books
Full of Heart

In 2003, 19-year-old Private J.R. Martinez was on a routine patrol when the Humvee he was driving hit an antitank mine in Iraq.

Washington Post
10/16/19
How does this busy animal rescue get by with just 4 full-time employees? It has 300 loyal...

It's time for outdoor pup play group at Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation. As with most everything at this Falls Church, Va., pet refuge, it's a team effort. "Don't forget to bend your knees!" says Suzanne Petroni, warning her cadre of helpers that to stand rigidly in the play yard is to risk being bowled over by exuberant dogs as they gallop past.

Washington Post
06/30/2018
Opioid addiction and overdoses in children devastate their parents

"Brian has been dead for 136 days," says his mother, Vicki Bishop. "I watched him die over many years, and it was a long, slow, horrible death." Her son's decades-long battle with opioids blotted out the sun in her own life, says Bishop, 65, of Clarksburg, Md.

The Washington Post
01/07/2018
For families of addicts, Narcan has truly been a lifesaving drug

Beth Schmidt always begins her opioid-awareness sessions by introducing her boy. At one such event, she motions toward his photos - the solemn baseball-team picture, his sweet, clean-cut middle school portrait, the cheek-to-cheek selfie of mother and son - as she tells a hushed audience of about a dozen how Sean fought and lost his battle with opioid addiction.

People Magazine
08/10/2017
Special Report: Faces of an Epidemic

In America, someone dies of an overdose every 10 minutes. Stories of families shattered by the heroin epidemic and the heroes saving their communities.

People Magazine
05/10/2017
Born Addicted

For nearly a decade, Rachael Kinder's life had been ruled by heroin. But last year, after repeated attempts, the Milton, West Virginia, native managed to break her addiction via a mix of counseling and methadone, the medication-recovery drug.

The Washington Post
01/18/2016
This mother drank while pregnant. Here's what her daughter's like at 43.

Kathy Mitchell wants to share something with you. She's not proud of it, and it's not a behavior she hopes you'll emulate. It's just the truth: As a teen, Kathy drank alcohol while pregnant with her daughter, Karli. It was a perilous if unwitting mistake that has defined both of their lives.

People Magazine
01/04/2016
Who Killed Jessica?

The burning death of a 19-year-old girl has broken hearts and baffled investigators in a small Mississippi town.

Good Housekeeping
05/06/2015
They Found Me Running Naked Along the Highway

At 32, I had what many women strive for: great health, a loving husband, two beautiful children, and a satisfying career as a government contractor in marketing and communications. So if you'd told me then that four months after giving birth to my second child, I'd be running naked down a freeway shoulder in rush-hour traffic, I'd have said you were out of your mind.

PEOPLE.com
04/27/2015
John Legend Calls for Criminal Justice Reform at Politico Civil Rights Panel

"We're destroying way too many communities and families," says Legend of what he believes to be a flawed system "We need to really rethink our criminal justice system," the musician told PEOPLE Friday at Politico 's An Evening with John Legend panel discussion in Washington, D.C. "We've ratcheted up penalties for everything.

People Magazine
08/26/2015
Virginia TV Shooting

Two young journalists are fatally shot by a disgruntled colleague -- on live television.

People Magazine
06/23/2015
The Charleston Church Tragedy

After the shocking shooting deaths of nine church members, grieving loved ones express their anguish -- and forgiveness.

People Magazine
06/04/2015
My Life Now: Jessica Lynch

After being rescued in Iraq 12 years ago, the former POW is embracing life as a mom and educator.

People Magazine
01/18/2010
Afghanistan Shipping Out

1,500 Members of 1st Battalion 6th Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., were among the first to deploy for the new surge in Afghanistan. On the eve of a seven-month tour, some of the young men and their families share their hopes and fears.

People Magazine
08/09/2010
The War in Afghanistan: Coming Home

In December PEOPLE Met a Group of Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., Just Hours Before They Left for Helmand Province.

TODAY.com
06/09/2014
'Angel Faces' retreat helps burned teen girls reclaim self-esteem

The burned girl. Since she was a young child, that has been Zebonie Lopez's designation. It is more than a description- it's a shroud, keeping Zebonie, 16, of Lake Wales, Florida, and girls like her from believing in themselves and thinking beyond their skin.

Good Housekeeping
12/30/2015
Alzheimer's At 36

If I had known that every day I would lose a piece of Jason, a lot of our days might have been different.

People Magazine
09/22/2008
An African Boy's Healing Year

When Jennifer Trubenbach met a teenager in Zimbabwe whose face had been disfigured by a land mine, her life -- and his -- would never be the same.

PEOPLE.com
12/07/2015
President Obama at 2015 Kennedy Center Honors

Barack and Michelle Obama attended the 38th annual Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday amid the prime-time Oval Office speech Obama dipped into the White House's East Room shortly after hosting a reception for five of the six honorees, Carole King, Cicely Tyson, Rita Moreno, George Lucas and conductor Seiji Ozawa - the sixth honoree, The Eagles, have postponed their participation until 2016.

TODAY.com
10/07/2014
The 6 things you learn from hosting a foreign exchange student

I hand-picked my newest son from a catalog. His name is Simon, and he's from a town north of Hamburg, Germany. He loves sports (especially soccer, but he's learning about American football, baseball and basketball) and plays the classical guitar. He says, "That sounds great!"

People Magazine
03/19/2007
Their Third Goodbye

On Feb. 20, Marine Sgt. Matt Roberts, 23, deployed to Iraq for the third time in as many years. Staying behind is his wife, Patricia, 22, and their sons Isaiah, 3, and Joseph, 2. People spent four days with the family at home on Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., as they prepared to part.

People Magazine
01/09/2012
How Ashley Found Her Calling

She was a typical teen who liked Facebook and country music -- and then she joined a convent.

People Magazine
01/23/2006
Tragedy in West Virginia

The 13 men who worked together in the Sago Mine of West Virginia depended on family, friends -- and each other. Here is the story of how they lived -- and their final desperate hours.

People Magazine
07/06/2009
A Mom's Mission for Her Fallen Son

Two months after her eldest shipped out to Iraq in 2006, Mary Conboy of Philadelphia got a call. "Mom, the bunks stink. Can you send sheets and pillows?" asked Marine Lance Cpl. Adam Conboy, 21.

People Magazine
03/08/2010
A School to Feel Safe

Bullied at their old schools, junior high kids of every stripe find a welcoming haven in Milwaukee.

People Magazine
10/05/2009
'Mommy Is Always There for Me'

Can an intellectually disabled mom raise a gifted daughter? It's working so far for Myra and Bonnie Brown.

People Magazine
10/09/2007
On Tour With Rascal Flatts

What does it really look like on their tour bus? In their green room? Backstage? Come along to find out!

People Magazine
05/16/2005
Lynndie England: a Soldier, a Mother-and a Court-Martial

Even Lynndie England seemed to find it hard to look. In a small courtroom at Fort Hood, Texas, on May 3, Army prosecutor Capt. Chris Graveline projected 20 pictures of the abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison onto a 12-ft. screen.