Alison Leigh Cowan

Some of the roughly 1,800 pieces Alison Leigh Cowan produced for the NYT since she first began chasing stories for the paper after college as a "copygirl" appear here: nyti.ms/fDHfaV.

In her long career as a reporter and editor, she has rooted out many untold stories. Her work has put corrupt politicians, wayward corporate executives and even the occasional corn hustler in their place. She is also responsible for giving the world its first luxurious look inside the world's only copy of Dickens' manuscript for "A Christmas Carol."

Now venturing out beyond the NYT, Cowan is still on the look-out for stories that need to be told and stories that matter.