Shira Tanzer
Shira Tanzer SHEE-rah TAN-zer
News Broadcast Reporter, Phoenix

Shira Tanzer expects to graduate from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in 2024. Shira has interned and worked at KTAR News 92.3 and has interned with ABC15 in Phoenix. She is planning to go into broadcast reporting or producing.

Latest from Shira Tanzer

Report places Arizona first in U.S. for rate of COVID-19 deaths

PHOENIX – An analysis by medical-science journal The Lancet shows Arizona had the highest death rate per 100,000 people in the U.S. Researchers examined three years of data that found correlations between race, education and poverty levels and the number of deaths in the state.

Todd Bailey, Joyce Bailey, Brenda Urquiza and Tara Kebbs, from left, gathered in March 2021 at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe to pay respects and honor the Arizonans who died from COVID-19. A Lancet study in March says Arizona recorded 581 deaths per 100,000 people – the highest rate in the U.S. (File photo by Sierra Bardfeld/Cronkite News)

David and Goliath: PACs go head-to-head before Tempe special election for Coyotes arena

TEMPE — With a special election set for May, two political action committees are sparring over whether it’s in the city of Tempe’s best interest to break ground on an Arizona Coyotes entertainment district.

Gayle Shanks, co-owner of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, speaks against special ballot propositions 301, 302 and 303 on March 20, 2023, in Tempe. The propositions will appear on a special election ballot in May in Tempe and, if passed, would make the Arizona Coyotes arena and entertainment district possible. (Photo by Drake Presto/Cronkite News)

Arizona Republican legislators announce formal opposition to ranked choice voting

PHOENIX – Two bills and a Wednesday news conference signal some Arizona Republicans’ and the state’s Freedom Caucus’ opposition to ranked choice voting. The process, which would allow voters to rank candidates on preference, would be prohibited by the two bills.

Arizona Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, speaks about SB 1265, which would prohibit ranked-choice voting, during a news conference at the state Capitol on March 15, 2023. “Ranked-choice voting, again, should be called rigged-choice voting,” Kern said. “Because it disenfranchises voters and allows marginal candidates not supported by a majority of the voters to win elections.” (Photo by Paula Soria/Cronkite News)

Virtual tour of Anne Frank’s house offers new way to teach about the Holocaust

PHOENIX – The Arizona Jewish Historical Society is opening a new interactive activity as part of its exhibit, “Stories of Survival: An Immersive Journey Through the Holocaust.” It utilizes virtual reality to guide visitors through the home of Anne Frank, the young girl whose life is memorialized in the diary she kept from age 13 until she was killed by the Nazis at age 16.

Holocaust survivor Andrew Schot, right, speaks at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society on Feb. 24, 2023, with Anthony Fusco Jr., who is the society’s education coordinator. (Photo by Shira Tanzer/Cronkite News)

Phoenix mayor speaks to ASU Jewish students about tolerance, inclusion and overcoming antisemitism

TEMPE – As one of the youngest big city mayors in the country and a member of the Jewish faith, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego often speaks about tolerance and inclusion. She spoke to members of Chabad at ASU about her experiences and how she approaches leading the nation’s fifth-largest city.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego says being mayor of the nation's fifth-largest city is no protection against the growing threat of antisemitism. (File photo by Sophie Oppfelt/Cronkite News)