Our Story

Welcome to The Purple Wire

We’re a team of two dogged student reporters at Northwestern University who started this newsletter to inject something different into the news scene on campus.

We’ve spent most of our college years reporting almost everything imaginable on campus, from the effects of the Trump administration’s $790 million federal funding freeze on Northwestern to student pro-Palestinian activism and contentious policy changes from the president’s office. That said, it’s fair to say we know our university well!

The Purple Wire is our vision of bringing the latest news and the biggest scoops about campus right to your inbox. We are looking to become one of Northwestern’s premier news sources as our campus continues to grapple with an unprecedented time in higher-education.

Every week, we will bring you two newsletters to keep you informed on the events around campus. Our inbox is always open for you at [email protected]. Thanks for reading.

~ Jerry Wu and Lily Ogburn

Jerry Wu

Jerry Wu is the co-founder of The Purple Wire and a junior at Northwestern University studying journalism, international studies and business. An award-winning journalist, he has reported for several major news outlets across the country, including the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, POLITICO and The San Diego Union-Tribune. He also served as the managing editor for his school’s newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, where he covered the university president’s office for a year.

Signal: jerrwu20.88

Lily Ogburn

Lily Ogburn is a senior at Northwestern University studying journalism, history and legal studies. She previously worked for Forbes’ Money in Politics team, investigating the financial portfolios of Trump’s Cabinet. Her work also appears in Foreign Policy, UPI, Cincinnati CityBeat and other news outlets. Ogburn served as The Daily Northwestern’s editor in chief amid the Trump administration’s initial assault on Northwestern’s federal funding in 2025. She co-founded The Purple Wire alongside Jerry Wu in 2026.

Signal: lilyogburn.10