About

Mary Tuma is a journalist for The Texas Observer who focuses on reproductive rights and politics. 

As a freelancer, her work has appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Nation, The Intercept, Mother Jones, VICE, Texas Monthly, NPR-Texas, Rewire News Group, The Progressive, Ms. Magazine, The Huffington Post, Salon, Alternet, and more. Tuma has been a guest on various radio programs including BBC World News, Al-Jazeera English, and Texas Public Radio.

She previously served as news editor and reporter at the Texas capital's alt-weekly The Austin Chronicle, where she led the "War on Women's Health" page and doggedly covered Texas abortion laws. Tuma also worked as a reporter for alt-weekly, the San Antonio Current and for independent, investigative news outlet, the Texas Independent  and the American Independent News Network, where she covered state politics, including reproductive rights.

​Tuma is the recipient of the 2022 Texas Equal Access Fund Media Ally Award; 2020 Planned Parenthood Federation of America Media Excellence Award; the 2017 NARAL Pro-Choice Texas Stigma Buster Award; the 2015 Lilith Fund Reproductive Equity Truth Award; and the 2014 Print Journalist of the Year Award from the Houston Press Club for her women’s health coverage.

​Tuma holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with high honors and a master’s degree in media studies from The University of Texas at Austin.