Pierce Gentry is the Central Nebraska reporter for the Flatwater Free Press. Before joining Report for America, he worked as a radio reporter at WUOT in East Tennessee, where his reporting on Hurricane Helene, the Great Smoky Mountains and rural communities earned regional and national recognition.
In 2024, he produced stories about violence and intimidation in American elections for the Carnegie-Knight News21 program. While studying journalism at the University of Tennessee he covered faculty affairs and changes to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts for The Daily Beacon. Gentry enjoys shooting film photography and getting lost on long hikes when he’s not off chasing a story.
Beat: Coverage of rural Nebraska issues
The rural Nebraska reporter lives in a local community, collaborates with local newsrooms, and produces enterprise stories that resonate and are republished statewide and beyond. The reporter's stories will touch on topics as varied as immigration, agriculture, local government, and rural life, as they illuminate challenges and solutions to current issues.