In March 2022, then-Report for America corps member Katie Hyson, who covered race and inequality for WUFT, published a story: “How a Black marching band style was erased from Gainesville’s fields, and why it matters decades later.” The story became one of Hyson’s most memorable segments. Through her reporting, she delved deep into the history
This Hispanic Heritage Month, Report for America is proud to highlight three Latino corps members who, through their work, provide critical coverage for their communities, spanning issue areas from labor and immigration to politics and environment. Many Report for America corps members also reach specific Spanish-speaking audiences by providing bilingual or Spanish-language coverage. Meet some
Shaping the Future of Justice Reporting in Alabama Alaina Bookman / AL.com In Birmingham, where communities have long grappled with cycles of youth incarceration and systemic concerns, coverage of criminal justice has rarely focused on solutions. But when Alaina Bookman joined AL.com as a Report for America corps member, she brought a new lens—one grounded
In the wake of devastating federal cuts to public broadcasting, Report for America is responding by taking urgent action to ensure Alaskans continue to receive essential news and information. The national service program will immediately support two full-time reporters in public radio stations KRBD (CoastAlaska) in Ketchikan and KOTZ in Kotzebue. Report for America will
When the Power Went Out, He Kept Communities Informed Gerard Albert III / Blue Ridge Public Radio Gerard Albert III was just three months into his new role covering western North Carolina rural communities for Blue Ridge Public Radio when Hurricane Helene tore its way through the region in the fall of 2024. Overnight, the
The state agency charged with ensuring children’s welfare has been beset by chronic failure and is often only in the news when something negative happens. For the story, corps member Esteban Candelaria aimed to tell one of the often underreported success stories of juveniles in the system breaking the cycle of poverty and crime. He
Measles — a preventable disease the U.S. considered eliminated in 2000 — recently spread through a Mennonite community along with an outbreak of misinformation about vaccines. For this exclusive story in collaboration with the Associated Press, corps member Carlos Nogueras Ramos observed and interviewed the religious community and its leaders with compassion while also helping
In the Bay Area, where corps member Audrey Brown reports, highways, ports, and factories are often in close proximity to low-income communities of color. As a result, poor air quality and exposure to toxins disproportionately affect those communities, but due to the high influence of these industries, there is often a lack of accountability or
In April, ICE agents stopped Juan Francisco Méndez and his wife, Marilú Domingo Ortiz, while they were driving, saying they were looking for someone named Antonio. The couple showed the agents their documentation to prove they had the wrong person. Marilú began recording the interaction, and then, the agents broke through the car window with
Report for America today announced it has surpassed a major milestone: 100,000 stories published by its corps member reporters since its founding in 2018. These stories, reported in every state across the U.S., reflect not just the volume of work, but a profound and growing impact on the communities they serve. The milestone coincides with