Bridging the rural and urban divide in the St. Louis region

Rose LaForest

Rose LaForest is a multi-media journalist at Nine PBS. Prior to this role, LaForest produced video explainers for WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, as part of an experimental program testing storytelling strategies for video journalists in local newsrooms. In 2024, she earned her master’s degree in broadcast and video journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she produced short documentaries on dementia-related wandering, juvenile incarceration, and even traveled to Argentina to cover the shifting cultural attitudes toward women in male-dominated sports. LaForest previously interned at Detroit PBS, producing stories and coordinating digital content. Her journalism career began when she found non-fiction storytelling through a film history class while studying TV and film production at Michigan State University. As she learned more about the medium, LaForest says it helped her find a natural way to become involved and contribute to her community.

Nine PBS

Nine PBS is a community-owned, community-driven institution providing the highest-quality, non-commercial media in its region. Nine PBS believes inspiring connection and action for the 2.8 million people in the St. Louis metro region on the platforms they prefer – whether that’s broadcast, social media or digital streaming. Through community engagement, Nine PBS works with the community to address issues that matter most to them.