2020-2021

CALmatters

About the News Organization: CALmatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. Environmental regulation, education, health care, criminal justice, economic inequality — the debates on these issues and others have a profound impact on the lives of 38 million Californians and beyond. Our team of experienced journalists, with the time and resources to dig deep, is committed to meaningfully informing Californians about the players, politics, and interests that shape the issues that affect their lives. Over the past year CALmatters set out to continue building a nonprofit platform that would reach a large and influential audience with information and tools that hold politicians accountable and empower Californians to participate meaningfully in their democracy.

KERA / The Texas Newsroom

NPR and Texas public radio stations collaborated to form the Texas News Hub. It’s the first step in a systemwide collaborative project to create a nationwide virtual public radio newsroom of 1,000-plus journalists. The collaboration includes two daily, hour-long statewide programs (Texas Standard and Think) and will soon include six daily statewide newscasts, and a statewide digital news desk. The Hub is working to hire and train freelance and small station reporters to provide news service to underserved communities in the state’s news deserts.

The Victoria Advocate

Established in 1846 – the same year the Republic of Texas joined the Union – the Victoria Advocate has a rich tradition of local ownership and stewardship of its community. It was named the Newspaper of the Year in 2014 by the Local Media Association.  

The Dallas Morning News

This beat focuses on coverage of southern Dallas, with a special emphasis on building trust with the African-American community and reflecting community life, diverse voices and neighborhood milestones and events on our website, in our social channels and in our pages. We envision that the most urgent issues to cover here include income inequality, housing and jobs. The reporter would work closely with and be mentored by our reporters covering Dallas city hall and Dallas County, as well as our business reporters.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia Public Broadcasting is a public media dual licensee — it holds the sole statewide PBS and NPR licenses in West Virginia. WVPB covers West Virginia and many of the bordering counties of its five neighboring states. WVPB’s content output is primarily audio, but they also produce video for TV and digital platforms. They produce a live television show, The Legislature Today, every weekday during West Virginia’s 60-day legislative session. WVPB has a full-time staff of 52, with several part-time and paid intern positions. The mission of West Virginia Public Broadcasting is to educate, inform and inspire residents by telling West Virginia’s story. Closed Position: This Report for America corps member is based in Charleston, the state capital, and works under the mentorship of senior reporter, Dave Mistich, on the public affairs beat, including coverage of the legislative session. This reporter works primarily in audio. Outside of the legislative session, the focus is on the southern coalfields of West Virginia. This position fills a critical coverage gap for WVPB, while also contributing to government accountability reporting in the region.

Yellowstone Public Radio

Yellowstone Public Radio, an NPR affiliate, is the largest public radio network in the continental United States. Covering Billings, Bozeman, Helena and the rural areas of Montana and Northern Wyoming, YPR is the definitive news source for many of rural listeners, distributing news content over its website and mobile app.

Wyoming Public Media

Wyoming Public Media is Wyoming’s statewide public radio/media network covering general Wyoming news, state government, and public/cultural affairs. The news department is a regular award recipient, receiving two national Murrow Awards and two national Public Radio News Directors, Inc. (PRNDI) Awards in 2018 alone. Wyoming Public Media’s mission is to cover Wyoming with vital news to Wyomingites. Position: Wyoming Public Media covers Wyoming’s main issues, but there’s a gap on the Wind River Reservation. One of the largest U.S. reservations, it’s unique in that it has two historically warring tribes mandated to live on this one appropriated area of Wyoming. Over the decades, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe people forged a relationship that is difficult to maintain. This situation compounds problems in education, health services, living conditions, land and wildlife management, revenue generation, among other issues. The RFA reporter is based in or near the Wind River Reservation covering issues that are critical to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe populations. Topics include health delivery, education, homelessness, legislation and Native sovereignty topics, the justice system, the plight of unemployed or underemployed youth, and historical trauma, among others. The reporter works at the direction of our current reservation reporter as well as the Wyoming Public Media news director.

Santa Fe Reporter

The Santa Fe Reporter is the source for independent, award-winning alternative news and culture since 1974 in New Mexico’s capital city. Santa Fe Reporter publishes a weekly print edition that is distributed free in our community and produces three glossy magazines each year. It is the only outlet in New Mexico that regularly publishes long-form investigative reports, deep dives and impactful features. The Santa Fe Reporter strives to include as many voices as possible and cover topics with analysis, strong voice and fearless criticism. Closed Position: Santa Fe has become increasingly divided by wealth and poverty. Power is concentrated among the aging elite in the east and north sides, while young families and the middle class living on the Southside often are shorted when it comes to services. Median housing prices are at an all-time high all over the city, and while the Southside has the lowest-priced housing, it has food deserts and fewer services. Until the last two years, there were few doctor’s offices. Despite city efforts to encourage more diverse grocery store and restaurant choices, they are few and far between. Schools are crowded, and developed open spaces such as parks aren’t as prevalent. But in all these instances, there are people and organizations working toward equity and improved quality of life. Telling those stories builds momentum.This Report for America corps member is assigned to cover Santa Fe’s Southside — its immigrant and indigenous communities, service industry workers, entrepreneurs and families — through stories that impact their lives. The reporter covers the business and culture outside of the city’s contemporary downtown core, especially taking into account women, people of color, historical context, access to health care and education. The reporter joins our two full-time staff news writers to produce content for our weekly newspaper and website. They contribute a long-form cover story to the rotation every four to six weeks. The reporter is mentored by two editors with 40 years of combined experience in print, television and online media, as well as an art director who offers training and partnership on photographic and graphics to accompany the storytelling.

Boise State Public Radio

Boise State Public Radio serves two-thirds of the population of Idaho through a network of 18 transmitters and translators, primarily focused in southern Idaho. Boise State Public Radio is Idaho’s primary nonprofit, listener-supported NPR member station, serving both metropolitan and rural areas — from Boise to Twin Falls and McCall to Sun Valley. The organization’s mission is to stimulate, educate, inform and entertain.

Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque Journal is the only newspaper in New Mexico covering the entire state, from oil and gas country in the southeast and northwest, to the border with Mexico in the southwest, to historic Hispanic and Native American communities in the central and northern state to cowboy country on the east. As the news leader in New Mexico, The Albuquerque Journal’s mission is to provide the most comprehensive coverage of Albuquerque and the state