2025-2026

Investigative Post

Investigative Post is a nonprofit investigative reporting center based in Buffalo, N.Y. It produces fact-based investigations and analyses on issues that matter to Buffalo and Western NY. Its goal is to expose injustice and malfeasance and hold those in power accountable.

Portland Press Herald

Founded in 1921, The Portland Press Herald is now Maine’s largest paid newspaper with statewide coverage and distribution to 263 cities and towns and a digital audience that averages 1.5 million users each month. Now under the ownership of the Maine Trust for Local News, The Press Herald is part of the state’s largest network of independent news outlets. The Maine Trust for Local News is a subsidiary of the nonprofit National Trust for Local News.

Chestnut Hill Local

The Chestnut Hill Local (CHL) is a 66-year-old community weekly newspaper and online news site that was named Pennsylvania’s best weekly publication in 2023 and 2024 by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Though initially created to serve the residents of Chestnut Hill, the Local’s scope has expanded to serve Northwest Philadelphia. It provides relevant, consistent and important information across platforms and strategic initiatives including community engagement activities, collaborations, award-winning journalism, geographically-specific digital content, newsletters and a print newspaper.

Kingsport Times News

The Kingsport Times News serves readers in Eastern Tennessee and Southwest Virginia with comprehensive local coverage, from breaking news to community events. Committed to journalistic integrity, it delivers the stories that matter most to its readers. As part of a family-owned group of five regional newspapers, the Times News collaborates with its sister publications to provide shared content across print and digital platforms, ensuring timely and reliable news for the communities it proudly serves.

Prince William Times

Located less than an hour from Washington, D.C., Piedmont Media operates two print and digital news sites serving Prince William and Fauquier counties. The organization has consistently produced award-winning journalism and is financially stable with strong philanthropic support. We are in the midst of a transformation of two traditional weekly newspapers — the Prince William Times and the Fauquier Times — to more strongly connect with readers. We are seeking to grow our coverage of diverse communities.

The Nevada Independent

The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, statewide news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. Our team produces ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism focused on politics, policy, education, business and the environment. The Indy also produces events, podcasts, videos and Spanish-language content. All our content is paywall-free. We disclose our donors, and are supported by readers, grants, corporations and event sponsorships.
Avery Martinez headshot

Avery Martinez

Avery Martinez is currently the water, ag & environment reporter for KMOV-TV in St. Louis, Missouri. He has worked in television, radio and newsprint across multiple states and markets. He brings a community approach to reporting. He cut his teeth in smaller family papers, before working in major syndicates and networks. Martinez has been a mental health correspondent, anchor, producer, legal staff writer, immigration specialist, editor, campaign correspondent and columnist—in addition to covering city, state and federal courts and legislatures. He was the first graduate of Fort Lewis College’s Journalism and Mass Media Studies program. Martinez has won awards and fellowships for his international coverage of healthcare systems, election committees, immigrant legal representation and the future of law school exams.
Gerard Albert

Gerard Albert III

Gerard Albert III covers rural communities in Western North Carolina at Blue Ridge Public Radio. Before joining Report for America, Albert worked at WLRN in South Florida reporting on affordable housing, law enforcement, and local government accountability in Broward County. There, he won multiple state and national awards for his coverage of the Parkland school shooter death penalty trial. His work has been featured on NPR, Here & Now and the BBC. Previously, he reported on the criminal justice system in Palm Beach and South Carolina, where he won state-wide awards for his reporting on police policies. Albert started his journalism career at Florida International University’s student-run newspaper. He became Editor in Chief his senior year and earned state-wide awards for his investigation into the university spending millions of dollars on palm trees from a shady dealer. In Florida, he spends most weekends knee-deep in the Everglades and looks forward to exploring trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains. When not outdoors, he enjoys reading, writing poetry, and perfecting the sugar-to-coffee ratio for his coladas.
Cassandra Stephenson

Cassandra Stephenson

Cassandra Stephenson covers issues impacting rural West Tennessee for The Tennessee Lookout. Prior to joining The Tennessee Lookout, Cassandra covered Metro Nashville government at The Tennessean for nearly three years, chronicling the consequences of policy decisions for residents in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. Cassandra's post-collegiate reporting career began in West Tennessee in 2018 when she moved from her hometown in Ventura County, California after graduating from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. There, she reported on breaking news and justice for a 13-county region, publishing award-winning investigations on local physicians’ involvement in the opioid epidemic and conditions in local for-profit prisons. Cassandra joined The Tennessean as a business reporter in 2020, covering pandemic-related business challenges including unemployment, workplace safety and eviction. Outside of the newsroom, you'll find Cassandra immersed in her latest art project or baking endeavor.