Local newsrooms are shrinking across the country. But demand is growing to cover news in communities of color.
WFAE will meet this need as a Report for America host newsroom. Two journalists will join WFAE to report on race and equity issues. Currently, WFAE is co-hosting a journalist with the newspaper La Noticia to cover issues affecting the Latino community.
Race And Equity Reporting
The two new journalists will join WFAE in June 2021. They will report on systematic issues affecting communities of color, such as:
· Race and justice
· Economic mobility
· Health disparities
· Police reform
· Affordable housing
· Environmental inequality
The reporters also will explore ways in which experts and officials have successfully addressed these issues around the country. In addition, the reporters will write about the resilience, creativity and ingenuity of people of color in the Charlotte area.
This year, WFAE is also hosting two RFA journalists with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Digital Public Library of America. They cover community-driven questions on local government, the census, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 elections and more. This collaboration will end in May 2021.
About Report For America
RFA is a national service program that places journalists in local news organizations to report on under-covered communities. The journalists serve at least a year with the opportunity to continue for a second year. RFA screens applicants and local news organizations select from four to five candidates.
RFA pays for half of the journalists’ salaries. Local news partners pay another part. Together, RFA and the local groups work together to find local and regional funders to contribute the rest.