WFAE has received a grant from the Salamander and 1Earth funds to support a full-time climate reporter for a year. The grant has the potential to be renewed for a second year.
Reporter David Boraks will take on the role of climate reporter, expanding WFAE’s coverage of climate change. He will focus on how climate change affects the Carolinas and how the way we live influences climate change. Boraks will produce stories that look at coastal erosion and sea level rise, flooding from more frequent and intense storms, and the drive for more renewable energy.
"Climate is one of the big stories of our time. Scientists have said we are living in a 'climate emergency,' and yet many people are not clear on what that means or what can be done," said Ju-Don Marshall, WFAE's executive vice president and chief content officer. "This grant will allow us to report on how climate-related issues are impacting lives in the Carolinas, the risk if things don't improve and what is being done elsewhere to address these issues."
"Many Carolinians place their trust in WFAE and its partner stations to keep them informed about important events,” said Diogo Freire, managing director of 1Earth Fund. “As climate extremes are becoming more common, we feel it's important to support WFAE's efforts to improve coverage of climate news in the region."
WFAE will look for new ways to reach audiences through public events and special episodes of the station’s program “Charlotte Talks.” WFAE will also create a climate newsletter and offer climate reports and coverage to other public radio stations across the state, including WUNC, WFDD and WHQR.
About David Boraks
Boraks is a veteran journalist who has covered environmental stories for WFAE since 2015. From 2006 to 2015, he published the online community news network DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net. Boraks has been an editor reporter at The Charlotte Observer, American Banker, The China News in Taipei and others. (Read more about Boraks and his work.)
About the Salamander and 1Earth Funds
The Salamander and 1Earth funds provide philanthropic support to projects that raise awareness about our changing climate where it is needed most.
About WFAE
WFAE is a multimedia news organization, licensed to the University Radio Foundation Inc. WFAE offers an award-winning mix of local, national and international news, and entertainment programs from NPR and other content partners. With 90.7 in Charlotte, 90.3 in Hickory, 106.1 in Laurinburg and 93.7 in Southern Pines, WFAE serves more than 320,000 monthly listeners and 200,000 monthly readers in the greater Charlotte region. Listen online at WFAE.org.