Previously a professor of geography, Rafael leverages his research skills to investigate federal recovery funding on Puerto Rico, a critical beat in the wake of Hurricane Maria. We asked him about his experience so far as a Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI) watchdog journalist holding the government accountable during the hurricane recovery effort. The interview has
Emily Woodruff covers healthcare and public health in southern Louisiana for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate with a focus on The Big Easy’s metro region. As a healthcare reporter, Emily is a rare breed in the Pelican State, where few — if any — newsrooms have a full-time health reporter on staff, despite
VICTORIA, Texas — The City Council chambers usually feels quiet, and often a little stiff. Council members meet in the same chamber used by the municipal court judge, and it’s apparent. Elected officials sit on a raised dais and feel far away from the public they serve. The city’s public library, on the other hand,
Manny Ramos is a Report for America corps member who writes for the Chicago Sun-Times, with a focus on Chicago’s south and west sides. He answered a few questions about his work as a local journalist for the latest edition of the Report Local newsletter. 1) You’re one of several RFA corps members who is
Sarah Anne Hughes is a Report for America corps member whose work covers state government for The Incline and Billy Penn. She answered a few questions about her work as a local journalist for the latest edition of the Report Local newsletter. 1) Why did you decide to become a Report for America corps member? When I
On the Ground in EL PASO, Texas — At dusk on a Friday night in October, big, white buses pull up near the Greyhound station and dozens of parents and children emerge. Some clutch important documents or carry plastic bags filled with precious possessions. They file into the station, with its tile floors and green metal
On the Ground in SUMNER, Mississippi — The courthouse where Emmett Till’s murderers were acquitted has been restored to look like it did during his 1956 trial, when his abduction, torture and murder shocked and shamed the nation. It’s an unassuming and stately building. Rows of identical brown seats face the flags of Mississippi and
Will Wright is a Report for America corps member who works at the Lexington Herald-Leader. He answered a few questions about his work as a local journalist for the latest edition of the Report Local newsletter. 1) Earlier this year, you covered a major story about a lack of water access in your region of
On the Ground — On a muggy July evening, I sat on the dusty wooden floor of a cluttered one-bedroom house in Fitzgerald, Georgia, with notebook and pen in hand. Andres Diego and his wife, Wyona, sat across from me on a leaky queen-sized air mattress, speaking softly over the hum of a window unit on
The Crucial Effort Supported By Grants from the Annenberg Foundation and McClatchy Foundation and a Collaboration with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Boston, MA, October 31—Building on the success of its first year, Report for America is launching an initiative to address the proliferation of news deserts in California with the goal