Southeast Missourian chosen to host Report for America journalist

The Southeast Missourian has been chosen as a host newsroom for a nationwide program aimed at strengthening local journalism.

Report for America announced its newest hosts Tuesday, Dec. 17. The not-for-profit media organization has placed about 250 journalists in newsrooms across the country to highlight under-covered issues and communities.

The Southeast Missourian’s successful application proposed coverage of “life in rural America”, such as health care, infrastructure and economic challenges, as well as local governments that often don’t receive media attention and celebrations and festivals that speak to the fabric of the region’s smaller communities.

“Throughout Southeast Missouri, the Southeast Missourian and other Rust Communications publications deploy many journalists. Still, there are stories that don’t receive adequate, in-depth attention. Adding a journalist to our group will help address such stories,” said Rick Fahr, editor of the Southeast Missourian. “From broadband to water quality to access to medical personnel, Southeast Missourians face special hurdles because of the region’s rural nature. We look forward to enhancing coverage of those issues with the addition of another full-time reporter.”

For the next several months, Report for America will vet and select applicants for the reporting positions, with the journalists to join their assigned newsrooms in summer 2025 for two years, with the option of remaining in the position for a third year.

The Report for America journalist will write stories that will be published in the Southeast Missourian as well as in other Rust Communications newspapers across the region, including Sikeston, Dexter, Marble Hill, Poplar Bluff and Kennett.

Throughout the process, journalists in the program receive additional training from Report for America and its partners, which include University of Missouri, The Associated Press and Investigative Editing Corps.

Report for America subsidizes a portion of the journalist's salary, while the local media organization is responsible for raising the remaining funds. To support this effort, the Southeast Missourian has established the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund in partnership with the Cape Area Community Foundation, aiming to bolster local journalism through community contributions.

For more information about the program, visit www.reportforamerica.org.