The cat's out of the bag now: Kentucky is home to one of journalism's rising stars

Grant Gerstner after being presented first place in print reporting 
at the CFINR annual awards ceremony. (Photo via the Era)

Grant Gerstner, the editor of The Oldham Era and the Henry County Local for Paxton Media, won "one of the nation’s most prestigious journalism awards during a May 19 ceremony in Washington, D.C., when he received first place in the print reporting category during the Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s annual awards ceremony," reports the Oldham staff.

Gerstner's award-winning series followed the path of a controversial data center build planned in Oldham County. He succeeded in out-writing competition from "major publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and others," they add. He is the first Kentucky-based reporter to win the award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.

The CFINR judges praised Gerstner's reporting as remarkably fair and thorough. The Era reports, "The judges singled out the work for what is often hardest in small-market reporting: covering a contested local issue from start to finish without taking a side, and trusting the reader to understand the trade-offs."

Era and Local Publisher Jane Ashley Pace praised Gerstner's work as an example of the important part media can play in a community, saying, "Grant's coverage became a trusted source of information and proves why local newspapers like the Era are so important."

Gerstner graduated from South Oldham High School in 2019,  the Era reports. "He later joined the Era and Local in 2024 after graduating from the University of Louisville."

Gerstner told reporters, "Winning this award is the honor of a lifetime, and it is made all the sweeter by the fact that my reporting followed one of the largest issues in the history of my hometown."

June 1 is deadline for nominations for the Al Smith Award for public service through community journalism

Al Smith

The Bluegrass Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky seek nominations for the Al Smith Award by Monday, June 1. This honor is given annually for public service through community journalism over a lifetime by a native or resident of Kentucky, or someone who has spent a significant portion of his or her career in the state.

The award is named for its first recipient: Albert P. Smith Jr., who owned weekly newspapers in Kentucky and Tennessee and was the founding host of KET’s “Comment on Kentucky” and the main co-founder of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. He was chairman emeritus of its national advisory board when he died in 2021.

The award is based on news coverage and editorial leadership that serve community needs. Preference is given to journalists in smaller markets, to recognize restrictions that market size can place on the ability to provide outstanding public service through journalism. If a publisher or station owner is nominated, the judges may consider his or her civic service and the successful management of conflicts that can arise between journalistic, managerial, ownership, and civic roles.

Past winners of the Al Smith Award have been Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader; Bobbie Foust, a longtime fixture in West Kentucky journalism; Ben Gish and Sam Adams of The Mountain Eagle; Chris and Allison Evans of The Crittenden Press; WKMS News at Murray State University; Becky Barnes of the Cynthiana Democrat; David Thompson of the Kentucky Press Association; Stevie Lowery of The Lebanon Enterprise; Ryan Craig of the Todd County Standard and his late uncle Larry Craig of the Green River Republican; Sharon Burton of the Adair County Community Voice and The Farmer’s Pride; the late Carl West of The State Journal; Bill Bishop and Julie Ardery of the Daily Yonder; John Nelson and the late Max Heath of Landmark Community Newspapers, Jennifer P. Brown of Hoptown Chronicle; and Smith. More details can be found here. 

The award will be presented at the annual Al Smith Awards Dinner Oct. 22 at The Campbell House in Lexington. Nominations, supporting letters and sufficient documentation should be sent by Monday, June 1 to:

Al Smith Award SPJ Bluegrass Chapter 
123 West Todd Street 
Frankfort KY 40601-2825

Nominations may also be sent electronically to al.cross@uky.edu. For more information about Al Smith and the award see www.ruraljournalism.org or call Bluegrass SPJ Secretary Al Cross at 502-682-2848.

When reporters explore National Parks, stories and trails abound

A hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from California through Oregon to Washington state. (Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, Flickr Creative Commons via SEJ)

For journalists looking for a break from the grind, taking a National Park excursion might be an assignment worth requesting. "Tell your editor you have to do it for work," writes Joseph A. Davis for the Society of Environmental Journalists. "It doesn’t have to be a long hike, necessarily. But it’s a good way to meet other hikers to interview."

Before setting out, it's worth considering which kind of park your audience would find most interesting. Davis explains, "There are four kinds of national trails: scenic, historic, recreational and side trails. To be officially named historic or scenic, a specific stretch of trail must be designated by Congress."

Besides intriguing people stories that can be gleaned while hiking over hill and dale, regaling readers with the history of America's National Park system, which includes 1,300 trails, also provides good storytelling fodder. "It goes back to Daniel Boone, Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, really. Read Thoreau’s essay, 'Walking.'" Davis adds. "President Lyndon B. Johnson gets big credit for the enactment in 1968 of the National Trails System Act."

For community journalists ready to don their hiking gear, sunscreen and EPA-approved insect repellent, an adventure and several stories await. Story ideas by Davis are shared below:

• The system includes some long-distance trails, like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. Spend some time on the trails (or at a good shelter). Talk to day hikers and through hikers. Explore their culture. You may need to get a trail name.
• The system doesn’t just include hiking trails. Some are also meant for biking, paddling or historical tourism. Talk to biking and paddling groups about their experiences. The Harriet Tubman trail network on Maryland’s Eastern Shore includes a fine museum on the Underground Railroad.
• Trails are often maintained by local or regional volunteer groups, like the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Attend one of their maintenance events and talk to volunteers and organizers. Bring a shovel.
• Where the trail crosses a major road, there may be a handy grocery or ice cream store. Hang out there during the heat of the day and talk to hikers coming in. 
• Not all the great trails are in the system. Find the ones near you. For example, the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa pulls in riders from all over the United States. It’s hot in July, but there’s great support. 
• The Anacostia Water Trail is an officially designated part of the trail system. It’s short. But if you look … beyond, you will find it’s just one of many other (often nonfederal) water trails, which are a great way of exploring stories in your ecoregion.

Davis suggests these resources:

• Rails to Trails Conservancy: A nonprofit membership group that advocates conversion of abandoned rail rights of way into hiker and biker trails.
• American Hiking Society: A nonprofit membership and advocacy group whose members like to hike.
• National Park Service: The main agency coordinating the National Trails System. It has maps.
• State parks and recreation agencies: These usually manage state trails. Find yours in this directory.

Commentary: Why one journalist traded covering national news for a small-town newspaper in Big Sky Country

After he left a national media career to become editor of the Glasgow Courier in Glasgow, Montana, this journalist began to see his writing and the news differently, writes Skylar Baker-Jordan, reflecting in The Daily Yonder on his journey to a new career in the "middle of nowhere."

"Within my first few hours of being in Valley County, I learned people are hungry for local news. A new face in Glasgow, a town of 3,202 people, folks immediately asked what brought me, a born and bred Appalachian, to the high plains of Montana," Baker-Jordan writes.

Once Glasgow residents learned Baker-Jordan was the Courier's new editor, he was inundated with town gossip, juicy conflicts and events the paper needed to investigate. He writes, "That thirst for local news is not unique to Glasgow, but it is increasingly difficult to quench. . . More than 130 local papers ceased publication in the past year alone."

As smaller newspapers close, fewer towns can rely on local reporting, which the "middle of nowhere" towns need more than most. Baker-Jordan adds, "Moving here was my chance to use my talents in the service of a community that needed an editor to help its local paper avoid this fate."

Baker-Jordan didn't decide to switch careers in an instant, but over time, while he was working as an editor at 100 Days in Appalachia, a nonprofit newsroom managed by and for Appalachians. He writes, "Suddenly, I was writing about and reporting on regional matters I’d long overlooked, and the response was overwhelming. In my entire career, the most gratitude I received from readers – the highest volume of responses – was to stories I wrote about local and regional matters."

He began to think about his past journalistic efforts differently. Baker-Jordan explains, "The sheer vitriol of the partisan press began to make my screeds feel less like a righteous contribution to public discourse and more like the very thing eroding trust in media and our civic institutions writ large."

Baker-Jordan doesn't see his new editing gig or his town as lesser than his career in the bigger national news arena. He writes, "Small towns deserve to see themselves reflected and taken seriously every bit as much as large urban areas or Congress and Wall Street. They deserve reporters and editors who are dedicated to telling their stories, to establishing a public record of their history and people."

Tips and resources for reporting on crime data

The CDC has an active dashboard that maps death rates across the country 
by Census tract, county or state. (CDC map)

Tips from a recent webinar with three crime data experts, narrated by Clark Merrefield of The Journalist's Resource, can help local journalists report on crime trends, fact-check law enforcement, discuss policy, and foster a dialogue about community safety. An edited version of Merrefield's tips from the discussion is shared below.

Get to know The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub, which meets three major needs for crime data research and reporting:

• The help desk, where anyone "can ask questions of reporters and editors at The Trace," Merrefield writes. "Reach out for help understanding gun violence in the areas you cover; collecting, cleaning and analyzing data on gun violence."
• A resource page that houses fact sheets, guides, and a glossary, which can aid in investigations of all sizes.
• The data library for "trustworthy data on a range of gun violence topics, from ghost guns to suicide to road rage," Merrefield notes. "The library includes data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Transportation Security Administration and many others."

Explore data focused on public safety research and data:

• The WONDER database from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes numbers on gun deaths and compressed mortality data.
• The Gun Violence Archive, which "tracks gun violence incidents across the country from more than 7,500 sources, including law enforcement agencies and news media reports," Merrefield writes.
• The Mapping Police Violence provides up-to-date data on police-involved killings in the U.S. 
• The CDC dashboard, which maps violent death rates across the country by Census tract, county or state. 

 Learn which data can help you fact-check statements from public officials.

"Beyond published data on reported crimes, victimization surveys are a major source of crime data that journalists can use to vet statements from officials," Merrefield explains. "The best known is the National Crime Victimization Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. This survey each year reaches a nationally representative sample of roughly 240,000 people and asks whether they have been victims of personal or property crimes — and why the crime was or wasn’t reported to police."

To identify trends in a specific area, aim for at least 5 years of data.

If data doesn't make sense, question it. If it can't be verified, don't use it.

Merrefield's webinar panel experts included: Jeffrey A. Butts, a research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Executive Director of the John Jay Research and Evaluation Center; Mensah M. Dean, a staff writer at The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom that covers gun violence; and George LeVines, editor of The Trace’s Gun Violence Data Hub, which is open to the public. 

Spring is coming: Tips on exploring regional bird populations and what readers can do to help them rebound and thrive

The Kirtland's warbler was listed under the Endangered Species Act for more than 
50 years. (Photo by Joel Trick, Flickr Creative Commons, CC by 2.0 via SEJ)

Much of the steep decline in U.S bird populations since 1970 has been caused by human activity, which also means that human activity can reverse that trend. Local environmental journalists can uncover how people are harming birds and help readers learn how to help them recover. 

"If you look deeper into the causes of their decline, it will lead you to many other stories that are the bread and butter of environmental journalism: chemicals, land disturbance, local ecosystems and more. Also, insect decline," writes Joseph A. Davis for the Society for Environmental Journalists. 

As winter slowly slips into spring, bird populations will begin migrating again. Now is a good time to plan stories that explore how birds in your region are faring and provide readers with information that will help them enjoy the wonders of spring migration while supporting bird survival.

Davis provides the following information for journalists.   

Story ideas:

• What were the findings of the Christmas Bird Count in your area? They’re just out — find them here. Talk to local experts about the reasons for the decline of favorite species.
• Find out which migrating bird species go through your area. Where do they stop to rest or feed? What geographic features do they follow?
• Do your bird migrants fly at night? Weather radar images of bird migrations at night make for cool graphics. BirdCast is one good place to find them.
• What can homeowners do to help or hurt bird populations? Lawn chemicals? Native plants? Bird feeders (in my town, we call them cat feeders)?
• What are the ecological features that offer the best habitat and food to birds flying through your area? Coastal wetlands? Prairie potholes?
• How do birds sleep when they migrate? This Associated Press article is very suggestive.
• Are H5N1 bird flu or other diseases hurting the population of migrating birds in your area? Talk to wildlife biologists.
• What has the Trump administration done to strengthen or weaken the enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act?

Reporting resources:

• Cornell Lab: Cornell University’s Ornithology Laboratory is a treasured resource for anyone who wants to know more about birds.
• Merlin: This smartphone app goes anywhere with you and helps you identify birds, not only by their appearance but also by their songs and calls. Made by Cornell Lab. You need this app. Download it free here.
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: USFWS runs a fleet of some 570 wildlife refuges, many of which are rest stops for migrating birds. They often have interpretive staff or even bookstores.
• American Birding Association: Another membership association with local chapters. A good way to meet local birders.
• Local wildlife refuges: Beyond the national system, there are many state, local and private sector refuges which are open to the public. Talk to staff.
• State wildlife agencies: A good way to zero in on your particular area.
• Academic ornithology departments: The Wilson Ornithological Society has a nice list of serious ornithology programs.

For more about bird reporting, go to: TipSheets on how the simple backyard bird feeder can lift local environment reporting, and on declining bird populations, talking to birders and the problems of lead ammunition, plus a Reporter’s Toolbox on a bird migration explorer. Also, get the latest EJToday headlines about birds

Study: Gen Z journalists may be avoiding rural newsrooms

Some younger journalists worry that rural newsrooms
might be too conservative for them. (Adobe Stock photo)

Gen Z journalists may be steered away from rural newsrooms due to a lack of knowledge in jobs available, as well as concerns of salary, politics, social life and career advancement potential, according to a new study involving students in the United States and Canada.

To examine why students in their late teens to early 20s are not attracted to working in rural areas, journalism professor Teri Finneman of the University of Kansas and instructor Tyler Nagel of Southern Alberta Institute of Technology surveyed 183 of their local mass communication students to ask how they felt about the possibility of reporting in rural communities, writes Tandy Lau for E&P Magazine.

Shared below is a Q&A on why some students who were surveyed find reporting in rural areas to be unappealing and what newsrooms may be able to do to attract younger journalists.

Q: Why aren’t more journalist students aware of available jobs in rural areas?
A: Some journalism schools are only teaching their students about journalism at a national level and not providing the context of journalism at a rural level. Eighty percent of Kansas respondents said they had not been taught about rural journalism in their classes at all, so they didn’t know what jobs there are available.

Q: Why are students concerned about salary?
A: While rural newsrooms often have a lower cost of living, students still have financial concerns. The Kansas respondents said they face student debt while the Canadian respondents face a current housing crisis.

Q: Why might students be concerned about politics?
A: Kansas students, particularly those with diverse backgrounds, responded they fear not being welcomed in rural communities due to polarizing politics and rural areas leaning red.

Q: How can rural newsrooms combat concerns of a lack of social life and career advancement opportunities?
A: Communicating with young journalists still in school is key in opening rural opportunities for them. Modernizing job descriptions, communicating opportunities to grow into leadership roles, creating a network for young journalists to socialize, and incentivizing the possibility of taking over a rural paper are a few of the recommendations by Finneman and Nagel after conducting their study.

Quick hits: Yosemite's 'firefall' is coming; high school newsroom produces this town's paper; give blood before the storm; buying American

Yosemite's 'firefall' only happens once a year. 
(Photo by Leo Visions, Unsplash)

It's almost here, and it's not to be missed. "Every year from mid-to-late February, the setting sun hits Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall along the eastern edge of the soaring El Capitan at just the right angle, creating the illusion that the 1,575-foot waterfall is on fire," reports Lyndsey Matthews for Afar. This Yosemite National Park phenomenon, aka 'firefall,' is ultra-popular, and this year is expected to be even more crowded."

In rural Pulaski, Wisconsin, a high school newsroom has produced the area newspaper for the past 83 years. "Pulaski News remains the community’s primary news outlet, and high school students still staff the newsroom," reports Bob Sillick for Editor & Publisher. "Published every two weeks, Pulaski News is the product of Pulaski High School’s journalism course. . . The content of the 12- to 20-page newspaper is community-focused, sharing the information and news important to the local populace."

Americans who want to buy American-made goods may struggle to find them, but U.S. manufacturers are working to change that experience. "Right now, though, the Buy American movement faces stiff headwinds. Inflation has raised prices dramatically over the past five years, making cheap imports look all the more appealing," report Daniel de Visé and Veronica Bravo of USA Today. "Gallup polling suggests only about 40% of Americans consistently know where their toasters and T-shirts are made. . . American manufacturers want attitudes to change." USA Today includes a list of still-thriving U.S. manufacturers and where to find them.

Marty Durlin (Writers on the Range photo) 

For community journalists new to their rural community, covering local government may seem like an onerous evening beat. But as Marty Durlin shares, there's a lot to be learned from covering city councils in small-town America. "For the past year and a half, I’ve been reporting weekly on municipal government in three rural Western Colorado towns. . . .I’ve come to understand that the job of a council member is challenging and important. The task demands attention to detail and a grasp of everything from high finance and road repair to solutions for the unhoused. It’s also time-consuming and basically unpaid."  

Giving blood before a major weather event can
save lives. (Axios graphic)  

Milk, bread and blood are all in demand before blasts of snow, ice and bitterly cold temperatures hit the U.S. "The Red Cross said blood donations were already down 35% nationally in the past month and asked people to donate to boost the supply before the winter weather hits," reports April Rubin of Axios. "Extreme weather affected about 400 blood drives in December — more than three times the number during that same period in 2024."

Newsrooms in Kentucky discuss using artificial intelligence in local reporting

Marlowe's opinion on using AI to help with reporting 
has changed. (Photo by Lily Burris, WKMS)

News organizations in Western Kentucky are looking for ways to use artificial intelligence to improve reporting without sacrificing audience trust. 

Journalists at WKDZ, which is a part of Edge Media Group along with stations in Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Princeton and Elkton, are "figuring out how to integrate the newer technology into their workflow," reports Lily Burris of WKMS in Murray, Kentucky.

Edge Media Group’s CEO and owner, Beth Mann, told Burris, "AI is a technology that's changing. … We discuss AI every single day, and it is part of our conversation and training in all of our weekly meetings.”

Mann isn't alone in her search for the proverbial where, when, how and why of AI implementation in community reporting. Chris Evans, publisher and editor of the Crittenden Press in Crittenden County, regularly uses AI to get his job done. Burris reports, "A series of Associated Press webinars about AI usage in journalism made Evans feel more comfortable with the tool and helped him establish his 'guardrails.'"

Alex Mahadevan, director of the AI Innovation Lab at the Poynter Institute, "advises newsrooms on the ethics of implementing AI," Burris writes. "He said the big question in journalism is how much AI-generated content audiences should see and how to disclose when it’s used to maintain trust with them."

Over time, some reporters have changed their minds about using AI. "Edward Marlowe, a reporter at WKDZ since mid-2021, said two years ago he would’ve told someone it was out of the question if they’d asked him about AI. … Now [he] uses it for certain tasks," Burris adds. 

Evans thinks that as smaller news outlets get used to AI alongside their audiences, it may help local news services stay afloat. "Cost is a major factor in why Evans believes smaller newspapers could benefit from AI, especially those that can’t afford another employee," Burris adds. 

Data center developments offer plenty of community reporting opportunities

U.S. data center infrastructure, with the relationship between the data center locations, transmission infrastructure and fiber optic networks. (NREL map, click to enlarge)

While rural areas may receive an economic boost from data center development in their community, the sprawling energy and water needs that AI hubs require can impact an entire region.

Data centers are a "relatively new kind of industrial infrastructure that environmental journalists may want to pay attention to," writes Joseph A. Davis for the Society of Environmental Journalists.

In areas that experience extremes of heat or cold, power-hungry AI can strain local electrical grids that may already be struggling to meet daily demand for local businesses and homes.

In addition to energy-gobbling, data centers also require enormous amounts of fresh water. Many communities across the U.S. are grappling with ongoing droughts and depleted aquifers. A data center build could leave its community thirsty.

According to Davis, here are story ideas to consider and ways to gather information:

• Find the data center(s) nearest you. Ask the PR people for a tour. There are helpful maplike resources from the National Renewable Energy Labs, Datacenters.com and Visual Capitalist.
• What is the power situation in your data center region? Do you ever have brownouts or energy conservation requests during AC season? Talk to your nearby electric utilities about load management.
• What zoning and permits do your burgeoning data centers need in order to build and operate? Have they got all the approvals they need? Did local authorities make any concessions to usual rules? Tax breaks?
• Where does the cooling water for your local data center, if any, come from? Are permits needed? What happens to the water that is discharged, and what are the heat effects on aquatic systems?
• How many jobs will be created during the construction of the data center? How many jobs after it is operating? Can local people fill them?
• Is your planned data center creating its own power plants to operate? Are they fossil-fueled? Green-powered? Nuclear? What are the environmental consequences?

Reporting resources:

• Data Center Coalition: This trade and lobbying group calls itself “The Voice of the Data Center Industry.”
• Utility companies: Power for many data centers comes from local electric utilities. Check in with your local utilities to see what requirements they have imposed (or waived) for the data center. Here’s a starting list.
• Zoning or planning boards: Siting of industrial facilities often requires approval from such bodies, or city and county councils. Find out what actions are pending and go to the meetings.
• Public utility commissions: Every state has a PUC that regulates local utilities. Check in with your PUC to see if your data center meets requirements. Here’s a list.

Journalists can help rural communities by reporting on local drinking water data and quality

The EPA maintains the Safe Drinking Water Information System. Users can click on states or use search tools.

Rural communities need journalists who investigate and report on local and more regional drinking water issues, from tainted wells to water that runs brown and few people would voluntarily drink.

The Safe Drinking Water Information System is online, searchable and a place to start exploring area-specific data. SDWIS data is managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, writes Joseph A. Davis for the Society of Professional Journalists. Access SDWIS here.

The act requires more "public disclosure than almost any other environmental law. The data is all there (mostly), although SDWIS is not that easy to use," Davis explains. "It really helps if you know the official name of the drinking water system you are interested in."

U.S. water systems come in all sizes, and some regional water services have surprising regulations. Davis writes, "A Girl Scout summer camp’s well system may not even operate year-round. But it’s still a 'community water system' that must meet the act’s requirements."

For communities with more than 10,000 residents, the Consumer Confidence Report contains vital data. "It tells people whether the water meets standards (or doesn’t), and what the contaminants of concern are," Davis writes. Reporters may want to remind readers that not all contaminants are regulated.

Other tips include looking into lead and bacterial levels. Davis adds, "Groundtruth everything you can. Talk to water users and system operators instead of relying merely on data. Go to utility board meetings. Taste the water. Visit the source."

As the Trump administration pushes coal energy, now is a good time to report on coal ash

View of the 2008 Kingston, Tennessee, spill that prompted coal ash 
regulations. (Photo by  Brian Stansberry, Wikimedia CC)

Almost every state in the union has coal ash stored in ponds, landfills and mines that is likely leaching toxic heavy metals into groundwater and wells. Especially now that the Trump administration is busy promoting coal energy production, it's an opportune time for local reporting on the possible presence and handling of coal ash in readers' neighborhoods.

The unfortunate truth is that coal ash can be found in a lot of places. "There are some 700 to 1,425 massive dumps of coal ash," reports Joseph A. Davis for the Society of Environmental Journalists. "States and utilities are doing little or nothing to remedy the threat that it presents." 

What is coal ash? "When coal is burned, it produces several waste byproducts," Davis writes. "The fancy name for all of it is 'coal combustion residuals.' The common name is coal ash."

Where is it found? Any plant that produces electricity from coal would leave behind coal ash as a byproduct. Coal operators put coal ash in surface impoundments, also known as ponds, in on-site landfills, or some recycle it into usable materials.

Why is it a problem? Coal ash contains many toxic substances, especially heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, lead, and lithium. "It also contains radium, which is radioactive," Davis explains. Many coal operators have left piles of coal ash to fester and poison land and water sources.

What can be done about it? Cleaning up coal ash ponds can involve draining the surface water and capping the pond or entirely removing the ash from the pond to a lined landfill or for beneficial reuse (clean closure). Earthjustice provides a good resource document here.

Story ideas:

• How many coal ash disposal areas are there in your area? Are there coal ash sites not on an official list? Why not? Are utilities acknowledging clear responsibility for existing sites?
• Have any of the coal ash sites in your area been cleaned up to a nominal safety standard? Have they been moved to a landfill? Is it lined and capped? Safe from water? Is the new disposal site safer than the old one?
• What waters are near your area’s coal ash sites? Are the sites near a river, lake or estuary? Are they above an aquifer? Is that aquifer a drinking water source? Has anyone tested for water pollution and, if so, what were the findings?
• Historically, have there been pollution incidents in your area related to coal ash sites?
• What level of responsibility are states and utilities taking for stabilization, cleanup or maintenance of coal ash sites in your area?
• What do people in your state think about using coal ash in the concrete on local roads? Is it being done? Do people know about it?

Resources:

• Environmental Protection Agency: The EPA is the primary federal agency responsible for regulating and overseeing coal ash dumps to make them safer and less polluting.
• State environmental agencies: In some cases, the EPA has already devolved coal-ash cleanup responsibilities to state environmental agencies. See a list here.
• Earthjustice: This environmental advocacy and litigation group has for years specialized in coal ash, among other issues. The best source is Lisa Evans.
• American Coal Ash Association: An industry lobby group aimed mainly at lightening the coal ash regulatory burden on utilities and promoting the reuse of coal ash — and the idea that doing so is safe.

Reminder: Apply by Oct. 20 to host a journalist with support from Report for America

The deadline for newsrooms to apply to host a reporter with financial support from Report for America is Oct. 20. A sample application can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/4oLOt71

Report for America is an organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.

Host newsrooms receive the following benefits:

• A reporter committed to the newsroom for two years
• Half of the salary of the reporter will be paid during the first year and 33% of the salary the second year
• Training and mentoring for the reporter
• Assistance with fundraising to cover the newsroom’s portion of the reporter’s salary through Report for America’s Local News Sustainability Team
• Access to a network of other host newsrooms for collaboration

Reporting on Addiction launches hub for journalists covering opioid addictions, deaths and settlement dollars

As opioid settlement money continues to be divvied out to state and local governments, reporters can help their communities understand where the money is coming from and discern who and how their regional governments are spending it.

Reporting on Addiction, a collaborative project of the Opioid Policy Institute and 100 Days in Appalachia, provides reporters with an "Opioid Settlement Resource Hub" filled with robust story ideas and insights to use when covering the history, dollar amounts, tools and impact of opioid settlement funds in local communities.

For journalists looking to explain the history of opioids in the U.S. and the background of the settlements, the hub provides story angles and questions for reporters to consider, as well as examples from reliable news sources for context.

Once an audience knows more about how opioid addictions and overdose deaths negatively impacted their community and how settlement spending plans aim to spur recovery, journalists can create community-specific settlement tracking tools that serve as a valuable public resource. The hub provides links for numerous ways to investigate and report on settlement spending.

Is it working? Journalists can help their audiences measure if opioid settlement plans and spending are slowing the opioid crisis within their communities. Stories that evaluate the results and how plans evolve will become increasingly crucial as programs are implemented and more data becomes available.

Journalists at rural Alaska newspapers quit over abrupt corporate edits to Kirk story that upset a state politician

Photo by Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Independent

Four journalists resigned from newspapers in rural Alaska after the publications’ corporate owner made "significant edits to an article about Charlie Kirk’s death, appearing to yield to pressure from a Republican state lawmaker who had criticized the coverage," reports Neil Vigdor of The New York Times.

The journalists who worked for The Homer News, The Peninsula Clarion and The Juneau Empire, were all employed by Alabama-based Carpenter Media. The news staff issued a joint resignation letter, noting that they had not been consulted about the edits, and that without editorial independence, the company's integrity as a news source was compromised.

The story at issue "chronicled a Sept. 17 vigil in Homer, Alaska, for Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder and a right-wing ally of President Trump’s who was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University," Vigdor writes. In its second paragraph, the story "described Kirk as a a 'Christian-Nationalist icon' and defender of 'often racist and controversial views.'"

One of the vigil's organizers, Sarah Vance, a Republican state representative, took issue with the description of Kirk and wrote to the paper's corporate owners and "suggested that advertisers were planning to boycott the publications," Vigdor adds. The story then disappeared from online, only to reappear with numerous edits a few hours later.

In a statement, Carpenter Media Group said it altered the story because it did not meet company standards. Gregory Knight, an aide to Vance, "provided a statement from Vance saying that she did not expect her complaint to contribute to the resignations," Vigdor reports.

Reporter Bill Estep wins Al Smith Award for community journalism, recognizing 40 years of Appalachian stories

Bill Estep

Bill Estep, who chronicled the stories of Appalachian Kentucky and its communities for more than 40 years, is the 2025 winner of the Al Smith Award for public service through community journalism by a Kentuckian, given by the Bluegrass Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky.

Estep retired this summer from the Lexington Herald-Leader, which he joined in 1985 after working at the Tri-City News in Cumberland and the Commonwealth-Journal in his hometown of Somerset. He spent most of his career covering Appalachian Kentucky, but was also a projects reporter and Frankfort Bureau chief. He worked on the Herald-Leader series “Cheating Our Children,” which helped lead to the Kentucky Education Reform Act; “Prescription for Pain,” which led to stronger anti-drug efforts in Appalachian Kentucky; and “Fifty Years of Night,” a 2012 look at the region in the 50 years since Harry M. Caudill published "Night Comes to the Cumberlands." 

The Herald-Leader’s Linda Blackford, who worked with Estep and John Cheves on the “Night” series, noted “Bill’s kind, patient, laconic way of asking questions, and truly listening to the answers. Thousands of Kentuckians trusted him with those stories because they recognized he was one of them.” His work also won praise from Gov. Andy Beshear, who said “Bill dedicated his storied career to lifting up the voices of his neighbors.” State Senate President Robert Stivers of Manchester praised his fair, factual reporting and said, “I consider him the Walter Cronkite of Kentucky.”

The Al Smith Award is named for the late Albert P. Smith Jr., who was the driving force for creation of the Institute for Rural Journalism, headed its advisory board and was its chair emeritus until his death in 2021. He published newspapers in Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, was founding producer and host of KET’s “Comment on Kentucky,” and federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. He was the first winner of the award in 2011.

SPJ Bluegrass Chapter Secretary Al Cross said many journalists might not think a reporter for a metropolitan newspaper could be a community journalist, but Estep was. “Community journalism has been called ‘relationship journalism,’ in which you rely on closer ties to subjects and sources than the typical practitioner of metropolitan journalism,” said Cross, who was founding director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and a regional and political reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal. “You may not be a resident of their communities, but you want to be seen as a friendly neighbor, or at least a friendly acquaintance. You care about them, their communities, and their reactions to your reporting, writing and presentation in much the same way as their local community journalists do – if you are doing the job right. Bill is the best I’ve ever known at that.”

Institute Director Benjy Hamm said, "For decades, Bill Estep incorporated the best qualities of a community journalist into his work at the Herald-Leader. His powerful reporting has changed laws, lives and communities – all for the better."

“He’s been the voice for a community of communities that is often overlooked or even ignored nationally,” said Peter Baniak, former executive editor of the Herald-Leader. “He’s told stories that matter for an entire region and its people, and he’s told them with great care, empathy and honesty that news coverage – especially national news coverage – of the region often lacks. Time and again over the course of 40 years, his thoughtful, fearless on-the ground reporting in this region has made a difference and led to change. And his care, compassion and passion in doing his job has earned the trust of both readers and the people he’s covered, regardless of their politics or position in life.”

Herald-Leader Editor Rick Green, a former editor of the Courier-Journal, said of Estep, “He was a journalistic treasure, someone who knew the heartbeat of the commonwealth didn't emanate from the large cities of Lexington or Louisville.”

Estep, 65, still lives in his native Pulaski County. He is a 1982 journalism graduate of Western Kentucky University. When he retired, he said that he had seen many changes in journalism, but “What hasn’t changed is the mission. I see that as finding good stories, helping people understand what’s happening in their world, including what their government is doing for and to them, and holding power accountable — and doing all of it fairly, accurately and thoroughly.”

Estep will be honored at the annual Al Smith Awards Dinner Nov. 13 at The Campbell House in Lexington. He will be joined by Lisa Stayton of Inez, owner and co-publisher of The Mountain Citizen, the 2025 winner of the Institute’s national Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, tenacity and integrity in rural journalism, along with winners of chapter scholarships. The keynote speaker will be Dee Davis, president of the Whitesburg-based Center for Rural Strategies.

Besides Smith, previous winners of the Smith Award, and their affiliations at the time, are:

2012: Jennifer P. Brown, Kentucky New Era; and Max Heath, Landmark Community Newspapers
2013: John Nelson, Danville Advocate-Messenger
2014: Bill Bishop and Julie Ardery, The Daily Yonder 
2015: Carl West, The (Frankfort) State Journal 
2016: Sharon Burton, Adair County Community Voice and The Farmer’s Pride 
2017: Ryan Craig, Todd County Standard, and the late Larry Craig, Green River Republican 
2018: Stevie Lowery, The Lebanon Enterprise 
2019: David Thompson, Kentucky Press Association 
2020: Becky Barnes, The Cynthiana Democrat 
2021: WKMS News, Murray State University 
2022: Chris and Allison Evans, The Crittenden Press 
2023: Ben Gish and Sam Adams, The Mountain Eagle 
2024: Bobbie Foust, The Lake News, Calvert City 

Apply by Oct. 20 to host a journalist with support from Report for America

Applications to receive support for a reporter for your local news organization through Report for America will open on Sept. 15. 

Report for America is an organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. 

The deadline for newspapers to apply to host a reporter is Oct. 20. You may review a sample application here: http://bit.ly/4oLOt71  

Host newsrooms receive the following benefits: 

• A reporter committed to the newsroom for two years 
• Half of the salary of the reporter will be paid during the first year and 33% of the salary the second year 
• Training and mentoring for the reporter 
• Assistance with fundraising to cover the newsroom’s portion of the reporter’s salary through Report for America’s Local News Sustainability Team 
• Access to a network of other host newsrooms for collaboration

Questions can be directed to recruitment@reportforamerica.org.

Local journalists who cover community planning can use EPA's 'Walkability Index' to help with stories

Visitors to wine and water tourist-haven Door County, Wis., might be surprised that the county has few sidewalks, which leaves the area with below-average walkability scores (in yellow and orange). Click to enlarge.

When local officials include walkability in their community plans, it benefits the environment, local businesses and residents. It's also an important factor for journalists to understand and explore.

To help measure walkability, the Environmental Protection Agency offers a National Walkability Index for "zoning boards, planners and public works departments [and] the reporters who cover them," reports Joseph A. Davis for the Society of Environmental Journalists. Access the index here.

The EPA's tool uses high-quality data, and "It’s mapped," Davis adds. "There’s an intuitive, searchable, zoomable online map product with an easy-to-use, fast interface."

Walkability ratings include things such as "sidewalks, crossings, transit stops, etc. Ultimately, these things are drawn from the EPA’s Smart Location Mapping database," Davis writes. "The EPA sorts places into rural, suburban, urban and downtown."

This database can help journalists report on what planners refer to as the "built environment," Davis reports. "Walkability requires good local government decisions and adequate local resources. That means money. . . . A lot of local government decisions and resources go into walkability."

Uncovering your community's walkability data is just the beginning of a story. "You still have to talk to people on the street, … er, sidewalk," Davis adds. "As always, check and groundtruth everything you can."

A virtual chat on Sept. 17 will explain how journalists can track and report on opioid settlement fund spending

As part of its mission to help journalists cover opioid lawsuit settlement fund spending in their communities, Reporting on Addiction will host a virtual chat with Mississippi Today’s Allen Siegler and Kate Royals on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. EST. 

Interested journalists can register here.

During the 30-minute session, Siegler and Royals will discuss:

• How to explain settlement spending with audiences that need specific and clear details on why opioid spending is vitally important to the future health of their communities.
• Outline how they work together -- as reporter and editor -- to shape stories that include complex public health and financial information that readers understand and find engaging.
• Tips on how to pitch accountability stories that get approved.

Siegler is Mississippi Today’s mental health reporter. He has reported on public health for nonprofit newsrooms such as Mountain State Spotlight, an investigative outlet in West Virginia, and Healthbeat, a startup with bureaus in Atlanta and New York City. He holds a master of public health degree.

Royals became Mississippi Today’s managing editor in June. She previously served as the newsroom’s community health editor. Under her leadership, the health team won the 2023 Bill Minor Prize for Investigative Reporting for its series “Shaky Science, Fractured Families,” which she co-reported.

Reporting on Addiction is a collaborative movement staffed by media professionals working to decrease addiction stigmas by sharing leading practices for covering all types of addiction.

Illinois publisher closes newspapers in five states, leaving some towns as 'news deserts'

The Brookings Register was the area's last local news source. 

Update: "Recently shuttered newspapers across Wyoming and South Dakota are set to publish again, after buyers stepped up within days to prevent the rural communities from becoming 'news deserts,' where little or no local media remains," reports Sarah Raza of The Associated Press. 

As of last week, 31 communities in the Midwest and the West no longer have a newspaper. "News Media Corp., which owns local newspapers across five states, said it will close 14 operations in Wyoming, seven in Illinois, five in Arizona, four in South Dakota and one in Nebraska," report Sarah Raza and Jack Dura of The Associated Press.

While newspapers have closed all around the United States, when a rural area loses its only local news source, the void is unlikely to be replaced by another paper or online publication. "The U.S. has lost over one-third of its print newspapers and two-thirds of its newspaper journalists since 2004," Raza and Dura explain. "NMC’s closure affects longtime newspapers that were often the primary source of news in numerous small towns, worsening the problem of news deserts in rural areas."

The company's CEO, J.J. Tompkins, listed the current financial woes of the news industry alongside a failed bid to sell the company as the reason for the sudden closures. "Hundreds of employees were terminated immediately, and Tompkins wrote that the company will make 'reasonable efforts to pay you all remaining compensation you have earned,'" Raza and Dura write. Even upper management at many of the papers told AP they did not see the closure coming.

The Brookings Register in South Dakota was the town's last news source. The town's mayor said "the closure of his town’s newspaper 'absolutely' leaves a big hole in the community," AP reports. "He liked the newspaper’s commentary for fostering conversations. The reporters did a great job telling readers what was going on in Brookings, a city of about 25,000 people."