The Spokesman-Review hires James Hanlon to cover rural counties through Report for America program

The Spokesman-Critique is happy to introduce James Hanlon as our new Report for The us corps member.

Commencing next thirty day period, Hanlon will sign up for the news workforce to report on troubles of value to rural Japanese Washington and North Idaho. Hanlon formerly documented for the Oxford Chief in Oxford, Michigan, and his work has appeared in the Kyoto Journal Tokyo Cheapo, a traveler’s guide to Tokyo and the East-West Center’s Asia Issues for The united states.

“Telling the stories that need to be advised that aren’t remaining advised is one particular of the most effective attributes of a fantastic nearby newspaper. With each and every newsroom place we’ve been given by Report For The us, that is specifically what we have been able to do: explain to the untold tales,” Spokesman-Evaluate Editor Rob Curley stated. “What will make this new position so fascinating for us is that now we can concentration far more on acquiring tales in the counties all around us that require to be found.”

Hanlon’s defeat will be geographically huge and topically deep. He will include breaking information and options and investigative stories in counties such as Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Whitman, Bonner and Boundary.

Hanlon is The Spokesman-Review’s fourth Report for America corps member, and will be a part of 3rd-year authorities reporters Laurel Demkovich, primarily based in Olympia, and Orion Donovan-Smith, our Washington, D.C., correspondent.

“When you seem at James’ history and the types of tales he’s been equipped to explain to, you know he’s going to be a fantastic match in this new position,” Curley explained. “He will be there for the huge breaking tales and the significant appears to be like at nearby authorities, but it’s all of the other intriguing points and persons in these places that definitely make this purpose these kinds of a wonderful healthy with our newspaper and its mission.”

This 12 months, the Report for America reporting corps will selection 300 journalists, which consists of those returning for their second and third years. They be a part of more than 200 regional news functions in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.

“Report for The us delivers a distinctive prospect for journalists to go after meaningful, neighborhood conquer reporting that sadly is lacking from a lot of of today’s newsrooms,” explained Earl Johnson, director of admissions at Report for The us, in a news release. “Together, our emerging and knowledgeable corps users will create tens of hundreds of content articles on critically undercovered subject areas – educational institutions, federal government, health care, the setting, communities of color and far more.”

Report for America is a countrywide provider plan that areas journalists into regional newsrooms to report on undercovered challenges and communities. It is an initiative of the GroundTruth Undertaking, a nonprofit journalism corporation.

Rural protection is a certain spot of emphasis for Report for The usa this 12 months. Kim Kleman, senior vice president of Report for America, advised The Spokesman-Evaluation in December that a quarter of newsrooms supported by the group in 2022-23 will be in rural places or will have rural beats.

Report for The us pays for 50 % of a reporter’s wage the 1st calendar year and a scaled-down proportion in the second calendar year. The plan in some cases gives funding in a third year. The target is for a information group to fund the placement on its possess soon after Report for America’s monetary guidance ends.

The reporting of Hanlon, Demkovich and Donovan-Smith is built possible by generous donations from local community members. You can help their reporting by checking out spokesman.com/thanks to subscribe or make a donation.