Presented by The Rural Assembly and the Daily Yonder, the Rural Journalism Collective is open to everyone working in, or simply interested in, rural journalism. Our aim is to network, talk shop, share ideas, and uplift excellent work.
Watch past events
Reporting on Contentious Issues in Rural Communities
Reporting on Contentious Issues in Rural Communities, recorded Dec. 12, 2024, features a discussion of the challenges + opportunities of covering tough issues in rural communities. Presented by The Rural Assembly and the Daily Yonder, the Rural Journalism Collective is open to everyone working in, or simply interested in, rural journalism. Our aim is to network, talk shop, share ideas, and uplift excellent work. About this discussion In a presidential election year, media attention is often focused on contentious issues as they play out on the national stage. This can lead to sweeping generalizations around the way rural communities feel about issues such as abortion access, natural resource management, school choice, even the programming at their public libraries. However, rural sentiments – and the conflicts that happen within rural communities – are often more nuanced than national narratives suggest.
Panelists include
• Nicholas Jacobs is an Assistant Professor of Government at Colby College. He is an expert on American politics and policymaking and has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics including American presidency, school segregation, tax reform, and economic inequity. He is one of the country’s leading experts on the rural-urban divide, federalism, and developments in the American party system. His latest book, Subverting the Republic: Donald J. Trump and the American Presidency, will be published in February 2025.
• Sarah Melotte is a staff writer at the Daily Yonder, an independent newsroom about rural America. Mellotte started at the Yonder as a rural reporting fellow in 2021 while earning a master’s degree in applied geography and geospatial science. She now use her spatial analytical skills to do most of the Daily Yonder’s data reporting, map making, and data graphics.
• Natalia Alamdari is the Greater Nebraska reporter at the Flatwater Free Press, where she writes about all things rural. She covers everything from chaos on rural village boards to shady international nonprofits to election misinformation efforts straight from the heartland. Before moving to Nebraska, she covered education at the Delaware News Journal. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and a native Texan.
Election Year Reporting
Rural voters are surrounded by a particular mythos in American politics, especially during an election year. Often, intentionally or not, their stories get muddled by the media. This conversation touches on how journalists can tell more accurate stories about rural voters with panelists Dee Davis; president of the Center for Rural Strategies, Pauly Denetclaw, political correspondent for ICT; and Cathy Darling Allen, registrar of voters and Shasta County clerk in rural California. Our panelists discuss voter polling conducted by the Center for Rural Strategies, Native and Indigenous voters, and how journalists can support rural poll workers with their reporting, among other things.
Rural Data: Telling Stories with Numbers
Rural datasets can be difficult to find and even more difficult to analyze. But utilizing data in telling rural stories is a great way to interrogate, and disprove, widespread misconceptions about rural America. Join a panel of rural-focused reporters and editors as we talk about where the heck to get rural data, the relationship between datasets and story ideation, and review some of our favorite data stories. Panelists include Daily Yonder Editor Tim Marema, Daily Yonder Data Correspondent Sarah Melotte, and Dr. Megan Lawson of Headwaters Economics.
Resources
- Economic Profile System, Headwaters Economics
- Rural Capacity Map, Headwaters Economics
- Dataset guide created by Sarah Melotte
Unpacking Food and Ag Reporting
Journalists Chris Clayton, ag policy editor for Progressive Farmer; Claire Carlson, staff correspondent at the Daily Yonder; and Tom Philpott, former food and ag correspondent for Mother Jones. discuss food and ag policy, journalism, and advocacy, and answer questions from participants.
Covering Rural Education
Hear from national higher education reporter Nick Fouriezos, Daily Yonder digital editor Caroline Carlson, and Alan Richard, former education reporter and current news manager for the Southern Regional Education Board as they discuss news coverage of rural higher ed and K-12.
Reporting on Rural: The How and Why
This discussion dives into how we’re looking at rural data, what we’ve been working on lately, and how we assess rural stories, among other things. Featured panelists: Tim Marema — Editor, the Daily Yonder, Pamela Dempsey — Executive Director, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting Terrence Williams — President and Chief Operating Officer, The Keene Sentinel Moderated by Caroline Carlson — Digital Editor, the Daily Yonder.
Recorded live at the Rural Assembly Rural Women Everywhere virtual event, our panelists talk about the benefits and challenges facing women working as journalists in rural communities. The conversation features Daily Yonder contributor Kristi Eaton, Daily Yonder contributor Liz Carey, Daily Yonder multimedia correspondent Xandr Brown, and Daily Yonder Digital Editor Caroline Carlson.
Have questions about the Rural Journalism Collective or suggestions for future discussions? Send us a note!