In Oregon, employment in the newspaper industry has fallen nearly 80% since 2000, according to OPB reporting. 

And when communities lose journalists, information gaps can be exploited. The Ashland Daily Tidings closed in 2023, and the newspaper’s website was later invaded by artificial intelligence. 

When a community loses a local newsroom, residents have fewer places to turn to for regional news that keeps them informed. Report for America is a nonprofit that places journalists in newsrooms across the U.S. to cover under-reported issues in communities, especially in rural areas.  

Danielle Dawson is a collaborative investigative reporter for InvestigateWest and she’s based in Bend. Simmerdeep Kaur reports for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin and covers the effects of federal policy on health and childcare access in southeast Washington. Alexander Banks reports for the Yakima Herald-Republic and covers education gaps in the Yakima Valley with a focus on solutions. And Alex Frick is a roving rural reporter covering peninsula communities for The Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader in Washington. 

They join us with details of their reporting and how their work affects people living in the Pacific Northwest.