Filling in News Deserts: A Local Public Radio Reporter Keeps Cortez Informed

Local journalism is in crisis. Across the Mountain West and country, local publications are closing, creating news deserts—places that have limited access to reliable local news and information—in many rural communities. The closure of the Four Corners Free Press, an award-winning independent community newspaper, sent shockwaves through Cortez, leaving other local journalists to try to fill the hole left by the newspaper’s absence. Staff at KSJD, Cortez’s community radio station, came up with a solution to ensure that Cortez residents could continue to find local in-depth news: hire a part-time reporter. LOR’s funding will help KSJD hire a local journalist to create digital and on-air news stories, keeping residents informed about local government, education, politics, and public safety.