Ouray County Plaindealer newspaper - Ridgway - Report for America

Description

The Ouray County Plaindealer is a weekly newspaper in operation since 1877, making it one of the oldest newspapers in Colorado. It serves the rural mountains in the southwestern part of the state, in a county that would otherwise be a news desert. The Plaindealer's readership is engaged and supportive - they've donated to keep a Report for America corps member reporting here since 2020. The paper has a reputation for hard-hitting accountability journalism and punching above its weight. The newsroom has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple honors for public service and investigative reporting, holding power to account and demanding transparency.

The Plaindealer's co-publishers, a couple who bought the newspaper in April 2019, are longtime Colorado journalists who left the largest newspaper in the western half of the state to purchase the weekly and invest in quality journalism. They believe that even small, rural places deserve quality reporting.
They've kept reporting even when their work has attracted criticism and resulted in their newspapers being stolen, in response to a story about an alleged sex assault at a former police chief's home.

Rural mountain communities in western Colorado are on the frontlines of environmental challenges. A deepening drought fuels more frequent, intense wildfires, leaving property owners to pay higher insurance costs or unable to obtain policies. The winter tourism economy is no longer able to reliably depend on cold temperatures and deep snowpack. Conflicts have increased over managing public lands after federal funding cuts. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg on the rich variety of stories covered by this beat. The position will include local reporting as well as contributing to projects for High Country News, through the new Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative partnership.

Salary and Benefits: $42,000-$50,000

Benefits include two weeks paid vacation, one week sick time, company-provided cell phone (if desired) and computer. Health insurance stipend provided, and matching 401k with profit sharing eligibility after one year of employment.

Moving Stipend: We are able to provide up to $500 moving stipend with receipts.

Skills: Writing, Photography

This position is sponsored by Report for America, a national service program that places early-career and experienced journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of Report Local, a nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to strengthening local journalism across the U.s. and around the world.

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