The quality of drinking water in communities around the region.
How local municipalities face growing environmental threats like PFAS.
The maintenance and replacement cost of water infrastructure.
Findings from research into the health effects of contaminated water.
And how all of these challenges and other threats to safe drinking water are impacting the daily lives of the residents, politics and economy of the Great Lakes region.
Expect even more coverage of these issues from Great Lakes Now when a Report for America journalist joins our team in 2020. GLN, an initiative of Detroit Public TV, was chosen after a national application process for media outlets, Report for America announced this week.
Part of The Ground Truth Project, a nonprofit media organization, Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms around the country to report on under-covered issues and communities. Pulling what it considers the best elements from AmeriCorps, Teach for America and the Peace Corps, Report for America provides half the cost of the reporter’s annual salary and the local news organization and its donors fund the rest.
“We are honored to have been selected for funding in this national competition,” said Rich Homberg, president and CEO of Detroit Public TV. “It demonstrates the depth, integrity and impact of the work of our journalists in their coverage of public affairs and environmental issues. Under the leadership of Ed Moore, our associate vice president of content, their reporting is receiving increased national recognition and, more importantly, having an impact on the communities we serve. I can guarantee that we will put this money to good use in the service of the public and journalism.”
The Great Lakes Now reporter will begin in mid 2020 after a national selection process. The reporter’s work will appear on the GreatLakesNow.org news website and contribute to the monthly television program, which has been broadcast on 14 PBS affiliates in the region in just its first nine episodes.
“We’ve been steadily growing our journalism in 2019 with the addition of The Associated Press wire service and new writers whose work appears on our website,” said GLN News Director Natasha Blakely. “Having a full-time reporter to research and write enterprise stories about these crucial drinking water issues in the Great Lakes region will help us provide our audiences with even more news about issues that are so important in our daily lives.”
Detroit Public TV will have a second reporter for the One Detroit program who will focus on early childhood education.
How to Apply
The deadline for applications is January 31, 2020.
Program information can be found at https://www.reportforamerica.org/application/
The reporter application can be found at https://www.journalismjobs.com/1657007-detroit-public-television-reporter-detroit-public-television
Questions about the position can be directed to Great Lakes Now program director Sandra Svoboda –ssvoboda@dptv.org – or to Report for America at https://www.reportforamerica.org/contact-us/.
Here is some of Great Lakes Now’s work into threats to drinking water:
“The Forever Chemicals” documentary
“Waters Infected” from Episode 1007
“PFAS in Ann Arbor” from Episode 1001
Future water options for Joliet, Illinois, cost $300 million to $1 billion
Low on the List: How did the Great Lakes fare and feature in Canada’s 2019 federal election?
