Two journalists will continue Ledger-Enquirer COVID coverage as part of nonprofit partnership
.png "Brittany McGee, left, and Madeleine Cook will cover coronavirus for the Ledger-Enquirer through nonprofit journalism program Report for America.")
One new journalist will soon join the Ledger-Enquirer and another is continuing a second year at the newspaper through the national Report for America program.
Brittany McGee (a first-year RFA reporter) and Madeleine Cook (now in her second year at the newspaper) will cover coronavirus impacts on Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley, to include topics like economic recovery, local business, health, vaccine distribution, government spending, inequities and more.
The contracts run from June 1, 2021 to June 1, 2022 with the option to renew for another year.
The Ledger-Enquirer first entered into the Report for America program in 2020 thanks to funding via the Local News and Information Fund at the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley. That funding will continue through year two of the program.
Report for America is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit news organization.
The program pays for half of the salary of first year reporters and one-third of the salary for second year reporters. The Local News and Information Fund will fund more than half of this partnership, and the Ledger-Enquirer will fundraise the remaining portion.
Those wanting to support the Ledger-Enquirer’s reporting team can donate through Report for America.
Cook and Adrienne Underwood, the Ledger-Enquirer’s first RFA journalists, brought crucial coronavirus coverage to the community over the past year. The duo analyzed data, featured local businesses finding success through the pandemic, and broke down complex news cycles into easy to understand guides.
Cook, a visual journalist and Georgia native, joined the Ledger-Enquirer from the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. She produces videos and photographs, as well as occasional articles. In addition to COVID-19 reporting, she covered political rallies for former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, crafted photo essays, and reported on local elections.
McGee is a graduate of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. She has multiple years of experience at the university’s student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, in roles like assistant editor (city & state), reporter, copy editor and Co-Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Officer. She was born and raised in Arkansas.
The Community Foundation is a tax-exempt, nonprofit, publicly-supported philanthropic organization with the goal of building funds for long term benefit of the Chattahoochee Valley community. The foundation has over 300 separate funds and acts as a 501(c)3 umbrella to provide back office support for the charitable work of those funds.
Like any other reader, the Community Foundation can provide story ideas and feedback, but all editorial decisions are made by Ledger-Enquirer leadership.
Anyone can donate to the Community Foundation’s Local News and Information Fund to help support strong local journalism in the community. For more information, visit the Community Foundation website at www.cfcv.com.
