Matthew Hancock

Us & Them: West Virginia’s News Deserts — With No Government Watchdog Civic Engagement Plummets

Every week, more than two newspapers close in the United States, leaving whole communities without local coverage. In West Virginia, 43 of 55 counties have just one news source — or none at all. In the next Us & Them, Trey Kay visits communities on the verge of becoming news deserts to see how they’re fighting to keep their stories alive, from the long-standing Hurricane Breeze to a new startup in Greenbrier County.

Continue Reading Take Me to More News

Us & Them Encore: Another Small Town Paper Down

Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability because no one is there to watch over things. When local news sources vanish, a community can also lose its sense of cohesion and identity. This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. This story was also honored with a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best News Documentary and by the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters for Best Documentary.

Continue Reading Take Me to More News

Us & Them Encore: The Geography Of Abortion

State borders are now all important in determining access to abortion. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, West Virginia’s only abortion clinic has moved across the border to Maryland to continue providing abortions. This Us & Them episode was recently honored by the Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters as Best Podcast of 2024.

Continue Reading Take Me to More News

Us & Them: We The People [But Not So Much] Women

Many assume the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal rights for all, but its authors didn’t seem to envision women as part of "We the people." On the next episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay speaks with law professor Jill Hasday, whose new book We the Men argues that women are systematically forgotten in America’s founding stories—and that exclusion has powerful symbolic and emotional consequences.

Continue Reading Take Me to More News
Load More Articles

More West Virginia News