Taking power back – 100 Days in Appalachia is seeking West Virginians who want to share their stories

BY JAKE LYNCH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EDITOR, 100 DAYS IN APPALACHIA

100 Days in Appalachia, the media organization based at West Virginia University, is looking for people from all over Appalachia interested in talking to national news outlets about life in their community and the issues that are important to them.

Ahead of the 2020 election we are bringing together, for the first time, a group of Appalachian people of all backgrounds and walks of life that will help the rest of America better understand what is really happening here.

We’re calling it the “Appalachian Advisors Network,” and our goal is to help national and international news outlets better understand what is happening in your communities.

Visit www.100daysinappalachia.com/2019/10/13/appalachian-advisors-network/ to learn more.

By their own admission, America’s major national news outlets did a terrible job of understanding and reporting on what was happening in Appalachia and how the people here feeling ahead of the 2016 election.

After the election, there was a lot of earnest remorse and promises to do better. But by and large newsrooms on the east and west coast, and overseas, have done very little since then to actually improve their reporting on Appalachia.

So, we’re going to help them.

We’re not looking for Mayors and CEOs and the kinds of people that journalists usually contact for comment.

We’re looking for workers, grandparents, students, volunteers – the people that don’t usually get a chance to shape media coverage of a community but whose feelings and insights are an important representation of that community.

Participants will receive a small stipend.

By being a part of the Appalachian Advisory Network you’ll help make sure that our national media doesn’t just cover this region with lazy stereotypes and assumptions.

You’ll be able to speak to reporters and tell them what’s really happening on your streets and in your communities, who you are and what you feel about your state and your country and all those big questions that we aren’t always asked, here.

If you’re interested, visit www.100daysinappalachia.com/2019/10/13/appalachian-advisors-network/ to learn more and submit your name.

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Jake Lynch is a Community Engagement Editor for 100 Days in Appalachia.