Join the WMRA Freelance Corps!
Sustainability Matters
Do you have journalism experience you'd like to put to work researching, reporting, and relaying local news stories with accuracy and context to local NPR listeners?
Apply to join the ranks of our freelance reporters!
Send a brief introduction and a few examples of your published work to Assistant News Editor, Randi B. Hagi (hagirb@jmu.edu) to be considered and learn more about our freelancer program.
We pay per-story for original, local, fact-checked radio pieces that illuminate the region's current events for our listeners.
Recent stories from our freelance reporters
-
It’s not your father’s weed. Today’s hemp products can be much more potent than allowed under the law. What guardrails are in place, and what’s left up to chance? WMRA’s Sara Prince examined a legal Virginia hemp product with the help of an independent lab, and filed this report. -
Sen. Mark Warner talked about affordable housing, healthcare and artificial intelligence with local residents during a tour through the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia last week. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi and Omega Ilijevich teamed up to cover the trip and filed this report. -
A new report from Virginia’s Joint Commission on Health Care identifies Bath Community Hospital as one of 13 rural hospitals in Virginia considered at risk of closure. The report comes as hospitals across the country grapple with workforce shortages, rising costs, federal funding cuts, and changing patterns in how patients receive care. WMRA's Anjoleigh Schindler reports. -
The Harrisonburg City Council surprised a packed council chamber Tuesday evening by announcing it will remove Flock cameras in Harrisonburg. WMRA’s Bridget Manley reports. -
A Harrisonburg line dancing club has seen an influx of young attendees in recent years. WMRA’s Omega Ilijevich reports. -
Despite some recent rain, Virginia remains in a drought—the latest insult for vineyards where grape crops were crushed by an early freeze followed by extreme temperatures. WMRA’s Christine Kueter reports. -
This summer, eligible Virginia families will receive SUN Bucks, a grocery benefit designed to help feed children when school is out of session. At some farmers markets, those dollars can stretch even further. WMRA's Anjoleigh Schindler reports. -
A Charlottesville coalition says it has raised more than $28,000 to provide grocery gift cards to immigrant families facing food insecurity. WMRA’s Anjoleigh Schindler reports. -
In downtown Staunton, residents from Valley Supportive Housing have formed a small community around giving back. WMRA’s Omega Ilijevich reports. -
It’s illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption in Virginia. But those who get it through herd shares—funding the care and feeding of cows on farms where it’s produced—say it’s worth the trouble, even as nutrition scientists warn “drink at your own risk.” WMRA’s Christine Kueter digs in.
