North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Public Radio is enhancing its climate change coverage with the hiring of Katie Myers through a collaboration with Grist. Myers will focus on the environmental, cultural, and economic impacts of transitioning fossil fuel communities.
Based in Tennessee, Myers was most recently a climate solutions reporting fellow at Grist, a climate-change-focused news outlet. She has an extensive background in reporting on the Appalachian region, contributing to a variety of publications such as Belt Magazine, Scalawag, and Inside Appalachia.
Her prior experience also includes roles at West Virginia Public Broadcasting and WMMT 88.7 FM in eastern Kentucky. Myers is a recipient of several fellowships, including those from the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the Society for Environmental Journalists. This hire is part of Grist’s Local News Initiative, which seeks to expand localized climate reporting across the US. Myers joins other Grist reporters stationed in Georgia, Michigan, and Illinois.
BPR News Director Laura Lee said, “BPR is proud to partner with Grist to bring more climate coverage to the region. We are especially excited to have Katie join the team, because her prior work provides a strong foundation for the important stories about the effects of climate change in western North Carolina.”
Myers commented, “I’m so excited to bring my climate reporting closer to home, provide vital climate information to mountain communities, and share stories of our region’s unique biodiversity and climate vulnerability with national audiences.”
Grist Executive Editor Katherine Bagley noted, “Katie brings an unmatched thoughtfulness and nuance to her reporting. We’re thrilled to hire her for this role, and to support expanded climate reporting in a region being deeply impacted by worsening extreme weather, the energy transition, ecological shifts, and economic and social inequities.”
