WHQR Public Media Reporter

WHQR is a publicly funded nonprofit radio newsroom serving the Cape Fear Region of North Carolina. As WHQR’s newsroom, we are dedicated to fair, in-depth, investigative journalism aimed at holding local government accountable. While our radio waves extend beyond the county we’re housed in, our coverage historically has not gone as far out into rural areas. We aim to change that, and bring our caliber of watchdog coverage to government agencies in surrounding counties. Our reporter looks at how rural communities are served, or not served, by social services, law enforcement and the recently privatized hospital system for the region. We're concerned with issues like lack of access to physical and mental health care, disparate response times for EMS, law enforcement, and social services to rural emergencies, food insecurity, and lack of public transportation—all with a healthy dose of government accountability.