Fresnoland is excited to share that we’ll be joined this summer by journalist Gisselle Medina as a Report for America corps member.
Starting in July, Gisselle will cover a new beat for Fresnoland – religion, culture, and community development. On this new beat, they will write stories about how religious institutions, leaders, and cultural practices shape civic life here in the central San Joaquin Valley. About 43% of residents in Fresno County identify as religious – and we’re excited for more reporting that sheds light on this critical backbone of our culture and public life.
It’s a beat that hasn’t been tackled by local news organizations for several years now – and we’re beyond excited to bring it back, in a way that is representative of the diversity of cultures and religions that exist in our community now in 2024.
Religious and cultural institutions in the greater Fresno area have become essential social service providers, neighborhood builders, and advocates for a more just world. Some of these institutions wield significant power, influencing public opinion and political life.
Report for America is a national program that places talented journalists in newsrooms across the U.S. to report on topics that don’t frequently get much coverage.
“I have been a big fan of Fresnoland’s reporting and newsroom values for years, so having the opportunity to move back to one of my hometowns and do on-the-ground local reporting here is a big honor,” Gisselle said.
Gisselle spent a significant amount of their childhood in Fresno, before eventually landing in the Bay Area to attend the University of California, Berkeley, receiving an undergraduate degree in English and a graduate degree in journalism.
They have a diversity of reporting experience, from reporting on education for digital startup The Frisc in San Francisco and narrative-driven stories about the Latino well-being and mental health, to stories answering reader questions about school book bans or worker protections on the Los Angeles Times’ utility desk.
For us at Fresnoland, Gisselle is a perfect fit for this new beat as a writer focused on surfacing undercovered or misunderstood communities and narratives, and deeply devoted to treating their sources and subjects with respect. And as a person who has lived in Fresno for several years and still has roots here, they’ll be able to hit the ground running.
Gisselle can be reached in July at gisselle@fresnoland.org – please don’t hesitate to send them a note introducing yourself and any ideas you may have about how they should cover religion, culture and community development.
Report for America will fund a portion of Gisselle’s salary at Fresnoland. Reporting the in-depth and well-researched stories that they’ll take on requires a lot of resources to do well. Please consider supporting Fresnoland and becoming a member to help us match the funds required to pay their full salary.
