News & Observer receives grant to bolster coverage of climate change, the environment

The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun will add a full-time climate change and environment reporter starting June 1, thanks to a grant from the 1Earth Fund.

The 1Earth Fund is a private nonprofit foundation that finances efforts to provide education and information about climate change, its effects and solutions to the problem.

The nonprofit fund’s managing director, Diogo Freire, lives in Durham.

“The lives of North Carolinians will be, in some cases already have been, profoundly impacted by our changing climate,” Freire said. “We are proud to support the N&O’s reinvigorated efforts to inform our communities about what’s happening, what lies ahead and the choices we face.”

Adam Wagner has been selected by the N&O as its new climate change and environment reporter. Wagner has worked with the paper for two years as a Report For America corps member. RFA places reporters in newsrooms across the country to help bolster local news coverage. Wagner has covered hurricane recovery and, since the start of the pandemic, efforts to create and distribute a coronavirus vaccine.

Before joining the N&O, Wagner worked for four years for The StarNews in Wilmington, covering the environment, government and public safety issues.

“We’re grateful to the 1Earth Fund for recognizing that credible and independent news and information on critical issues can help solve intractable problems,” said Robyn Tomlin, president and editor of The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. “We’re excited to have a talented reporter like Adam Wagner transitioning into this role.”

The News & Observer increasingly relies on community support to help add reporting capacity on key issues. It will have two Report for America reporters for the coming year, one covering housing and the pandemic, and one covering diverse communities in and around the Triangle. The N&O also has a partnership with Innovate Raleigh to provide coverage of the Triangle’s burgeoning technology sector.

In all of these partnerships, The N&O evaluates and hires the journalists and retains control over all editorial content.

To make a contribution to help support The N&O’s local news coverage, go to www.newsobserver.com/donate.

To make a tax-deductible gift by mail, please make checks payable to “Journalism Funding Partners” or “JFP” with “News & Observer” on the memo line. Send checks to: McClatchy; P.O. Box 15779; Sacramento, CA 95852. Please include your email address so we can send you an acknowledgment email.

This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 7:00 AM.