Overlooked in Appalachia is a news magazine born out of the desire to cover issues that the Appalachian region and communities are facing on a daily basis.
“If I could only choose one word to describe Overlooked in Appalachia, it would be ‘special’ because it takes issues that are commonly overlooked in the Appalachia region and brings them to the forefront,” said Michaela Platt, reporter and editor for the publication.
This project began in August 2019 and began publishing online in December of 2019.
The magazine was created in collaboration by a group of students in the Department of Media and Communication and strong community leaders. This group decided to approach these issues at a level people inside and outside of the beautiful region could understand.
“Through our coverage of these topics, we are able to educate more people about them,” said Kate Trabalka, former Overlooked in Appalachia reporter.
In fall, the reporters covered the opioid crisis in their in-depth reporting and editing classes.
“My beat was education – but less so education about opioids and more so on education about opioid reversal drugs – and how universities in our region protect our students from the opioid crisis,” said Trabalka.
Overlooked in Appalachia’s unconventional viewpoint makes the publication unique. Often the Appalachian region lacks local in-depth news coverage of issues concerning health, science and economy, and therefore this project appeals to that need. It’s the goal of Overlooked to go deeper and provide more local context.
“The content varies from how the opioid epidemic has affected everyone from babies to rappers and everywhere in between,” said Platt. “When you’re able to cover an issue from so many different viewpoints, you’re better able to paint the full picture for the reader.”
For the first edition, reporters wrote in-depth articles and recorded videos and podcasts with in-field professionals to better understand how the opioid crisis happened and when it got out of control.
“Overall, my experience writing for Overlooked in Appalachia was amazing,” said Platt. “I have a better understanding on how to report on tough issues and help my community by educating the public.”
The publication will continue to report on shadowed issues with a new topic launching in February of 2020. Reporters will be following and conveying messages concerning climate change and social issues in the Southern Appalachia region this spring.
For more information, contact hillpk@etsu.edu or perreault@etsu.edu.
