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Dear Daily Yonder reader,
I’m Sarah Melotte, and I’ve been a part of the Daily Yonder team since 2021. I started as a Rural Reporting Fellow, became a full-time reporter, and now I serve as the Daily Yonder’s Data Editor, creating most of our maps, graphics, and quantitative analysis that help our readers better understand rural America.
I first found the Daily Yonder through an Instagram ad while completing my masters degree in applied geography and geospatial science. The Rural Reporting Fellowship felt like the perfect opportunity to use my spatial analytical skills to tell more accurate stories about rural America, busting the myths that see rural people and places as a monolith.
I’m nearly four years into my term at the Daily Yonder, and I’ve covered one midterm election and a presidential election, using election data to highlight shifts in rural voting behavior.
I’ve had the opportunity to report from north Idaho, the Texas border region, South Carolina’s coastal communities, and in my home in western North Carolina.
I also launched the Rural Index, our biweekly newsletter featuring a map or graphic that captures some facet of rural life through data.
And as an editor, I’ve had the privilege of helping other journalists refine their work for our readers.
Sarah Melotte. (Photo by Ilana NewmanDaily Yonder)
This kind of reporting takes time and resources. And it’s only possible because of readers like you. Your support ensures that we can continue telling fact-based stories about rural America. In a time of national division and chaos, storytelling that complicates stereotypes is especially important. I hope you’ll consider supporting our work with a donation before the end of the year.
In fact, we’ve got three days left to meet our goals: From now through December 31, any gift you make will be matched by generous matching grants, ensuring that your own generosity goes further. If you can, help us enter 2026 in the best position possible to keep doing this work.
Sincerely,
Sarah Melotte
Data Editor
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Thanks to support from the Wyncote Foundation, the Rural Partner Fund, the Roundhouse Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Dee Davis and Mimi Pickering, and other generous donors, contributions from individuals are eligible to be matched up to $1,000 per donor from November 1 to December 31, 2025. New monthly recurring donations are matched at the 12-month value of the donation, up to $1,000. For more details about eligibility see NewsMatch guidelines.
The Daily Yonder is a project of the Center for Rural Strategies, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gifts may be tax deductible; consult a tax adviser for more information.
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