Nikolai Mather

Nikolai Mather will be joining the WHQR news team to cover rural areas of the Cape Fear region on a “rural safety net” beat, according to a news release.

"Report for America supported the recruiting and hiring of this new journalist and will provide support for this position for three years – alongside the generous support of WHQR members," the release stated.

Mather and other new corps members join hundreds more who will continue reporting on under-covered communities and topics for their second or third years in the national service program, according to the release. Report for America has matched more than 600 journalists with local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms and TV outlets since its launch in 2017, the release stated.

WHQR News Director Ben Schachtman said in the release, “We’re excited to have Nikolai on board, and we’ve already been discussing with him some of the crucial issues we hope to tackle when he officially starts this summer. We’re grateful to Report for America, and several generous WHQR donors, for supporting this hire – and the important reporting it will allow our newsroom to do over the next few years.”