The Rural Reporter
Connecting Democrats across Pennsylvania
Bob Scheier and Ann Eldridge are based in blue Massachusetts, but they have spent much of the last five years in red Pennsylvania districts helping Democratic activists in their efforts to elect more Democrats up and down the ballot.
Recognizing that promoting Democratic values should be a year round activity, Bob and Ann have searched for ways to help Democratic and progressive organizations inside and outside of election season. Their most recent project, The Rural Reporter, is designed to unite Democratic organizers in Pennsylvania who may live far away from each other, but who share similar challenges living and working in rural red counties.
Now in its ninth week of publication, the Rural Reporter has gotten positive reviews from local leaders. " In rural PA it is easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed by the barrage of social media and news outlet coverage. The Rural Reporter helps to filter through a lot of that, providing access to trustworthy tips, tools and relevant current concerns,” one county Dem committee member wrote.
And here are some suggestions from Bob Scheier, if you are thinking of creating your own version:
Stockpile content in advance to avoid last-minute scrambling for next week's issue.
Don't underestimate the effort of staying up-to-date on the activities of dozens of rural organizations, Enlist help for reading emails, scanning social media posts, and attending meetings.
Choose a user-friendly content management tool to track content from idea to publication.
Be kind to your readers by keeping your emails short and easy to read. (Like this Substack!)
Bob would like to expand the readership of The Rural Reporter to every corner of the state. Feel free to share the signup link to your friends in rural PA.
Bob is happy to share more thoughts or answer any questions. Contact him at bob.scheier@gmail.com.
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