Forest collaboratives formed in the wake of the Pacific Northwest’s “Timber Wars” have become major power players operating largely out of the public eye
Rachel Spacek, an award-winning bilingual journalist at Idaho’s largest newspaper, is joining InvestigateWest to cover migrant labor and other equity issues across the Pacific Northwest.
For the past three years, Spacek has produced distinguished work for the Idaho Statesman, reporting on government, housing and the region’s growing Latino community. Before that, she was at the Idaho Press where she covered Canyon County, Latino affairs and agriculture.
Rachel Spacek
In her new role at InvestigateWest, she’ll examine the unique challenges faced by workers across the rural Northwest, including exploitation, dangerous working conditions and other abuses of power.
“I am thrilled to join InvestigateWest as an investigative reporter covering labor,” Spacek said. “I have been watching InvestigateWest uncover ill treatment of children, corruption in government and systems, and I am excited to help continue their watchdog reporting in the Pacific Northwest.
Spacek is joining our Seattle-based nonprofit news organization through a partnership with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities. Report for America will cover a portion of Spacek’s salary for up to three years and helps organizations like InvestigateWest fundraise in their local communities to preserve essential news reporting. (Please consider donating today to support InvestigateWest’s expanding labor coverage.)
“We couldn’t have asked for more — Rachel brings a wealth of experience and incredible passion for the issue,” said Jacob H. Fries, executive director of InvestigateWest.
Spacek will begin reporting for InvestigateWest later this summer.
InvestigateWest was founded in 2009 by Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporters and editors after the paper stopped publishing. It was part of a pioneering group of news organizations created at that time to preserve public-service journalism through a nonprofit model relying on reader support and donations rather than advertising. Over the years, InvestigateWest’s reporting has prompted reforms and a dozen different state laws protecting the environment, workers and foster children.
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Forest collaboratives formed in the wake of the Pacific Northwest’s “Timber Wars” have become major power players operating largely out of the public eye
Cuts to Medicaid and a change restricting services for some immigrants loom over the state’s 27 community health centers.
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