The Sun News to add new reporter to cover poverty, homelessness in Myrtle Beach

The Sun News is excited to welcome a new reporter to its staff to cover homelessness and affordability in the Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand area.

Mary Norkol will join our newsroom June 1 as part of a team of 225 journalists placed with more than 160 local news organizations across 45 states and Puerto Rico by Report for America.

Norkol’s role will evolve as our area grapples with the repercussions from coronavirus and the economic downturn we expect will have a lasting impact on our workforce. With thousands from Horry County now dependent on unemployment and other government assistance, Norkol will also cover the recovery efforts in our community.

Report for America is a national nonprofit service organization that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities through its reporting corps. It is an initiative of the nonprofit news organization, The GroundTruth Project.

The Knight Foundation is one of its major funders.

Norkol will graduate in May with degrees in multimedia journalism and global and international studies from Loyola University in Chicago, where she was the editor of the Loyola Phoenix. She’s had internships with the Chicago Sun-Times and the Daily Herald.

Norkol is expected to spend one year with The Sun News, with the possibility of a second year if RFA extends the position.

RFA’s reporting corps program covers a portion of reporters’ salaries, and newsrooms raise the remaining funds in their communities. Individuals, organizations or businesses can help support The Sun News with a donation through Report for America at https://bit.ly/3bGoac6.

Donations also can be mailed directly to Report for America/The Sun News Campaign, c/o The GroundTruth Project, 10 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 10:24 AM.