News coverage from the Mountain Home Observer will be lighter than usual next week as its publisher, Chris Fulton, travels to Penn State University. Fulton is attending at the invitation of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting to discuss investigative journalism in rural communities.
During his time at Penn State, Fulton will engage with journalism students through conversations, a podcast recording, and a two-hour question-and-answer session. Topics will include investigative reporting in rural areas and strategies for maintaining objectivity in journalism.
The visit follows Fulton's recent recognition by the Center, which earlier this year awarded him its Award of Excellence for the Observer’s investigation into systemic failures in Arkansas’s child welfare system. This was the first time an Arkansas-based journalist received the award. “That award belongs as much to this community and to the readers who supported that reporting as it does to me,” Fulton noted.
Fulton’s relationship with the Center extends beyond the award. The Observer’s reporting has been a national finalist for the Center’s award twice. Fulton has also spoken on behalf of the Center in Los Angeles and assisted its fundraising efforts to support under-resourced journalists.
Despite Fulton's temporary absence, the Observer will continue publishing next week, though with reduced content. Coverage of ongoing court cases, city council proceedings, and investigative efforts will resume in full upon his return.
Fulton expressed gratitude to the community for supporting the Observer, stating, “Thank you for making it possible for a small, locally owned newsroom to be asked to share what it does with the next generation of reporters.”