The Future of Ag Media and Rural Reporting
And how I’m going to help define it
After more than 2.5 incredible years as RFD-TV’s Washington Correspondent/Bureau Chief, I’m officially announcing my switch to full-time freelance journalism, covering agriculture and rural issues for a national audience.
I came back to D.C. to report for the constituency that, according to the national narrative, elected the current administration. That group included my parents, the community in Wyoming who raised me, and the hundreds of friends I’ve made across rural America.
I came because there aren’t enough people who can move between Rose Garden press briefings and the buddy seat of a combine while maintaining the ability to function.
In my role, I was able to elevate narratives and tell stories that a lot of people would not have, and it’s been a long road — from a broadcast news greenhorn learning how to hold a microphone to covering a farm bill, to interviewing the President. I’ve grown a lot, and the ag/rural beat has been through even more since my/Sonny Perdue’s collective first day in 2017.
But one of the hardest elements of the work was, time and again, coming up against the echo chamber of the ag news cycle, where important stories and information never reach people who need it most. Where genuine disagreements and complex stories are passed over in favor of feel good stories or ones so simplified that some group or individual outside the industry, who would never have a meaningful voice in the discussion, becomes Ag Public Enemy #1, and any critical analysis on how we might also be responsible is ignored.
I’ve talked to dozens in ag media about this phenomenon over the years, about why there is so little (if any) genuine and meaningful criticism within the industry. I’ve heard a lot of theories, but I don’t buy most of them.
Based on conversations I’ve had with farmers, ranchers, business owners, rural community leaders, researchers, food industry experts, etc., I simply don’t believe ag is intolerant of criticism. Many people I’ve known in ag are some of the most humble, thoughtful, and grounded I’ve ever met. And being raised around farming, most share what I’ve found to be a defining characteristic of farm kids — an almost spiritual understanding that responsibility is not the same as blame. I think there’s plenty of people in agriculture looking to read/hear stories that aren’t just industry cheerleading, but which fairly present issues in a way that asks them to think critically about their responsibility to their own communities, farms, and impact.
I want to tell those kinds of stories.
The people I admire who’ve been raised around ag, have built their lives in ag, and see their future in ag, we want and need the hard, dirty, ugly truth.
Not because we hate the work or the industry, but because we love it.
I love farming, ag, rural places, traditions, and culture. That means the only thing I can do is know it better. Shine light into dark places. Tell stories that some would rather go untold. I’m positive that in doing this, I will infuriate many, including many friends. Sometimes there’ll be good reason, and sometimes not. But I’ll still be here. Listening, sharing, talking. Because this space is my home. That’s the magic of communities, you can’t opt out.
So for me, my next adventure is about finding some way out of the echo chambers, finding a path between where I love and where I live; in honor of all the people who helped me get here in the first place.
So if any of this dramatic questing piques your interest, keep an eye out for my writing here and elsewhere (and upcoming podcast?!). And don’t be a stranger if you hear of a story you think needs telling — my DM’s are open.
And hey, thanks for reading. Not just today. Always.
Thanks for reading! You might also enjoy exploring more about modern food and agriculture, so I’ll just leave this here. Sarah Mock
