Spotlight PA’s State College Bureau reporters and editor give a behind-the-scenes look at local news during a panel discussion at 3 Dots Downtown.

State College has its own investigative journalism bureau — and its editor has local roots!

To counteract the decline of local news coverage in Pennsylvania, Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, and (major!) award-winning newsroom, launched its first pilot regional bureau right here in State College in 2022.

Sarah Rafacz is the editor of that bureau, and as former editor of State College Magazine and reporter for the Daily Collegian and the Centre Daily Times, this Centre County native and Penn State alum has no shortage of local ties.

Our local bureau reports on Penn State, the challenges facing rural communities, local accountability issues, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how our town is run — offered, as is all of Spotlight PA’s content, for free.

Additional nonprofit plus? Spotlight PA shares their journalism with 100+ newsrooms in the state at no cost.

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