The Sun Journal is teaming up with Report for America to hire a reporter to cover the Wabanaki Nations in Maine.

This first-of-its-kind beat will examine how Maine’s distinct limits on tribal sovereignty affect the more than 9,000 citizens of the Wabanaki Nations.

Report for America is a national service program that places emerging journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered topics and communities across the United States and its territories. The Press Herald is one of more than 100 newsrooms that will make up the 2025-2026 cohort.

“Today’s news marks an exciting expansion of our proven model,” Kim Kleman, executive director of Report for America, said in a written statement. “Not only are we recruiting and placing exceptional journalists in communities that need them most, but we’re significantly increasing our efforts to help newsrooms become more financially stable.”

An additional 35 newsrooms – including the Morning Sentinel & Portland Press Herald – were selected for a pilot accelerator program to develop sustainable business models through local philanthropy.

Report for America is a two-year program (with an optional one-year extension) that pays up to half of the journalists’ salaries, provides ongoing training and mentorship by leading journalists, peer networking, and memberships to select professional organizations.

The Press Herald Indigenous community reporter will cover the four Wabanaki Nations – the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi’kmaq Nation, the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe – which are treated more like municipalities than sovereign nations, a status enjoyed by 570 other federally recognized tribes.

The reporter will examine the political forces that prevent change and the ways citizens of the Wabanaki Nations shape art and culture.

Journalists interested in this position can apply at reportforamerica.org by Feb. 3, 2025, for positions beginning July 7, 2025.