Tundra Drums

John Dooley,

This note is to give you a better idea of the position available at Tundra Drums

newspaper in Bethel, Alaska.

Bethel is a challenging place to live.  It does not have many of attributes that most

people think of when they dream of Alaska.  Bethel sits on the Kuskokwim River,

about 60 miles from the Bering Sea.  The region is flat and featureless. The nearest

mountains are 60 miles upriver and the only trees in Bethel are willow shrubs.  The

town was built on a pile of sand by missionaries who found their river barge could

go no further.  It was a poor site for a town, but once the school was built it quickly

became a hub for the region.  Life is expensive here.  Food is about 30 percent more than anywhere else.  A roundtrip ticket to Anchorage will cost $350.

So why live here? Well, we do have the opportunity to cover an area the size of

Oregon with a population of about 20,000 people, mostly Yupik Eskimos.  Fifty

percent of that population is under the age of 18.  The region is also one of the poorest in the nation.  The need for good journalism abounds.  I am looking for a self-starter who is capable of working alone and with myself to create arresting coverage of the problems facing our readers.  The right candidate should be able to write at least five stories a week, plus briefs and photographs.  They need to able to juggle larger projects with smaller stories.

I am also looking for someone who loves journalism and understands the gift of

publishing their work weekly.  I’m liking for someone who will being a new sense

of purpose and drive to the newsroom.  The Drums is a great place to get wonderful clips and build a strong portfolio, but I expect a reporter to put their heart and soul into the paper.  I strongly advise (you) check out the following Web sites:  bethelAK.com; bethelalaska.com and kusko.net.  A warning about bethelalaska.com, the discussion page can be very negative and I advise ignoring some of the comments found there.  It is dominated by a select few who hide behind their computers and spit invectives at the world.  The pages on moving to

Bethel and the cost of living are useful, though.  After reading all of this please let me know if you’re still interested in the position.

As for your questions :  There are no tofutti shops within 500 miles (at least);

compensation is between $16-18 an hour.  Please feel free to contact me with any 

questions.  I hope to make a final selection in the next two weeks.

sincerely,  Robert Dillon Tundra  Drums/Managing  Editor