Beyond the byline
Chase Hunter is a staff reporter for the Sonoma Index-Tribune and a contributing writer to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
He reports on a multitude of beats in Sonoma Valley, ranging from community features, county development projects and city government. In addition, he also writes in-depth articles related to public health, crime and the environment.
Chase has been awarded 10 California Journalism Awards since coming to the Golden State. These include first place in wildfire feature reporting and sports feature reporting, as well placing top-three in public service, breaking news, homelessness, land-use and community feature.
Chase Hunter is a staff reporter for the Sonoma Index-Tribune and a contributing writer to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
He reports on a multitude of beats in Sonoma Valley, ranging from community features, county development projects and city government. In addition, he also writes in-depth articles related to public health, crime and the environment.
Chase has been awarded 10 California Journalism Awards since coming to the Golden State. These include first place in wildfire feature reporting and sports feature reporting, as well placing top-three in public service, breaking news, homelessness, land-use and community feature.
From the reporter
I took my first steps in journalism while I was 16 years old and working as a dishwasher in Buckeye, Arizona. My boss — a New York chef with butcher's knife tattooed on his forearm — introduced to me the editor of The West Valley View knowing that I had an interest in storytelling and investigation. I went home that evening and brainstormed a title for a column.
My mother and I came up with "Chasing the truth." This phrase symbolizes not only the search for facts but also challenging convention, writing on the most important topics and fearlessly reporting wherever a story goes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I worked as a California Health Equity senior fellow at the Annenberg School of Journalism of the University of Southern California in 2023. With the guidance of Annenberg instructors, I delved into the public health effects of natural disasters in Sonoma County over the previous 5 years, including wildfires, heat waves and COVID-19. I balance this investigative project with my regular reporting duties, freelance research on the history of the White House, in addition to unionizing my newsroom and representing my coworkers during negotiations.
I received an offer to work at The Sonoma Index-Tribune in August 2021. I did not have a car when I signed on the dotted line, but I found a motel and lived there during my first week on the job. Since then, I've covered the Sonoma Developmental Center — the largest redevelopment project in Sonoma County — reported on the advances of artificial technology in agriculture and investigated the fentanyl overdose crisis in Sonoma County. I've also pushed the Sonoma City Council to address issues facing unhoused residents of sonoma Valley, shared stories of refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine, chased wildfires during a ride along with firefighters, followed the story of a stolen cat and, when I had time, drank some wine.
Before joining The Index-Tribune, I was a fellow for the national investigative program Carnegie-Knight News21, which brings together college students from across the nation to report on a single topic over six months. During the fellowship, I flew to Washington D.C. to report on the inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also drove to the border city of Nogales, Arizona to learn about the impact of the border shutdown on the business community.
I graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in 2021.
I take inspiration from Joan Didion for her fierce voice and sensitive nuance, Sy Hersh for his feverish investigative drive and Jack Kerouac for his love of life and the people in it — without whom, we would not have stories to tell or an audience to hear them.
I dream of becoming a narrative investigative writer on the American West.
My mother and I came up with "Chasing the truth." This phrase symbolizes not only the search for facts but also challenging convention, writing on the most important topics and fearlessly reporting wherever a story goes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I worked as a California Health Equity senior fellow at the Annenberg School of Journalism of the University of Southern California in 2023. With the guidance of Annenberg instructors, I delved into the public health effects of natural disasters in Sonoma County over the previous 5 years, including wildfires, heat waves and COVID-19. I balance this investigative project with my regular reporting duties, freelance research on the history of the White House, in addition to unionizing my newsroom and representing my coworkers during negotiations.
I received an offer to work at The Sonoma Index-Tribune in August 2021. I did not have a car when I signed on the dotted line, but I found a motel and lived there during my first week on the job. Since then, I've covered the Sonoma Developmental Center — the largest redevelopment project in Sonoma County — reported on the advances of artificial technology in agriculture and investigated the fentanyl overdose crisis in Sonoma County. I've also pushed the Sonoma City Council to address issues facing unhoused residents of sonoma Valley, shared stories of refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine, chased wildfires during a ride along with firefighters, followed the story of a stolen cat and, when I had time, drank some wine.
Before joining The Index-Tribune, I was a fellow for the national investigative program Carnegie-Knight News21, which brings together college students from across the nation to report on a single topic over six months. During the fellowship, I flew to Washington D.C. to report on the inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also drove to the border city of Nogales, Arizona to learn about the impact of the border shutdown on the business community.
I graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in 2021.
I take inspiration from Joan Didion for her fierce voice and sensitive nuance, Sy Hersh for his feverish investigative drive and Jack Kerouac for his love of life and the people in it — without whom, we would not have stories to tell or an audience to hear them.
I dream of becoming a narrative investigative writer on the American West.