Hitson steps into new role, focusing on the joys and challenges of growing up in Montgomery

Hadley Hitson, a reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser, is taking on a new job. She will be covering health, education, and welfare problems in the state and how they affect families and the community.

Hitson grew up in Alabama and went to college at the University of Mississippi. For the past two years, as a Report for America grant recipient, he has worked as a writer for the newspaper, covering rural Alabama. During that time, she also did an internship with Columbia University’s Age Boom Academy and wrote about caring for others.

“Hadley has done extraordinary work covering rural Alabama as a Report for America corps member, and we’re so excited she decided to stay with us on staff for this opportunity,” said Paige Oliver Windsor, executive editor of the Montgomery Advertiser. ”She’s a talented writer and a strong reporter. We’re lucky to have her in Montgomery.”

Hitson will cover stories about kids’ health and access to health care, how they are prepared for adulthood, teacher development and quality, drug abuse, food deserts, high-achieving students, rural challenges and successes, and anything else that affects the well-being of Alabama’s children and their futures, Windsor said.

Hitson will write about schools, but she will do so in a more general way.

“Most local news organizations have education reporters who cover their local school systems,” Windsor said. “Sometimes that coverage can feel a little institutional. While we think keeping an eye on what’s happening with the school board and administration of school is important, Hadley’s coverage will go considerable further, covering the joys and challenges of growing up in the River Region.”

Hitson, for her part, is ready to take on the task of making a new beat while still writing about things she cares about.

“I grew up in Birmingham, but over the last two years that I’ve spent living in Montgomery and traveling into the rural communities that surround us, my understanding of Alabama has deepened in ways I never expected,” she said.

“I’ve learned about the alleged abuse of children in state-contracted mental health facilities , the deteriorating infrastructure across many Southern towns and barriers to receiving medical care . I’ve covered youth violence , and I’ve met kids with amazing determination to overcome their circumstances . These stories are important, and I will continue to cover them in my new role.”

Violence among young people and any kind of inequality, especially in the school and justice systems, are important parts of this beat.

“Now, my beat will focus on what it’s like to be a child growing up in Alabama and a parent raising kids in Alabama today,” Hitson said. “Education is a heavy part of that, but so is access to healthcare, technology and other support systems necessary to succeed.”

“Essentially, I’m going to be covering every issue through the lens of how it is impacting Alabama’s kids, and I’m eager to jump in feet first.”

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