Robert Moore on Journalism, El Paso, and Telling Stories That Matter

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Daniel Chacón sits down with veteran journalist Robert Moore, founder and CEO of El Paso Matters, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to high-impact local reporting. Together, they trace Moore’s career from writing obituaries at a small-town paper to leading one of the most respected independent news organizations on the U.S.–Mexico border. Moore shares why he walked away from his role as editor of the El Paso Times, how the 2019 Walmart mass shooting and COVID-19 pandemic shaped his newsroom’s mission, and why storytelling—especially in underserved communities—is central to democracy. The conversation touches on the challenges facing journalism today, from financial instability to political pressure, and the role of local news in countering misinformation and holding power to account.