Arkansas Press Women (APW) has awarded its inaugural investigative journalism mini-grant to Josie Lenora, politics and government reporter for Little Rock Public Radio.
Lenora will use the $750 grant to support an in-depth podcast season examining the political career of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The season will air in the future as part of a new anthology podcast series under development by Little Rock Public Radio.
The grant will provide funding for Maggie Ryan, “All Things Considered” host and reporter for Little Rock Public Radio, to provide fact checking for the podcast season, which Lenora will host. The grant was announced during the APW Awards Ceremony June 21 in Conway.
“I am thrilled to receive this mini grant from the Arkansas Press Women,” Lenora said. “The money will be used to fact-check a long-form investigative project. I am proud of what I do. The entire news team at Little Rock Public Radio gets up each day to serve their community by telling the truth. In this era of media distrust, fact-checking could not be more important. I am pleasantly surprised that the Arkansas Press Women share these same values, and I look forward to diving into the project with as much passion and excellence as I can bring.”
Daniel Breen, news director at Little Rock Public Radio, praised Lenora’s skill and the importance of her upcoming work.
“This marks one of the first forays into true investigative reporting and podcasting for Little Rock Public Radio,” Breen said. “Likewise, this is one of the most ambitious projects Josie has undertaken. I firmly believe in her ability to research, fact-check, write, produce, and voice this project as thoroughly as possible. This grant will significantly help with her efforts and support the station’s growth into deeper, narrative journalism.”
Lenora is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared on NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” In 2024, she took home a first place award from the National Federation of Press Women. She was honored with the 2025 Ben Fry Service to UA Little Rock Award and selected for the National Press Foundation’s 2024 Elections Journalism Fellowship. She also serves on the board of the Arkansas Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.