In this episode of Bend Don’t Break, Aaron Switzer sits down with Clayton Franke, reporter for the Lay It Out Foundation and The Source, to talk about local journalism, community accountability, and what it means to report from the inside of a rapidly changing city. Clayton shares his path from growing up in Missoula to studying journalism at the University of Oregon, then building his reporting experience at small newspapers across Oregon and Washington before landing in Bend.

Clayton and Aaron explore the realities of reporting on local government, housing, transportation, and urban planning in Central Oregon. They discuss the responsibility that comes with telling people’s stories, the challenges facing modern journalism, and why local reporting still matters deeply to the health of a community.