doi:10.7916/dbxv-7b54Oral history interview with Robert B. Trapp, 2021Trapp, Robertoral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesPresidents--Correspondence.--United StatesDigital divide--United StatesRural telecommunication--New MexicoDrugs--Overdose--New MexicoHealth care reform--United StatesTrapp, RobertObama, BarackLos Alamos National LaboratoryUnited StatesTax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010Freedom of Information ActPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActRobert Trapp discusses his career as editor and publisher of the Rio Grande Sun in Española, New Mexico; notable issues facing residents of Rio Arriba County; and the letters that he wrote to President Obama in 2010 and 2011. Trapp provides an overview of the county, describing the issues of greatest political salience to the community, its historical support for the Democratic Party, economic reliance on the nearby Los Alamos National Laboratory, limited access to high-speed broadband, high rates of drug overdose, and the poor performance of its school system. Trapp emphasizes the importance of letter-writing to representative democracy, describes his motivations for writing to President Obama in support of the administration's healthcare reform effort, and discusses the payroll tax cuts included in the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Trapp also shares his experience of learning from the White House that President Obama had read his letter. Trapp discusses changes in news media that took place during the years of the Obama presidency, including the trend toward digitization in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the consolidation of local newspapers by large holding companies. Also discussed are Trapp's inability to secure prompt and detailed disclosures from the Obama administration through the Freedom of Information Act process, the importance of the independent press as a government watchdog, increases in employee health insurance premiums following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and Obama's visit to Española in September 2008 during the 2008 general election campaign