Does Hawaii Tribune-Herald cover Hilo and the Big Island?

Updated

Yes. Hawaii Tribune-Herald is the daily news organization for Hilo and the rest of Hawaii Island (the Big Island). Its own description states it covers the Hilo area of the Big Island, including news, business, sports, entertainment and weather. So if your question is whether a story about Hilo, a Big Island community, or an island-wide issue will appear here, the answer is yes — that is the paper's core coverage area.

What the coverage actually includes

The site organizes content under sections that show the scope directly:

  • Local — Hilo and Big Island community news, events, and issues
  • Hawaii News — news from across the state
  • Sports — local and island athletics
  • Editors' Picks and Most Popular — highlighted and widely read stories
  • Business, entertainment, and weather — named in the publication's own coverage description

A representative example from the site: a report by John Burnett on October 4, 2026, about the state Department of Law Enforcement planning to install 75 automatic license plate reader cameras (ALPRs) on the Big Island as part of a roughly 400-camera statewide rollout. That single story shows the pattern — a Big Island angle inside a Hawaii-wide initiative.

Hilo vs. the rest of the Big Island vs. the state

Level Covered? What to expect
Hilo area Yes — primary focus Local government, community news, events, weather
Big Island communities Yes Island-wide issues, including county and state agencies operating on the island
Statewide Hawaii Yes Hawaii News section, often with a Big Island connection

When this matters for you

  • You live in or follow Hilo — this is a direct local source, not a mainland outlet covering Hawaii from a distance.
  • You need Big Island context on a state story — look for the local angle, as in the ALPR example, where a statewide program is reported through its Big Island impact.
  • You want only statewide or national news — the Hawaii News section covers the state, but the publication's center of gravity remains Hilo and the Big Island.

Access note

The site shows subscription prompts, including a Subscribe link and a "SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE" label tied to an account portal. Some articles may sit behind a subscriber-only designation, so plan on encountering a paywall or sign-in requirement for at least part of the content.