WHYY’s Post

📣 What if the future of local news was vibrant, powered by public-private partnerships and government funding? Wisconsin is leading with groundbreaking legislation that could serve as a blueprint for states like Kansas and Missouri. Spearheaded by Rep. Jimmy Anderson, alongside Rep. Jodi Emerson and Sen. Mark Spreitzer, Wisconsin's bold legislative package aims to revitalize local journalism through innovative funding models. This package, including a $20-million Civic Information Consortium Board, journalism fellowships at the University of Wisconsin, and tax credits for news subscribers, addresses the critical industry crisis. With support from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, these initiatives are a significant step towards transforming local news into a sustainable, essential pillar of democracy. As we face the reality that a quarter of America's newspapers have disappeared in the last 20 years, leaving many in 'news deserts,' Wisconsin's efforts offer hope. This is more than preserving journalism; it's about fortifying our communities against misinformation and disconnection. Let's envision a future where similar measures in Kansas, Missouri, and beyond ensure that local news not only survives but thrives. #LocalNews #Innovation #PublicPrivatePartnership #Democracy The Kansas City Beacon, The Wichita Beacon Wisconsin Watch

The map I've added here shows how much the size of newsrooms shrunk between 2005 and 2020. Over those years, about 25% of the nation’s newspapers closed, leaving 1,800 communities with no local news outlet, according to a League of Women Voters study (https://lnkd.in/gVyg2wbr). Newsrooms in Colorado declined by 59% in that time. Granted, that’s an odd thing for most ordinary news consumers to consider. Many people I talk to feel overwhelmed by news. Blame the smartphones. Blame Fox News and CNN. The news keeps coming. Yet, consider for a moment that barrage of information. How much of it is reporting about local issues? How much of it is opinion masquerading as news? How much of it is credible? How much of it is really useful to you? Those are the kinds of questions on the minds of the members of the League of Women Voters across the country, including the chapter here in Colorado. The organization, known for its nonpartisan election forums, is extremely worried that the big declines in local journalists constitute a slowly-unfolding “crisis facing democracy.” They believe voters are less informed in cities, towns and suburbs without news and they’re looking for ways to intervene. So, the Colorado league chapter recently invited me to a Zoom forum to speak about it, alongside Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Editorial Page Editor Andrew Smith. We both agreed that news about city halls, businesses, schools, neighborhoods, sports and events is important, but disappearing in some communities as the news biz struggles. The reason these stories are important is that they make it more likely that folks are informed and care about their communities and therefore will be engaged in them. Without credible and accountable local journalists, members of the league worry that people will be more susceptible to disinformation from partisan, even nefarious, sources that might not even be locally-based. The league chapter in Colorado has a News Access and Literacy Task Force that is looking to take a formal position on the matter. Their working language hints at what the league is headed: they tout editorial independence in local journalism, accessibility to all and media literacy training to help people discern which sources of news they can trust. I agree in principle with all of the above. Ideas aside, my mind turns to you – our readers. What more do you need to know about Colorado Community Media? Know this: we are committed to ethically reporting the news in the communities we serve. We constantly strive to expand to serve you better. I encourage you to interact with our journalists in your communities. I can tell you that they’re good, hard-working people committed to listening to your concerns and getting you the information you need. What you want to see in your local paper? What can we do better? Tell me! My email address is Michael@ColoradoCommunityMedia.com.

I had the privilege of collaborating with The Objective over the past few months to highlight the growth and innovation of the civic media field. For the final piece, we put out a call to action for journalists, funders, policymakers, and more to get organized to accomplish big things. "A new media movement in the United States is overdue; and we need to build one that is collaborative, equitable, and premised on the belief of treating journalism as the public good it is. One that focuses not on saving what we’ve lost, but building something we’ve never had. That requires imagination, experimentation and looking back to our history: new approaches to how journalism is practiced, how it is funded, whose voices are heard, and rethinking how public policy must ensure we have a thriving, public interest media system in support of a healthy, multiracial democracy." https://lnkd.in/e_axymxe

Opinion from Jon Quinn and Caroline Suozzi, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: A call for philanthropy to fund journalism now "Many democracy funders recognize that the health of local news is closely intertwined with the health of our democracy. Local journalism catalyzes citizen action by providing daily reporting that empowers people to participate in civic life. However, it’s no secret that social media and 24-hour cable news have broken the news industry’s traditional business model and many news outlets (especially newspapers) are struggling to survive. Because of the role journalism plays in American democracy, it is vital for funders that are focused on equity and democracy to help local journalism not only survive, but become resilient." Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3TxZcXc #philanthropy #localnews #journalism #democracy

Ultimately, this Website/ Application seeks to increase voter participation at all levels of government, providing a platform to identify problems, solutions and better representatives. Allowing users to debate the issues, resolve solutions and present those for consideration to be made into law. The Website/ Application also seeks to democratize journalism, by making all users capable of posting articles and then allowing all other-users to vote each submission up or down based on accuracy, impartiality, integrity, etc. Lastly, the Website/ Application seeks to educate its users into positive, proactive participants in their local and national municipalities. Our primary goal is to increase voter participation at all levels. (1)We provide the user a complete list of their Elected Officials within each municipality that they reside, including: Town/ City, County, State and Federal. Allowing the user to identify, track and monitor their elected officials from campaign, voting, swearing-in, incumbency and retirement. (2)Our Website/Application provides a platform for users, “We the People”, to identify issues requiring government intervention, debate possible solutions, reach a compromise, formulate legislation and present solutions, “Laws”, to either legislature and/or elected officials for consideration and voting. (3)As detailed above, the Website/Application seeks to provide a platform for identifying, debating, resolving, drafting and passing legislation to resolve identified problems. Similarly, the Website/Application also seeks to provide a platform to identify potential candidates/ future elected officials for municipalities at the Town/ City, County, State and Federal-level. (4)The Website/Application seeks to democratize Journalism, an essential pillar of any successful democracy/ republic. All users are deputized journalists with the ability to post to the communities at the Town/ City, County, State and/or Federal-level. The poster will be prompted to provide a Title and details under the following headers: Who, What, Where and When. (5)The Website/Application will also be a resource for users to learn about different types of government, how they can participate and contribute fulfilling their civic duties and enhance their communities. Resources in the following areas will be provided: details on how to register to vote, learning how to register for Jury Duty, learning about civics, military service, journalism, volunteering, holding office, et al. (6) Readers and contributors of the Website/ Application will also have the ability to vote up or down a user’s submission, including: suggested issues, solutions, candidates and/or news articles pulling each submission either up or down. Any I

Check out this insightful op-ed article by Sherrell Dorsey exploring how Press Forward is investing over $500 million to enhance diversity in journalism. They aim to empower diverse voices, strengthen local newsrooms, close journalism gaps, and advance public policy for better access to local news. Read more: bit.ly/42E0ocy #SupportBlackOwnedMedia #PressForward #DiversityInJournalism

The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) has recently expanded its network by welcoming six new affiliate members, marking a significant enhancement to its diverse and dynamic ensemble. Among the new inclusions are Dallas Weekly, renowned for its seven-decade-long commitment to Black cultural and social news in North Texas, and The Tucson Sentinel, celebrated for its meticulous local and regional reportage. These organizations join alongside YellowScene Magazine, The Appeal, The Frisc, and Open Vallejo, each contributing distinct perspectives and unparalleled dedication to quality journalism. Dallas Weekly brings a multimedia approach to its audience and advertisers, while The Tucson Sentinel excels in depth and dedication in reporting. The addition of YellowScene Magazine and The Appeal, from Colorado and California respectively, emphasizes AAN’s support for digital-only and specialized topic news outlets, highlighting critical issues such as criminal justice reform and social justice. The Frisc and Open Vallejo further diversify the AAN network, with the former offering insightful coverage on San Francisco’s urban dynamics and the latter showcasing impactful investigative journalism in Vallejo. This expansion reflects AAN’s commitment to fostering independent journalism and promoting diverse cultural coverage across the United States. The inclusion of these members not only strengthens the AAN’s network but also underlines the vital role of independent journalism in enhancing public discourse. Business executives are invited to share their views on how this diversification within AAN’s network could influence the landscape of media, advertising opportunities, and the broader discourse on independent journalism. #Iamdw #blackpress #alternativejournalism #localnews #independentmedia #journalismnetwork #diversevoices

If journalism wants to strengthen democracy, the horse-race coverage has to go. But what replaces it? Enter the 2023 Advancing Democracy Fellowship. We're teaming up with Hearken, Inc and Trusting News to help newsrooms create better ways to engage with their communities around elections and politics, reduce polarization, build or rebuild trust, and provide powerful solutions-focused coverage that can help people envision how to move forward. After a successful and exciting pilot version, we've made some tweaks and united again to bring the fellowship back. This time, we are inviting 20 U.S.-based newsroom teams of at least one reporter and one editor to join this adventure. If you are desperate to escape the worst of politics (and politicians) and have a space where you create work that's meaningful to your region, learn more and please consider applying. We — and your communities — are rooting for you. https://lnkd.in/ej8Y7fwk

This is a fascinating article from the Columbia Journalism Review on the emergence of the far-right Cowboy State Daily in Wyoming's news desert that primarily pushes climate denial, pro-fossil fuel, anti-renewables, and anti-CRT and anti-trans rights narratives. The CSD was established by billionaire GOP donor and 2018 (failed) gubernatorial candidate Foster Friess in 2018 because he was mad about how his campaign was being covered by Wyoming media. Its energy and climate coverage is conspicuously right leaning and explicitly denialist, as evidenced by its sourcing: "Tow Center analysis of Cowboy State Daily content found the five most commonly cited institutes/think tanks in energy stories all had links to climate denial. These were: the Heartland Institute (mentioned in fourteen articles), Manhattan Institute (eleven), American Petroleum Institute (ten), Institute for Energy Research (ten) and Competitive Enterprise Institute (seven). All five appear in nonprofit DeSmog’s Climate Disinformation Database, which tracks organizations that “delay and distract” on the need to reduce greenhouse gas pollution." Furthermore, CSD "has been criticized by LGBTQ rights organization Wyoming Equality for deadnaming and using phrases like “biological males/females” to refer to trans people. One Cowboy State Daily columnist wrote they “draw the line” when someone “born with male genitalia and a masculine endocrine system tries to impose himself in a women’s (sic) world”. An analysis "found numerous instances where Cowboy State Daily reporting on trans communities used tropes the Trans Journalists Association’s style guide says perpetuate “harmful cliches and stereotypes.” These included “groom” (seventeen articles), “detransition” (seven) and “biological male/female” (forty). By contrast, WyoFile appeared to have used “biological fe/male”—which goes against the style guide for “hyper-focus on trans bodies”—just twice, in critical contexts." The outlet also regularly runs articles panning CRT and expressing skepticism of racial justice initiatives. The pairing of climate denial/anti-energy transition narratives with racism and anti-LGBTQ narratives is particularly insidious and another indicator that protecting fossil fuel interests = protecting white/cis/male interests. Just another data point that the ongoing conversation about just transition must cultural/political opposition to transition must include a consideration race, gender, and other social issues. #climatejustice #energytransition #justtransition

Uncover the harsh realities facing local news in the U.S., as analyzed by political scientists for Nieman Journalism Lab. Despite increased coverage of local political events such as mayoral elections, local newspaper website traffic remains stagnant, suggesting deeper challenges beyond city hall coverage. The article explores declining audience engagement and economic pressures, challenging the notion that focusing solely on local political reporting can revive local journalism. Check out the full article for a deeper understanding of the obstacles and potential solutions in preserving local news amidst shifting media environments. https://lnkd.in/etKW48F6