As the crisis for local news has intensified in recent years and significantly worsened thanks to the pandemic-induced financial crisis, researchers have made use of a range of ecological concepts--ecosystems, deserts, etc.-- as framing devices to understand the rapid changes journalism and consumers of journalism are experiencing. These concepts are increasingly being recognized and cited by groups outside academia, including funders, policy makers, and even the public. Yet there is no widespread agreement between these various sectors about who and what counts as “high quality” local news, or the absence thereof.
This panel will bring together researchers who examine the health of local news through a variety of methodological approaches, including mapping news organizations, analyzing the quality of news content and speaking with local news consumers. This conversation will serve to more precisely frame, define and scale the local news crisis before discussing new emerging models in the subsequent sessions.
Moderator: Sara Rafsky, Senior Research fellow, Tow Center for Digital Journalism
Panelists:
Penny Abernathy, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Aaron Foley, Black Media Initiative Director, Center for Community Media, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Sarah Stonbely, Research Director, Center for Cooperative Media, Montclair State University
Matthew Weber, Associate Professor, Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
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