Local news is essential to democracy. Meaningful participation in civic life is impossible without it. However, local news is in crisis. According to one widely cited study, some 2,500 newspapers have closed over the last generation. And it is often marginalized communities of color who have been left without the day-to-day journalism they need to govern themselves in a democracy. 

Join journalism professor and author Dan Kennedy for a discussion of this topic and his new book, What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate. 

REGISTER HERE FOR THIS EVENT.

Questions? Contact Kerry: keodonnell@somervillema.gov

 About The Book: 

A groundbreaking study of the journalism startups that are solving the local news crisis one community at a time.

A must-hear for activists, entrepreneurs, and journalists who want to start local news outlets in their communities.

Veteran journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy cut through the pessimism surrounding this issue, showing listeners that new, innovative journalism models are popping up across the country to fill news deserts and empower communities. What Works in Community News examines more than a dozen of these projects, including:

• Sahan Journal, a digital publication dedicated to reporting on Minnesota’s immigrant and refugee communities;
• MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit news outlet in Memphis, TN, focused on poverty, power, and public policy;
• New Haven Independent / WNHH / La Voz Hispana de Connecticut, a digital news project that expanded its reach in the New Haven community through radio and a Spanish-language partnership;
• Storm Lake Times Pilot, a print newspaper in rural Iowa innovating with a hybrid for-profit/nonprofit model; and
• Texas Tribune, once a pioneering upstart, now one of the most well-known—and successful—digital newsrooms in the country.

Through a blend of on-the-ground reporting and interviews, Clegg and Kennedy show how these operations found seed money and support, and how they hired staff, forged their missions, and navigated challenges from the pandemic to police intimidation to stand as the last bastion of collective truth—and keep local news in local hands.

About The Author: 

Dan Kennedy is a professor in the School of Journalism at Northeastern University and a nationally known media commentator. He was a panelist on the GBH News television program Beat the Press (1998–2021) and also served as a weekly columnist for the network. Dan is a recipient of the Yankee Quill Award from the New England Academy of Journalists and the James W. Carey Journalism Award from the Media Ecology Association. Learn more and Dan and Ellen's book and podcast HERE.

This program is presented in partnership with the Tewksbury Public Library and other MA libraries. These events will NOT be recorded, viewers MUST attend live.

Registration will remain open until the program start time. When you register for this event, you'll receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link sent from the Tewksbury Public Library. Please make sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it initially.