Upcoming events

Past

~2025

• Local News in Times Of Crisis: How Civic Media is Rising to the Moment. JSK Fellow Candice Fortman, Rutgers Professor Carla Murphy, Documented Co-Executive Director Mazin Sidahmed and I appeared on a panel organized by Free Press and moderated by Mike Rispoli.

• The Study Hall Podcast interviewed me and Alex Arriaga on local journalism in New York.

• I visited Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, Video Newsroom course to discuss what New Yorkers want from local news.

• “Frustrated with Albany? New York Focus finds you're not alone.” NCPR interviewed me and Alex Arriaga.

~2024

• “New Yorkers demand better access to information, as newsrooms struggle with resources.” Finger Lakes 1.

• “Will 2025 be the year of unconventional experiments for journalism?” American Press Institute.

• Interview on WCNY: “The Impact of Declining Local News Sources. “Central Current hosts Maximilian Eyle and Chris Libonati interviewed NY Focus Audience Engagement Editor Alex Arriaga and freelance journalist kate harloe about their research, the barriers facing newsrooms in filling these gaps, and what a healthier information ecosystem could look like.”

• Central Current Radio - “New York Focus spent 6 months listening to what New Yorkers need from the news. Here’s what they found.”

• “Report: Rochesterians eager for change in local news coverage.” The Rochester Beacon.

• “A Just Transition for Journalism.” (Talk followed by panel discussion between Morgan Malone of City Bureau, Corinne Colbert of The Athens Independent, and me; moderated by Sam Cholke at the Institute for Nonprofit News Days in San Diego.) (2024.) Nonprofit Quarterly wrote up a review of my talk here here.

• March: Hydra Round Table Podcast Episode 4: Cult-y Level Marketing Scheme.

• “Journalism is in freefall. These writers aren’t giving up: ‘We can go out swinging.’” The Guardian.

~etc.

• Media in extremis. Shirley Wang interviews me for The Popula Planet.

Building Worker & Community Power to Transform Local Journalism

Alex Han of In These Times magazine, Andy Grimm from The Chicago News Guild, and me in conversation. (Panel organized by Free Press’s Media Power Collaborative and moderated by Free Press’ News Voices Director, Vanessa Maria Graber.)

journalism futures: the fight ahead

It’s time to organize. Brandi Collins-Dexter of the Shorenstein Center, Victor Pickard of Penn’s Media, Inequality & Change Center, and Matt Pearce of the Media Guild of the West in conversation; moderated by me. (Panel organized by the Freelance Solidarity Project.)

community listening tour of new york state

Together with New York Focus’s audience engagement editor Alex Arriaga, I ran a community listening tour to study the information needs of New Yorkers.

local news for the people: A policy agenda

In 2024, I served on a committee of ten journalists, organizers, scholars, and advocates to craft a community-rooted policy agenda for local news.

civic media census | News Futures

Alongside journalist Nina Weingrill, I’m stewarding a working group at News Futures; we’re studying the civic media ecosystem in the U.S. and beyond. Read our first report here.

Narratives for Media reform | News Futures

How do we set the terms of debate around what local news is and what it could be? Alongside Journalist and Rutgers Professor Carla Murphy, I’m stewarding a working group focused on reimagining the media system.