Starting Conversations with Megan Kamerick: Challenges Facing Local News
Channel: New Mexico Humanities Council
Date: 30/11/2020

This Starting Conversations session is the second installment of our series on Journalism and Democracy, facilitated by Megan Kamerick of NMPBS. In this episode the topic is "Challenges Facing Local News" and Kamerick and her guests discuss the changing landscape of local news rooms in New Mexico. Kamerick is joined by Julie Ann Grimm (Santa Fe Reporter), Julia Dendinger (Valencia County Bulletin), Algernon D'Ammassa (Las Cruces Sun News), Rashad Mahmood (New Mexico Local News Fund), and Alicia Zuckerman (WLRN Miami) all of whom offer insights into the challenges facing local news publications and broadcasting stations in the age of information.

This program is made possible by the Mellon Foundation initiative Democracy and the Informed Citizen. 

Below is a resource list with more information and discussions: 
The Death and Life of Great American News: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/local-news-montana/tnamp/?__twitter_impression=true
Now We Need to Rebuild Local News Rooms: https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/now-we-need-to-rebuild-local-newsrooms.php
U.S. Newsrooms have shed half their employees since 2008: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/20/u-s-newsroom-employment-has-dropped-by-a-quarter-since-2008/
The most feared owner in American journalism looks set to take some of its greatest assets: https://www.cjr.org/special_report/alden-global-capital-medianews-tribune-company.php
 Starving the Watchdogs: https://www.npr.org/2018/12/09/675092808/starving-the-watchdog-who-foots-the-bill-when-newspapers-disappearInteractive map of news deserts
The coronavirus has closed more than 60 local newsrooms across America. And counting: https://www.poynter.org/locally/2020/the-coronavirus-has-closed-more-than-25-local-newsrooms-across-america-and-counting/#:~:text=Since%202004%2C%20about%201%2C800%20newspapers,School%20of%20Journalism%20and%20Media.
As election looms, a network of mysterious ‘pink slime’ local news outlets nearly triples in size: https://www.cjr.org/analysis/as-election-looms-a-network-of-mysterious-pink-slime-local-news-outlets-nearly-triples-in-size.php
As Local News Dies, a Pay-for-Play Network Rises in Its Place: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/18/technology/timpone-local-news-metric-media.html
News deserts and ghost newspapers: Will local news survive?: https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/reports/news-deserts-and-ghost-newspapers-will-local-news-survive/
Interactive map of news deserts: https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics: https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma: https://dartcenter.org/
Best Practices For Covering Suicide Responsibly : https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2018/best-practices-for-covering-suicide-responsibly/

The New Mexico Humanities Councils is a non-profit dedicated to exploring who we are, who we were and who we wish to be.