Local Journalism and Media Policy: Joy Jenkins, Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, and Phil Napoli on what happens next
How to maintain the momentum and what issues — and research- still needs to be addressed
Over the previous four months, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at the Columbia Journalism School has hosted a series of monthly webinars exploring the intersection of media policy and local journalism. Some of the world’s foremost experts offered their critiques, criticisms and concerns about the current state of affairs.
The fifth and final session concluded with panelists Joy Jenkins (University of Tennessee), Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro (CEO, National Trust for Local News) and Philip Napoli (Duke University) discussing the way forward. The series was moderated by Tow Knight News Innovation fellow Damian Radcliffe from the University of Oregon.
“We see all these headlines calling for the death knell of local news, but when you actually get into it and you talk to people who are working [doing] research and who have [made] efforts in this area, there are so many fantastic ideas,” Jenkins said. “There is such an emphasis on serving communities that have been left out and such potential to involve them in the conversation.
