Making Local News Better

Making Local News Better 📰

December 20, 2020

December 21 - 25, 2020 Edition

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EarBuds Podcast Collective: Making Local News Better

5 podcast episodes according to a theme, curated by a different person each week

  CURATOR: Jenna Spinelle

 WHY THIS THEME?: I cut my teeth in local journalism and I currently host and produce a podcast about democracy. Local news cuts across journalism and democracy and has become one of the things I’m most passionate about. 

EPISODES:

 

  Democracy Works 

42 minutes

More than 2,000 local newspapers have closed over the past 20 years, leaving some parts of the country in what's known as a "news desert." This week, we examine what impact that's had on civic engagement and democratic participation — and look at ways people are trying to make local news great again. 

The coronavirus pandemic hit the local news industry hard at a time when it hadn't even recovered from the previous crisis in 2008. "We're certainly coming up on or in the middle of something even bigger," Lion Publishers executive director Chris Krewson said on the Digiday Podcast. "So I don't see much hope of them recovering from this one either."

The PRovoke Podcast

31 minutes

This episode of the PRovoke Podcast features Google's LaToya Drake, a founding member of the Google News Initiative (GNI) and a champion for inclusive storytelling. In a conversation with Aarti Shah, Drake talks about how GNI emerged at Google and how the effort elevates underrepresented voices in media. Drake also discusses diversity in technology and communications — and how brands and agencies can work towards more inclusive storytelling in their own narratives.  

On this episode, Mark  Simon is joined by Bettina Chang, one of the co-founders and executive editorial director for City Bureau, a Chicago-based non-profit journalism lab that both covers the city and works with the community to produce impactful, equitable, and publicly-responsive reporting

The business model of the local news industry is broken. As the number of newspaper journalists continues to decrease, newspaper owners must be creative, disciplined, and agile in seeking new revenue streams and ensuring that the quality of the stories they create are not affected by lack of resources. In this episode, host Jonathan Rothwell chats with Penelope Muse Abernathy, Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics at the University of North Carolina, to discuss the declining sense of community in the news industry and other challenges that journalists and newspaper owners face today.

GET IN TOUCH: Twitter  SELF PROMO: If you live in the United States and want to learn more about local news options in your area, check out the following resources:

Join the EarBuds Slack ChannelNEW: We created a Slack channel for our board members and we thought, HEY! Why not open this up to the community. We'll chat about recommendations, podcast news, tips for creators, and more.Join us here.

Thinking of starting a podcast? Use Buzzsprout to host your show and get an Amazon gift card as a thank you!

This week's spotlight is onUnfinished: Short Creek

This podcast was first recommended to me by my classmate, Julianna Bradley. I then heard about it again on Servant of Pod. Finally, I sat down (read: washed dishes & more chores) to listen. WOW. This work of journalism is thorough. And the story is intensely captivating. This is an easy-to-binge show. Make sure to savor the beautiful sound design and interviews as you listen.

EarBuds founder Arielle Nissenblatt co-hosted a radio show this past week on WMPG.

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