Portland Press Herald Podcast

Talking media startups, news deserts and the future of the Fourth Estate This conversation took place on Tuesday, October 15 at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University. Authors Dan Kennedy and Ellen Clegg sat down for a conversation about their book What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate (Beacon Press) at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University on Tuesday, October 15. 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. In this book, journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy cut through the pessimism surrounding this issue, showing readers that new, innovative journalism models are popping up across the country to