The Value Of Local Journalism

WAMU 88.5

Published July 2, 2018 at 10:30 AM EDT

Lynne Griffin pays her respects at a makeshift memorial near the Capital Gazette where 5 people were shot and killed by a gunman on Thursday, on June 29, in Annapolis, Maryland. Griffin was a journalism student under John McNamara, one of the five people killed at the paper.

When you think of local journalism, maybe the first thought that occurs to you is that local newsrooms are struggling. That’s definitely true.

But maybe you also think about the tenacity of local reporters. After the shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland, the staff declared “We Are Putting Out a Damn Paper.”

To talk about local news, we reached out to journalists from around the country to hear about their experiences in small newsrooms.

We are just trying to get the truth. Getting there sometimes involves pointed questions and uncomfortable moments with people. I work in the investigative unit at 9NEWS. There are no set hours. Journalism is enmeshed with our lives.

— Jeremy Jojola (@jeremyjojola) June 29, 2018

I came into journalism wanting to be a foreign reporter. After a few years in local journalism, I realized it’s not so different. You end up covering extreme poverty, migration, the global economy, refugees — even the effects of war. The world is in our communities.

— Will James (@OtherWillJames) June 29, 2018

What have you always wanted to ask a local journalist? What don’t you understand about their jobs? And who is your favorite local reporter?

*Text by Gabi Healy, show produced by Paige Osburn*

GUESTS

David Chavern, President & CEO, News Media Alliance; @NewsCEO

Andrew Neal, Managing editor, Gazette Newspapers in Troy, MI; @NealSchmeal

Rachel Sadon, Editor-in-chief, DCist; @Rachel_Sadon

For more, visit https://the1a.org.