Month: January 2025

Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, who co-founded the National Trust for Local News four years ago, is stepping down as the organization’s CEO. Dr. Hansen Shapiro’s announcement arrived just a short time ago, and we have not had an opportunity to digest it. We may have more to say in the days and weeks ahead.

Eric Russell covers the story for the Portland Press Herald, which is one of the papers owned by the Trust.

Dan interviewed Hansen Shapiro for the book that we wrote, “What Works in Community News,” to discuss the National Trust’s role in acquiring a group of weekly and monthly newspapers in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, back in 2021. Ellen and Dan also interviewed her for our podcast, “What Works: The Future of Local News,” in 2022, and an excerpt is featured in our book.

We can also credit Hansen Shapiro with suggesting that we take a look at NJ Spotlight News, which represents the merger of a website that covers politics and public policy in New Jersey with NJ PBS, the state’s public television outlet. It turned out to be a terrific recommendation, and NJ Spotlight News anchors one of the chapters in our book.

More synchronicity: In 2023, the National Trust purchased the Portland Press Herald and a group of affiliated daily and weekly papers in Maine. Last fall, Ellen and Dan were the guests of the Maine Trust for a talk about our book that also served as a fundraiser for the Maine papers. In December, though, Lisa DeSisto — a professional friend of ours — suddenly left as CEO and publisher of the Maine Trust. We suspect there may be more news to come on what’s going on in Maine.

Hansen Shapiro’s original idea for the National Trust was to acquire family-owned newspapers that were in danger of falling into the hands of a corporate chain or hedge fund. And she has succeeded, presiding over the purchase of papers in Colorado, Maine and Georgia. We wish her good luck as she ponders what’s next. Her full announcement follows:

A Founder’s Reflection: On Building and Becoming

When I stepped out of academia four years ago to co-found the National Trust for Local News, I was answering a call that felt bigger than myself. I believed then, as I believe now, in the profound importance of preserving and reimagining our nation’s local storytelling institutions. Like the Nature Conservancy’s work to protect our natural heritage, we set out to conserve and transform the vital institutions that help communities understand themselves and each other.

In these four years, we’ve built something extraordinary together. We’ve demonstrated that a new model of stewardship is possible — one that honors both preservation and innovation, tradition and transformation. We’ve shown that what unites us truly is stronger than what divides us, and that local journalism can be a powerful force for reweaving our civic fabric. The challenges ahead are real, but so too is the strength of what we’ve built together.

As I reflect on this journey, I recognize that the very principles that guided our work — trust in community wisdom, belief in the power of transformation, and faith in our shared stories — now guide me to make a transition. I have decided to step down as CEO and am working closely with the board to transition to new leadership.

This moment arrives not as an ending, but as evolution: the vision that called me to build now calls me to step back, trusting in the foundation we’ve laid and the wisdom of those who will carry it forward. What began as a mission to build has become a lesson in letting go, in trusting that what we’ve created together has its own wisdom and momentum.

I look to the horizon of local news and see the seeds we’ve planted taking root in ways we may not yet imagine. I envision our work flowering into a thousand expressions of community storytelling, each uniquely adapted to its place and people. I see newsrooms becoming not just repositories of information, but sacred spaces where community wisdom is gathered, preserved, and shared across generations. I believe the National Trust will continue to be a crucible where tradition and innovation meet, where storytelling finds new forms, and where the threads of community are constantly rewoven into ever-stronger fabric.

To our generous supporters who believed in this vision from its earliest days: Your faith in what was possible, your willingness to invest in new models, and your commitment to community storytelling have made everything possible. You understood that preserving local journalism requires both innovation and deep respect for tradition. May your courage in supporting new paths forward inspire others to join in this vital work.

To those who will carry this work forward: May you find joy in being stewards of these community treasures. May you have the courage to preserve what is precious and the wisdom to welcome necessary change. May you feel the support of all who have contributed to this mission, and may you trust in the profound importance of your work.

I step back with profound gratitude for how this journey has transformed me even as we’ve worked to transform the landscape of local news. The story of the National Trust continues, evolving as all good stories do. I look forward to watching and supporting its next chapter, knowing that the work of preserving and reimagining local journalism is more vital than ever.

On the new “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Alison Bethel, chief content officer and editor-in-chief for State Affairs. The project is a digital-first media company that is focused on covering state governments throughout the country. The target audience comprises political and policy professionals who need to have a deep understanding of the inner workings of government.

Alison was vice president of corps excellence at Report for America. She was also executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists, where she was only the second woman and the first person of color to serve in that capacity in 110 years.

Dan has a Quick Take on a harrowing situation in Grand Junction, Colorado. A young Colorado television reporter was reportedly chased by a taxi driver who then attempted to choke him. The driver also reportedly yelled “This is Trump’s America now!”

Ellen has a Quick Take on an app called WatchDuty, that is providing lifesaving information to people in Los Angeles who are threatened by wildfires.

You can listen to our conversation here, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcast app.

By Dan Kennedy

If you live in Medford, Massachusetts, as I do, I have some incredibly exciting news. A for-profit digital-only news organization is about to debut nearly three years after the Gannett newspaper chain all but abandoned the city. Gotta Know Medford is expected to launch with a website and a newsletter by the end of this month.

“We want to hold people accountable and make sure people are informed before they make decisions,” says co-founder Nell Escobar Coakley, who will be the site’s managing editor. She’ll be joined by two other co-founders, Wendall Waters and Chris Stevens. All three are veteran journalists who spent part of their careers working at Gannett and its predecessor chains. “We know what we’re doing,” Coakley says.

Gotta Know Medford will be free and advertiser-supported.

Coakley, in fact, is a former editor of the Medford Transcript, which ceased to exist in the spring of 2022, when Gannett merged it with the Somerville Journal. The merged paper, the Transcript & Journal, consists almost entirely of non-local news from across the chain.

Coakley, Stevens and Waters have been working to start a Medford news project for many months; Coakley says that Gotta Know Medford began coming together this past fall. That’s when the three of them connected with the Medford Chamber of Commerce, which in turn introduced them to Medford-based web developer Amanda Stone.

“We just saw the preview of our site, and we’ve just sent all of the revisions back to Amanda,” Coakley says, adding she’s thrilled with the design that Stone has come up with.

At least at first, Gotta Know Medford will be a part-time endeavor for Coakley, Stevens and Waters. Coakley is the part-time editor of Winchester News, a digital nonprofit, and she plans to continue with that for the time being. Stevens has been reporting for Winchester News as well.

“Those Winchester folks were really inspirational,” Coakley says. “They’ve been very helpful too in giving us advice and some ideas.” She also credited people involved in Greater Boston hyperlocal news, saying, “I find that people running these smaller news outlets, it’s a real community.”

Gotta Know Medford, Coakley says, will be a typical local news project, covering municipal government, development issues, arts and entertainment, and the like. School sports will be added somewhere down the line. There’s certainly plenty to cover, with issues such as a possible revision of the city charter and rezoning along Salem Street top of mind for many of us who live here.

Medford is not entirely uncovered. We have a Patch, which occasionally publishes an interesting story about the city, and students at The Tufts Daily do an excellent job of covering some Medford news. There is no substitute, though, for a locally owned, independent news outlet.

Now, a disclosure: I’ve been involved in trying to bring local news back to Medford since 2020. At that time the Transcript did not have a full-time reporter, a situation that dragged on for about a year. That was finally rectified, and I put my efforts on hold.

Then, in March 2022, the Transcript ceased publication. I gathered a group of local residents to see if we could organize a nonprofit outlet similar to Winchester News, YourArlington or Brookline.News, co-founded by my research partner, Ellen Clegg. Unfortunately, none of us were able to put in the time needed to start fundraising and begin the work of assembling an organization.

Next I approached a for-profit out-of-state chain that had a decent track record in moving to places vacated by Gannett and publishing good-quality newspapers. That effort appeared promising; at one point, the CEO even came to Medford for a tour, and the local group I’ve already mentioned took him and one of his fellow executives to lunch. Unfortunately, that company ultimately decided against moving ahead.

Nell and I have been in touch for at least a year, bouncing ideas back and forth as she considered whether to go for-profit or nonprofit and offer a print edition (she says it’s something she still might do at some point in the future) or publish online only. So, needless to say, I’m thrilled that she and her partners — a women-owned company, she points out — are finally about to restore local news to our city.

On the latest “What Works” podcast, Dan and Ellen talk with Bill and Linda Forry, co-publishers of the award-winning Reporter newspapers in Boston. Bill serves as editor, and Linda focuses on business development and strategic partnerships.

The Reporter newspapers include the weekly Dorchester Reporter as well as Boston Irish and BostonHaitian.com. The publications and their websites are part of a media business owned and operated by the Forry family since 1973.

The Forrys were recently in the news. The Reporter is one of 205 news organizations in the U.S. to win an inaugural Press Forward grant to expand coverage of Boston’s underserved communities.

Dan has a Quick Take on public radio. Put bluntly, public radio is in trouble, and not just NPR, which may be our leading source of reliable free news, but also public radio stations across the country. An important recent essay in Nieman Reports argues that the way forward for public radio stations may be to double down on local news. 

Ellen’s Quick Take is on the Nieman Lab predictions for the media industry in 2025. Every year, Nieman Lab asks a select group of people what they think is coming in the next 12 months. Sam Mintz, the editor of Brookline.News, a digital outlet Ellen helped launch, is one of the prognosticators.

You can listen to our conversation here, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcast app.

Suki Dardarian, who’s the retiring editor and senior vice president of The Minnesota Star Tribune, has been named the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year by the National Press Club. The Star Tribune is one of the projects featured in our book, “What Works in Community News.” The press release follows.

The National Press Foundation awards Suki Dardarian, editor and senior vice president of the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award for 2024.

As the decline of local newspapers accelerates, Dardarian’s leadership of the Star Tribune and the 43 years she has spent producing impactful journalism for local communities stand out for their excellence, NPF judges said.

In August of 2024, the Star Tribune did the unthinkable in the news industry. It launched a reboot — of its platform, content, design and name — which resulted in the hiring of more reporters, expanded coverage beyond the Twin Cities across the state, and a focus on topics of direct interest to Minnesotans.

Dardarian “has been the face of this transformation,” Kyndell Harkness, head of culture and community for the Star Tribune, told the NPF Editor of the Year selection committee. Harkness said Dardarian has been “authentic,” “instrumental,” and “inspirational” during a year-plus of discussions inside the news organization and across the state that helped shape the dramatic change.

“She makes it real for the newsroom and for the partnership with the community,” Harkness said.

Named for the esteemed Washington Post editor, the National Press Foundation established the Editor of the Year Award in 1984 to recognize significant achievements that enhance the quality of journalism in the United States. Previous winners include Monica Richardson, Dean Baquet, Marty Baron, David Remnick and Tina Brown.

Dardarian will receive the award at the National Press Foundation Annual Journalism Awards Dinner on Feb. 20, 2025.

This coincides with her retirement, which was announced last month.

“Suki is so committed to doing the right thing. She has a tremendous backbone and north star, and she’ll be missed,” CEO and publisher Steve Grove said in the Star Tribune announcement.

Dardarian joined the Star Tribune as senior managing editor in 2014 and became its top editor in 2022.

During her tenure, the Star Tribune has won numerous journalism awards including the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News for its coverage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police and the protests that followed. The Floyd coverage was also recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

The reckoning about race across the United States sparked by Floyd’s murder also hit inside the Star Tribune’s newsroom. Dardarian set up internal committees and working groups to discuss and implement recommendations from journalists of color that included key hiring decisions and improved coverage guidelines.

After retiring as the newsroom leader, Dardarian will remain in an advisory role to help with the transition to a new editor.

Prior to joining the Star Tribune in 2014, Dardarian spent 14 years at the Seattle Times. As managing editor overseeing news and enterprise, the paper won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News for its coverage of the shooting deaths of four police officers.

She began her career as a reporter at the Everett Herald in Washington state, then had an award-winning stint at the News Tribune in Tacoma that included being cited as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting.