Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media

Understanding how local newsrooms cover disasters is crucial for improving the information communities rely on. In our latest research, we analyzed news coverage from western NC in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene - examining the most covered topics, the availability of actionable disaster information, and the originality of reporting through text analysis of local stories a month after the storm. Huge thanks to Jessica Mahone for her invaluable guidance, Sarah Vassello for making the piece alive online, and Briana Edwards and Ella Feathers for their excellent support - grateful for this collaboration.

?? New Research: When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, local news was there. Our latest CISLM report found that in the immediate aftermath, original local reporting produced 77% of articles published rather than republished from wire services. 84% of local newspaper articles about Hurricane Helene included actionable information on critical topics like: ??? Roadways & transportation (53%) ? Power restoration (45%) ?? Where to get food & water (38%) Over the course of a disaster and its recovery,?journalists often transition from disseminators of fast, factual information in an emergency to accountability reporters. Following natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and storms, journalists raise accountability questions to authorities about prevention and response actions. ?? By Local News Researcher Yanan Sun, read the full report on CISLM.org ?? #LocalNews #DisasterResponse #JournalismMatters #HurricaneHelene #MediaResilience

Excited to be presenting on AI Chatbot building at the NC News & Information Summit with Sarah Vassello! Looking forward to sharing insights and learning from an incredible group of local journalists, researchers, and community leaders. If you're attending, I'd love to connect. See you there!

Excited to host this event with experts such as American Press Institute's Elite Truong, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media graduate Lauren Berry of Bloomberg, McClatchy's Tyler Dukes, APCO's Iris Shaffer and Amy Mitchell at the Center for News Technology and Innovation. Thanks to The University of Kansas KU J-School Steve Bien-Aime, moderator extraordinaire, for helping me to plan this pre-event before the Local News Researchers Workshop. Join us online for a conversation about AI & the Future of Local News!

?? AI is transforming journalism — are you ready to explore its impact? Join us for the AI and the Future of Local News pre-conference on March 24, a virtual event hosted by UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media’s Knight Chair in Local News and Sustainability Marisa Porto, MBA. This pre-conference will bring together researchers, journalists and industry leaders to discuss: ?? Best practices for integrating AI in newsrooms ?? The business and ethical implications of AI in journalism ?? The future of AI-powered storytelling ?? Date: March 24, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET ?? Location: Virtual — Register below to attend! This is a must-attend event for anyone interested in the intersection of AI and journalism. Secure your spot today! #LocalNews #AI #JournalismResearch

Enlace Latino NC is seeking a new Director of Development. Details below!

Thrilled to announce that my workshop submission has been accepted for the Local News Researchers Workshop 2025! ?? The workshop is organised by the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at Duke University and the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media. I’m particularly excited as this marks my first-ever trip to the U.S.! ???? Looking forward to connecting with researchers from around the globe at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I’ll be presenting on methods to assess the state of local journalism, sharing insights from my PhD research on conducting large-scale local news text analysis. Find out more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/dEhbfNcN If you’re attending, I’d love to connect!

?? What do small publishers need to succeed in advertising? Tiny News Collective and Rebuild Local News tackled this question and created a playbook to help small and emerging newsrooms navigate the complexities of advertising. Through extensive research, they identified key barriers — and solutions — to help local publishers build sustainable revenue models. Key takeaways from the playbook: ?? Many small publishers struggle with limited time and resources to sell ads effectively. ??? They need better tools, templates and automation to streamline ad operations. ?? Publishers should lean into what makes their publication special: a trusted relationship with a desirable audience. This playbook serves as a practical guide to help small publishers monetize their work, connect with advertisers and build stronger business models — all while staying focused on serving their communities. (ICYMI: If you like this playbook, be sure to check out our Buyers Unfiltered report, which sheds light into how local ad buyers make decisions, and their plans to buy in the coming years: https://lnkd.in/eZ7kgPe8) ?? Check out the full playbook and insights ?? #LocalNews #NewsRevenue #Advertising #MediaSustainability

What a pleasure to be featured by the UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media! A huge thank you to the Center for sharing this with me the other day, it was so exciting to see it (and I can't believe I completely missed it - it was published nearly a year ago!). A year later and I stand by my points about the critical need to study, fund, and advocate for local journalism. Perhaps even more so now. Local news is an essential tool of democracy, and I am excited to see where the field of local news research is headed in supporting the important democratic goals and functions of local journalism. Anyway if you read to the end of the Q&A you get rewarded with me embarrassingly talking about my old pub trivia team Last Place. Miss those friends!!!!!!

? 2 days left —?save your spot as an attendee or a presenter at the 2025 Local News Researchers Workshop! What does newsroom impact actually look like? What metrics matter? If you’re researching or working on these issues, in the academic realm or otherwise, don’t miss your chance to join the 2025 Local News Researchers Workshop at UNC-Chapel Hill, co-hosted by DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at Duke University. ? Connect with researchers, journalists & funders ? Share your insights on newsroom sustainability ? Discuss how local journalism measures success ?? Proposals to attend or present due this Friday, Jan. 17 #LocalNews #JournalismResearch #NewsroomImpact #MediaMetrics