Meet the Mississippi Local News Summit panelists

Questions and answers from Violet Jira

Max Resnik — Documentators

What should Summit attendees know about your organization and its goals?

“City Bureau is a journalism laboratory based in Chicago. We work with news organizations across the country through our Documenters program to train and pay local residents to attend local public meetings, take notes and contribute to the journalistic process within their city or community . We’ve learned a lot over the last six years and are now in 19 locations and growing.

We’re excited to share what we’ve learned, the challenges we’ve overcome, and things that we hope might be a source of inspiration for Mississippi journalists, reporters, and editors.

What interests you and your organization most about journalism in Mississippi?

“This is going to be a whole new state that we have to figure out, so I’m really curious about what kinds of networks are out there connecting different small towns and connecting different big cities. I’m here to learn as much as possible. I am very new to journalism in Mississippi.

What do you think will be the outcome of the Mississippi Local News Summit in June?

“I’m really excited to see all the innovative ways that startup publications as well as people who have been doing this for a while are innovating to meet the present moment and thinking about how they will engage students, journalism schools and journalism schools. ‘others. types of collaborative networks that can form to meet the information needs of local residents.

What do you like about journalism?

“What I love most about journalism is the opportunity to treat curiosity as more than a hobby. Many librarians in our network are curious to know how their city works and how budgets are decided. Librarians provide context for responding to this curiosity and getting paid for doing so.

Jim Brady — Knight Foundation

What should Summit attendees know about your organization and its goals?

“The Knight Foundation has funded local journalism since 1950, and over the past 15 years it has awarded hundreds of millions in grants to try to find a new business model for local journalism. We believe in the power of local journalism to inform and engage communities to better empower each individual to make decisions to improve their lives. We’ve also committed $150 million over five years to support Press Forward, something I know we’ll be discussing at Oxford.

What interests you and your organization most about journalism in Mississippi?

“Move Mississippi Forward.” We are thrilled that the CREATE Foundation helped create this chapter, and Knight will be happy to help support this effort in any way we can. Coming to this event to talk about Press Forward as a whole is just one way we can do that. There is also still a strong local media ecosystem in Mississippi, thanks to the good work still being done by Mississippi Today, the Mississippi Free Press, the Clarion-Ledger and many others. But there is room for more. Much more.”

What do you think will be the outcome of the Mississippi Local News Summit in June?

“A deeper understanding of Press Forward and the opportunities that a Press Forward Mississippi will be able to provide to media outlets across the state. I would also like to see more funders in the state decide to join CREATE to help support Mississippi’s information ecosystem.

What do you like about journalism?

“I knew I wanted to do journalism when I saw ‘All the President’s Men’ at the theater in

1976. While everyone was excited about “Star Wars,” I was still watching ATPM.

I have now met Woodard, Bernstein and knew Ben Bradlee before he passed away. I can confirm that they are all cooler than Luke Skywalker.

Dale R. Anglin — Press forward

What should Summit attendees know about your organization and its goals?

“The steady and significant decline in the availability of reliable, fact-based local information across the country is linked to growing threats to democracy, increasing polarization and the spread of disinformation. At the same time, more than a decade of investment in journalism experimentation and transformation has produced new models and solutions ready to evolve, as well as a new generation of leaders ready to reinvent and revitalize the field.

More than 57 Press Forward donors and foundation partners are moving from individual grantmaking strategies to shared vision and coordinated action. Press Forward is a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, fill long-standing gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policies that expand access to local news, and evolve the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive.

What interests you and your organization most about journalism in Mississippi?

“All residents need fact-based reporting that covers quality of life issues and stories that hold our government accountable. Mississippi has invested in award-winning nonprofit newsrooms that shine a light on new ways to create credible and important stories. Press Forward is thrilled that Mississippi has successfully applied to become a Press Forward chapter. We look forward to working with you as a key partner in our quest to develop quality local media.

What do you think will be the outcome of the Mississippi Local News Summit in June?

“Allow conversations about how to do better local journalism in Mississippi. Excellent networking among colleagues working in this field.

What do you like about journalism?

“Journalism seeks to inform other members of the community about issues that are important to our lives: the arts, education, politics, government, etc. Good local journalism is a link in communities and can serve as a unifier in communities that have lost their way to the future. together. I love when people see themselves in stories and it helps them be part of the solution.