@NorthwesternU R&D project combines digital innovation, audience insight & business strategy to elevate local news & empower citizens. Based at @MedillSchool
Joined August 2018
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108 Photos and videos
Paddock Publications has shuttered at least 13 Illinois newspapers, creating five new news-desert counties across the state. The company's flagship Daily Herald is set to be acquired by Tribune Publishing later this month. Read more:
localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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What happens when local news disappears? Left Uncovered: Inside North Carolina’s News Deserts explores the growing local news crisis and its impact on communities, featuring data and reporting from The State of Local News Report.
Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=L1NSNYbC…
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NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins the State of Local News Podcast to discuss local journalism, trust, sustainability, and rebuilding civic connection. 🎙️⬇️
localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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69% of surveyed Chicago-area local news consumers already support local journalism financially. 88% say they use local news to be better citizens.
New research from Press Forward Chicago and Medill's Local News Accelerator: localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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NPR CEO Katherine Maher discusses NPR’s storytelling secrets and why local public media remains essential civic infrastructure. Listen/Watch⬇️
localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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NPR CEO Katherine Maher joins the State of Local News Podcast to discuss newsroom restructuring, federal funding cuts, digital transformation, and the future of local public media. Watch the conversation below 🎙️📷⬇
localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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State of Local News Project's director Zach Metzger spoke with CNN about the lack of access to local news in military communities, leaving millions with fewer reliable sources of information.
Watch here:
cnn.com/2026/05/20/us/video/…
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Local Businesses LOVE Sponsoring Youth Sports on Local News! Find the full episode here: localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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The fight to save the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette raises a bigger question: what does it actually mean to save local news? New reporting from the Local News Initiative explores the future of legacy newspapers and civic information.
localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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Join the Northwestern Local News Initiative and the Maynard Institute on June 4–5 in Chicago for a FREE leadership training for early- and mid-career editors and managers.
Register by May 26 here: mije.org/programs/for-indivi…
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Listen to the full episode here: localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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Want your local government to actually listen? @WGLTNews – Bloomington-Normal's Public Media is reporting on what works — and what doesn't — when citizens show up to advocate for change. Tune in the week of May 11. #HealingIllinois #DemocracyLivesHere
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Your ballot could be thrown out — not because you did anything wrong but because of a postal rule change you’ve probably never heard of. Chicago News Weekly is exposing what’s at stake and who’s fighting back. Don’t miss this. #HealingIllinois #DemocracyLivesHere
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What does it actually take to run an election? Capitol News Illinois is reporting on Illinois county clerks — their evolving roles, their challenges and the practices that strengthen faith in electoral processes. Coming May 11. Stay tuned. #HealingIllinois
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Democracy Lives Here. Launching May 11: five IL newsrooms reporting on what's working to strengthen democracy across the state. Supported by @FieldFoundation, IDHS, and @MedillSchool. Stay tuned. #HealingIllinois
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What does craft beer have to do with local news?
More than you think. 🍻
On the latest episode of the State of Local News Podcast, Chuck Todd explains why people crave unique, local journalism again.
Read/Listen: localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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As local newsrooms shrink, coverage of U.S. military bases is disappearing—leaving millions with fewer reliable sources of information. Read new research by Medill State of Local News Project's director Zach Metzger here:
localnewsinitiative.northwes…
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Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0IX…
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News deserts are becoming data centers, and the watchdogs are already gone. Read here:
cjr.org/feature/ai-data-cent…
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