As our local media audits will likely have demonstrated, the United States has witnessed, over the past several decades, the consolidation of media corporations, the evisceration of those companies by hedge funds, and the decline of local news. What’s lost when our local modes of communication collapse? And what can we do to steward the sharing of credible local information, the cultivation of local knowledge and culture, and engagement in local governance? There’s quite a bit of work happening right here in Philadelphia to better understand how we can reinvigorate our local media ecologies. We’ll meet today with representatives from some of the organizations asking those questions.
Visitors: 3:00-4:30pm: This week we’ll welcome Samiya Green, Philadelphia Ecosystem Program Analyst at the Lenfest Institute
In-Class Exercise: Local Media Strategies
After our discussion with folks from the Lenfest Institute, I invite you to revisit your Local Media Audit slidedeck and add a new, final slide or two where you propose strategies for enhancing local news and civic engagement — or any of the other values and aspirations we’ll have read about for today or discussed in class — in your chosen locality. What strategies and tactics seem particularly well suited for your site, given the state of its existing media landscape, its political-economic and cultural dimensions, etc.? Aim for 150 words. Again, feel free to add graphics and other media.
To Do / Read for Today:
- Please make any final revisions to your Local Media Audit before the start of class, so we can share our findings with one another and our guest!
- Read through five short pieces in The Objective’s Civic Media Series: the series introduction [~6min]; Cierra Brown Hinton’s piece [~8min], Richard Young’s contribution [~8min], Jodi Rave Spotted Bear’s essay [~7min], and Ayinde Merrill’s piece [~6min]. We’ll skip Antoine Haywood’s contribution for now, since we’ll meet him next week 😃
- Introduce yourself to the Philly-based Lenfest Institute, Resolve Philly, and IndependenceMedia (which foreshadows our discussions on public access tv!), and please be prepared to ask some smart, generous questions to our guest, Samiya Green from Lenfest! Check out some of the other local news advocacy organizations, non-profits, and co-operatives in our “Local News Advocacy” Arena channel (again, remember: this collection is meant to give you a sense of the breadth of available resources; I don’t expect you to read everything, but you’re certainly welcome to explore any resources that pique your interest!) [~15 to 20min]
- Reflecting on our Free Library visit from two weeks ago, consider again the potential role of the public library as a critical hub within a local media ecology: Read Kate Harloe, “Are Libraries the Future of Media?” Popula (August 7, 2023) [~20min]. And if you’d like to read more, check out our “Libraries + Local News” Arena channel.
Supplemental Resources:
- “Civic Media Series, The Objective (December 2023).
- Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy, What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate (Beacon Press, 2024) + the “What Works: The Future of Local News” podcast.
- Brant Houston, Changing Models for Journalism: Reinventing the Newsroom (Taylor & Francis, 2023).
- “Local News Matters” podcast.