Category: Local Journalism

ISOJ 2023 panel, peer-reviewed journal highlight research in quoting, parasocial relationships in podcasts, philanthropic support of BIPOC news startups and more

View video of panel here. Five peer-reviewed research papers were selected for the Spring 2023 #ISOJ Journal and the authors were invited to present their findings at the 24th International Symposium on Online Journalism conference April 14.  Celeste González de Bustamante, professor and associate dean at UT Austin’s Moody College of Communication, opened the panel …  Read More

ISOJ adds to 2023 program the screening of a new documentary that showcases rural Texas newspaper’s fight to survive

The Canadian Record, which has chronicled life in the Texas Panhandle since 1893, announced the suspension of its print edition on March 2, 2023. Messages of support and shock filled social media, appeared in letters to the editor, and crossed the newsroom’s doorstep. “They’ve pretty much swamped us, coming in the door, coming in the …  Read More

Tailor-made solutions for local news organizations help them achieve sustainability

As more local news organizations crop up, several resources and tools have also been developed to guarantee success, according to presenters at the ISOJ 2022 lunch workshop “Tools and resources for local news organizations,” chaired by Karen Rundlet, a journalism program officer at the Knight Foundation. Speakers were Fernando Díaz, Emily Dresslar and Lisa Heyamoto. …  Read More

Nonprofit news initiatives in the United States seek to serve underserved populations, strengthen local journalism and create jobs for journalists

The nonprofit model applied to journalism has flourished in recent years in the United States. There are already several digital media that have emerged under this paradigm that are focusing on under-served populations, reinforcing the local news ecosystem and creating jobs for journalists, while striving to consolidate sustainable business models. In the opening panel of …  Read More

Invaluable relationships for the success of local news: Networking and collaboration are key

In a year where local news was even more important, collaboration and networking has become essential. Supporting local news networks through partnerships has shown to be highly successful for the panelists representing various organizations and local news networks at the 2021 International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ). The Knight Foundation believes in the power of …  Read More

No single silver bullet for local news: legacy and digital newsrooms experiment with different editorial and business strategies to make sure nothing gets unreported

For the first time in its 21-year-history, the International Symposium of Online Journalism (ISOJ) was held online only in 2020. To watch this panel, click here. To watch other panels, click here. There’s no single model for local news organizations to survive, so they must spend some of their efforts experimenting editorially and financially to find …  Read More

Online journalism can prosper if the focus on local news is genuine, ISOJ panel suggests

Watch video of this panel from ISOJ 2019. Local journalism would benefit from more focus on filling in coverage gaps and building strong relationships with readers, according to panelists at the International Symposium on Online Journalism on April 13. During the panel “Saving local news in the U.S.: Can we have sustainable online journalism in …  Read More