#local-news

#local-news

When the U.S. government cut funding for local news stations, the Knight Foundation moved quickly to help stabilize a rapidly eroding industry. President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth unpacks the evolving roles of philanthropy and government, and why philanthropic organizations must learn to move at the speed of the news cycle. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by former Fast Company editor-in-chief Robert Safian.

Caltrain had a 56% increase in ridership in 2025, landing it the title of fastest growing transit agency in the US by American Public Transportation Association's (APTA's) Transit Wrapped 2025 list. Additionally, the agency is rolling out its new electric-powered, one-day-only Holiday Train Saturday tickets sold out in a whopping 45 minutes, but spectators can still watch it roll along its route from SF to Santa Clara with a few notable destinations.

A decision to close the newspaper has been taken, and the appropriate procedures are now experiencing a steady decline in readership and advertising in recent years. As the consumption of news has increasingly shifted to online media, print newspapers have struggled to compete with digital platforms and social media outlets. The challenging circumstances created by this radically altered and irreversible commercial environment have seen The Northern Standard struggle to sustain its long-term viability.

After walking away from a career as a lawyer in the late 2000s, Shapiro committed himself to helping rebuild local news in the communities where he lived. He launched his first three TAPinto sites in New Jersey in October of 2008, simply hoping to help give back to these neighborhoods where he was raising his family. Fast forward 17 years, and he's built up his organization as a franchise, with 99 TAPinto sites across New Jersey, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.

I spend a lot of time in Haitian and immigrant communities across the United States. In Brooklyn, Miami, Chicago, and the Midwest, I keep seeing the same thing: the people keeping their communities informed aren't reporters. They're the pastor who delivers immigration updates before the sermon. The barber who streams local politics on Facebook Live. The neighbor who translates every school notice and distributes it through five different group chats. The teacher who explains American bureaucracy to families who arrived last week.

"From 2022 through 2024, 357 LION Publishers members participated in a program that aimed to help local news outlets at any stage of growth "move the needle on sustainability." The process included assessments, coaching, recommendations, and funding. LION has since transitioned it to a self-service assessment, but between hundreds of audits, thousands of hours of coaching, hundreds of funding requests, nearly 100 follow-up reports, and feedback from program participants over the first three years, LION had a rich set of data to mine for a sense of what interventions and metrics matter most to newsroom sustainability."

The most obvious use case for generative AI in editorial operations is to write copy. When ChatGPT lit the fuse on the current AI boom, it was its ability to crank out hundreds of comprehensible words almost instantly, on virtually any topic, that captured our imaginations. Hundreds of "ChatGPT wrote this article" think pieces resulted, and college essays haven't been the same since. Neither has the media.

As the political backlash grows, these gaps become even more important to try to fill with some creative supports. That could be partnering with local LGBTQ+ community centers, community colleges and universities, or even mainstream media willing to do coverage of their local LGBTQ+ communities.

On Wednesday, October 1, the first day National Public Radio (NPR) no longer has any federal funding, Austin's NPR station announced a new venture. Austin Signal, a daily weekday "magazine" in the form of a news show by KUT News, will launch Monday, October 6. A press release says the show "blends trusted local reporting with Austin's vibrant culture to keep Central Texans connected and informed." Each episode will be 30 minutes long, and will air weekdays at 1 pm on KUT 90.5.

Last year SUNY launched the Institute for Local News, engaging a dozen student reporting programs at colleges across the state-including Stony Brook University, the University at Buffalo and the University at Albany-to produce local news content. Faculty direct and edit content produced by student journalists for local media partners. This summer, the Institute sent its first cohort of journalism interns out into the field, offering 20 undergraduates paid roles in established newsrooms.

They've already got the journalism part down, but they have to have the platform delivery down,

Carpenter Media's acquisition of Pamplin Media Group and EO Media Group has led to severe reductions in staffing and print publications, significantly impacting local news coverage in Oregon.

Smoke from a large moor fire in Yorkshire has affected residents over 30 miles away, with firefighters battling the blaze near RAF Fylingdales since Monday.

New York Focus's reporting has directly influenced lawsuits, spurred legislation, and led to the rescission of harmful statewide policies concerning the criminal justice system in New York.

"Since 2018, RFA has placed 759 corps members in 429 host newsrooms and they have produced more than 100,000 stories, highlighting the initiative's significant impact on local journalism."

Data shows that since they were installed and starting issuing warnings, speeding on some corridors has gone down by 20% or more.

Officers responded to the New York Deli and Mini Market at the corner of Hegeman and Van Siclen avenues in East New York just after 3 p.m. Friday.

In January, I uncovered Good Daily, which in less than a year had quietly expanded to more than 350 towns and cities. Each newsletter included fabricated testimonials and portrayed itself as being run by local community members.

Police Chief Michael Shaw stated that the hunt for the poisonous 5-foot-long water monitor named 'Goose' has been called off and urged residents to call animal control if spotted.

Earlier this year, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek approved $10 million to throw at a multi-billion-dollar company leading the artificial intelligence revolution: Nvidia.

A 1-year-old baby was thrown down a garbage chute on Staten Island, rescued, and is recovering in stable condition with no reported injuries.

"It's going to be in the mid-to-low 80s today-so, practically the North Pole compared to Wednesday's ungodly heat. Even better news? It might rain on Monday, which we desperately need as Oregon enters the season of peak wildfire risk."

A snake carcass found in Havering is believed to be the remains of a pet that has been 'wrongly disposed of'. A walker in Havering Country Park came across the carcass last Wednesday (July 9), which did not resemble any of the UK's native species.