Growing up in rural Iowa, Becky Vonnahme didn’t have access to many local news sources. Now, as part-time executive director of the Western Iowa Journalism Foundation, Vonnahme has discovered why. Small publications, like small businesses, have a hard time getting funded. After all, ad sales alone just don’t support local journalism anymore. The foundation works to target … [Read more...] about ‘Publishers can only do so much by themselves’
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With its work set to begin in less than two months, the Local Journalism Task Force in Illinois still recruiting members to fulfill its mandate
A new local journalism task force is gearing up to examine the growing news desert in Illinois under a new mandate that goes into effect the first of the year, but the majority of the people who will do that work have yet to be appointed. The task force, established by law and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August, will bring together educators and other key figures in … [Read more...] about With its work set to begin in less than two months, the Local Journalism Task Force in Illinois still recruiting members to fulfill its mandate
It’s getting hard and harder to find a newspaper for sale
Late last month, my son and I were photographed outside of Columbia College Chicago for a story about my employer’s new policy limiting children on campus. The Chicago Tribune photographer captured him in a wrap on my back, his blue Vans untied and a floral mask covering his face. It was my baby’s first newspaper photo. I’m just old school enough that after I … [Read more...] about It’s getting hard and harder to find a newspaper for sale
Pulitzer story becomes a major motion picture
Art Cullen was on a traditional career path, moving progressively to bigger and better paying newspapers and positions before he ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2017. He certainly never imagined along the way that he would ultimately be scraping for dimes to support local journalism as he does as editor of a small town newspaper in Iowa. At The Storm Lake (Iowa) … [Read more...] about Pulitzer story becomes a major motion picture
Claire McCaskill: Garland should act, Breyer should retire, the filibuster should stay
Attorney General Merrick Garland should act on the contempt case against Steve Bannon, Justice Stephen Breyer should retire, Democratic senators Diane Feinstein and Patrick Leahy are getting old, the filibuster should be retained but reformed and former Attorney General Eric Holder was too slow to release the report clearing former Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson. Those are … [Read more...] about Claire McCaskill: Garland should act, Breyer should retire, the filibuster should stay