It could have been worse. Much worse. In fact, the executive director of the Missouri Press Association expected the COVID-19 pandemic to gut a local newspaper industry already reeling from more than a decade of competition from free digital content, rising newsprint costs and circulation declines. Seven of the state’s 200 or so newspapers ceased…
Lexi Cortes got her first taste of investigative reporting at her college newspaper. When writing for the Alestle at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Cortes discovered major contradictions in the school administration’s statements regarding the closure of the school’s museum. She was hooked. Cortes now writes for the Belleville News-Democrat, where she recently reported on two…
The national outdoor retailer REI Co-op wants to get people off their phones and into the outdoors by investing in local news organizations and publishing its own magazine instead of a catalog. The recreational outdoor equipment store is scheduled to publish its new magazine, Uncommon Path, this fall. REI also announced it would match up…
By TRIPP FROLICHSTEIN / Media guru Tripp Frohlichstein dreams of delivering a “State of the 2014 Local News” address to St. Louis’ three TV stations (he considers Channels 2 and 11 one station as they share facilities and people). This is his dream address: “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to discuss the state of local news. There are times when the local media perform well and serve viewers in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, there are too many times when the opposite is true. So today, let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly of local news in St. Louis…”