On April 29, 2022, during the NENPA convention in Boston, attendees were introduced to the concept of Funding Journalism with Innovative News Labs and how they work to provide greater focus on specific communities and local issues that many news outlets overlook.

The panel included Frank Mungeam, Chief Innovation Officer, Local Media Association, Liz White, Publisher and EVP, Record-Journal Media Group, Terry Williams COO and President, Keene Sentinel, and Carlos Virgen, Digital News Director, The Day. They discussed news labs they have developed, the communities they focus on within that lab, and funding models used to develop and sustain the labs.

As chief innovation officer for the Local Media Association, Mungeam has experience working with many news organizations to successfully develop reporting projects that are funded through philanthropy.

Virgen discussed The Day’s news lab and its focus on the housing crisis in southeastern Connecticut. The primary issues the Housing Solutions Lab covers are affordable housing, zoning laws, and homelessness. 

“Identifying the communities that need the information, that need to be connected with the resources, that need their stories to be told,” said Virgen. “Ultimately our goal is to tell the stories from their perspective, to put a human face on the issue so that the discussion moves from being a discussion about it being their problem…to becoming an issue, a problem of our community.”

The Housing Solutions lab currently has three reporters and hopes to expand into other issues such as healthcare and criminal law.

Williams talked about the Monadnock Region Health Reporting Lab and its mission to provide a solutions journalism approach to healthcare reporting. He described some of the stories they had worked on, including a feature on EMTs and ambulance drivers and how healthcare centers are caring for and treating coronavirus patients.

With strong connections and partnerships across New Hampshire, Williams believes the news lab approach makes way for more in-depth reporting on pressing issues and solutions and focusing on the community’s needs.

“They appreciate that you’re listening to them. Their information is invaluable in terms of guiding them,” said Williams. “Our belief is if we do this work right, we would save some lives.”

Lastly, White discussed the Latino Communities Reporting Lab that launched in March 2021 and whose mission is to amplify the voices of Latino communities. The team consists of six bilingual journalists, two bilingual reporters, and one bilingual editor, in addition to freelancers and interns who have produced over 200 stories and videos so far on a multiplatform model in both English and Spanish.

White also discussed some of the difficulties in receiving funding for news labs.

“Every no leads to a yes,” said White. “You’re going to have to talk to a lot of different people for funding, or a lot of different businesses for sponsorships.”

Closing out the panel, Virgen had a message regarding the importance of community-focused news labs.

“It’s that model of community listening and centering the community’s needs,” said Virgen. “Allowing that opportunity to inform our coverage.”

By Samuel Elwell, RWU Class of ’23, Managing Editor | The Hawks’ Herald

On April 29, 2022, during the NENPA convention in Boston, the keynote session was presented by two top Boston Globe executives. Brian McGrory, editor, and Linda Pizzuti Henry, chief executive officer, sat down for an informal discussion with convention attendees.

The pair did not prepare a formal presentation, instead they opened the session by tossing questions to each other about their experiences and views on the state of the industry, then they opened it up to the audience for discussion.

A 27-year veteran of the Globe, McGrory spoke on the state of the industry today including its challenges and potentially innovative opportunities. 

McGrory started off by asking Henry what surprised her most about newspaper ownership.

“We knew going in, in 2013 that the Globe was going to take a lot of work,” said Henry. “It was a turnaround situation, and we knew it was going to be hard work. It was harder than we anticipated…we’re really looking forward to the future and investing and contemplating and preparing ourselves for what media is going to be like going forward.”

McGrory explained that, when he came in as the editor for the Globe in 2012, the paper was in a dire position with declines in advertising. He explained the most shocking part of taking on this position was the human element and having to deal with layoffs and taking on business matters more than necessary.

McGrory also discussed his goals when he became the editor at the Boston Globe.

“I had two challenges, one was to continue to produce great journalism at the Boston Globe and the other was, as we’re trying to do this, to figure out a business model that would be sustainable, and that has always been the more vexing part,” said McGrory. “The real goal was to tie the two together. To make good journalism good for business.”

McGrory and Henry also brought up the challenges of keeping the newsroom together during and after the coronavirus pandemic where Henry praised McGrory’s leadership in keeping the newsroom together during this time.

“One of the things that makes the pandemic story unique is that it’s a story in which the journalists are actually as affected as everybody else,” said McGrory “Part of the challenge for me in the newsroom, for [Linda Pizzuti Henry] company-wide, was being as empathetic as humanly possible.”

Speaking on freelance journalists versus staff reporters, McGrory explained how, over the last nine years, the Globe had cut its freelance budget by about 90% as a way to hold on to as many “Globe quality journalists” on their staff as possible and allowed them to hire more staff positions.

McGrory and Henry also spoke on future business ventures such as expanding readership across New England especially after launching “Globe Rhode Island.” They talked about the success of this initiative feeling that it was able to increase the quality of news in the state.

When asked about advice for up-and-coming publishers, Henry explained that while producing content is important, you should also focus on building a strong community. 

They also talked about the transition from print to digital and how there is a balance between the two in order to appeal to those still averse to technology and noted that print subscribers are loyal to the Globe.

Lastly, McGrory gave some hopeful advice to aspiring student journalists.

“It is really challenging. It’s also a really appealing time to break into the business,” said McGrory. “The public needs us and I think there’s an inherent understanding that they need us now as much as ever.”

By Samuel Elwell, RWU Class of ’23, Managing Editor | The Hawks’ Herald