Reimagining Journalistic Roles: How Student Journalists Are Taking On the U.S. News Desert Crisis

Venture Philanthropy, Local News, and the Murky Promise of Innovation

“…In recent years, academic and foundation-funded researchers have dedicated ample resources to producing knowledge about the state of local news and its potential futures, concluding that large swaths of the US are now news deserts left underserved by contraction in the news industry (Abernathy, 2023). The notion that many communities lack robust local coverage is a powerful one, animating much research into the consequences of local news' decline and setting an agenda for a better understanding of the practices and funding that might fill the void (Finneman et al, 2022;Mathews, 2022). As this research clarifies the problems facing local news, it offers a substantive point of intervention for organizations outside of journalism to engage with (Forman, 2021;Hendrickson, 2019).…”

Examining Gaps in Journalism Curriculum to Solve the News Desert Crisis

“…Some legacy publishers are also resistant to adjusting their business models (Finneman, Ferrucci, & Mathews, 2023). Efforts to solve the local news crisis have been multifaceted as journalists, citizen groups, nonprofit organizations, and universities launch startups aimed at serving the information needs of different communities (Barnes et al, 2022; Clegg & Kennedy, 2021; Finneman, Heckman & Walck, 2022). However, to date, these efforts have not been enough to reverse the industry’s substantial decline, and, in many ways, journalism educators and the institutions that employ them remain untapped resources in the fight to rebuild local news.…”

“I Definitely Would Appreciate a Little More Validation”: Toward an Ethics of Care in College Newsrooms and Journalism Education

“…7), and research has characterized the field as "macho," despite journalism being a high emotional labor profession (Šimunjak & Menke, 2022). As community newspapers fold across the country and student journalists step in to fill content holes (see Finneman et al, 2022), the old guard must prioritize this generation's values as students matriculate and enter the workforce.…”

“…As an outcome of industry norms, journalism pedagogy is likewise shaped by institutional norms based in Whiteness (Alemán, 2014) and male dominance (Heckman & Homan, 2020). Qualitative research on student-led newsrooms has found that student journalists attempt to correct the racial inequalities found in news desert communities (Finneman et al, 2022). In a recent essay about covering the social justice movements of Summer 2020, one young Black reporter opined that "prejudicial objectivity" is the industry's guiding value and that objectivity is a bias constructed from a White male perspective.…”

“…Sometimes student newspapers are the only news source for their local communities (Levin, 2019, paras. 3–4; Finneman et al, 2022) increasing pressure to report at a professional level.…”