Community Journalism

Session One: Collaboration – Competitive barriers drop; Journalists work together on Rural Issues

September 19 | 10:00 am to Noon | Moderator: Leah Todd, Regional Manager, New England, Solutions Journalism Network

If you live well outside the city of Bozeman, Montana, there’s a good chance you’re living in a town with a contracting economy, shrinking population and growing opioid and mental health issues. All under the radar. There’s no one to cover the issues. That changed due a group of journalists from western Montana, supported by High Country News and the Solutions Journalism Network. What was produced was an exhaustive, comprehensive look at what many small towns across the country face – and the coverage came with solutions.

Speakers: Nick Ehli, Managing Editor, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, Montana; Stefanie Murray, Director, Center for Cooperative Media, Montclair State University

Panel Discussion: Melanie Plenda, Project Manager, Granite State News Collaborative; Dawn DeAngelis, Vice President, Chief Content Officer, NHPBS

Session Two: Solutions Journalism – Helping Communities Take Next Steps

September 19 | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Moderator: Leah Todd, Regional Manager, New England, Solutions Journalism Network

News consumers these days can come away from the experience feeling depressed, disengaged, powerless, hopeless. Solutions journalism envisions a more productive experience, one that builds engagement, trust and a renewed hope in democracy, by reporting rigorously on the responses to social problems — in addition to the problems themselves. Find out how this is being done in rural places, the training behind it and the encouraging results from this disruptive approach.
An interactive session featuring solutions journalists.

Speakers: Leah Todd, Regional Manager, New England, Solutions Journalism Network; Amy Maestas, Digital Editor, Salt Lake Tribune

Session Three: Crazy Good – 50 ideas that Will Grow Your Audience

September 20 | 9:00 am to 10:30 am | Moderator & Session Leader: Tim Schmitt, Project Manager, Gatehouse Media

We’ve reached far and wide! Here are more than four dozen ways you can build better bridges to your readers – from thought-provoking story ideas to collaborative ways to tackle big projects to new newsroom structures. If you only have time to do a few of these, you will be happy you did. A sneak peek: How we built Radically Rural. Leave with a magazine that has curated these ideas.

Speaker: Tim Schmitt, Project Manager, Gatehouse Media

Bonus session Funding Journalism – Where to look for help

September 20 | 10:30-11 am

We present a detailed rundown on the growing number of funding sources for journalism projects and initiatives.

Session Four: Bridgeable Gaps: The Fuel for Rural Change

Colonial Theatre | September 20 | 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Keynote Speaker: Art Markman, Executive Director of IC2 at the University of Texas at Austin