Can local news save democracy? Can democracy save local news?

The US is estimated to lose 1/3 of its newspapers by 2025. Only 26% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the news media. The future of local news is uncertain. Join Marquette Civic Dialogues to hear from an expert panel on the challenges facing local journalism, the opportunities for renewal, and how the news media can empower communities and strengthen democracy.

Panelists:

Joshua P. Darr (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is an associate professor of political communication in the Manship School of Mass Communication and Department of Political Science at Louisiana State University. His research interests are in American political behavior and the news, with a focus on local media, political identity, and civic engagement. From 2022-2024, he will serve as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow, conducting research on the connection between local journalists and political polarization. He has written about politics, media, and his research for popular outlets such as FiveThirtyEight, The Boston Globe, and Scientific American. His first book, Home Style Opinion: How Local Newspapers Can Slow Polarization, is co-authored with Matthew Hitt and Johanna Dunaway and was published in 2021 by Cambridge University Press.

Johanna L. Dunaway received her Ph.D. from Rice University in 2006. Before joining the faculty of Texas A&M in Fall 2016, Johanna was a Joan Shorenstein Fellow in the Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics, and Public Policy, at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Her areas of research and teaching include news media and politics and political communication, with an emphasis on how the changing media environment is shaping news consumption and political knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Her publications appear in journals such as the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, the Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Political Communication, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Johanna’s other recent book includes News and Democratic Citizens in the Mobile Era, co-authored with Kathleen Searles (Oxford University Press in December, 2022).

Matthew P. Hitt is Monfort Professor and Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University. Hitt studies American Political Institutions, especially the judiciary, Congress, and the media. His other books include Inconsistency and Indecision in the United States Supreme Court and Time Series Analysis for the Social Sciences. Hitt’s research has also appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Energy Policy, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Journal of Communication, Journal of Law and Courts, Law and Society Review, Political Communication, Public Opinion Quarterly, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and Studies in American Political Development.

Reggie Moore serves as the Director of Violence Prevention Policy and Engagement for the Comprehensive Injury Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He leads their efforts in violence prevention advocacy, engagement, and capacity building in Wisconsin and throughout the country. Prior to this role, Reggie served as Injury and Violence Prevention Director for the City of Milwaukee Health Department’s Office of Violence Prevention (OVP). In 2017, OVP facilitated the development and launch of Milwaukee’s first comprehensive violence prevention plan known as the Blueprint for Peace. The Blueprint is a community-driven plan that takes a public health approach to addressing the root causes of violence and trauma in Milwaukee. In his current role, Reggie facilitated the launch of Wisconsin’s first statewide community safety fund and assisting cities throughout the country in pursuing comprehensive approaches to community safety, justice, and wellbeing. Reggie has received numerous national awards for his work including the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World Award. An organizer at his core, Reggie has dedicated his life to public service as a strategic organizer and advocate for vulnerable youth, families, and communities.

Ron Smith is an instructor of practice in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Marquette University’s Diederich College of Communication and the executive director of the award-winning Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. The nonprofit newsroom provides professional journalism coverage of Milwaukee’s communities of color and is staffed by professionals, student-journalists and community residents. Before his current role, Ron served as the managing editor for news at USA TODAY. In addition, he was the deputy managing editor for daily news and production at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he oversaw the breaking news hub, production desks and was the key point person for print story selections and workflow. Ron has been blessed to work in newsrooms across the country, including The Oregonian, the Los Angeles Times and Newsday. In addition, Ron serves as secretary of the Institute for Nonprofit News and is a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the American Copy Editors Society and the Online News Association. He "proceeds until apprehended' and is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and help others -- all while having fun along the way.