HBAC 169: Local News Roundtable

Telling it like it is…For the latest HBAC Jordan, Tim and Kevin called in the big guns, bringing together three pioneering local publishers for a conversation about the state of news and reporting in our region. We spend an hour with the the trio of bestsellers describing their individual efforts to rekindle the relationship between residents and good journalism in each of their communities.Gary Gardiner of Westerville News, Joe Case of Marysville Matters and William Lutz of Civic Capacity each came to Substack from different backgrounds but their reasons for picking up the local journalism torch are similar and quite related to our own.Gardiner spent decades in newspaper and Associated Press photography before launching Westerville News after Gannett closed its local weeklies. Case retired from a career that included radio journalism, statehouse reporting and corporate public affairs before turning his attention to Marysville and Union County. Lutz, a former elected official and local-government administrator, began Civic Capacity after hearing residents say they wished they better understood how their communities operated.Each drawn to generating reliable, recurring reporting the group spends the majority of the conversation discussing pieces and choices that have shaped their attempts to fill the gaps created following the collapse of the news environment locally and regionally.Topics Discussed:* Replacing the trust of ‘The Paper’* More than publishing information / signal to noise ratio* It starts with showing up* Stories under the story / the long tail* Regional overlap and development intensity* Helping residents to understand function of government and how to engage…* Audience growth and sustainability practices* Collaboration* Where local journalism is headed next and individual growth plans (including our own!)Each of these authors have already broken major stories in their community on their platforms. Each represent what is merely the tip of the iceberg relative to the effort necessary to meet the journalistic challenge of the 21st century.Will you be the next writer, photographer, resident to take up the banner?The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe