"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder

When a newsroom can't hire reporters, the problem isn't always pay — sometimes it's rent. In one coastal community, the cost of living got so high that journalists simply couldn't afford to cover the news. So instead of raising salaries or cutting coverage, the solution took an unexpected turn: they bought a condo. It's a bold move that may point to a new model for keeping local journalism alive.

Access more at this episode's landi...

Local journalism isn't disappearing — it's being rebuilt in real time, and a new report from FT Strategies aims to show exactly how. Drawing on global data, newsroom case studies and on-the-ground experience, the Local News Playbook shifts the conversation from crisis to what's actually working. Instead of asking how to save journalism, the report examines what the most resilient organizations already have in common — and how other...

When national attention suddenly converges on a single city, the decisions made inside one local newsroom can shape how the entire world understands what's happening. That is the position The Minnesota Star Tribune now finds itself in as immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis draws intense national and international scrutiny. In this moment, journalism, safety, credibility, and brand strategy are no lo...

Local journalism has no shortage of big ideas about innovation — but far fewer examples of those ideas being funded, tested, and trusted by the people closest to the work. After a year of scrutiny, retrenchment and hard questions about its future, the National Trust for Local News is experimenting with a different approach: putting real money and real authority directly into the hands of journalists. At the center of that shift is ...

Disinformation is no longer a background hazard of modern journalism — it is a coordinated, weaponized assault on truth itself. In a world where lies travel faster than facts and chaos is deliberately engineered to exhaust the public, national security correspondent JJ Green says journalists are now fighting a real war for credibility. Drawing on decades of coverage of intelligence, conflict zones and informati...

Local journalism is shrinking in much of the country — but The Baltimore Banner is moving in the opposite direction. In just two years, the nonprofit newsroom has grown into Maryland's largest reporting operation, expanded beyond Baltimore, and built a fast-growing base of paying subscribers. Now, with their new editor-in-chief Audrey Cooper at the helm, The Banner is doubling down on a belief that many in the industry have quietly...

What news consumers are really saying about AI: insights from the Trusting News/LMA study 

A new national survey of nearly 1,500 local news consumers reveals growing concern about AI's role in journalism—but also a clear path forward. Funded by the Walton Family Foundation and conducted by the Local Media Association and Trusting News, the study shows audiences overwhelmingly want human o...

http://www.EditorandPublisher.com/Vodcasts 

Jeff Jarvis has never been interested in nostalgia. In a wide‑ranging conversation with E&P Magazine, the longtime media critic, author and journalism educator argues that the survival of local news depends not on preserving legacy structures, but on abandoning them. From print to platforms, from content to community, Jarvis insists that journal...

Free expression in America isn't collapsing all at once — it's eroding quietly, often in ways the public barely notices. In a wide‑ranging conversation, First Amendment scholar Stuart N. Brotman warns that political pressure, platform power and public misunderstanding are reshaping the boundaries of press freedom in real time. Drawing on decades of experience across academia, government and media policy, Brotman makes...

California isn't just a state. It's a story still being written, and USA Today wants a front-row seat. With the launch of Today Californian, the national news giant is investing in a bold new experiment: statewide coverage designed to meet readers wherever they are — from inbox to Instagram. "We're positioning ourselves as highly relevant," says Greg Burton, the project's editorial lead. The goal? To create a digital-first newsroom...

Mark Puente didn't go to j-school — he drove trucks for 15 years before stepping into a newsroom. But when a judge tried to block him from observing a public court hearing, Puente didn't flinch. Armed with experience, instinct, and a phone call to his editor, he stood his ground — ready to risk contempt rather than walk away. What followed wasn't just a clash over access, but a moment that reveals why blue-collar grit still matters...

If you think young people aren't paying attention to the news, think again — they are, and they have thoughts. A new study reveals just how skeptical today's teens are about the press, and the results should make every newsroom take notice. From questions of fairness to fears of fabrication, Gen Z is forming strong opinions about who to trust. In this episode, we dive into what teens really believe — and why it matters for the futu...

Robert Whitehead believes the news industry is entering a make-or-break era defined by AI disruption, collapsing platform traffic and growing public distrust. In a conversation with E&P, he said generative AI is "as transformative as electricity." He warned that publishers are still distracted by "shiny objects" instead of rebuilding the fundamentals that audiences actually value. His new report, authored for the INMA...

For more than 160 years, Stars and Stripes has walked a razor-thin line: serving the U.S. military while holding it accountable. Publisher Max Lederer says that balance remains as vital — and as fragile — as ever, noting that "our staff are paid by the Department of Defense" even as the newsroom is mandated to stay "balanced, objective, independent and impartial." Today, new Pentagon access rules, collapsing trust in media, and sei...

For nearly five decades, Jim Slusher has been one of the Midwest's most thoughtful voices on what journalism owes its readers — and how it earns their trust. As managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald, he's spent his career pulling back the curtain on newsroom decisions and defending the value of open, honest dialogue. Now, with his new book To Nudge the World, Slusher is challenging both journalists and audiences to rethin...

In a world overwhelmed by AI-generated imagery and shrinking newsroom budgets, the value of authentic photojournalism has never been more at risk — or more essential. The National Press Photographers Association is sounding the alarm: visuals aren't just decoration, they're the backbone of truth, trust, and emotional connection in journalism. In this exclusive interview, NPPA Vice President Lauren Steinbrecher and Grady College's M...

Local news is collapsing at an alarming pace — more than 3,500 newspapers have vanished since 2005, with 130 disappearing just last year. In this episode, we interview Tim Franklin and Zach Metzger of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, the researchers behind the 2025 State of Local News report, which paints a dire picture of vanishing watchdogs, expanding news deserts, and a shrinking connection between journalism and the ...

Journalist & best‑selling author Beth Macy returns to the town she once delivered newspapers in to ask: what happens when the civic fabric fractures and no one is left to tell the story? In her new memoir Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America, Macy digs into her hometown of Urbana, Ohio — exploring how the collapse of local news, growing economic despair and social isolation reshaped a community she loved. ...

Local news is changing faster than anyone imagined — and Northwestern University's Medill School just put numbers to the chaos. Its new State of Local News 2025 report reveals a seismic shift: smartphones have overtaken TV, content creators now rival traditional outlets, and only 15% of Americans say they're willing to pay for local journalism. For Medill's Tim Franklin and Stephanie Edgerly, the findings are both a wake-up call an...