North Carolina Local News Workshop

The news and information business has certainly felt non-stop the past few months so this week's NC Local newsletter is all about pausing, reflecting and lifting each other up. We collected your short stories of gratitude and, individually, they are testaments to the bosses that listened, coached and opened doors; the colleagues who offered support when we needed it most; the sources and subscribers at the center of what we do; and the funders who recognize the importance of this work. Collectively, these tributes demonstrate how our efforts to serve and inform communities are woven together, the threads made stronger and more vibrant as we connect, convene and collaborate. Thanks to all who contributed to this special edition of NC Local including Shannan Bowen, Les High, Jose Sandoval, Alexandra S., Benjamin Schachtman, Lisa Sorg & Sam Walker OBX. Read their full gratitude stories here: https://lnkd.in/eq8ZkAav Not yet signed up for NC Local? Join our community: https://lnkd.in/e4YYhH7z

🫶 ISO: Your gratitude stories 🫶 NC news and information friends: we're collecting short stories of gratitude to help uplift each other and reflect on a year of tremendous work, collaboration and partnerships in the local news ecosystem. 🌱A small act of kindness that had a big impact 👏 A story or series that deserves our applause ✨ A community member or organization that’s helped you do your work 🚀 An educator or coach who helped you conquer something new ✍️ An editor or mentor who’s helped you grow 📣 A collaborator, partner or funder who amplified your efforts ❤️ Other people, stories, practices and partnerships that made a difference in your life this year Share a few sentences about who and what you’re grateful for. You can respond in the comments, DM us or send a note to nclocal@elon.edu. We’ll feature your shoutouts in this week's edition of NC Local. Thank you! 

We're excited to partner with Cierra Brown Hinton & Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media on a day-long, Anti-Racist Table Stakes training for NC-based news and info orgs. The Anti-Racist Table Stakes is a framework and set of tools to support news organizations working to bridge editorial and business needs for more equitable, community-focused newsrooms. 📅 When: Friday January 24, 2025, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (coffee and a light breakfast, and lunch will be provided) 📍Where: UNC Chapel Hill 💰 Cost: None. Please contact us if you need help with travel/lodging stipends. 👥 Who: 10-12 NC news and info organizations (teams of 3-4 staff members, with at least one person having decision-making power) 📝 Application deadline: Friday December 13th at 5:00 pm ET. More details & an application here: https://lnkd.in/eRQ8Ccpr Both Table Stakes alum and those new to TS are welcome to apply!

This week's NC Local is out! Here's what's in the mix: 🎙️ How can a hurricane transform local news? We chat with Shoresides Rend Smith & Nick Szuberla about journalism's role in connecting and community building. 📆 Save the date & submit your session pitches! The NC Local News & Information Summit takes place Wednesday March 12 at NC Central. ✅ Is your news orgs Wikipedia page outdated and incomplete? Learn how to give it a refresh with Gather Curator Gracie McKenzie & Molly Stark Dean of Women Do News & get your news organization positioned for accurate AI summaries in Google search. 📝 Looking for your next opportunity in local news? Check our bulletin board for openings at North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC, WFDD Public Radio, AVL Watchdog & more. Find it all here: https://lnkd.in/eETGK8zY Not a subscriber yet? Join our community:  https://lnkd.in/e4YYhH7z

The highly anticipated North Carolina statewide local news summit returns for its fourth year on March 12, 2025! Save the date now. 📅 The 2024 summit sold out, but we are expanding capacity for the 2025 event. Registration will open soon, and today we'll open a link to submit pitches for sessions. Check today's North Carolina Local News Workshop NC Local newsletter for the link (don't subscribe? Do that here: https://lnkd.in/eV642ixB)

What's in your post-election game plan? Here are a few ideas we put together, with some terrific local examples and resources for you to use. ✨Create spaces for community reflection. Triad City Beat organized a post-election community hang. The Assembly held a "Making Sense of the Election" event. Need help planning something? Use this guide from America Amplified: https://lnkd.in/es5xhTrq 📝 Keep elected officials accountable for campaign promises. WRAL has done "Promise Trackers" for the last two governors: https://lnkd.in/ekUyZAc3 🔍 Expand media and digital literacy. Help your audience understand the campaign ads that ran in your community & debunk the ones with disinformation. Use this resource from Ryan Thornburg to get started: https://lnkd.in/eeNi-vCS 📚Continue promoting civic education and engagement. Help community members understand how local government works, like this resource from Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR): https://lnkd.in/eUuEEyuh Share other good ideas and resources in the comments!

As many continue to process the election results, some journalists are reflecting on the purpose and the value of their work: does my reporting matter? Is it reaching people? Do I have the stamina to keep doing this? As these questions surface, we came across a recent post from Samantha Ragland, VP of Journalism Programs at the American Press Institute. Sam captured an important reality about this moment: that journalists, at any level of newsroom hierarchy, might not know what they need right now. But while this can feel debilitating, Sam reassures us it's normal and there's positive steps to move forward: “[Newsrooms] have a front row seat to what therapists and psychologists and neuroscientists would call vicarious resilience. It’s a concept that I love. I love it because we too often focus on who’s leaving the industry, who’s burned out, what’s wrong with us, right? We focus a lot on the trauma and how it gets on you and it sticks. But studies have found that trauma isn’t the only thing that sticks to you, but that resilience can stick to you as well.” We had the opportunity to chat with Sam about this moment and how to shift your lens from uncertainty to purpose. Sam lays out how to recognize value in your work, reinvent newsroom culture and move from serving news feeds and algorithms to building bridges within communities. You'll want to spend some time with this Q&A to get lots of ideas about how to fill up a resilience bank for yourself and your teams: https://lnkd.in/gxuC2xrh

Very proud of all that Jose Sandoval did and continues to do! Asheville radio reporter covers Helene's impact for Spanish-speaking communities https://lnkd.in/ek-x4Tar

To our North Carolina journalists, information providers and supporters: Thank you for all of your work through this election cycle, especially as many of you took on coverage of natural disasters and additional work to prevent and debunk misinformation. Your service will continue to be valued as people across our state navigate the next steps and seek to understand the decisions of people in power. Journalists, you have an essential job. But we know you're human too. You have your own feelings about the impacts of decisions on your own communities and your experiences covering them. That's OK. That's normal. Your feelings are valid and they matter. Journalists need support systems, too, and the NC Local News Workshop is here for you. Today, in our NC Local newsletter, we'll send a registration link for a Zoom call we're hosting tomorrow to hold space for journalists who want to join us to process the events of this past year and talk in a safe, off-the-record, space about your experiences. This call is only open to journalists in our state, including freelancers, and we will verify each registrant. Questions? Please send us a direct message. Shannan Bowen Catherine Komp

We're supporting our NC journalists and information providers today as they provide an essential service to communities from Murphy to Manteo. We're grateful for the collaboration and commitment they bring to all they do, and we know North Carolinians are better informed because of them. 🗳