A tipster warned of a ‘dysfunctional’ hire at a local police department. That was an understatement. KHOU 11 found that a 250-person Texas city had 50 police officers. More than half had checkered pasts. October 14, 2024 Angela Fu
A photojournalist reported on dozens of hurricanes over the years. Then Hurricane Helene flooded his home. Douglas R. Clifford was in Tallahassee, preparing to cover Helene for the Tampa Bay Times, when the storm came knocking at his door. October 2, 2024 Amaris Castillo
An Oregon paper was repeatedly denied public records. Its fight for transparency ended in a major victory. The Malheur Enterprise’s dogged reporting and lawsuit forced the county to admit wrongdoing — and earned the paper a Poynter Prize September 26, 2024 Nicole Slaughter Graham
A ‘media organizer’ built an abolitionist newsroom in Kansas City. Is he a journalist? He’s not yet sure. At The Kansas City Defender, Ryan Sorrell is following Ida B. Wells and Claudia Jones in honoring the legacy of the radical Black press August 30, 2024 Amaris Castillo
L.A. Taco was forced to furlough its staff. Reader support brought them back within 24 hours. Is it enough for the independent food, culture and community publication to survive? Its leadership isn’t sure. June 25, 2024 Amaris Castillo
How a longtime film critic’s death represents the great dissolve of local film criticism Bryan VanCampen of The Ithaca Times was an institution in the central New York college town of 32,000. He might have been the last of his kind. April 18, 2024 Pete Croatto
Iowa’s political reporters battle access issues and unpredictable schedules to cover the Republican presidential hopefuls ‘I’d say a typical day is that there is no typical day' October 16, 2023 Amaris Castillo
An illustrated guide to ‘pink slime’ journalism These low-effort websites fill the vacuum where real local news used to be. October 5, 2023 Annie Aguiar
How journalists in Hawaii are covering (and coping with) the Maui wildfires ‘We’re going to be here for the long haul, so we have a huge task in front of us.’ August 17, 2023 Amaris Castillo
How 2 local reporters have prepared for the possible Trump indictment in Georgia ‘It’s been the ride of a lifetime. It’s been nonstop. It’s been challenging. ... And there’s never a shortage of things to write.' August 3, 2023 Amaris Castillo
How some local newsrooms are using AI Smaller newsrooms have been experimenting with AI for years, and interest has grown since the latest releases of ChatGPT August 2, 2023 Angela Fu
Local journalism’s burnout crisis is unsustainable Recent surveys and academic work show how widespread burnout is among local reporters and offer hopeful solutions … for newsrooms willing to take them June 22, 2023 Elizabeth Djinis
How a local TV station investigated an underground mine fire in the heart of Pennsylvania’s coal region ‘Towns like Shenandoah and Centralia tend to get forgotten in the state. … And someone’s gotta be their voice, right?’ May 12, 2023 Amaris Castillo
How a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter found nuance in a local ‘Rachel Dolezal situation’ ‘I knew that there was more nuance and that there was more context to this story that was missing …’ April 17, 2023 Amaris Castillo
Opinion | How student journalists are filling the void to help save local news More than 120 programs pair college students with seasoned editors to provide meaningful local news for communities that lack it April 12, 2023 Richard Watts
