Building a Nonprofit News Powerhouse with Mississippi Today’s Mary Margaret White
Release Date: 06/26/2024
Finding calm in the chaos with 10% Happier’s Dan Harris
Local News Matters
Dan Harris, podcast host, author of 10% Happier and former ABC News anchor, shares his journey from covering war zones to discovering mindfulness and meditation. He discusses the toll of high-stress journalism on mental health, including his on-air panic attack, and how meditation became a transformative tool. Harris also addresses misconceptions about meditation, its benefits for managing anxiety, and why it doesn’t mean losing your edge. Harris opens up about leadership and entrepreneurship, reflecting on the challenges of co-founding a business, managing adversity, and learning to lead...
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Prioritizing people, well-being and resilience in journalism with API’s Samantha Ragland
Local News Matters
Samantha Ragland, vice president of journalism programs at the American Press Institute, shares practical strategies for fostering mental health and well-being in newsrooms. She highlights how prioritizing people can lead to exceptional journalism and stronger newsroom culture. Ragland explores the balance between leadership and care, offering insights on building psychological safety, managing workloads, and fostering resilience. She also emphasizes the importance of addressing unique challenges faced by journalists of color and women, providing actionable steps for newsroom leaders to...
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Tackling burnout in journalism with RJI’s Randy Picht and SmithGeiger’s Andrew Finlayson
Local News Matters
Randy Picht, executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, and Andrew Finlayson, executive vice president of digital and AI strategies at SmithGeiger, share insights from their landmark study on burnout in journalism. They discuss why 80% of journalists see burnout as a critical issue, how it's driving attrition and the solutions newsroom leaders can implement to foster healthier, more sustainable workplaces. From addressing workload challenges and newsroom culture to exploring flexible schedules and prioritizing agency, they highlight actionable steps that news...
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From “fried and frozen” to thriving: Helping local newsrooms serve communities with COLab’s Laura Frank
Local News Matters
Laura Frank, head of the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab), shares insights into sustaining local journalism through collaboration, innovation, and addressing critical challenges. She highlights COLab’s role in supporting over 180 Colorado newsrooms with reporting, engagement, revenue models, and resource sharing, while addressing the “fried and frozen” state many journalists face today. Laura discusses the evolution of Colorado’s journalism ecosystem, noting how trust, partnerships, and years of groundwork have made the state a hub for innovation and collaborative media initiatives....
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Slowing down and training the next generation of storytellers with Lede New Orleans’ Jennifer Larino
Local News Matters
Jennifer Larino, executive director of Lede New Orleans, shares how her organization is reshaping local journalism by training young BIPOC storytellers to address community information needs. She discusses the origins of Lede New Orleans, the challenges of building an inclusive newsroom, and the importance of creating trusted spaces where community voices are heard and amplified. Jennifer explains how slowing down in the reporting process has allowed her team to engage deeply with their community, resulting in innovative approaches like their Community Reporting Fellowship. She also highlights...
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Bay City News’ unconventional model to serve newsrooms and communities with Katherine Ann Rowlands
Local News Matters
Katherine Ann Rowlands, owner and publisher of Bay City News, shares insights into the unique hybrid model of her organization, which has served the San Francisco Bay Area with round-the-clock news coverage for 45 years. She discusses Bay City News’ evolution from a pure newswire service into a dual operation that includes the nonprofit site Local News Matters. This hybrid structure helps provide essential coverage to underserved communities while meeting the needs of media and business clients and the general public. Rowlands highlights the challenges of balancing for-profit and nonprofit...
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Inside O'Rourke Media Group’s community-first approach with Jim O’Rourke
Local News Matters
Jim O'Rourke, CEO and founder of O'Rourke Media Group, shares his journey in local media, from delivering newspapers as a kid to founding a rapidly growing digital-first publishing chain. O'Rourke discusses his approach to acquiring and revitalizing local newspapers, investing in local talent and growing the digital business. He outlines the strategic choices that have guided O'Rourke Media’s success, including his firm stance against paywalls and his commitment to community-focused journalism and sales. In the face of industry pressures, O'Rourke explains why he values small and midsize...
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Evolving the business model for community news with Reviving Rural News’ Teri Finneman, Nick Mathews and Pat Ferrucci
Local News Matters
Teri Finneman, Nick Mathews and Pat Ferrucci, authors of Reviving Rural News: Finding a Sustainable Future for Community Journalism, explore the unique challenges facing rural newspapers in the wake of the local news industry's financial crisis. They discuss their yearlong experiment with a Kansas newspaper, offering insights into how small community-based outlets can diversify revenue streams and reconnect with their readers. The conversation highlights the disconnect between traditional business models and the needs of both rural publishers and their audiences. The guests also touch on the...
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The fight for local news in the world’s media capital with THE CITY’s Nic Dawes
Local News Matters
Nic Dawes, executive director of THE CITY, discusses the vital role nonprofit journalism plays in New York’s shrinking local news ecosystem. He explains how his organization fills coverage gaps left by retrenching legacy media, focusing on investigative reporting and service journalism to meet the needs of New Yorkers across all boroughs. Dawes also delves into THE CITY’s unique strategies for community engagement, including open newsrooms and dynamic beat assignments, allowing them to stay responsive to the city's most pressing issues. He highlights how their mission-driven approach...
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Strengthening democracy through local journalism and collaboration with Allison Taylor Levine of Delaware’s Local Journalism Initiative
Local News Matters
Allison Taylor Levine, founder and CEO of the Local Journalism Initiative, shares her insights into building a nonprofit collaborative newsroom and the importance of local news to democracy. She discusses the challenges of launching the initiative in Delaware, from creating internship programs to fostering collaboration among local newsrooms. Levine highlights how Spotlight Delaware, LJI’s flagship project, focuses on policy coverage and public engagement to fill critical gaps in the local news ecosystem. Levine also explores the role of community foundations in supporting journalism,...
info_outlineMary Margaret White, CEO and executive director of Mississippi Today, discusses her journey in helping readers and philanthropy understand the value of journalism as a civic good. She shares insights on the history and growth of Mississippi Today, which launched in 2016 to fill a need for Capitol reporting and has since expanded to cover a wide range of issues, including health, justice, education and climate. Under her leadership, Mississippi Today won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting and was a finalist in 2024 for an investigative collaboration with the New York Times.
White delves into the lessons learned in raising philanthropic dollars, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in fundraising and the necessity of maintaining editorial independence despite donor influences. She also highlights the need for diverse funding streams, including memberships and earned revenue, to ensure the sustainability of nonprofit newsrooms.
She also discusses the operational and legal challenges of investigative journalism and the need to balance deep dives with daily reporting. White reflects on her career in public service and how her previous roles have shaped her approach to journalism at Mississippi Today.
Episode chapters:
(00:02:57) - History and growth of Mississippi Today
(00:07:30) - Lessons in raising philanthropic dollars
(00:12:48) - Maintaining editorial independence
(00:16:21) - Diversity of funding and revenue strategies
(00:19:35) - Audience engagement and growth
(00:24:30) - Balancing investigative and daily reporting
(00:27:04) - Legal and operational challenges in investigative journalism
(00:30:30) - Insights from the American Journalism Project
(00:36:05) - From public service in government to public service in journalism
(00:39:26) - Rapid-fire questions
(00:47:29) - Media recommendations and local Mississippi highlights
Links:
- Mary Margaret White: Linkedln, Twitter/X
- Mississippi Today
- Mentioned
- Sulzberger Executive Leadership Program at Columbia University
- Center for the Study of Southern Culture
- Online News Association’s Women’s Leadership Accelerator
- Deep South Today
- Knight Media Forum
- American Journalism Project
- Press Forward
- Frank Mungeam episode
- Sarabeth Berman episode
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
- Larry Ryckman episode
- Central Mississippi Blues Society
- Scripps Howard Foundation
- The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center at USM
- University of Mississippi School of Journalism and New Media
- Mississippi Press Association
- Media recommendations:
- Kurt Vile
- Gulf States Newsroom
- Thank You, Please Come Again by Kate Medley
- Local recommendations:
- Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
- Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook
- Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter
For show notes, transcripts, newsletter sign-up and past guests on the Local News Matters podcast, please visit localnewsmatterspodcast.com or lnmpod.com.
Past guests on the Local News Matters podcast include: Amy Kovac-Ashley (Tiny News Collective), Michael Shaprio (TAPinto), Kenny Katzgrau (redbankgreen and Broadstreet), John Garrett (Community Impact), Shannon Kinney (Dream Local Digital), Larry Ryckman (The Colorado Sun), Frank Mungeam (Local Media Association), Kelly Ann Scott (Alabama Media Group), Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita (URL Media), Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro (National Trust for Local News), Mike Rispoli and Richard Young (via When the People Decide), Sarabeth Berman (American Journalism Project), Rabbi Hillel Goldberg and Shana Goldberg (Intermountain Jewish News), Lyndsay C. Green (via The Journalism Salute), Rashad Mahmood and Mark Glaser (New Mexico Local News Fund), Christian Vanek and Barbara Hardt (The Mountain-Ear), Dan Grech (BizHack), Zack Richner (Easy Tax Credits), Tracie Powell (Pivot Fund), Dan Oshinsky (Inbox Collective), Linda Shapley (via What Works), Yehong Zhu and Jake Seaton (Zette, Column), Charity Huff (January Spring), Joaquin Alvarado and Dave Perry (Aurora Sentinel), Steve Waldman (Rebuild Local News), Maritza Félix (Conecta Arizona), Michael Bolden (American Press Institute), Jeff Roberts and Corey Hutchins (CFOIC, Colorado College), Eve Pearlman and Erica Anderson (Spaceship Media), Jennifer Brandel (Hearken, Democracy SOS), Corey Hutchins with Bay Edwards, Todd Chamberlain and Raleigh Burleigh (Sopris Sun).