Agenda
March 24
Pre-conference: AI in Journalism
Hosted by UNC’s Knight Chair in Local News and Sustainability Marisa Porto. In-Person and Livestreamed
· 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Breakfast and Registration
· 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM: Opening Remarks
· 9:15 AM – 10:30 AM: Panel Discussion 1 – Best Practices in Newsroom Journalism
· 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Panel Discussion 2 – The Business of Journalism and AI Ethics
· 12:00 PM – 12:15 PM: Closing Remarks
As part of this pre-conference, Marisa Porto will host a pre-conference dinner at Carolina Coffee Shop, Sunday, March 23, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Please register here.
Workshop
Time
Session Description & Speakers
Location
1 PM – 1:15 PM
Welcoming Remarks
Raul Reis, University of North Carolina
Jessica Mahone, University of North Carolina
Philip Napoli, Duke University
Kyla Gabriel, Knight Foundation
Hall 1
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
Plenary: Defining and Conceptualizing Impact
Evaluating Impact across News Nonprofits: What Does Impact Really Mean?
Nik Usher, Katelyn Smith & Marissa Shaad, University of San Diego
Table Talk: Common Frameworks for Measuring the Impact of News
Rosemary D’Amour, Impact Architects
Evaluating Impact Metrics for Digital Platform Fair Compensation Policies
Courtney Radsch, Open Markets Institute
Imperfect Substitution: A Call to Add Flexibility for Measuring Journalistic “Impact”
Marisa Porto, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill & Steve Bien-Aime, University of Kansas
Hall 1
2:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Breakout Sessions
– Emerging Opportunities in Impact Measurement
Jennifer Berktold, NORC at the University of Chicago
Jhmira Alexander, Public Narrative
Alex Kresovich, NORC at the University of Chicago
Tom Rosenstiel, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park
Hall 2
– Local News Audience Research
Circulating Initial Findings- Audience Research Working Group
Jesse Holcomb, Calvin University
Local News Interest and Consumption in Brazil & the UK: Predictors and Outcomes of Two Key Variables in Local News Research
Courtney Tabor, Antonis Kalogeropoulos, Atri Mukherjee, Tom Nicholls & Patricia Rossini, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Critical Information Needs: A Methodology for Assessing State-Wide Audience Perspectives
Hannah Artman, Damon Kiesow & Joy Jenkins, University of Missouri
The Local News Angle: Experimental Evidence on Broadening Support for Local Newspapers
Andrew Trexler, Duke University
Inviting People to Online Political Conversation: How News Frames Affect Willingness to Comment and Comment Content
Ashley Muddiman, University of Kansas
Alcove 1
– Changing the Impact of Participation [Facilitated Discussion]
Cole Goins, New School
Fiona Morgan, Branchhead Consulting
Alcove 2
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Plenary: Local News Impact Consortium
Matthew Weber, Rutgers University
Benjamin Toff, University of Minnesota
Regina Lawrence, University of Oregon
Jesse Holcomb, Calvin University
Simona Bisiani, Surrey Institute for People-Centered AI
Hall 1
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Pizza Party at Still Life
159 E Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
March 25
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Coffee and pastries
Catering Area
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Plenary: Media Policy and Local Journalism
Hall 1
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
Breakout Sessions
– Local Journalism Measurement: Works in Progress [Workshop Session]
Calculating the Funding Gap for Local Journalism
Asa Royal, Sofia Bliss-Carrascosa & Philip Napoli, Duke University
The Journalism Density Index
Steve Waldman, Rebuild Local News
Alcove 1
– Works in Progress [Workshop Session]
The ABCs and 123s of Evidence-based Practice in Media Justice and Community Based Ethnic Journalism Impact and Measurement
Antwuan Wallace, The New School
Creating the Audience for Local News (or for any Journalism): Testing the Impact of Letting Youth Give it a try
Aralynn McMane, Global Youth & Media News
Surveying the Community Media Center Landscape
Antoine Haywood, University of Florida, & Matt Schuster, Public Media Network
Comparing Local News Consumption in Rural and Urban Communities
Angela Chen, Katelyn Cai & Riya Sharma, Duke University
Alcove 2
– Non-Traditional News Sources
How Communities Communicate Now: Identifying Contemporary Local Information and News Infrastructure in North Carolina
Sarah Stonbely, Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University
Non-Traditional Local News Sources: How Americans are Turning to Facebook Groups, Nextdoor, and Friends and Family for their Local News Needs
Elisa Shearer, Katerina Eva Matsa, & Kirsten Eddy, Pew Research Center
Signal Akron: A Mixed-Methods Case Study in Participatory Nonprofit Journalism
Josh Darr, Syracuse University
What are Total Market Circulation Newspapers: Exploring a Non-Traditional News Source in the Local News Ecosystem
Sydney Boeger, Missouri
Who’s a Journalist?: Measuring the Impact of Newsfluencers, Content Creators, and Provocateurs
Deb Aikat, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Hall 2
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Plenary: Civic Information Index
Shaydanay Urbani, Information Futures Lab at Brown University
Stefanie Fridehoff, Information Futures Lab at Brown University
Lizzy Hazeltine, NC Local News Lab Fund
Hall 1
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch
Catering Area
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Breakout Sessions
– Local News and Politics
No News Today: The Democratic Costs of Newspapers Scaling Back to Weekly Editions
Sean Ewing, University of California, Los Angeles
Silent News, Silent Ballots: The Effect of Local Journalism’s Decline on Midterm Election Turnout
Evrim Agca, Northwestern University
Local News and the 2024 Election: An Exploration of AP VoteCast 2024
Betsy Broaddus & Jennifer Benz, NORC at the University of Chicago
The Social Construction of Immigrants: Local News Coverage, Immigration Policy, and National Discussion 1990-2020
Risa Murase, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
From Fabrication to Influence: Investigating the Electoral Effects of Pink-Slime Journalism
Chau Tong, Michael Hatley, Tanner Smith, Joy Jenkins & Damon Kiesow, University of Missouri
Alcove 1
– Information Ecosystem Assessment
Abigail Chang, Impact Architects
Jenn Roche, Democracy Fund
Trista Vaughn & Brittany Harlow, Verified News Network
Caleb Slinkard, Georgia Trust for Local News
Alcove 2
– Newsroom Impact Measurement
Measuring What Matters: How Tiny News Collective Created Accessible, Actionable Data Dashboards for Small Publishers
Madison Karas, Tiny News Collective, & Nora Hertel, Project Optimist
Impact Measurement & Tracking in a Networked Newsroom Environment
Sara Hebel, Open Campus
Measuring Newsroom Impact on Social Cohesion and Democracy
Eric Evan Chen, Aaron Brezel & Hannah Wise, Brown Institute at Columbia University
Public Events as News Engagement: Assessing Audience Impact
Benjamin Toff, Meagan Doll & Cydney Grannan, University of Minnesota
Hall 1
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Breakout Sessions
– News Deserts
From Urban News Deserts to Nonprofit Resilience: Assessing the Health of Washington’s Local News Ecosystem
Jennifer Henrichsen, Pawel Popiel, Elizabeth Chambers, Alexandra Fil & Kathryn Robinson-Tay, Washington State University
Spatial Analysis of News Deserts: The Distribution of U.S. Local Newspapers
Johanna Dunaway & Murat Abus Syracuse University
Computational Tools for Mapping and Measuring Local News Diversity at Scale
Simona Bisiani, University of Surrey, & Agnes Gulyas, Canterbury Christ Church University
“We don’t see them here”: Assessing Community Needs in a Metropolitan News Desert
Margot Susca, Kirubel Ayetenfisu & Dima Amro, American University
Hall 2
– Content and Community Impact
In My Backyard? Really? The Impact of Information Provision on Pollution Avoidance
Jaeyong (Danny) Han, Duke University
The Community Impact of Independent Journalism: A Research Collaboration
Danny Hayes, George Washington University, Tristan Loper & Diana Lopez, Lenfest Institute for Journalism
A Crisis of Ownership: Analyzing the Impact of Conglomerate Ownership on Television Broadcast Content During U.S. Election Cycles
Wil Dubree & Abby Qin, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Assessing the Impact of Disinformation During a Natural Disaster: A Case Study of Asheville, NC
Katelyn Cai, Skylar Hughes & Simran Kapoor, Duke University
Measuring Annual “Renewable” Revenues as an Indicator for Sustainability
Mark Fuerst & Caroline Porter, Wyncote Foundation
Alcove 1
– Audiences and Impact
Assessing the Impact of News Coverage on State Government Officials
Meagan Doll, University of Minnesota, Matthew Powers, Patricia Moy & Russell Hanson, University of Washington
Philanthropy in Local News
Nick Mathews & Maya Dawson, University of Missouri
Local News Source Availability, News Use, Social Media Use, and News Finds Me: Predictors of Americans’ News Knowledge and Affect
Weiyue Chen, Butler University, Stephanie Edgerly, Northwestern University & Esther Thorson, Michigan State University
localMetrics for News: Understanding Double Jeopardy Effects
Harsh Taneja, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Alcove 2
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM
Closing Plenary: Bridging Local Journalism Research & Practice
Nisha Sridharan, Temple University
Tamar Wilner, University of Kansas
Heather Muse, Journalism Bridging Project
Fiona Morgan, Branchhead Consulting
Hall 1